Twin Power: The Twin Power brand was first established as a line of high quality replacement motor parts by Jim Thompson, Charlie Hadayia Sr. and others for NEMPCO( The New England Motor Parts Company) in 1982. Fast forward to 2017, and the Twin Power program is now headed up for Biker’ s Choice and Tucker Rocky by former S & S Cycle and Baker Drivetrain man James Simonelli. Recent additions include technical components such as replacement primary chains, cam chain tensioner shoes, a 34-tooth compensator eliminator sprocket, clutch kits, valve and spring kits, cam and primary chains, manual primary chain adjuster and, most recently, what is believed to be the only replacement for the Harley camshaft position sensor.“ From pistons for Ironhead Sportsters to high-tech lithium ion batteries, we have more performance parts for more applications than ever, tested in independent labs to ensure that they fit and work like they should,” says James. Check out the new Twin Power website at www. twinpower-usa. com
“ the similarities are a big part of what attracted me”
“ Number Two- MAG is a brand business with its own specific needs. Whether manufactured or third party sourced, and with MAG, as everyone knows, our products are mostly made here in the United States in our own factories, brand management and product development brings its own set of challenges, requirements and opportunities. That’ s why separation of brands from distribution is a big part of the strategic three-business model we are building.“ Number Three- our retail group, with Motorcycle Superstore and J & P Cycles, is again a separate business discipline, and is therefore a third unit within the combined MAG entity.“ So, to answer concerns and comments that we have heard about taking some of the historically TR brands, especially some of the apparel lines, and placing them into our brand business, well that makes strategic good sense. People who manage brands need to be allowed to focus on doing that. The distribution business can then be entirely focused on providing our dealers with the great products and services they need to capitalize on the many opportunities they have. Opportunities to profitably grow their businesses by helping their customers enjoy their motorcycling experience.“ Three distinct businesses, our Brand Group, our Distribution arm and our Retail e-commerce operation, three distinct business opportunities, each with their specific characteristics and requirements.” We went on to discuss the decision that the owners took to bring in an outside CEO, one who could settle the operation down, exploit available synergies and eliminate duplications. Graves was equally to the point:“ There was no obvious CEO candidate within the management of the two businesses pre-merger, no natural leader. So the decision to look outside made complete sense, and also offered the benefit of having someone with fresh
perspectives and experiences.” Asked to give a frank impression of what he thought about what he found when he started in January 2015, Graves’ answers went straight to the sometime benefits of those outside perspectives in their precision and simplicity.“ Well, this is a seasonal business,” he said.
Progressive Suspension: The industry continues to put great effort into and emphasis on sales rep training, and quite rightly. As one of the most important sets of eyes and ears that a custom shop owner has for knowledge and, above all, context, such investments speak to a market’ s long-term viability and vendor’ s ability to“ drill down” through the channels; www. progressivesuspension. com
BikeMaster: One of the largest in-house brand parts and accessory programs for Tucker Rocky and Biker’ s Choice, BikeMaster was established in 1981 by riders as the“ wrencher’ s friend”. Brand Manager Phillip Mayfield says“ whether you ' re a professional mechanic, or just enjoy working on your own projects, BikeMaster has the right tools and parts to get the job done. Central to the program is our understanding that quality and performance is what every motorcycle workshop and owner is looking for. Our chemicals and replacement parts provide O. E. M. quality and performance. Our batteries, tools, tubes, chain and sprockets, grips, fork seals, levers, handlebars, air and oil filters, along with hundreds of other BikeMaster branded products provide dealers with retail versatility through service, parts and sales departments. Our dedication to serve our dealers through personal and immediate customer service means we’ ll always have their back”; www. bikemaster. com
20 AMERICAN MOTORCYCLE DEALER- APRIL 2017 www. AMDchampionship. com