exhibitors ( including the 26 OEMs ) to be able to liquidate the investment from ? No , of course not . But is it a foundation that can be built on ? Yes . Which makes the 2018 move to Las Vegas , before a 2019 return to Columbus , that much more frustrating . Sure , there is merit to the idea of moving the show around to cater to different regional markets sometimes , and the hope is that some of the OEMs might decide to co-join their own dealer conventions with AIMExpo if and when it visits the kind of regions and venue cities they have themselves tended to favour for such events in the past . But while confirming now that AIMExpo will be back at Columbus in 2019 is to be welcomed , I would suggest that they should immediately decide what they are doing beyond that , in order to maximize momentum and industry confidence . If an every-other-year frequency at Columbus is the way to go , then fine , that works , but confirm it straight away . If , in fact , the organizers are now minded to review the itinerant show concept and ultimately drop anchor permanently in the region where the market ’ s trade shows have historically worked best , then also fine – but again , announce it now . Don ’ t be a little bit pregnant over it . In these times when there is more than enough uncertainty swirling about us without adding to it - give the V-twin market something steadfast that we can build on . By the way , as the organizers know only too well , nobody should be intimidated by the theoretical top line attendance numbers of the trade shows “ back in the day ”. Once you drill down , the actual number of dealerships being represented at a time when there were so many more , and when budget was flowing like milk and honey , was nothing like those topline numbers would have you believe – in the region 2,000 to 3,000 dealerships represented ( at most ) is more like the reality of it , and even those kinds of attendances took more than a decade to build and represented market conditions the like of which none of us are ever likely to see again in our lifetimes . It is ironic to be having this kind of debate just as Easyriders Events has been forced to wave a white flag of surrender ( for now at least ) for the V- Twin Expo at Cincinnati , and as the structural changes and consolidation in the V-twin market result in the emerging dominance of the new generation of February distributor dealer , own brand and vendor events that are also re-shaping the trade show landscape . The timing of AIMExpo is one of its primary USPs , albeit one that seeks to
Indian Motorcycle : As the “ new kid on the block ” in brand identity , model range and dealer development terms , Polaris Industries ’ decision to back Indian ’ s decision to engage with AIMExpo is as important as Harley- Davidson ’ s . In Polaris ’ case they bring wider powersports and transport industry to the table in the long run , and if Indian is a brand in search of being able to build marketing infrastructure , then the virgin territory that AIMExpo and Columbus represent have huge potential for them . If the show does eventually settle at Columbus , either annually or biennially , then what a unique opportunity it would provide for Indian to be able to bring its multiple messages together within weeks of its model range announcements , within days almost of the end of the race season , in an environment that speaks to Indian solus and Polaris multi-line dealers , and , ultimately , as with Harley , in an environment in which riders and dealers from the non-traditional custom markets can be courted ; www . indianmotorcycle . com
J . W . Speaker : The Germantown , Wisconsin based specialist ’ s Adaptive Series headlights “ represent a genuine evolution in motorcycle headlights ”, and are described as “ the world ’ s first dynamically adaptive motorcycle headlight .” Designed to address the issues of lighting blind spots created by fixed lights when a motorcycle is leaning or cornering , they use onboard sensors and advanced electronics to calculate bank angles on a real-time basis , automatically directing the light array up or down as the motorcycle leans . The “ integrated optical system ” includes both an adaptive low beam as well as J . W . Speaker ’ s proprietary ‘ ComfortLite ’ high beam . Together these optics are said to provide “ bestin-class foreground illumination and light above the horizon that dramatically improves operator comfort and safety for night-time driving ; www . jwspeaker . com
Race Tech : Though best known for its sportsbike and race products , the Californian suspension specialist has decades of Harley-Davidson suspension development experience . With shocks and front suspension products for Sportsters , Dynas , Softails , V- Rods , Baggers and Tourers , check out the company ’ s gold valve cartridge emulators . Said to “ transform damping rods to perform like well-tuned cartridge forks ,” they eliminate “ orifice ” style damping , allowing for a set-up that will “ absorb small bumps , increase bottoming resistance and reduce front end dive ”; www . racetech . com
K & L Supply : One of the leading suppliers of equipment , tools and hard parts for the powersports industry ; www . klsupply . com
24 AMERICAN MOTORCYCLE DEALER www . AMDchampionship . com