American Motorcycle Dealer AMD 233 December 2018 | Page 14

JIMS/T-Man power Hiro Koiso
BRIEFS to 259 mph+ Bonneville Run
At the end of October Harley
announced a recall affecting
some 177,000 FL models from
2017 and 2018 on which there
is a clutch fluid leak risk – if the
clutch cannot be disengaged, it
could result in loss of control.
The secondary clutch actuator
cylinder may leak fluid
internally and the clutch master
cylinder may lose the ability to
generate enough lift to
disengage the clutch.
Popular International Sales Manager
Ken Ciocci has left Spectro Oils after
more than 30 years. The Brookfield,
CT, based blender has announced
Eric Christianson as its new Director
of Global Business Development.
Google has enabled the
motorcycle mode feature on
Google Maps in Kenya, a first in
Africa. The new routing mode
offers turn-by-turn navigation,
avoids restricted roads,
suggests routes and shortcuts
that are more efficient, and
shows accurate arrival times.
The feature was first introduced
in India last year and is
currently available in other
Asian countries such as Vietnam
and Thailand, where motorcycle
use is very widespread.
A big ‘shout out’ to Dr. Maral
Yazarloo-Pattrick, an internationally
respected academic, campaigner and
fashion industry brand owner who,
as a record-breaking superbiker, has
travelled solo around the world to
change attitudes towards women in
her native Iran. Women there are
banned from motorbike riding due to
modesty laws, but she recently
became the first Iranian woman to
openly enter the country on a
motorbike without being arrested.
Harley was in 6th place in
market share terms in Germany
for the year to October - taking
a 10.14% share with 10,519
units sold there YTD for a
+19.52 percent increase in
market share compared to the
first 10 months of 2017. Their
top sellers were the Street Bob,
Fat Bob 114 and Breakout 114.
The total motorcycle market in
Germany is theoretically reported as
being +7.67% for the year to
October at 103,730 motorcycles
sold. However, while the number of
bikes sold may well be accurate,
comparisons with 2017 are
misleading and this year may well
have been ‘flat’ throughout Europe –
the December 2016 pre-registration
of Euro 3 bikes actually sold in 2017,
after the Euro 4 compliance deadline,
mean that last year’s sales were
higher than recorded in the official
stats.
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Hiro Koiso had set the fastest open
bike record on the salt at 227.236mph
in 2017. The JIMS/T-Man Performance
135 cubic inch Twin Cam engine is
coupled with a C-1R ProCharger on a
modified 2006 Harley-Davidson FXD-I
based motorcycle that puts out over
400 hp to the rear wheel.
Again numbering JIMS among their
sponsors this year, the team put aero-
dynamic assistance into place entering
the team into the partially streamlined
class. Following the shake-down
passes on the first day, on August 27
Koiso clocked a blistering 259.951
mph on the measured mile - the fastest
speed recorded in history on a sit-on
Harley-Davidson motorcycle.
GPS recording shows in excess of over
260 mph. However, during the timed
mile, the front tire began to fail. Koiso
was able to keep the bike upright, but
extensive damage prevented him from
making a record return run.
“We could only make a few runs at the
NEWS
BMST this year,” Koiso stated, “but we
learned some priceless information
from them. By knowing the cause of
failure and what our equipment is
capable of, we are going to go even
faster next year. Our next goal will be
a tribute to the H-D factory Streamliner
efforts from 1970, which set a record
at 265.492 mph.
“All things considered, we believe it is
possible to hit the 270 mph mark. With
the JIMS/T-Man 135 incher we have
the set-up for it – we just need to work
harder.” In response, JIMS said that
“we at JIMS are extremely proud to be
a sponsor of Hiro Koiso Racing.”
AIMExpo Hosts “Record Number of
Trade Attendees” in Las Vegas
The MIC owned AIMExpo made its
inaugural foray to the western United
States when it was staged at the
Mandalay Bay Convention Center in
October, with the organizers stating
that it “proved to be a resounding
success” with a “record number of
trade attendees,” saying that there
were “more than 7,000 dealers, media
members, industry personnel and
exhibitor attendees – a 12 percent
increase over the 2017 event.”
That prior event was staged at
Columbus, Ohio, and 2019 will see the
show return to the Midwest venue for
four days at the Greater Columbus
Convention Center, September 26-29.
MIC Events says this year’s record
number was “anchored by the largest
dealer presence to date at AIMExpo
presented by Nationwide. More than
2,500 dealers made the trip to Las
Vegas, with representation from all 50
states and more than 50 different
countries. These retailers were eager to
see the latest products from the 505
exhibiting companies that filled the
show floor to capacity, and also take
advantage of the inaugural Dealer
Summit.
“Following a keynote address by the
Department of Interior’s Senior Advisor
for Recreation, Rick May, attending
AMERICAN MOTORCYCLE DEALER - DECEMBER 2018
dealers were given an array of
opportunities to stimulate their
business, completely free of charge.
From the “Dealers Only Luncheon
presented by KTM” to the Powersports
Dealer Seminars @ AIMExpo presented
by Powersports Business, retailers were
given critical education towards
enhancing their business and key
insights on how to evolve to better
serve the millennial consumer.”
Larry Little, Vice President & General
Manager MIC Events, said: “With the
move to Las Vegas and our
commitment to providing dealers with
activities that will ultimately impact
their bottom line, we saw a dramatic
increase in dealer registration and
attendance this year. The introduction
of Dealer Summit, and its specially
curated elements aimed at benefitting
their business, helped bring the largest
breadth of dealer attendees we’ve
seen yet, with an incredible increase of
more than 21 percent compared to last
year.”
AIMExpo was the centerpiece of the
inaugural Powersports Industry Week,
which also included Las Vegas
BikeFest, Monster Energy Cup, Suzuki
Sunday and the Las Vegas Ride for Kids
charity ride. Registration for demo rides
at AIMExpo Outdoors! is described as
having been “at capacity throughout
the weekend, while a total of nearly
9,000 consumers paid a visit to the
Mandalay Bay Convention Center.”
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