American Motorcycle Dealer AMD 239 June 2019 | Page 12

Vance & Hines Names Mike
BRIEFS Kennedy as President
NEWS
Harley Riding Academy (New
Rider Course) is now being
offered as a college credit
course at the University of
Wisconsin-Milwaukee - upon
completion, students will earn
an MSF BRC completion card.
The acquisition of North County's
House of Motorcycles at Vista, near
San Diego, California, has taken
RideNow Powersports to 42 stores in
its national network, 15 of them in
its home state of Arizona, 7 in Texas,
and 5 in each of Florida and Nevada.
As at 20 weeks out from the
show date, AIMExpo, slated for
Columbus, Ohio, in September
2019, says that dealer
registrations are running ahead
of the same time for Las Vegas
in 2018 (+14%) and for
Columbus in 2017 (+22%), with
22% of dealers said to be from
the V-twin and Cruiser sectors
and with dealers registered
from 42 different states.
Tucker Powersports has added Sena
Technologies to its brand partner
portfolio. The Sena range includes
communication devices, action
cameras and Smart Helmets.
BMW Motorrad achieved a
strong start to the year with
first quarter sales up +7.7%
(38,606). In March, a total of
18,931 (+9.9%) motorcycles and
maxi scooters were delivered to
customers around the world.
Matt Chambers' Confederate
Motorcycle replacement venture, an
all-electric comeback for the
legendary Curtiss brand, has gone
public with target pricing. The
company showed the 140 kw/190
hp/200 Nm torque Zeus Cafe and
Zeus Bobber as pre-production
prototypes at the Milan Show in
November last year. Entry level
pricing is slated to be around
$60,000. Production is planned to
start in 2020, and a $6,000 deposit
is required to get on to the wait list.
Tucker Powersports has
partnered with TEAM Arizona
Motorcyclist Training Centers to
become its newest 3rd Gear
Level Sponsor. Tucker will
provide specific TEAM Arizona
training sites with riding gear
and equipment, highlighting
brands such as Arai Helmets,
First Gear, Speed and Strength
and Answer Racing.
12
Santa Fe Springs, California based
exhaust manufacturer Vance & Hines
has named Mike Kennedy as company
president.
Kennedy has extensive experience in
powersports and recreational vehicles,
including senior-level positions at
Harley-Davidson, in both the United
States and the United Kingdom. He
also held leadership roles at BRP Inc.
and Buell Motorcycle Company.
At Harley-Davidson, Kennedy had
operational responsibility and held the
positions of Managing Director for the
United States, and eventually the
Americas. He led organizational
changes in the company that created
greater access to products and
ensured the strength of the brand.
His breadth of management
experience from previous roles
demonstrates his expertise in building
organizations that meet the needs of
customers in a variety of competitive
environments. Kennedy helped lead
the development and execution of
Harley’s parts and accessories
explosive growth for six years from
1998-2004 and in 2003 hired Vance &
Hines to operate the Harley-Davidson
Screamin’ Eagle Racing program.
"Mike's energy, experience,
operational expertise and
relationships are essential to taking
Vance & Hines to the next level," said
Hugh Charvat, CEO of Motorsport
Aftermarket Group (MAG). "He's the
right leader to help Vance & Hines re-
establish its dominance in the industry
and continue our commitment to
creating new and innovative
products."
Vance & Hines co-founder Terry Vance
said: "If I searched through resumes
for a year, I wouldn't find a person
more perfect for this job than Mike. I
couldn't be more excited that he’s
joining the company."
"There's huge power in this brand,"
said Kennedy. "Forty years of
innovation, quality and being a
dominant player in racing is just the
start. We're in a rapidly evolving
industry, and I want to make sure that
Vance & Hines remains the top choice
for riders and dealers long into the
future."
www.vanceandhines.com
U.S. Households With A Motorcycle
Climb To Record 8% in 2018
A Motorcycle Industry Council (MIC)
owner survey has revealed that
despite the present soft new
motorcycle registration figures in the
United States, there are more bikes in
use with a record 8% of U.S.
households reported to own at least
one motorcycle.
Households with a motorcycle rose
from 6.94 percent in 2014 (the last full
survey) to a record 8.02 percent in
2018, an increase of more than 1.5
million homes. The United States
Census Bureau's most recent estimate
put the number of U.S. households at
126,224,000. The MIC owner survey
found that 10,124,400 of those
homes had a motorcycle.
"The household penetration numbers
have always been among the most
important figures to us," said MIC
President and CEO Tim Buche. "We're
certainly happy to see more homes
that have a motorcycle. Riders who
talk about motorcycling to friends and
neighbors help to inspire people who
don't yet ride."
The number of motorcycles owned
also reached record levels, according
to the survey, jumping to 13,158,100
last year, an increase of more than 2.5
million motorcycles compared to
2014. It is even higher than the
AMERICAN MOTORCYCLE DEALER - JUNE 2019
Tim Buche, MIC President and CEO:
"The household penetration
numbers have always been among
the most important statistics for us"
previous record from 2009
(11,704,500), which followed a long
period of high-volume new bike sales.
The estimated number of motorcycles
in use rose to an increase of more than
2 million since 2014. And that number
was more than 1 million better than
the record figure from 2009, when
11,015,105 motorcycles were in use.
"Modern motorcycles are high-quality
machines, enabling the pre-owned
market to be a key part of the overall
growth in the motorcycle and rider
population," said Jim Woodruff,
secretary/treasurer of the MIC Board
of Directors and COO of National
Powersport Auctions. "The annual pre-
owned market is actually three times
larger than the new market. Used
bikes appeal to many riders because
there are so many options in terms of
price and style."
The 2018 survey also revealed that the
number of motorcycles per household
with a bike stood at 1.30, up slightly
compared with 2014 when it was
1.23, but down compared to 1.53
recorded in 2009.
The percentage of motorcycles in
running order was down 3 percentage
points, from 96.1 percent in 2014 to
93 percent in 2018. But compared to
a decade ago (94.1 percent) it was
only down one percentage point last
year.
"As used units become a larger part of
the overall motorcycle population, it's
not surprising to see a slight decrease
in the percentage of operating units,"
Woodruff said. "Our research shows
that the average age of a pre-owned
motorcycle sold in the U.S. is
approximately eight years old. Plus,
vintage bikes are on trend now and
many riders are keeping non-runners
as part of their collection."
The MIC is headquartered in Irvine,
Calif., with a government relations
office in metropolitan Washington,
D.C. First called the MIC in 1970, the
organization has been in operation
since 1914.
www.mic.org
www.AMDchampionship.com