American Motorcycle Dealer AMD 242 September 2019 | Page 22

AMA Opposes Tariffs on
BRIEFS EU Motorcycles and P&A
NEWS
Spartan, "the world's largest
obstacle course race (OCR) and
endurance brand," has
announced an exclusive
national (USA) sponsorship with
Harley, naming the Motor
Company the "Official
Motorcycle" of Spartan US.
"This collaboration brings
together two brands built from
a common bond of community,
adventure and individual
transformation, and offers a
new element of thrill at Spartan
races across the United States
as well as at select Harley-
Davidson dealerships."
Polaris has revealed "a new
corporate brand platform that
represents its remarkable 65-year
evolution to a global market leader
with more than 30 brands. "Think
Outside" – the evolved Polaris brand
position – articulates the company's
corporate brand in a way that
supports its vision, defines its
pioneering spirit, sets it in the
marketplace and expresses the value
offered through its expansive
products and services."
During the Sturgis Rally,
Hamsters USA raised $318,344
for special kids at LifeScape in
Rapid City, SD. Hamsters USA
has raised and donated funds at
the annual meeting for the last
14 years, "with a deep desire to
give back to the greater Black
Hills community," which many
Hamsters consider their second
home. This year's event brought
the cumulative total of 14 years
to over $3.3 million in total
dollars raised for LifeScape in
Rapid City.
In a July 31st press release, the
American Motorcyclist Association
(AMA) lobbied against plans
announced by the Office of United
States Trade Representative (USTR)
to impose tariffs on select
motorcycles imported from countries
in the European Union.
"As part of a dispute over aircraft
subsidies, the USTR has proposed
100 percent tariffs on motorcycles
imported from countries in the
European Union with an engine size
between 500 cc and 700 cc, along
with parts and accessories.
"The American Motorcyclist
Association is joining others in the
motorcycling community to oppose
the USTR's latest ill-conceived
proposal. Motorcyclists should not
be penalized with exorbitant tariffs
because of an unrelated trade
dispute. Any trade sanctions imposed
as a result of this dispute should
come from more closely related
industries or products.
To oppose this tariff, the AMA is
asking its members to sign a petition
that will be presented to the USTR to
demonstrate the motorcycling
public's opposition to the proposal.
The petition can be E-signed at the
AMA website and its wording is
"Motorcyclists who depend
on parts from Europe to
keep their motorcycles in
safe, working order will face
increased
cost
and
decreased availability under
this proposal. This will result
in motorcyclists putting off
critical maintenance and will
keep their vehicles off the
road, negatively affecting
the
countless
small
businesses that depend on
motorcycle-based tourism.
Additionally, this proposed
tariff will cause serious, and
AIMExpo Dealer Seminars
The Powersports Dealer
Seminars at AIMExpo "are
designed as a great benefit for
dealership owners and staff
attending September's big show
in Columbus, Ohio" (September
26 - 29).
"The theme of this year’s show
is 'Together We Rise,' and we're
taking that same approach to
providing dealerships with the
type of educational training
that can simply help them grow
as they return to their
businesses," said Powersports
Business Editor-in-Chief Dave
McMahon, who has strategically
formulated the presentation
line-up for the seventh straight
year.
All of the sessions will run
during the exclusive trade days
on Thursday, September 26, and
Friday, September 27 (the
consumer portion of the show
runs Saturday and Sunday).
Dealers may choose whichever
sessions they would like to
attend, and attendance is free
for registered dealers thanks to
a number of industry sponsors.
The curriculum, with 18
interactive and instructive
sessions, was developed to
improve the powersports retail
business model across three key
tracks: sales and marketing,
sponsored by Torque Group;
powering profits, sponsored by
Aegis Powersports; and
leadership plus, sponsored by
McGraw Powersports Western
Service Contract. The premier
seminar sponsors are National
potentially irreversible,
harm to American small- and
medium-sized business
owners
selling
the
motorcycles, parts and
accessories.
"Should the availability of
products be hindered
through unjustified trade
sanctions on European-
produced motorcycles,
dealerships may close,
leaving countless Americans
without jobs. The negative
effects of the proposed
trade sanctions will not only
harm the motorcycle sales
industry, but will spread
through the aftermarket
equipment
s e c t o r,
recreation equipment sales,
the sports entertainment
industry and further down
the line."
americanmotorcyclist.com
Powersport Auctions and
Synchrony.
Returning to the seminar line-
up for 2019 are the Dealer
Roundtables. Scheduled just
before the show's general
session on Thursday afternoon,
the roundtables allow dealers
to collaborate with their peers
about challenges they face as
operators. Multiple 30-minute
discussions on various topics
will run concurrently, allowing
dealers to take advantage of
knowledge and experience from
a number of industry
colleagues.
To address the evolving
marketplace, completely new
subject matter is being added,
such as an ROI vs ROE seminar -
how customer experience will
soon overtake price and
product as the key brand
differentiator.
Harley was in fifth place in total PTW
market share terms in Switzerland for
the first seven months of 2019,
having sold 1,631 units. Market
share leader is Yamaha, followed by
BMW, Honda and Kawasaki. Total
new motorcycle registrations were
down for the seven months to July
2019 by -0.99% (19,058 units).
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AMERICAN MOTORCYCLE DEALER - SEPTEMBER 2019
www.AMDchampionship.com