American Motorcycle Dealer AMD 249 April 2020 | Page 8

NEWS
BRIEFS
Back in December, H-D and its
Benelli brand owning Chinese
collaborator Qianjiang held a Design
Freeze Signing Ceremony for
production of the new 338 cc
parallel-twin powered 'baby Harley'.
AMD has not been able to
substantiate rumors that the
upcoming 1,250 cc Pan America and
975 cc Bronx will also be built in
China. However, Harley's well
documented parts ordering software
issues, which already pushed their
debut date to November 2020,
suggests that they will be built in the
USA, and as the software problems
become compounded by Coronavirus
triggered supply chain issues, don't
be surprised if that date also slips.
Motorcycle Consumer News
(MCN) is the latest motorcycle
magazine/media to succumb to
the seemingly inexorable desire
for BS instead of proper
information and journalism - it
shut up shop at the start of
February when Ann Arbor,
Michigan based owner Lumina
Media, LLC was dissolved.
Founded in 1969 (by Roger Hull)
as Road Rider, it became MCN in
1991 and was ad free and fully
subscriber supported - not a
long-term business model in
these times when the human
race, in media terms at least,
appears to know the price of
everything and the value of
nothing!
Yamaha global motorcycle unit sales
continued to decline in 2019, but its
European operations improved
according to BDN financial editor
Roger Willis. Total revenue from the
company's Land Mobility division fell
by -1.6% to $10bn. Operating profit
was -14.1% down at £293m;
turnover directly attributable to
motorcycles dropped by -2.5% to
just under $9bn. Worldwide sales
volume sank by -5.9% to 5,056
million units. Europe's contribution
grew by +1.1% to $1.2bn, with unit
sales +5.7% at 186,000 units; North
America fell by -6.8% to around
$380m with volume -6% at 63,000
units. Their Japanese domestic
market lost -5.4% volume at 88,000
units.
A reminder that in June 2019
the City of Sturgis changed the
way it determined when the
City of Sturgis would recognize
the start date of the motorcycle
rally, with the 2020 Rally start
date officially slated as Friday
August 7.
8
Yaffe's Baddest Bagger Show
This year marks the tenth anniversary
of the Yaffe's Baddest Bagger contest,
so to keep it fresh, his Bagger Nation
team has revised just about every
aspect of the popular event series.
This "new and improved" show series
will feature new classes, new judging,
new trophies, new prizes and an all-
new party atmosphere and five events
throughout 2020.
The competitions are open to all H-D
"FL" and "FX" series rubber isolated
touring models (Road King, Road
Glide, Street Glide, Electra Glide, Ultra
Glide, FXRT, FXRP, FXRD, FXDXT, FLSB)
as well as any other brand that
celebrates the touring segment with
saddlebags.
Entry into Yaffe's Baddest Bagger
Show is $30 per bike, which includes
a Baddest Bagger T-Shirt and
commemorative event sticker. Class
awards, 1st and 2nd place will be
awarded in each of the five classes;
specialty awards (Best Of) will include
Best Paint, Best Attention to Detail,
Most Innovative, People's Choice,
Yaffe's Pick and Flash's Pick.
The new classes are:
MODIFIED: mild body mods,
bolt-on accessories, custom
wheels up to 23", finish
changes including custom paint
RADICAL: frame/rake mods,
body mods, custom wheels up
to 26", finish changes including
custom paint Yaffe's Baddest Bagger at
Arizona Bike Week
Friday April 3rd
WestWorld Complex
PERFORMANCE: built for
performance enhancement,
front wheel no bigger than 21",
engine, braking and suspension
upgrades, finish changes
including custom paint Yaffe's Baddest Bagger at
Chicago - NEW for 2020 -
stand alone even
Saturday June 6th
Fox River Harley-Davidson
STEAM ROLLER TOURING
(SRT): wide front tires, 18, 20,
21, 23, unlimited modifications,
finish changes including custom
paint
UNLIMITED: scratch built,
extensive body and frame mods,
no wheel size restriction, one-
off innovation and engineering,
finish changes including custom
paint
Having made its debut at
Daytona, the remaining four in
the five event series are:
Yaffe's Baddest Bagger at
Sturgis Rally & Races
Tuesday August 11th
Full Throttle Saloon
Yaffe's Baddest Bagger at
Daytona Biketoberfest Rally
Friday October 16th
Daytona International
Speedway
'Yaffe's Baddest Bagger' is a
"not for profit" event with all
proceeds benefitting its 501-C3
partner - Bikers Against Bullies
USA. For further details, see
baggernation.com/ybb
PM 50th Anniversary - Road Tour
and New Products
From its start in a small shop in
Paramount, California in 1970, these
days the business that Nancy and Hall
of Fame husband Perry Sands built now
occupies some 60,000 sq ft in nearby La
Palma - and still has a market leading,
international reputation for its wheels
and brake products.
Perry's obsessive talent for machining
and fabricating precision and
perfection, combined with a life-long
passion for motorcycles, remains writ
large in PM's DNA and is seen up front
and center in the new Go Fast 'RaceLine'
wheels, rotors, calipers and spoke
mount hub system that PM
has added for 2020.
Two new wheel designs, all new brake
calipers, a "revolutionary" line of Black
Ops and Gold Ops finishes along with
new and improved Raceline brake rotors
and their ultra-light hub system tell the
story of a business that has always
understood that to stand still is to go
backwards and that their job is to take
their dealer's forward with them.
After a season kick-off at Daytona, PM
Arizona Bike Week, Phoenix, AZ
Thunder Beach Rally, Panama City Beach, FL
Myrtle Beach Bike Week, Myrtle Beach, SC
Born Free Show, Orange County, CA
Black Hills Rally, Sturgis, SD
Delmarva Bike Week, Salisbury, MD
Biketoberfest, Daytona Beach, FL
Lone Star Rally, Galveston, TX
AMERICAN MOTORCYCLE DEALER - APRIL 2020
will be taking its celebration around the
United States as its Big Blue Kenworth
Big Rig heads out on the highway,
looking for adventure at the market's
largest events.
"With PM celebrating its 50th
Anniversary it's important that we
recognize the path we've taken and
what the future has in store," says Brand
Manager Sean Delshadi. "Along with
the debut of an entirely new collection
of stunning products is an all new visual
presentation on the Rally Truck.
"Created exclusively for the 50th
Anniversary, the graphics showcase a
personal insight into the lives of our
founders, the Sands family, with great
art, great memories and great
achievements."
Following its 2020 debut at Bruce
Rossmeyer's Destination Daytona, its
Rally Truck will drop anchor at the
following industry gatherings:
www.AMDchampionship.com