American Motorcycle Dealer AMD 251 June 2020 | Page 16

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NEWS
BRIEFS
Joel and Julie Felty have sold
their Monrovia, California based
Headwinds Inc. lights business
to R. M. Garrison Machining
Inc., the Phoenix, Arizona based
owner of Accutronix.
MPN reports that Harley-Davidson
dealerships ranked highest in the
2020 Pied Piper PSI Internet Lead
Effectiveness (ILE) Industry Study,
which answers the question, "What
happens when motorcycle or UTV
customers visit a dealer website and
inquire about a vehicle?"
Dealerships selling Indian
motorcycles were ranked second. The
study was completed before the
appearance of the coronavirus
pandemic, but in the aftermath of
the pandemic dealer response to
website customers had become even
more critical. A recent Wall Street
Journal article noted, "The new
coronavirus pandemic is deepening
a national digital divide, amplifying
gains for businesses that cater to
customers online, while businesses
reliant on more traditional models
fight for survival."
The latest new PTW registration
numbers from ANESDOR, the
motorcycle industry trade
association in Spain, continue
the predictably depressing
impact seen in the second half
of March as the market there
remained under 'lockdown' for
the whole of April. Total new
PTW registrations were down
by -93.47% in Spain in April at
1,074 units, ), with March -
43.66% down (9,128 units). For
the year to date, the motorcycle
market in Spain is -34.40%
(34,038 units sold), compared to
51,885 units sold in the first
four months of 2019.
Polaris Industries has signed an
"incremental" $300m 364-day
unsecured term loan facility, further
increasing the company's liquidity
position. "During this pandemicrelated
lockdown of the global
economy, we remain committed to
prudently managing the company's
financial resources for the long term.
Execution of this new term loan with
our long-standing banking partners
provides us with an additional
liquidity buffer to navigate these
uncertain times," said Mike
Speetzen, Polaris' Executive Vice
President and Chief Financial Officer.
Surviving COVID-19 - The Biltwell Way
Our thanks to Bill Bryant at
Temecula, California based
Biltwell for this insight into how
one accessory company's crew
responded to the current
crisis…
Back in March, when the state of
California issued a stay-at-home order
for all residents, Biltwell Inc. acted
quickly and decisively. While some
companies immediately panicked and
cut staff, Biltwell responded by
sending all employees home to shelter
in place with 30 days pay, in advance,
while the situation evolved.
Those who could work from home
quickly set up workstations and the
warehouse crew took a couple of days
off. With online orders still coming in,
company co-founder and Brand
Manager Bill Bryant came in alone to
handle the daily pick, pack and ship
duties.
Assistant Warehouse Manager
Christian Dominguez and the relatively
new kid, Parker, came in voluntarily
and not only worked their shifts but
cranked out overtime hours to get the
larger dealer and distributor orders out
the door.
Soon the rest of the crew was back in
full capacity, complying with social
distance mandates and exceeding any
state guidelines for hygiene and
cleanliness protocols. VP of Sales and
Michael Lichter has taken a
slightly different direction for
the theme of his curated
celebration of the custom bike
building art at the Buffalo Chip
during this year's 80th Sturgis
Rally in August.
The "Heavy Mettle" exhibit will
feature legendary builders who
have withstood the test of time -
a celebration of business survival
as much as anything else.
Many motorcycle builders come
and go. Economic downturns can
bring careers to a crashing close
and the fickle twists and turns
of moto fads can yield a new
crop of talent each year, only for
those names to also become
forgotten by the onset of the
next trend.
This year Michael is recognizing
a handpicked selection of those
whose metal-lined backbone
and character are strong enough
to buck trends and stay the
course, have earned their
Purchasing Mike Ellis kept the Sales
Department running smoothly from
home as the team settled into a new
routine of remote work.
Project management tools such as
Monday and Basecamp allowed them
to keep communications tight and
move dealer orders quickly through
the system. "Biltwell has long-term
relationships with the best distributors
in the business. This may be a storm,
Assistant Warehouse Manager
Christian Dominguez
but it's one we will survive together,"
says Ellis.
"We used this extra time for all of us
to get caught up on deferred
housekeeping in all departments,"
says Bryant. "We've got a great FTP
site for dealer assets, and that's more
Heavy Mettle: Motorcycles
and Art with Moxie
legendary status and a fair
amount of recognition. Some 38
of these builders have been
invited to display a motorcycle
in the style of their choosing in
the Sturgis Buffalo Chip's 2020
Motorcycles as Art exhibit
"Heavy Mettle: Motorcycles as
Art with Moxie."
Without a theme to guide the
builds themselves, the builders
will build a machine specifically
for this show that expresses
their own personality, their own
take on the custom building art
and that showcases their own
particular niche of custom
motorcycle building - the niche
that has made them a household
name.
In a purpose-built 7,000 sq ft
world-class gallery setting,
"Heavy Mettle: Motorcycles as
Art with Moxie" will feature the
spectrum of history and
possibilities inherent in custom
motorcycling.
CAPTAIN
BILTWELL
Image created using freepik.com elements
up to date than ever now, and so are
the specifications and diagrams on our
website.
"As far as product development goes,
that team has been full throttle all year,
and the Corona didn't slow these guys
down at all. Keep an eye out for some
exciting stuff in 2021."
Biltwell's dealer portal on the website
is 100% operational, and it is
processing orders daily and adding
new accounts on a regular basis.
In a time of constant doom and gloom
news, it's refreshing to hear from a
company which, like many, indeed
most in the powersports industry,
cares about its employees and retail
network and is standing up to the
challenge and not just survive - but
thrive.
www.biltwellinc.com
In order to secure an invitation
to join this show, builders must
have completed at least 20
custom builds and been in
business for at least 20 years.
Faced with the knowledge that
half of all businesses fail in the
first five years, these are
motorcycle aficionados who
have fought hard to become
successful and are known well
beyond the confines of the
industry.
The full list of participants can
be seen at
www.buffalochip.com/EVENTS/
Motorcycles-As-Art/Heavy-Mettle
Take that,
you pesky
virus!
16 AMERICAN MOTORCYCLE DEALER - JUNE 2020
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