THE AMERICAN REPORT
Sources: The Bradley Report, AMD Magazine, Big Bike Europe, MIC, AMA, PSB, Dealernews
THE AMERICAN REPORT
POWERSPORTS
INSIDERS
Polaris Industries Inc. has joined the Fortune 500 list of largest companies in the United States. Not a market cap., profits or revenues listing as such, the Fortune 500 lists businesses by total revenues for their fiscal years- Polaris is in its 64th year and achieved a ranking of # 496. It lists publicly held companies along with privately held companies for which revenues are publicly available.
Garland, Texas based UTV / SxS vehicle assembler Sportsman Country is being acquired by Jinhua, China based electric and off-road vehicle and component manufacturer Kandi Technologies. Sportsman assembles and distributes under the Massimo, Benneche and Linhai brands.
Polaris has announced it is to open a new distribution center in Fernley, Nevada, 165 miles NE of Sacramento, California. The 475,000 sq ft facility will be a multi-brand operation on a 37-acre site, supporting Polaris’ growing aftermarket, parts, garments and accessories businesses. Its PG & A division achieved nearly $ 2 billion in sales in 2017. Proximity to west coast consumers and Pacific Rim facing ports are cited as factors in the choice of location.
Following news that it had moved its U. S. headquarters to Plano, Texas, Canadian BRP, maker of Sea-Doo watercraft and Ski-Doo snowmobiles, is reported to be poised to spend some $ 385 million on acquisitions to expand its product line-up. Group sales in 2017 are reported at $ 3.4 bn, and CEO Jose Boisjoli is targeting growth to $ 4.6 bn by 2020.
The U. S. Consumer Product Safety Commission’ s( CPSC) 2016 annual report of“ ATV-Related Deaths and Injuries”( issued January 2018) once again affirms the decade-long downward trend in fatalities and injuries related to ATVs- down-29 % for the period 2007 to 2013.
BRP has garnered six prestigious Red Dot product design awards for its Sea-Doo Spark Trixx PWC, Can-Am Maverick X3 and Trail SxS vehicles, Evinrude E-TEC 150- 200 hp G2 outboard engine, Ski-Doo snowmobile REV Gen4 platform and LinQ snowboard / ski rack for Ski-Doo snowmobiles.
Hello Curtiss, goodbye hydrocarbons!
Confederate Motorcycles has completed its transition to Curtiss Motorcycle with what CEO Matt Chambers says is“ the first new Curtiss motorcycle in over 100 years.” In all likelihood, it will also be the last too- at least the last internal combustion engine motorcycle under the Curtiss name as Chambers embarks on his plan to abandon hydrocarbons and reinvent as an E-bike manufacturer. Sharing a name with its famous World War II fighter plane ancestor, the new Warhawk pays homage to the man who invented the first American V-twin motorcycle – Glenn Curtiss, a legendary figure in the history of the American aviation as well as motorcycle industries. Curtiss is credited with effectively being the founder of the U. S. aircraft industry. He began his career as a bicycle racer and builder before moving on to motorcycles. As early as 1904, he began to manufacture engines for airships. In 1908, Curtiss joined the Aerial Experiment Association, a pioneering research group, founded by Alexander Graham Bell in Nova Scotia, to build flying machines. Curtiss made the first officially witnessed flight in North America, won a race at the world’ s first international air meet in France, and made the first long-distance flight in the United States. His contributions in designing and building aircraft led to the formation of the Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company, now part of Curtiss- Wright Corporation. Curtiss’ company built aircraft for the U. S. Army and Navy, and, during the years leading up to World War I, his experiments with seaplanes led to advances in naval aviation. Curtiss civil and military aircraft were predominant in the interwar and World War II eras. Curtiss began manufacturing motorcycles with his own singlecylinder engines in 1902. His first motorcycle’ s carburetor was adapted from a tomato soup can containing a gauze screen to pull the gasoline up by capillary action. In 1903, he set a motorcycle land speed record at 64 miles per hour( 103 km / h) for one mile( 1.6 km). When E. H. Corson of the Hendee Mfg Co( manufacturers of Indian motorcycles) visited Curtiss at his Hammondsport, New York‘ Facility’ in July 1904, he was amazed that the entire Curtiss motorcycle enterprise was located in the back room of the modest“ shop”. Corson’ s motorcycles had just been trounced the week before by“ Hell Rider” Curtiss in an endurance race from New York to Cambridge, Maryland. On January 21, 1906, Curtiss set an unofficial world record of 136.36 miles per hour( 219.45 km / h), on a 40 horsepower( 30 kW) 269 cu in( 4,410 cc) V-8-powered motorcycle of his own design and construction in Ormond Beach, Florida. The air-cooled F-head engine was intended for use in aircraft. He remained“ the fastest man in the world”, the title the newspapers gave him, until 1911, and his motorcycle record was not broken until 1930. This motorcycle is now in the Smithsonian Institution. Curtiss’ success at racing strengthened his reputation as a leading maker of high-performance motorcycles and engines. The announcement of the‘ Warhawk’ marks the first product release since Confederate Motors rebranded to Curtiss Motorcycle earlier this year.“ We’ ve spent the past 27 years working to optimise and perfect Mr. Curtiss’ V-twin invention,” explained Curtiss CEO Matt Chambers.“ Everything we know is built into this machine. Because the‘ Warhawk’ is based on our acclaimed P51 Fighter, the engine, powertrain and chassis are as solid as a bank vault. But now, we’ ve cranked it to 11. There are no more rabbits we can pull out of the proverbial hat. There’ s simply no way to make a more explosive hot-rod American V-twin than the Curtiss Warhawk.“ The American V-twin is undoubtedly the most iconic and revered powertrain in motorcycle history. As we prepare to lead an all-new golden age of electrified motorcycles, this Curtiss Warhawk represents the best and final chapter in American V-twin power and refinement. We’ re building a handful of these Warhawks in honour of Mr. Curtiss and as a bequest from the brand of yesterday to the brand of tomorrow.” Only 35 Curtiss Warhawks are scheduled to be crafted, with an MSRP of 105,000 USD. Based in Birmingham, Alabama, Curtiss Motorcycle Company is on a mission to“ lead an all-new golden age of sustainable motorcycles by designing and crafting the world’ s best and finest electric motorcycles.” A first new volume production model, to be called the‘ Hercules’ and powered by a Zero Motorcycles powertrain, is slated for a May 2018 unveil. www. curtissmotorcycles. com
20 INTERNATIONAL DEALER NEWS- AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2018