After almost 40 Years, ABC Harley-Davidson of Waterford, Michigan, has been sold by owners Edwin Alder and Dennis Atherton to Dwane and Kari Cannady and Larry and Mary Clark. Dwane Cannady, a first-time buyer, was GM for a Pacific Northwest H-D store for over 10 years and has wanted to move back to the Midwest and own and operate his own dealership, which will remain at its current location, but will be renamed as Arsenal H-D.
Indian Motorcycle is up to 14th place in market share terms in Germany for the first
ten months of 2019 with 1,179 units sold YTD for a modest but growing 1.09% share (+12.72% in market share terms over the same period of 2018).
AMA has announced its 2020 AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days for July 10-12 at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington for the 26th year. Features will include vintage motorcycle racing, a "massive swap meet", vendors, entertainment, seminars and more. A fundraiser for the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame, AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days showcases classic motorcycles of all makes and styles, and honors the riders who made them famous.
H-D was in sixth place in motorcycle market share terms in Austria for the first nine months of 2019, with 6.06% (807 units sold). Indian Motorcycle was in 15th place with 0.66% (88 motorcycles sold) of a market worth 13,309 units in total YTD. Royal Enfield is in 13th spot, with a 0.95% share (126 sales). Unsurprisingly, KTM is market leader in Austria (24.31% share, 3,236 units sold YTD), with BMW second (12.84%).
Residents of Wisconsin can now operate the three-wheeled Polaris Slingshot with a standard driver's license, rather than the previously required motorcycle license or endorsement. The reclassification of the vehicle as an 'Autocycle' takes immediate effect.
Cycle World has named the Ducati Diavel 1260 S as its best cruiser of 2019, with the BMW R 1250 GS ADV as the best Touring model. Its best lightweight street bike is the Kawasaki Z400; best middleweight is the Triumph Street Triple R, and best 'Open-Class' street bike the much admired KTM 1290 Super Duke GT.
Indian is to recall 52,745 Chief, Chieftain, Roadmaster, and Springfield models from 2014 - 2019 because the gear position display may be inaccurate. The gear position switch contacts may oxidize, causing the gear position display to inaccurately show that the motorcycle is in neutral when it is actually in gear.
Two AMA Ice Race Grand Championship events are scheduled a week apart in January in Wisconsin - the High Voltage Ice Races (oval racing) on January 12 at Wilson Park in downtown Milwaukee; the second is a Grand Prix-style competition, concurrent with the Steel Shoe Fund's three-hour endurance race, January 19, Kettle Moraine Lake, Campbellspor. The events will be scored separately, and class winners at each event will be awarded AMA National No. 1 plates.
BRP North American Powersports retail sales grew 24% in Q3 FY19, with side-by-side vehicles (SSV) retail growing more than 30%; revenues were $1,643.6 m (+17.9%). The quarter saw the company complete acquisition of Telwater Pty Ltd, an Australian manufacturer selling boats under brands such as Quintrex, Stacer and Savage, and introduced six different electric vehicle concepts.