Business As Usual
Drag Specialties & Parts Unlimited 2023 North American NVP
Madison, Wisconsin, August 17-20, 203
Words and Pictures by Robin Bradley
After finally being able to 'Get the Band Back Together' after the years of Covid triggered interruption to normal business cycles, Parts Unlimited, Drag Specialties and Parts Canada brought their teams back together in Madison, WI (August 17-20) for what proved to be a successful 2023 North American NVP Expo.
The Expo weekend, kicked off on Thursday with training for the Parts Unlimited, Drag Specialties and Parts Canada Sales Teams and extended into Friday, where they had additional opportunities to visit vendor displays and additional training for top vendors.
On Saturday and Sunday, exciting new brands and products were unveiled along with opportunities to connect with the industry's leading brand representatives. Dealers attending the expo received expo discounts and additional incentives.
Saturday evening brought everyone together for a magnificent social event on the rooftop of the Frank Lloyd Wright inspired, lakeside Monona Terrace, for the annual bike show and Meet & Greet. After this, attendees headed to downtown Madison to watch the 'Boonie Bike Bonanza', an exciting and fun entertainment event provided by Icon.
Paul Langley, LeMans CEO, stated: "The 2023 Madison North American NVP was a huge success, with dealers, reps, and vendors giving it positive feedback. The weather for the Saturday evening Meet & Greet/bike show was ideal, and we had a full house.
"Although many participants have cherished the Madison expo for many years, we have simply outgrown all available floor space and downtown hotel room capacity. Therefore, we are excited to announce that the 2024 North American NVP will move to the newly renovated Wisconsin Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, with the preferable dates of September 7-8, 2024.
James Danyluk, President, Parts Canada "The 2023 Madison NVP in my view was a complete success. All the Canadian dealers I talked with said it was a fantastic show and well worth it to come. A fitting way to close out our years at the Madison venue, we are all looking forward to Milwaukee in 2024."
Milwaukee will be a great backdrop for the next North American NVP, and will bring more than triple the floor space allowing for more vendors and larger exhibits making this the largest footprint yet for the Expo. "This change of venue will also bring a lot of new twists and fun for all."
Make A Date - Milwaukee
September 7-8, 2024
Andrews Products: The Mount Prospect, Illinois based camshafts, transmission and gears specialist underlined its performance credentials this year by signing as a 2023 Bagger Racing League series sponsor, bringing "elite performance products" to the Big Twin class. General Manager Mike Pedersen told AMD that: "At Andrews Products, we are committed to pushing the boundaries when it comes to engineering design and manufacturing technology both on and off the track; www.andrewsproducts.com
Galfer USA: Company President Sandro Milesi told AMD: "We are celebrating our 70th anniversary and our U.S. subsidiary has been supporting the brand since the 1990s. In addition to new race-bred brake pads, major recent new product introductions include the Cubiq and revolutionary Floatech rotor designs. Cubiq rotors feature a brake track design in hexagonal shapes to optimize pad contact to reduce wear, weight and dust"; www.galfer.eu, www.galferusa.com
Biltwell: Watch this space - headed to a PO near you soon, the Biltwell 395 will be the company's first off-road helmet. "Given our heavy commitment to custom street bikes and riding gear, some folks are shocked to learn about the off-road gene in Biltwell's DNA," says company co-founder Harold 'McGoo' McGruther. "As a company, we come by our lust for dust and glory honestly - fellow co-founder Bill Bryant built and drove desert cars in Baja for decades before he got the dirt bike bug in the early '90s. My own shot in Biltwell's dirty cocktail includes 50 years of motocross obsession that started with minibikes and BMX in the early '70s, then morphed into wrenching and riding on Jeremy McGrath's old practice bike and MTBs at the turn of last century. Everyone at Biltwell loves dirt bikes. It's the amped-out, space-age, neon-pink feature creep on contemporary dirt bike gear - especially helmets - that leaves us cold. So, having shimmied over the speedbump that was Covid, our protype and testing programmes should reach a crescendo soon - watch this space"; www.biltwellinc.com
Hogtunes: Founded by Mike 'Pez' Pesdirz in 2004, the Canadian V-twin audio specialist's Wild Boar Audio has become a top seller with Harley riders. Sold worldwide exclusively through Drag Specialties, Hogtunes undertakes its own prototyping in-house using CAD software, 3D lasers, scanners, 3D printers and other technology and tools that help them to ensure manufacturing precision and quality control. "We build easy-to-install products, custom-engineered specifically for a motorcycle or UTV and their unique needs. We're relentless with our attention to detail and ensure that not only will the products fit seamlessly into your H-D bike, but they will never damage the factory charging system - we make motorcycle audio, not car audio retrofitted for a motorcycle"; www.hogtunes.com
Burly Brand: Recent new products introduced by Brand Specialist Josh Rowlands include updated 'Brawler' kits for Dyna, Softail, Sportster and Touring models, short, tall and 'stupid tall' sissy bars, 'Folsom' handlebars, cable kits, Diamondback grips, 'Voyager' luggage and, as seen in this edition of AMD, MX style floorboards for M-8 Softails; www.burlybrand.com
Feuling Performance Parts: Luke Leatherman (seen here second from right) told AMD: "Our HP+ and Race Series oiling system kits for M-8 engines include Feuling's 7075 billet aluminum high flow camplates - designed to be 50% harder and stronger than the factory or Feuling OE+ equivalents. We increase oil flow and volume by enlarging the oil pump reservoirs and critical oil passages, including matching the oil port holes throughout the camplate to the port holes in the engine case - this increases engine oil flow to the lifters, piston cooling jets, crankshaft and rod bearings." Backed by a no-charge extendable one-year warranty, these kits deliver 27% more pressure and scavenge volume over stock, 42% more scavenge volume through port sizing, matched passages and holes to the engine case and 68% more oil volume to the crankshaft and connecting rod bearing. "They are proven to cool engine temperatures by 15-25 degrees and reduce oil temperatures by between 15-30 degrees with 10-30 more PSI of oil pressure"; www.feulingparts.com
KB Pistons: Manufactured in Carson City, Nevada, by United Engine and Machine, KB Pistons have a rich pedigree, from Keith Black, when it comes to V-twin performance. However, UEM boasts the Daddy of all heritage DNA. The received wisdom is that only about a half of a percent (0.5%) of all companies have what it takes to last 100 years. From that very small percentage that reach the centennial mark, far less reach the milestone of remaining family owned and operated. Founded in 1922, United Engine and Machine Co. (UEM Pistons) proudly holds both distinctions and is now in its fourth generation of leadership; www.uempistons.com