Visit Johnstown says it will no longer operate the rally - the board of directors having decided to step down from operating the event to provide the group more time to concentrate on its core mission of marketing the area as a destination for visitors who come for various activities, including outdoor recreation, concerts and the arts. Executive Director Lisa Rager is quoted as saying that economic changes, motorcycle riders aging out of the hobby, insurance costs, and the challenge of getting volunteers were among the reasons that led to the decision.
BRP has been marking the 50th anniversary of the Can-Am brand this year. "What started off as one championship-winning motocross motorcycle in the early 1970s, immediately reigning over motocross and endurance racing, has evolved 50 years later into Can-Am being a global powersports leader with multiple product lineups," says BRP CEO José Boisjoli. "Since its creation in 1973, Can-Am has challenged the norm, set new standards, and changed the game entirely. Today, ATVs and SSVs have had the fastest-growing market share in the category in North America since 2015. Earlier this year, Can-Am also made history by winning its sixth consecutive Dakar Rally. Building on its motorcycle legacy, Can-Am is now also changing the power dynamic with two new electric motorcycles, which will be offered as soon as 2024."
April 3-7 has been announced for the 27th annual Arizona Bike Week at Westworld of Scottsdale; www.azbikeweek.com
SKS is marking 25 years of Harley's "Freight Forwarder of Choice" in Germany. H-D and SKS signed an exclusive agreement for new vehicle transport in 1998.
Harley was in sixth place in market share terms in the German market for the eight months to August 2023 with 8,606 units sold for a 5.66% share. This compares to 5,821 units sold YTD 2022 for a 6.57% share. The German market is growing well this year with new motorcycle registrations +16.36% to August.
The 103,077 units sold in the first eight months in Germany makes it the strongest German market performance for the first eight months since our sister magazine International Dealer News started keeping comparable records in 2008. Unsurprisingly, BMW had retained its market share leadership with 20,030 units sold for a 19.43% share. Interestingly though, while its unit sales were up, that market share was lower than the 21.56% it had by August 2022 as the market grows faster than they are. There is currently no Harley (or Indian Motorcycle) model showing up in the Top-50 best sellers YTD in Germany. No surprise, the top-seller is the BMW R 1250 GS (6,557 units for a 6.36% share despite its well-publicised upcoming replacement with a heavily updated 1300 cc iteration.
The National Powersports Dealer Association (NPDA) has expanded its Board of Directors to 15 with the addition of Donald Meyers Jr. (the owner of Baltimore Powersports, Inc., MD.) and Brett Tekavec (owner of Queen City H-D of West Chester, Ohio, and H-D of Washington D.C.). NPDA has also announced the appointment of Tigra Tsujikawa as Membership Marketing Manager. Tigra has a 25-year powersports industry career under her belt, having had stints with MotoAmerica, Sturgis Motorcycle Museum, Why We Ride Films, Women's Motorcycle Tours, Dealernews and Iron Lilly. NPDA has now reached nearly 400 members; www.npda.org
Harley is recalling 2023 FLHXSE and FLTRXSE motorcycles due to a rear brake line that may not be secured properly, allowing it to chafe against the exhaust pipe, which could result in a brake fluid leak.
Sources: AMD, IDN, FT, Reuters, PSB, MPN, BDN, MCN, AP, Bloomberg, MSNW, Electrek, electricmotorcycles.news, RideApart.com, Motor1.com, Cycle World, motorbikewriter.com