We were saddened to hear of the death of Ken Boyko at the end of August. After his time at DG Performance Specialties in the 1970s and 80s he went on to be a co-founder of exhaust specialist Cobra Engineering (Yorba Linda, CA.) but his influence, contacts and friendships represented so much more. Ken was a major figure in the parts and accessories industry, on the West Coast, nationally and internationally - he and his astute marketing 'savvy' were a regular and familiar presence at shows in Europe as well as in the USA. He had a connoisseur-grade motorcycle collection and pioneered the development of the so-called 'Metric Custom' segment, commissioning pioneering Japanese platform customs that did much to shape the wider future of the custom motorcycle market. He played an important role in the development of the MIC Aftermarket Committee and was a tireless advocate for the motorcycle industry. Kudos to Ken for a 'life well lived', our appreciation for what he did four our industry, and our condolences to his family and friends.
Domestic U.S. industry magazine Powersports Business (PSB) has sparked consternation by shifting the date of its annual 'Accelerate' industry conference from its established November date at Atlanta, Georgia, to an already crowded first quarter. Its 2025 conference will be staged at Charlotte, NC, on January 19-22, 2025.
On the one hand, British paper Motorcycle News (MCN) has voted the H-D LiveWire S2 platform 'Del Mar' as its #1 Electric Motorcycle for 2024. On the other, the NHTSA in the United States has issued a recall that affects pretty much every S2 LiveWire model made. A potential electrical fault with a fuse means that the motor could stop working without notice. In the 21st century's 'Spend don't Mend' culture, an entire high voltage fuse unit assembly needs to be replaced.
Akrapovic has collaborated with Harley-Davidson Factory Racing. As an official partner, the Slovenian manufacturer is equipping the bikes of Kyle Wyman and James Rispoli with full lightweight titanium exhaust systems for their 2024 Road Glides. They first ran with the new pipes at the penultimate King Of The Baggers rounds at the COTA circuit (Austin, Tx.) in September.
Founded by Scott Maddux in 2004, the seven strong Smoky Mountain Motor Company group has merged with Crown Automotive (aka Crown Cars). The West NC and Eastern TN group has seven locations - Rocky Top H-D (Pigeon Forge, TN), Thunderhead H-D (Kodak TN), Smoky Mountain (Maryville, TN) and four regional retail-only outpost stores. Crown Automotive was founded by his wife Monet's uncle.
BRP has unveiled less than stellar results for the Q2 of its Fiscal 2025 with revenues down by -33.7%, a decrease of CAN $1,841.9m, "reflecting the company’s focus on reducing network inventory levels." Net income of $7.2m was -$331.5m, with EBITDA of $198.5m, down by -58.0% over the year-ago period. At $0.61, EPS was down by $2.60 per share. North American Powersports retail sales decreased by -18% compared to an industry that decreased in the high single digit %. BRP formally launched its Can-Am Pulse and Origin all-new, all-electric motorcycle lineup recently, marking a return for Can-Am as a motorcycle brand after a 1987 withdrawal, and its brand debut into electric powersports units.
KTM, Husqvarna, GasGas and MV Agusta parent company PIERER Mobility (Austria) continues to struggle with high levels of debt and softening sales in 2024. In response, it has announced the appointment of a co-CEO and that it will lay off another 200 employees in Q3, in addition to the 373 jobs that it has already shed in 2024. Viktor Sigl has been 'let go' as CFO PIERER Mobility AG and KTM AG, and the new co-CEO is from outside the motorcycle industry - Gottfried Neumeister, a former business partner of F1 legend Niki Lauda in his 'flyniki' airline business iteration (until the sale to Air Berlin).
Dealernews has announced that NPDA will stage its 'Dealer Connect' conference at Columbus, Ohio, on October 20-22, 2024.
Owners Jeff and Steve Hinchcliff have sold their Lincoln, Nebraska based Frontier Harley-Davidson dealership to Steven Towers.