Motorsport Aftermarket Group (MAG)

MAG signs Buettner and Peiser to Board of Directors

Motorsport Aftermarket Group (MAG), the parent company for several leading powersports brands, distributor of aftermarket products and powersports retailers (Vance & Hines, Performance Machine, Tucker Distributing, Kuryakyn and J&P Cycles among them) has named Mike Buettner interim CEO of MAG and Bob Peiser as Chairman of the MAG Board of Directors. 

 
Buettner is joining the MAG Board of Directors and serving as interim CEO until the search is completed for a permanent CEO to replace the retiring Andy Graves.
He previously served as MAG’s Chief Financial Officer and SVP of Finance and Administration from 2005-2007. His experience also includes Chairman of the Board for S&S Cycle and executive positions within Moog Automotive.
“I’m excited to come home and re-engage in the powersports market,” said Buettner. “I’m looking forward to seeing old friends and establishing new relationships. As guardian of some the most iconic brands in the industry, we must support not only the brands but also the industry. 

Bob Peiser becomes Chairman of MAG after a long career in senior powersports industry management, including at America’s Powersports Inc., a leading dealership group

“While the market is going through a transformation, our strong balance sheet, growing new product pipeline, and an employee base whose horsepower is about to be unleashed, I see only exciting times ahead.”
With fifteen years of CEO experience and as many years of Board experience, MAG say that “Peiser is a natural addition to the senior leadership team as Chairman of the Board of Directors. He brings valuable knowledge from working with America’s Powersports Inc., a leading dealership group representing Harley-Davidson, Honda, Polaris, BMW and other OEMs, and strong aftermarket distribution experience.”
“Like Mike, I am excited to join MAG and look forward to working with our entire management team to serve our vendors, as well as our dealer and rider customers during the industry’s transformation,” said Peiser.

Mike Buettner returns to MAG having been Chief Financial Officer and SVP of Finance and Administration from 2005-2007. Since then his experience also has included being Chairman of the Board for S&S Cycle and executive positions within Moog Automotive

Both leaders will join the MAG team at the 78th annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally to meet dealers, vendors and customers. They will also participate in the American International Motorcycle (AIM) Expo in October.
“The addition of these experienced leaders demonstrates the investor groups’ commitment to growth via leveraging powersports expertise,” said David Robbins, a member of the MAG Board of Directors and a Managing Director of Monomoy Capital Partners, one of the company’s major shareholders.
“The fact that dealer registrations for the 2019 Tucker Dealer Show are already expected to be 20 percent higher than last year is proof that our dealer and vendor customers support our strategic direction.”
www.maggroup.com

AIMExpo presented by Nationwide

Win a Dealer VIP Package for AIMExpo
Las Vegas, October 11-14

AIMExpo presented by Nationwide is offering dealers the opportunity to win one of five VIP Dealer Packages - simply by registering for the show by the end of August.

 “With the countdown to the 2018 AIMExpo presented by Nationwide well underway, more and more dealers are registering to attend the show to see new products, take advantage of exclusive show specials from premium exhibitors, attend our free dealer education program and be a part of the first ever Powersports Industry Week.”
Described as a truly unique, week-long celebration of motorcycling and the greater powersports marketplace, Powersports Industry Week has been created in an effort to bring the industry together in recognition of the three core pillars that drive motorcycling as a whole – lifestyle, business and racing.
The line-up of events for show visitors during show week includes the Monster Energy Cup, Las Vegas BikeFest, Powersports Business Dealer Seminars, Ride for Kids, and AIMExpo presented by Nationwide.
The VIP Dealer Package includes four nights free accommodation at the Mandalay Bay Hotel during AIMExpo; VIP tickets to Las Vegas BikeFest (including access to LIVE entertainment featuring Puddle Of Mudd and FOGHAT); and free tickets to the Monster Energy Cup in the special industry seating section.
Dealers will also be able to participate in an all new industry initiative – the Dealer Summit 2018, a Trade Only Days schedule of speeches, symposia and briefings that will put the focus “on the vital role retailers play in the long-term growth of the industry, where they serve as the face of powersports to the general consumer.”
Simply follow the website links, and after selecting your registration category, select your preferred social media platform. To complete your registration, share that you are attending AIMExpo presented by Nationwide to your preferred social media platform and invite eight of your industry colleagues via LinkedIn to become eligible to win this VIP package.
The winners will be drawn at random on September 1.
www.aimexpousa.com

American Flat Track Twins presented by Vance & Hines

A Tale of Two Very Different Races

As the American Flat Track Twins presented by Vance & Hines series took its now annual swing through the Black Hills of South Dakota for two races during the Sturgis Rally, it produced two entirely different kinds of race and two entirely different results.

 
Indian Motorcycle Racing continued its dominating season, taking an astonishing nine out of the available ten top ten spots across the two races, and five of the six available podium places with eight different riders (seven of them privateers) filling those nine top five finishes. The reigning Championship winning Scout FTR750 has topped the podium in every race this season so far.

At the Buffalo Chip TT presented by Indian Motorcycle (August 5) Jake Johnson (Estenson Racing) secured his first win on his privateer Indian Scout FTR750, with Wrecking Crew rider and reigning champion Jared Mees second.
“For the second straight year, the Buffalo Chip TT didn’t disappoint. It’s a challenging track set up and makes for incredibly entertaining bar-to-bar action,” said Gary Gray, Vice President - Racing, Technology & Service for Indian Motorcycle. “Jake raced his tail off, and we couldn’t be happier for him and the entire Estenson Racing team.”
Harley-Davidson got what is a rare podium this season with Sammy Halbert racing the XG750R to third place, with first time Indian Scout FTR750 riders Hayden Gillim (Indian, Cycle World, S&S Cycle, Bell Helmets) and Bronson Bauman (Howerton Motorsports/Allstate Insurance/WPS) fourth and fifth.
As Cycle World’s “Man in a Van with a Plan,” the Buffalo Chip TT marked Gillim’s first career Twins race - a race he won in 2017 riding the Singles class. Bronson Bauman finished the night in fifth aboard Bryan Smith’s factory Scout FTR750. Ryan Sipes took the singles win on the Husqvarna FC450.
At the Harley-Davidson of Black Hill Half Mile presented by Law Tigers at the Black Hills Speedway at nearby Rapid City, Jared Mees (No. 1 Indian Motorcycle Rogers Racing SDI Scout FTR750) reasserted dominance atop the podium - but only by 0.032 of a second, seeing off Indian privateer Jeffrey Carver Jr. (No. 23 Roof-Systems of Dallas/Indian of Metro Milwaukee Scout FTR750) to take an epic win.
Former champion Bryan Smith (No. 4 Indian Motorcycle Racing backed by Allstate Scout FTR750) was third; fellow Indian privateers Briar Bauman and Kenny Coolbeth Jr were fourth and fifith to give the FTR750 all top five places.

Photo Credit: Scott Hunter/American Flat Track

The win was Mees’ 10th in 13 races this season. With five races remaining on the season slate, he’s already equalled the tally that carried him to a championship win in 2017. It also stood as the 26th Half-Mile victory of his career, moving him into a tie with Will Davis for second most in AFT history.
Mees is rapidly closing in on a second consecutive Grand National Championship. Thanks to racking up a quick 45 points in this year’s 78th Annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally doubleheader, he now leads Henry Wiles (No. 17 Bandit Industries/Wilco Racing/Willy Built Indian Scout FTR750) by 102 points with just 125 points left in play.
In the Singles Shayna Texter (No. 52 Husqvarna Motorcycles/JCS Racing FC 450), who's scored the most wins in AFT Singles history, took the win to back up her Lima Mile (Ohio) derring do at the end of June. That Lima win gave Husqvarna their first ever AFT Singles win but thanks to Texter and Sipes the FC 450 now has three of the last four races in the bag.
The series heads to Illinois next, for the Peoria TT (August 18) followed by the second Springfield Mile of the season on September 2 and the H-D Williams Grove Half Mile at Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania on September 8. After the Minnesota Mile at the end of September the series then wraps up at the Meadowlands Mile at East Rutherford, New Jersey, October 6.

Custom Chrome International Bike Show Series

Event Logo Ride In Bike Show Faak

Custom Chrome International Bike Show Series
Ride-In-Bike Show - Faak 2018, September 8th

This year’s annual ‘Faak Rally’, as Harley’s European Bike Week in Austria is also known, will see Custom Chrome Europe staging its 16th Ride-In Bike Show at the Arneitz Custom Show and is inviting Europe’s best customizers to present their new custom creations. 

Every year thousands of visitors crowd into the CCE Ride-In Bike Show at Faak, Austria, in September

Established in 2003, the Custom Chrome Europe Ride-In-Bike Show is among the best standards for ride-ins in Europe and often sees winning bikes go on to do well in the AMD World Championship at INTERMOT Customized in Cologne, Germany, a month later.
Indeed, it was out of Custom Chrome’s Bike Show program at the popular and iconic Dealer Shows from the mid-1990s that the AMD World Championship was ultimately born as a sister event to the European Championship they hosted.
The 2018 event will offer a showcase for professional and private customizers alike. Their bikes will grace the pages of international custom bike magazines for weeks to come - and many of the previous winners could also have been seen at the Custom Gallery at Harley-Davidson’s 115th European Anniversary in Prague/CZ in July this year.
Trophies and other prizes given by CCE will exceed € 5,000, one of the highest prize purses available in Europe.

Premiering at European Bike Week 2017, “Balance” by MIB of Feldkirchen near Munich is one of the most radical bikes built in Germany this year

What started in 2003 on the grass in the middle of the then “Custom Chrome Europe Village” in the center of the Arneitz area alongside Lake Faak is now staged in the Arneitz event hall, spanning the entire extended “Arneitz-100 Showmile”, creating an excellent and weatherproof event site.

“Wrench”, MG Customs, Slovenia

“Over the Top” by Thomas Augustin, Augustin Motorcycles of Burgkirchen in southern Germany with a 125” RevTech engine

An attendance in the thousands is guaranteed - the total attendance at European Bike Week is always in the range of 50,000 plus riders from all over Europe and beyond and is a unique (in Europe) combination of H.O.G Members and the more “independently minded” ‘Bar & Shielders”. The classes are: Championship, Modified Harley, Jammer Old School, RevTech Performance, Chopper, Bagger and Sportster Engine.
The entry for the bike show will open 12:00 noon on Saturday 8 after the parade; judging will start at 15.30 and the trophies will be handed out at around 17.00. The term “Ride-In” has to be taken literally as only bikes that can be ridden into the event are allowed. Two bikes will be selected for participation at January’s Motor Bike Expo (MBE) at Verona, Italy.
www.custom-chrome-europe.com

Indian Motorcycle

Indian and Lee Munro Aiming for 200 mph at Speed Week

Indian Motorcycle has said that Lee Munro, the great nephew of the legendary land-speed racer Burt Munro, will attempt to break 200 mph at the 70th annual Speed Week at the Bonneville Salt Flats this August (11-17).

Equipped with the Indian Motorcycle engineering team and the newly modified Indian Scout dubbed “Spirit of Munro”, Munro will seek to eclipse his previous official speed of 186.415 mph. In preparation for this year, Indian Motorcycle’s engineering team has worked on refining the Indian Scout Streamliner, which will run in the MPS-G (Modified Partial Streamliner) 1350 cc class. Lee Munro’s existing best of 186.681 mph was set at El Mirage and subsequently scored an unofficial run of 191.286 mph at last year’s Speed Week – “the exclusive 200 mph club beckons.”
Gary Gray, Vice President Racing, Technology & Service for Indian Motorcycle, said: “Indian Motorcycle was honored to partner with the Munro family last year and pay tribute to Burt’s incredible accomplishments and the land-speed record he set in 1967. We’re eager to be back on the salt flats with Lee and the “Spirit of Munro”.
“Our engineering team, led by Wayne Kolden and Dan Gervais, have put long hours into developing a bike capable of hitting the 200 mph mark and we’re excited to watch Lee pursue this goal.  I would also like to thank our sponsors Garry Robertson of Ocean Ridge and Jerry Stinchfield of Roofing Systems for helping us get to the salt.”
Lee Munro attributes his love for speed to the bloodline he shares with his great uncle, Burt Munro, who famously set a land-speed record in 1976 aboard a 1920 Indian Scout. In 2005, Burt Munro’s legacy was immortalized with the making of the popular film “The World’s Fastest Indian,” starring Sir Anthony Hopkins, and in 2017 Lee Munro celebrated the 50th anniversary of his great uncle’s record with a commemorative run at Bonneville Speed Week.
“My great uncle Burt is a significant inspiration for my own motorcycle racing career, and his appetite for speed is clearly a part of my DNA,” said Lee Munro. “Partnered with the exceptional team at Indian Motorcycle, I know we can make our dreams of hitting 200 mph a reality.”

Motorcycle Storehouse

Motorcycle Storehouse

Axel Joost Elektronik

Motorcycle Storehouse is now offering products from Axel Joost Elektronik - “a German engineer on a mission for electronic simplicity in miniaturized form.” Smaller and more efficient than ever, its ‘brainbox’ electronic boxes allow on-bike programmability and are available with or without a special in-bar handlebar wiring adapter. Special ‘digital harnesses’ (in effect a sub-brainbox) are designed to further simplify and reduce visible wiring.  Additional products include small programmable electronic modules for bikes with air rides, Bluetooth and RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) controlled ignition switches, a headlamp relay, miniature flasher relay and programmable multi-flasher and a brake flasher relay.

‘Magic strobes’ brake light flasher

The ‘Magic Strobe’ brake light flasher from Custom Dynamics is installed as a simple plug-in connection in the stock brake wiring. It will give 10 user selectable strobe patterns - four with regular incandescent light bulbs, all 10 patterns with LED lighting, unless mentioned otherwise. Available for 2018 Softail Street Bob, Fat Bob, Breakout, Slim, Fat Bob (LED compatible only).

Bootlegger 2-1 system

 
This full stainless steel and TIG welded system from SuperTrapp is said to “give that brute racing look.” Features include stepped head pipes for uninterrupted high flow and a rotatable turn out end cap. Compatible with stock or extended saddlebags. Available for Dyna, Touring and Softail, including M-8s.

MOTORCYCLE STOREHOUSE BV
www.motorcyclestorehouse.com

MSI

MSI - Two New 2D Wheel Sizes and New Trike Blank

For those customizers who want to see their wheel design realized in 21 or 23 x 5.5” splendor, South Gate, California based MSI says it has just the right blank application for you.

Trike wheel blank

“Just like all our wheels, these blanks start from a solid bar of prime 6061 aluminum that is forged into 34 or 40 lbs of top quality soft lip, centered, off-set free custom loveliness with a .750” web thickness,” says Sales Manager Lizette Hotinger.
“We offer 28 wheel blank sizes in 2D and 3D formats, rotors, pulleys and sprockets, and stock a wide selection of tire fitments, including white walls, from Vee Rubber and Shinko.
“Our new trike wheel is a direct response to customer demand for a new and improved the trike specific wheel blank. Forged in the USA, this trike wheel blank starts from 110 pounds of 6061-T6 prime aluminum and is machined down to a trim 39 pounds.
“This 18” x 7.0” trike wheel features an automotive format and has an offset of +.350 (9 mm) and will fit like an OEM wheel. This is the largest wheel size you can use on the trikes without modifications to the rear fenders - it needs no spacers and has the soft lip look to match the front wheel. There are two tire options for this wheel - 225/45R18 or 215/45R18.

MSI
www.msiwheels.com

HardDrive

HardDrive adds Diag4Bike Diagnostics and Tuning

Launched in Europe in 2011 and available there through distributors such as Zodiac International and Custom Chrome Europe, the Diag4Bike (D4B) range of Czech designed and manufactured diagnostic and EFi tuning systems was first seen in the United States at the V-Twin Expo where the company exhibited and gave seminar sessions for two or three years.

 

Advanced dongle

Basic dongle

There has been some distribution of the product line in the U.S. but with Boise, Idaho based HardDrive American V-Twin Products picking the line up expect to see more dealers, including authorized Harley dealers starting to use the D4B program in the coming years.
HardDrive’s industry veteran V-Twin Product Specialist Gunnar Heinemeyer says that “even though Diag4Bike is not a common name here in the States, the product is top notch and allows dealers to save the most, make the most and provide the best service to their customers.”
The manufacturer of the D4B range is Actia Atal in the Czech Republic - a leading diagnostic manufacturer for automotive companies like Audi and BMW for the last 25 years and, since 2012, for Harley-Davidson.

Some of the most important features of the Diag4Bike diagnostic tool include being able to bleed ABS brakes from the manifold through the computer by front, or rear or in combination; seeing and clearing current or historical codes; run a full system ‘Motorcycle Report’ and make electrical system checks via the ‘Toolbox’ function; pair new items to the motorcycle - such as radios, speedometers, ECM, TSSM and HFSM modules; flash a blank ECM (advance dongle and pre-registration is required); test all actuators such as fuel pump, TPS, turn signals, etc. and adjust the idle and TBW response lag.
An advanced dongle and pre-registration is required direct with the manufacturer for some of the functions, such as blank ECU flashing, disarming a security system and replacing or reassigning key fobs; as is an annual upgrade service, but most of the primary and most often required functions are on-board and readily accessible.

All real-time data such as Voltage, AFR, TPS, temperature is more are easy to read, and dealers can improve the professionalism of how they engage with their customers with a customer-specific diagnostic report print out and final tune report with their store logo. In tuning terms, the dongles are married to one motorcycle and will also store the stock calibration for future needs (the stock MAP can also be saved to a computer). The USB dongles act like keys to the ECM - they unlock them to allow exportation of the calibration MAP to the screen, make adjustments or choose a MAP and import it back to the bike. This all happens within minutes.
The basic dongle (blue) is a similar concept to the V&H Fuel Pack but without the external module. It offers limited adjustments of +/- 20% in the low, medium and high ranges. Some other functions include acceleration enrichment, spark advance map for each cylinder, on/off closed loop and TBW speed up. This dongle is best for situations of Stage 1 type conditions (exhaust/slip-ons, air cleaner)
The advanced dongle (orange) offers the full range of functions and will open up the MAP for individual cell modifications across all RPM/TPS ranges, as well as offering a choice of performance MAPs for tuning and timing.
Other functions, in addition to those offered by the basic dongle, include AFR adjustment for each cylinder, VE maps display with adjustment possibility for each cylinder and idle speed temperature. This dongle is best for Stage 2 and up type performance needs (such as exhaust, cams, throttle bodies, big bore, heads). HardDrive offers a ‘Shop Pack’ with four of the advanced dongles for the price of three.
Tuning Parameters include but are not limited to RPM limiter, idle and warm-up characteristic, dynamic and temperature enrichments, TBW dynamic control settings, engine displacement, injector flow and more.
The Diag4Bike will diagnose model years ‘02-‘18 Delphi and ‘95-‘01 Marelli (limited functions) and tune model years ‘06-‘18. An AFR Monitor is not required, unless needed to create a completely custom MAP calibration (which will need dyno runs or a very intricate test ride).
The D4B will work with other company’s ECUs, such as Thundermax, Daytona Twin Tec, and others.

HARDDRIVE V-TWIN
www.hdtwin.com