American Motorcycle Dealer AMD 213 April 2017 | Page 24

“ we needed to strengthen TR in the V-twin market ”

Motion Pro : The latest news from the Loomis , California based tools , cables and accessory specialist is of their appointment by the AMA as the official tool , control and cable support for this year ’ s American Flat Track series . Seen here is Motion Pro V-twin program Product Planner Joe Fratis ( left ) with General Manager Kevin Veltfort ; www . motionpro . com
Feuling Parts : Luke Leatherman , left , and Gene Sheehan - the new products blitz from the Mojave , California performance specialist is set to continue this year as they continue to build the Feuling legacy , growing the brand into a premier USA made performance component program ; www . feulingparts . com one step we have decisively done that . TR now accounts for more than half of the U . S . sales of the MAG brands and has grown our V-twin market sales in the face of a weak market – we are now seeing significant sales volumes in the V-twin sector , and we have momentum . “ Secondly , Tucker Rocky is now a much larger supplier to our retail group . We have been able to move some of that sourcing volume from other third parties and distributors . We and our vendors are seeing big wins as a result . “ The wins come in the synergies too . Just to give you one example , we were able to move the inventory being supplied from Kuryakyn ’ s relatively small and expensive warehouse at Somerset , Wisconsin , and not just consolidate it into the five-outlet Tucker Rocky distribution center footprint , but in doing so considerably grow the available inventory and improve speed and cost-efficiency to our dealers . “ As another example , we have also been able to move our QuadBoss ATV / UTV products brand and others , especially our own apparel brands , into our Brand Group , and that works really well . Yes , there is that cultural impact , but the result has been a powerfully improved business unit . Again , we ’ re no longer looking internally for fixes now , we are concentrating on looking externally for the opportunities to grow sales .” Moving forward , what does Graves see as being those opportunities , and what are the challenges that the combined business may yet have to face ? “ Well , like everyone else , we have to eye what the general forecasts are for the market ahead and our ‘ flat to modestly down ’ industry scenario is consistent with the estimates that the likes of Harley and Polaris are giving themselves . “ Maybe our forecasts will prove overly cautious , I ’ ll take that ; but it is better to outperform modest expectations than to fail to meet over-ambitious targets . Like us , I think a lot of people in the powersports parts and accessories market are seeing
some cause for optimism . It may well be that there is a degree of post-election improvement , and if there is , and if that translates into more people spending more money on parts for their motorcycles and the other recreational vehicles we have
Avon Tyres : North American Account Manager Don Argento told AMD that the US owned British tire maker is running a new consumer reward program through to the end of April that can see customers receive a $ 50 prepaid card by mail when they purchase a set of two qualifying Avon Cobra tires , or $ 20 for a front and $ 30 for a rear . “ The Cobra tread design resists uneven wear and tracking on irregular road surfaces , while the distinctive snakeskin effect sidewall makes these tires a real head turner ,” says Don ; www . avonmoto . com
Arlen Ness Enterprises and LePera : Recent new products from the Dublin , California based performance and accessory specialist Arlen Ness include extensions to their award-winning ‘ Big Sucker ’ air cleaner program with a 90 degree turn kit with hidden breather technology for 2017 M8 Tourers (“ Monster
Sucker ”); forged aluminum speaker grills and CNC-machined billet aluminum gauge trim . Recent additions from the North Holywood , California based seat manufacturer LePera include the race inspired ‘ Daytona Sport ’ - proof that race styling doesn ’ t have to mean uncomfortable ! Available in smooth , Diamond or pleated style stitching for almost all Harleys , LePera are still hand-crafting all their seats after nearly 45 years as the market ’ s design leader . All LePera seats feature a powder-coated steel base plate and a specially poured high-density “ Marathon ” molded foam foundation ; www . arlenness . com ; www . lepera . com
24 AMERICAN MOTORCYCLE DEALER - APRIL 2017 www . AMDchampionship . com