American Motorcycle Dealer AMD 238 May 2019 | Page 14
Drag Specialties 2019
FatBook Cover Bike
NEWS
BRIEFS
Owned and operated by the MIC's
own events division, this year's
8th annual AIMExpo sees the
combined dealer and consumer
all-market show return to its 2017
venue of Columbus, Ohio,
(September 26-29) after a year in
Las Vegas, an appearance in the
Southwest of the United States
that V-twin vendors have divided
opinions about, in attendance and
business done terms.
BMW and Daimler have unveiled a joint
venture covering new-generation
services such as driverless vehicles, ride-
hailing and pay-per-use cars. Normally
fierce rivals, the firms are investing
€ 1bn (£880m) in the project, which will
also help drivers find parking and
electric charge points. The two German
firms said they were open to buying
tech start-ups.
Electronics and fuel injection
tuning and management specialist
Bazzaz has moved to a
dealer/retail direct structure for
domestic U.S. sales. Bazzaz
products will no longer be
distributed through Tucker or
WPS. A new website will now
include a dedicated dealer portal,
and a new zero MAP policy is in
effect.
Progressive International Motorcycle
Shows (IMS) announced NewTo2.com,
an online platform within 'Discover The
Ride' that is dedicated to educating a
new generation of riders, offering a
comprehensive introduction to
motorcycling, and breaking down the
industry's high barriers to entry through
an online platform.
Harley has appointed yet another
reassuringly expensive new third
party advertising and marketing
services agency - Droga5 (New
York, with offices in London and
Sydney) as a new creative partner
after a competitive review. After a
company-level review, Harley
consolidated its global creative,
media and digital marketing work
with Team Ignite owner
Interpublic Group last year. The
precise scope of Droga5's remit,
and its effects on Harley's
relationship with IPG, are unclear.
The process was initially
positioned as a project-based
pitch involving only non-roster
agencies, but those involved were
under the impression that they
were competing to be Harley's
Agency of Record moving
forward. The first campaigns from
Droga5 are slated to debut later
this year. In what feels like an
underestimate, media monitoring
analysts put Harley's 2017
marketing budget at $8 million in
the U.S., with a global spend of
$30 million.
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For its 2019 FatBook cover bike,
Drag Specilties this year turned
to Phoenix, Arizona based Trask
Performance to help realize the
company's vision of a "truly
unique machine with muscle-
bike presence and style."
The build continues the
collaboration process with top
vendors/builders in the industry
that Drag Specialties has been
known for. "The goal is always
to change things up, to innovate
and create something that
stands out and showcases the
quality of both the build team
and the parts selected for use
on the bike."
The M-8 Fat Bob Softail features
multiple products from the 2019
FatBook catalog, including Trask
Performance, Legends
Suspension, Arlen Ness, Joker
Machine, Ken's Factory, Custom
Dynamics, Diamond
Engineering, Speed Merchant,
Thrashin Supply, Feuling,
Barnett, Cometic, S&S, Badlands,
Kuryakyn, Techno Research, and
a custom-stitched Drag
Specialties seat.
Erik's Fuell - an $11k E-Bike Project
Erik Buell has announced Fuell - a new
urban electric mobility brand, formerly
known as "VanguardSpark" - with its
first planned bikes, the 'Fluid' Pedelec
at $3,295 and the 'Flow' E-Bike at a
stunningly low and eminently realistic
planned entry-level price-point of
$10,995.
Erik Buell has teamed up with
legendary engineer Frédéric Vasseur,
Alfa Romeo Formula 1 team principal
and founder of Spark Racing
Technology (which builds the Formula
E racers), and Francois-Xavier Terny, a
transatlantic entrepreneur "fond of
industrial endeavors," to create a
"genuinely new experience entirely
focused on the urban rider - Fuell is all
about creating freedom and emotion
through innovation."
The 'Fluid' will be offered as a Pedelec
(max 20 mph) or S-Pedelec (max 28
mph), requiring helmet and insurance
in most States. Described as a "robust
and elegant electric bike with
exceptional range (up to 125 miles
thanks to its two removable batteries
with a total of 1,000Wh) and
generous torque (100Nm)" and as
being "virtually maintenance-free
with its carbon belt and internal hub
gears."
In the context of competitive Pedelec
offerings, the 'Fluid' looks to be a
AMERICAN MOTORCYCLE DEALER - MAY 2019
powerful, stylish and upscale example
of its kind, drawing from urban-proof
BMX design best practise and likely to
offer a versatile urban mobility
solution that should fully justify its
quite reasonable price tag.
The 'Flow' on the other hand is a fully
formed E-Bike concept - a bona fide
electric motorcycle available in 11kW
(125 cc equivalent) or 35kW
(motorcycle license) versions,
combining practical features for the
urban journey (integrated 50 liter/13
gallon internal storage), technological
innovations (proprietary wheel-
motor1, connected dashboard) and
"unparalleled driving pleasure"
(thanks to its acceleration and low
center of gravity) in a stylish,
contemporary package.
The 'Fluid' and 'Flow' prototypes will
be in New York City before end of
March 2019 for 4 to 5 weeks to be
presented to investors, journalists and
influencers - not available as pre-
production prototypes for test rides
yet, but as concept provers and
available to be seen by appointment
only - a full reveal is slated for April
23rd.
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