International Dealer News IDN 142 April/May 2018 | Page 20
AIMExpo 2018, Las Vegas, November 11-14
This year sees the Motorcycle Industry
Association’s (MIC) AIMExpo move on
from its 2017 Columbus, Ohio venue
to drop anchor at the Mandalay Bay
Casino, Resort and Convention Centre
on the famed ‘Strip’ at Las Vegas,
Nevada.
Though theoretically packing a
powerful punch in terms of its
reputation as a trade show host city,
with more entertainment and ‘curb
appeal’ to attract exhibitors and
visitors than almost any other
convention city in North America, it is
those factors that have also given it a
questionable reputation as a
convention city in the motorcycle and
wider powersports industries.
Those ‘entertainments’ are often seen
as distractions. With an expo
hinterland of Nevada desert and
mountains, while a stunningly
attractive part of the United States,
many seasoned expo exhibitors in
America doubt whether it will ever be
suitable for the motorcycle industry -
pointing to almost all other prior
attempts to attract a viable audience
there (trade or consumer) as having
failed.
No doubt the organiser’s rationale
must at least in part have been to host
the show in a region that features one
of the few genuinely growing sectors
of the industry - the ATV and
UTV/Side-by-Side markets; though
even Las Vegas isn’t as well profiled a
venue for that market as somewhere
like, say Phoenix, Arizona (albeit
another city with dubious motorcycle
industry trade/consumer expo
credentials).
The plan is to see the show return to
Columbus in 2019 - the heartland of
the Harley and custom V-twin industry
and the centre of the greatest
concentration of motorcycle dealers
(on a 500-mile radius basis) of
anywhere in America.
However, beyond that, the organisers
are not yet confirming future plans,
and even a move back to where it all
Staged in Columbus, Ohio, in September 2017, it remains to be seen if the
one-year stop for the event at Las Vegas proves to have been a worthwhile
experiment
began for them at Orlando, Florida,
hasn’t yet, as we understand it, been
ruled out.
That said, the project continues to pick
up momentum in exhibitor terms
(mainstream exhibitors at least) with
most of the OEs (even Harley-
Davidson and Indian Motorcycle
remain committed) and the U.S.
market’s two primary parts and
accessory distributors also now
signed up.
The news that Janesville, Wisconsin
based major Parts Unlimited and its
Drag Specialties custom operation
were booked to exhibit emerged late
last year. The latest news is that Tucker
Rocky (their Texas based primary
competitor) is also now on-board.
Critical mass in distributor terms has
always been important to attracting
viable dealer attendances to trade
shows in America, so it is to be hoped
that these “breakthrough” sign-ups
will herald the start of a convincing
and positive trend in trade
attendance, wherever the show
settles or moves on to.
High performance sport bike clutch kit
Californian clutch specialist
Barnett Tool & Engineering is
celebrating its 70th anniversary
under the same family
ownership this year.
The company’s high-
performance sport bike
complete clutch kits feature
Barnett’s race proven Carbon or
Kevlar friction plates, tempered
steel drive plates, and a set of
heavy duty, high temp springs.
Barnett says it was the first
manufacturer to introduce the
Kevlar material back in 1991
and that their ‘segmented’
friction plate design increases
oil flow through the clutch and
provides a smoother, more
20
consistent performance and
longer clutch life.
The tempered steel plates are
put through a de-burring
process that removes all sharp
edges – this results in a finish
that the company says is
“superior to any other on the
market”.
Barnett heavy duty springs are
made from chrome silicon, then
shot-peened and heat-treated
to prevent sag. All complete
clutch kits are pre-measured for
exact stack height prior to
packaging for optimal
performance. American made
since 1948.
www.barnettcables.com
INTERNATIONAL DEALER NEWS - APRIL/MAY 2018