MOTORCYCLE – MIC, American V-twin Firms Meet
More than two dozen American V-twin companies — including OE manufacturers, distributors, aftermarket parts and component parts manufacturers, and other entities serving the American V-twin market — met with members of the Motorcycle Industry Council’s Board of Directors and staff on Oct. 12 in a preliminary strategy session that participants called “historic,” “monumental,” and “a milestone.”
According to MIC Chairman Larry Little, publisher of Cycle World magazine, the purpose of the meeting was to “…listen and learn. We wanted to hear about key issues facing the American V-twin market today and in the near future from those most directly involved.”
The group expressed consensus that it had successfully achieved its primary objectives for the day-long meeting, which were to identify core challenges and opportunities specific to the American V-twin market and to determine next steps towards establishing a forum to address those concerns.
Key issues identified included EPA (Envi-
ronmental Protection Agency) and CARB (California Air Resources Board) standards; noise emissions; local, state, federal, and international regulatory standards; registration and licensing; insurance; wholesale/retail financing; marketing/statistical needs; and communications.
“We need to collectively promote and protect our industry, and working through the MIC is the best way to do that. We’re much stronger and more powerful as a unified group than we are on our own,” said Frank Esposito, president, Global Motorsport Group and a director on the MIC Board. “We’re ready to move on to the next step, which is to formalize the committee structure, and it is my personal goal to accomplish that at the next Board meeting in November.”
“We have an exciting future,” said Brett Smith of S&S Cycle, who will head up the task force to represent American V-twin market participation and who was one of the primary forces supporting the formation of the committee. “Passionate enthusiasts have brought us to where we are now, and they’ll continue to make our business thrive. Embracing this process is the right thing for the industry and for this group. I truly believe that what we’ve experienced today is a milestone in the history of the V-twin industry and a true testament to the spirit of America.”
Pending official ratification, the MIC American V-Twin Committee will hold its first open forum meeting Jan. 31, 2005 at the Cincinnati V-Twin Expo.
