March 12, 2007 – Established outdoor firm launches new motorcycle gear

INDIANAPOLIS — An outerwear company well known in outdoor recreation circles has designed its first product aimed specifically at the motorcycle industry.
Frogg toggs, a family owned company out of Guntersville, Ala., produces a rainsuit that features a patented lightweight fabric. The nonwoven Polypropylene material, the company says, is waterproof and breathable.
Another reason why frogg toggs is now sold in more than 1,000 retail outlets in the United States is its price point — the new motorcycle two-piece rainsuit carries a MSRP of $59.95.
“This is one of those products that is very unique. But with the pricing where it is, it’s a very low risk product,” said Drake Maples, vice president of sales and marketing for frogg toggs. “If you buy it, it’s not like you’re spending $300 on a Gore-Tex rain suit.”
So far, the company mostly is working directly with dealerships, although it has had discussions with Parts Unlimited and Tucker Rocky, Maples said.
Regardless of how it’s distributed, frogg toggs will continue to develop product exclusively for the motorcycle rider, focusing particularly on the cruiser market.
The company’s new product, the Road Toad, was designed with a higher back rise, enabling consumers to use it over their riding gear. The product’s pants feature zippered leggings, so they’re easier to take on or off with motorcycle boots, and the new Raglan sleeve design “handles 60-80 mph a little bit better so you don’t get all that ballooning and swelling that you would normally get on a rain suit,” Maples said.
The Road Toad also features a hood, which can be placed underneath a helmet so water doesn’t trickle down a rider’s back.
The rain suit is currently available only in black, but Maples said the company is adding additional colors, as well as a Ladies Toad, this summer. It’s all part of the company’s efforts to get into a market that it originally had not thought about entering.
“What happened to us is we had a few small motorcycle shops around the country find us (at different shows) and customers started asking for us,” Maples said, noting the company’s sales growth of 50-100 percent per year during the past eight years has been driven largely by word of mouth.
The company’s products are now sold at several large retail outlets, including Cabela’s, Bass Pro Shops and Gander Mountain. In fact, Cabela’s will carry the new Road Toad product.
Maples said dealers interested in getting frogg toggs products will not face high minimum orders, as the company requires only a $100 minimum order. psb