Features

Mar. 31, 2008 – ATV Digest

Cycle Country Announces New Patented Product

Cycle Country, supplier of ATV accessories, patented a product that applies up to 150 pounds of downward force to its ATV mounted plows, according to a company press release.
The down pressure system (MSRP: $100) is made to cut through packed snow as a result of it being driven on before the snow was removed. The new system also can be used to push gravel, sand and dirt.
Cycle Country CEO Randy Kempf says consumers have wanted this product for years.
“This revolutionary product has been requested by customers for a number of years,” Kempf said in the release, “but due to the wide range of ATV models and manufacturers, the solution has evaded the industry.”

Kawasaki Motors Corp. Names UTV Sales Manager

Kawasaki Motors Corp. U.S.A. announced the addition of John Griffin as its new UTV sales manager, a position intended to help increase Mule and Teryx sales, stated a company press release.
Griffin will focus mostly on industrial fleet and government bids. He has been with Kawasaki for more than 12 years. For the past seven years, he worked as a district manager in the West for Kawasaki’s Engines and Power Products division.

BRP Launches New Web Site
Featuring Its Can-Am Racers

BRP, manufacturer of Can-Am ATVs, introduced a new Web site for ATV racing enthusiasts across North America: CanAmXTeam.com.
“This is a way for us to keep the fans updated during our busy spring and summer of ATV racing,” said Bernard Guy, ATV marketing director at BRP. “The site will allow visitors to track the progress of the Can-Am X-Team members as they compete in all the major ATV racing competitions, including the Grand National Cross Country series and the WPSA ATV Tour. Right now fans can check on the progress of riders like John Natalie, Josh Frederick, Mike Penland, Chris Bithell and the rest of the Can-Am X-Team racers.”
At www.can-amxteam.com, fans will be able to find content like updated photos and results from races, as well as racer biographies. In addition, the Web site will contain information on BRP’s contingency racing program.

Polaris Industries Recalls 11,300 Outlaw IRS ATVs

Polaris Industries recalled about 11,300 select Outlaw IRS ATVs of the model years 2006-2008, the Consumer Product Safety Commission reported. The vehicles were sold from January 2006-January 2008 for $6,900-$7,400.
A retention bolt can come loose, causing the rear wheels to lock up. Polaris has received 11 reports of loss of control.
All the models include 2006 Outlaw 500 with Independent Rear Suspension (IRS), 2007 Outlaw 500 IRS, 2007 Outlaw 525 IRS and 2008 Outlaw 525 IRS. The model name can be found on the decals located on either side of the fuel tank. Registered consumers have been contacted directly about the recall.
For more information, contact Polaris at 888/704-5290 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. CT Monday-Friday, or visit the company’s Web site at www.polarisindustries.com.

Dates Scheduled for 2008 National Trails Symposium

The 19th National Trails Symposium will be held Nov. 15-18 in Little Rock, Ark., American Trails said in a recent statement. The theme for the 2008 gathering is “Innovative Trails: Transforming the American Way of Life.”
American Trails is seeking presentation ideas that support the symposium’s theme in advance of the event. The organization expects to offer 40 concurrent sessions, each lasting 75 minutes. American Trails also is encouraging interested parties to display information about trail-related projects or issues through poster displays. Posters will be on exhibit in a common area throughout the symposium. Individuals displaying posters will have an opportunity to share their story and meet with interested attendees at designated times during the symposium.
The deadline for submitting proposals is April 18. The symposium’s program committee is seeking presentations that introduce new ideas, convey useful strategies, identify lessons learned and strengthen participants’ existing skills and knowledge.

Warn Parent Chairman to Retire This Spring

The chairman of the board for Dover Corp., which owns Warn Industries and Performance Motorsports as well as a number of other manufacturing companies, will retire May 1, the company said in a press release March 11. Thomas Reece has served as the company’s chair for more than 40 years.
Dover’s board elected James Koley as lead director. Koley has been on the board since 1989 and currently serves as chairman of the governance and nominating committee. It is anticipated that he will be elected chairman of the board at the May board meeting, when Reece’s term expires.
Reece began his business career in 1965 at age 22 when he joined Ronningen-Petter, a company Dover acquired in 1968. He became president of Ronningen-Petter in 1971 and was subsequently promoted to increased responsibilities as president of two other Dover companies. He became Dover’s CEO in 1994, and was elected as chairman in 1999.

BlueRibbon Coalition Provides Perspective In OHV Hearing

The BlueRibbon Coalition (BRC), a national recreational access organization based in Pocatello, Idaho, recently offered support to federal off-highway vehicle policies and responded to anti-access groups’ campaigns to restrict OHV use in national forests and other public lands.
The House Natural Resources Committee, Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands recently held a hearing on the impacts of unmanaged off-highway vehicles on federal lands. The hearing appears to have resulted from a previous effort by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER), an anti-OHV activist group, which had demanded congressional oversight of the ongoing OHV planning undertaken by federal land managers.
Both Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Forest Service representatives gave testimony at the hearing. Both agencies spoke about their policies to address the increase in popularity of OHV use on public lands. The U.S. Forest Service published directives in 2005 that limits all motor vehicle use on national forests to designated roads, trails and areas. The BLM is in the process of implementing similar directives. Testimony was also given by several anti-access groups, including PEER.
In its written testimony, the BRC made it clear the OHV community supports a policy of vehicle access limited to designated roads, trails and areas. BRC supports an open and public process to properly designate recreational trail systems. BRC noted in its testimony the agency’s allocation of budget, staff and management effort should reflect the developing reality that outdoor recreation on public lands is increasingly valued by Americans.

ATVs Not Allowed on Some New Hampshire Trails

ATVs will not be allowed on some New Hampshire rail trail corridors, the Associated Press recently reported.
The state had asked the Federal Highway Administration for a waiver to allow ATVs on about 160 miles of federally funded rail trails. The waiver would have required the ATVs to be classified as snowmobiles, as sleds are the only motorized vehicles allowed on the trails. But the federal government rejected the waiver, saying ATVs are not snowmobiles. The Bureau of Trails announced ATVs would be banned on the trails immediately. It said signs would be posted in the next week.
An ATV group has been fighting the state Department of Resources and Economic Development to release documents about the rail trail policy.

China ATV Manufacturer to List Shares on NASDAQ

Kandi Technologies Corp., a China-based manufacturer of ATVs, go-carts and other small vehicles, said its application to list its common shares on the NASDAQ Capital Market has been approved.
“As the traditional home of young, rapidly growing companies, we believe NASDAQ is the appropriate place to list our shares and we are very pleased to have been able to meet their demanding requirements,” Hu Xiaoming, president and CEO of Kandi, said in a press release.
Kandi Technologies says it is among the leading producers of go-carts in the world, with an estimated 15 percent share of China’s global export market.
Kandi Technologies also is preparing to mass produce energy saving mini-cars, according to the press release. psb

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