FOCUS – Expo is Candy Store for Motorcycle People

INDIANAPOLIS— More than 900 exhibitors participated in the Dealer Expo here this year and most of them seemed to have at least something that could be sold by a motorcycle dealers.
Attendees saw everything from parts and accessories to apparel and computer software. Here’s just a sample of what we saw the the 39th Annual Dealer Expo.

SWITCHBLADE
Revv Industries and 2Moto, Inc. showed a bolt-on kit capable of turning a motorcycle into a snowmobile.
Dubbed the Switchblade, the conversion kit is available for Honda, Yamaha, Kawasaki, KTM and Suzuki motocross and enduro motorcycles with 40 hp or more output.
The kit includes a 93-inch track with a 410 sq. inch footprint and a 28-inch x seven-inch ski with a footprint of 196 sq. inches. The patented track suspension features a 12-inch rising rate at the front of the track and a 15-inch falling rate at the back of the track. The track itself is stopped by an eight-inch disc and floating caliper actuated by the motorcycle’s stock foot brake lever and master cylinder.
The entire package weighs 92 lbs. Converted, the machine typically weighs 15 lbs. more than the stock motorcycle it modifies. Representatives said changeover time takes 1.5 to two hours.
For more information, visit www.2moto.net, or call 208/426-6607.

SUNTRIKE
Already available at a dealer price of $4900 the Suntrike from Mod Cycles Corp. is expected to retail between $6500 and $7500. “The Suntrike is one of those ‘gotta have it’ things that may just qualify as an impulse product,” Ozzie Saez, Mod Cycles president, told Powersports Business.
Street-legal, the unit is sold in several engine configurations – from 50cc to 150cc – can carry two adults, and includes standard features such as seat belts, a cup holder, lighter, luggage box and glove compartment. Options include a removable top, front bumper and waterproof weather cover.
With a frame made of tubular steel and a body of high-gloss painted fiberglass, the Suntrike on display at the Dealer Expo contained a 49.2cc air-cooled two-stroke engine delivering 4.4hp. Manipulated via CVT, the unit is further outfitted with a front independent hydraulic shock with preload adjustment and a single rear hydraulic shock.
Braking comes from a front hydraulic disk and a rear drum; wheels are 13-inch alloy in the front, 12-inch steel in back; and a 12v electrical system powers the instruments, which include speedometer, fuel indicator and oil level alarm.

SUPERTRAPP BANKS ON CRUISERS
SuperTrapp, the manufacturer of Kerker brand exhaust systems as well as the Mean Mothers and Road Legends lines of drag pipes, showed a number of new products at the Dealer Expo.
SuperTrapp is a unit of privately held Dreison International Inc. of Cleveland, Ohio. The company’s sales reportedly rose 10% in 2004 to between $12 million and $15 million, and President Kevin Berger has told Powersports Business he looks for a healthy, though slightly smaller, gain in 2005, somewhere in the range of 5% to 8%.
New SuperTrapp product on display at the Expo included the Phantom Pipe, a curvy 2:1 drag pipe, part of SuperTrapp’s Road Legend series; 2:1 SuperMegs, available to fit the Honda VTX1800 and all Harley models, including a recently released system for the Sportster; Mean Mothers for Sportster, chrome-plated 2.5-inch outer pipes with 1.75-inch stainless steel inner pipes that step up to 2.25-inches; and the Double Espresso slip-ons for Harley Davidson FLH/FLT touring applications.
The Double Espresso comes with a new look, new Power Core baffles and stock rolled-edge Java Jugs end caps. These pipes are the first Kerker product to come stock with end caps. The shortened Java Jugs end caps put the tip even with the bags, eliminating the threat of damage when backing to a curb. The company says a new baffle design, called the Power Core, allows the Double Espresso higher performance gains without increasing sound levels.
Although the majority of SuperTrapp’s sales are roadbike exhausts, the company also makes exhausts and accessories for all-terrain vehicles and dirt bikes.
New for 2005, the XD Race Pipe slip-on for the Honda TRX450R is a 4-inch race muffler featuring an external disc design, improving exhaust flow and increasing peak horsepower. It offers riders the advantage of tunability – adding discs further increases flow and peak horsepower, while removing discs increases low-end torque and reduces sound.
SuperTrapp also took time at the show to discuss its new IDSX for Kawasaki Brute Force and Yamaha Rhino. The durable and lightweight 4.5-inch IDSX Series is designed specifically for big bore utility quads in need of more low-end torque and near stock sound levels. SuperTrapp says the adjustable disc diffuser system allows the rider to tune the IDSX for more horsepower and sound quality at different points on the powerband by adding or subtracting diffuser discs.

SAMSON GOES STEALTH
Over at Samson Exhaust, part of the company’s focus was on its new MS-200 Stealth 3.5-inch muffler for 1995 to present Dresser and Road Kings. Samson Motorcycle Products designs and manufactures from facilities in Anaheim, Calif. The company markets products under the Samson, Caliber and Shogun brand names.
Samson says this muffler is 25% quieter than the company’s Silver Bullet Muffler series and provides better performance than stock. “In today’s day and age, quieter pipes is where it’s at,” said the company’s Nick Trumbo.
The MS-200 Stealth includes a set of billet end caps and a one-year warranty. A double layer nickel plating is used to add depth to the chrome finish, and a special cooling system prevents bluing.

CCI’S ROLLING CHASSIS KITS
At Custom Chrome, a unit of Global Motorsport Group, representatives talked of the new Chopper Rolling Chassis Kit.
A part of Custom Chrome Hard-Core II series, the Rolling Chassis kit includes a Santee single downtube rigid frame made from 1 3/8-inch tubing with a six-inch downtube stretch and four-inch backbone stretch; Santee ‘L.A.F.’ exhaust pipes; a BDL three-inch primary belt drive; a custom 10-inch over 41mm fork with seven degree raked billet triple trees and chrome lower legs; custom Chica “V” handlebars with built-in headlight mount; spoked wheels: 21-inch front, and a 180 x 18-inch rear; Jesse James ‘Villain’ gas tank with pop-up cap and rear fender; Chrome four-inch halogen headlight, billet side-mount taillight, side-fill winged oil tank, wiring harness, forward control kit and brake calipers.
Retail price on the Rolling Chassis Kit? $8,393.85

WELD SHOWS NEW DESIGNS
Wheels also played a major part in the Dealer Expo. Tucker Rocky recently signed on to distribute a number of new ’05 products from Weld Racing Motorcycle, Kansas City, Mo.
Weld has added three new wheel designs to its “Flare Series.” One of them, the Blue Max, is a one-piece billet wheel that has a built-in hub. The integrated hub greatly reduces the run out in the wheel, reduces weight and allows the design to continue onto the hub face of the actual patent pending wheel itself.
“Everyone with a CNC machine can make a wheel, but it takes a family of experts to design something that hasn’t been seen yet”, said Greg Weld, CEO of Weld Wheel Industries.
Manufactured out of aircraft quality aluminum and backed by a lifetime structural and a five-year warranty on chrome wheels, the “Flare Series” wheels only fit post 2000 models. They’re available in sizes 18″ x 10.5″, 18″ x 8.5″, 18″ x 3.5″, 21″ x 3.25″ and 21″ x 2.15″.
Weld says it expects new wheel models to be available by April.

DOWCO COVERS POWERSPORTS
DOWCO Inc., once known only for its innovative coverings, attended the 2005 Dealer Expo with a number of new products.
The new Rally Pack Deluxe Series sport bike luggage, featuring a patent-pending color match system that allows riders to match their luggage to the color of their sport bikes; Rally Pack magnetic mount cruiser tank bag and map pocket; Guardian tank and fender protectors in two sizes; and custom-fit Guardian PWC and snowmobile covers.
“Whether you’re trailering your PWC down the highway or storing it for the winter, this new custom-fit cover is designed to offer protection from the elements – dirt, wind or road debris, said Matt Klein, marketing manager for DOWCO.
DOWCO’s newly designed patent-pending vent system ensures a tight fit to prevent wind damage – flapping and abrasion to the PWC’s surface – that can be caused by poor-fitting covers.
Designed to fit the most popular PWCs models, the Guardian custom-fit PWC covers are made from a heavyweight, marine-grade polyester. DOWCO’s ClimaShield Plus fabric provides water repellency and resists fading. An adjustable shock-cord is sewn into the hem edge and pulls tight to ensure a secure fit. A gas cap panel also is provided to make fueling convenient.
Suggested retail price for the Guardian custom-fit PWC covers range from $109.95 to $114.95 depending on model and manufacturer. Covers are available in Caribbean Blue and feature a limited lifetime warranty.

LOJACK ENTERS MOTORCYCLE MARKET
After 18 years of tracking cars and trucks, LoJack Corporation, Westwood, Mass., has entered the motorcycle market.
LoJack’s Stolen Vehicle Recovery System is directly integrated with law enforcement agencies in 22 states and more than 25 countries throughout Europe, Africa, Latin America and Asia. LoJack Police Tracking Computers are installed in police vehicles, helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft, and use radio frequency technology to track and recover vehicles, even if hidden in a garage, steel container or surrounded by dense foliage. The company claims to deliver a better than 90% success rate in recovering stolen cars and trucks.
The National Insurance Crime Bureau says motorcycle theft in the United States and Canada was up 55% from 2002 to 2003.
The new system — branded LoJack for Motorcycles — will be rolled out on a market-by-market basis in the United States, where motorcycle theft rates are highest.
The product is available now at certified franchise dealers in Massachusetts and will be available in the greater Miami/Fort Lauderdale area by March 2005. LoJack For Motorcycles will also become available in Texas and California markets later in 2005. The product has a retail price of $595, and a one-time installation fee payable to the dealer. It comes with a limited two- year Original Purchaser’s Warranty and a money-back guarantee if a stolen motorcycle is not recovered within 24 hours.
“As a bike owner and former police officer, I can speak on multiple levels about the enormity of the problem of motorcycle theft,” says D.J. Thompson, LoJack Law Enforcement Liaison. “It’s a very serious problem that’s growing rapidly.
ACME SHOWS THREE
Arguably one of the most stunning displays at the Dealer Expo belonged to Acme Rocket Bike and Blade Z.
Acme Rocket Bike, Garberville, Calif., is a design house which develops prototypes and one-off motorcycles for consumers and corporate customers. Operated by Robert Steffano, the company offers design, prototype construction and manufacturing development; engineering and documentation; 3D photorealistic rendering; and fabrication of full scale working designs.
Lenny Vainberg of BladeZ said he contracted Steffano to create three types of motorcycles using 250cc units sourced from China.
“What we did was use one platform to design a supermotard style bike, a Café classic style of bike, and a futuristic sportbike,” Vainberg said. “We basically brought the stuff over here and redesigned it to fit the American market, which is what none of the Chinese have done yet.”
“Basically, what we’re offering to dealers of the big five powersports brands is not competitive to anything else they are offering, doesn’t cannibalize anything in their store, goes after a price point nobody is in right now — $2800 to $3500 retail — offers 30% margin to the dealer, and targets first-time customers as well as guys with a big bike who want a small bike to scoot around town.”
Vainberg said units had passed Environmental Protection Administration standards and currently are going through Department of Transportation tests. “We’re hoping for market launch around July or August,” he said.
“There’s nothing on the market right now with this style at this price point. Judging from the response we’ve received at the show, we’ve really got the styling down.”

CPI GTR 50/150
Another unique two-wheeled product at the Expo came in the form of the GTR, best described as a scooter/motorcycle hybrid powered by a 50cc, and soon-to-be-available 150cc powerplant.
Imported and distributed by CPI USA of Irving, Texas, both GTRs are housed in the same chassis; have nine liter fuel capacity; CVT; electric start; 110/70-17 front and 130/70-17 rear tires; 280mm front disc and single rear disc brakes; and hydraulic front fork and adjustable external rear suspension. The liquid-cooled 49.2cc two-stroke, with 4.4hp, has a Mikuni carb; the 152cc four-stroke, with 12 hp, has a Keihin carb.
Other features include aluminum fuel cap, high-intensity taillights, and digital and analog gauges.
For pricing and availability, visit www.cpi-usa.com or call 877/743-3524