Sept. 26, 2005 – Report: Parts/Drag Showcase 2005

MADISON, Wis. – The annual product Showcase sponsored by Parts Unlimited and Drag Specialties held here Aug. 28, drew representatives from some 500 dealerships who met with the more than 180 participating suppliers.
Representatives of Powersports Business talked with many of the suppliers about aftermarket sales trends and new product development. Here is just a sample of the product information we picked up:

MEMPHIS SHADES
Contact: Bill Gray
Product: Cockpits, a line of windscreens for sportbikes
Comments: Only the smallest people can get protection from standard windscreens on bikes. The Cockpit actually raises the bubble of air in front of the rider by twice what the stock windscreen does. This is the same windshield that you will see in world Superbike competition
Availability: Now
Suggested Retail: $79.95

THOR MOTORCROSS
Product: Carbon Force Helmet
Comments: Carbon fiber helmet. Introduced this year. One of Thor’s hottest products
Suggested Retail: $399
Availability: Now

ICON
Product: New leather jacket Daytona. The Retro Daytona is a special version. It’s pre-distressed, aged leather. One of fanciest new things. It looks like it’s an older jacket and all the styling of the jacket is older including the patches that are all retro looking. Patches include an old Motul logo and an old Champion logo.
Suggested Retail: $400
Availability: Now
Notes: There was plenty of pink gear in the Icon booth, as well as bright colors such as lime and orange. Icon’s Phil Davy says, “The whole pink thing is really, really big. A lot of people tend to believe that the woman’s market is based just on woman riders, but it’s not; it’s woman passengers as well. One of the reasons we really got behind pink is because when the woman passenger walks into the motorcycle shop she wants to find something for herself. We have helmets, everything from head to ankle. Pink leather pants, textile jackets and pants as well a leather jackets; leather gloves and textile gloves, and a $250 helmet that is the brightest pink that we could get our hands on. It’s really based around the fact that there are a lot more potential women buyers out there than just the riders.”All the product is available today.

MOOSE RACING
Contact: Brad Kruckenberg
Product: The 10×2 helmet is a new higher end helmet for Moose, coming in above the XCR that retails at $139.95. Says Kruckenberg: “This will be our premium helmet. We just wanted to go a little bit higher end. It’s got better features (than the XCR); it has an upgraded liner, a little bit more padding, and more.
Availability: Nov. 1
Suggested Retail: $199.95 will be available by about Nov. 1

DP BRAKES
Contact: Larry Mills
Product: A new clutch kit for the V-twin market. Comes as a full kit with steels and full kit of friction plates.
Availability: November
Suggested Retail: dp brakes and clutchnes
Notes: Says Mills: “We’ve been doing a lot of testing, and we’re getting much better life out of these clutches. What’s nice is that it comes in a plastic case just like we have had for the last couple of years for off-road, ATV, and sportbikes. There is definitely a lot of potential for clutch sales for us. They have worked so well for off-road and ATV that we want to introduce it to the V-twin market. It’s the same kind of product, just for a new market. “We’re competitive (on pricing) between OEM and Barnett. What’s nice is that the margins are very good for the Drag Specialties line. They offer margins between 40% and 45%. Thats great for a dealer, obviously.

CYCLE COUNTRY ACCESSORIES
Contact: Brad Danbaum with cycle country
Product: Elite Dealer Program promotion.
When a dealer buys 20 plows and 20 push tubes all on one order, it qualifies him for Cycle Country’s Elite Dealer Program. Participating dealers receive a nut and bolt box that carries a dealer value of about $40; it has all the commonly used plow parts. Elite Dealers also have their choise of a rubber mat with their dealership name on it or an aluminum sign.
The promotion will run through the plow season. “We’ll honor it through February or March, whenever the dealer places the order.”
Notes: Several new products are scheduled to be introduced either at shows in Louisville or Indianapolis. “Lots of stuff coming down the pipe,” says Danbaum.

FMF RACING
Contact: Doug Muellner
Product: Power Core S mufflers for street bikes have some unique featues such as a completely square core that gives a street exhaust a different sound. “It’s a little bit deeper and it’s not as raspy as many of our competitrors,” says Muellner. The square core also gives a power boost over a round core design, FMSFsays.
Availability: Now
Suggested Retail: Titanium, $329-$479.
Notes: Muellner: “What we are trying to focus on are some of the different segments of the FMFproduct line instead of just the FMF brand.
“One segment is our Power Core S exhaust, which takes our 30 years of history and development and applies it to the street market.

MOTION PRO
Contact: Chris Carter
Product: Cable clamps for the V-twin custom market. The clamps come in four sizaes based upon diameter of the frame tubes. The clamps can handle double cable or a single cable.They swivel to virtually elmiminate cable binding.
Availability: Now
Suggested Retail: $30 range, depending upon single or double cable capacity.

YUASA BATTERY
Contact: Joe Majesky
Product: Battery tester, model VTY101. Tells you how much battery life is left. Yuasa suggests that if the battery is down to 50% life, it’s time to get a new battery. Includes special rubber boot and amper hour/quick reference chart. Available for 1.5 voltes up to 12 volts.
Availability: Now
Suggested Retail: $299.95. Normal dealer price is $210.

PRO-GRIP USA
Contact: Vince Marazita
Product: New point of purchase display that is full size, powder coated display. It stands six feet high with the Pro-Grip logo, and takes about two feet of floor space, with a footprint approximately two feet by about 18 inches. The unit is made to have goggles on one side and grips and or accessories on the other. It can hold 48 pairs of goggles or 48 motocross grips or 52 road rips.
Availability: Scheduled for October
Pricing is being determined.

S&S CYCLE
Contact: Jay Olson, technical trainer
Product: SPO Stainless Perfomance Ovals; polished stainless steel.
Availability: Now available just for American V-twins. Introduced last year, but it took a while to get out into the field. We’ve had about nine months of postive response.
Suggested Retail: $450 for a pair of SPO, stainless steel performance ovals.
Notes: Says Olson: “The SPOs have two baffles, stock and low decible for folks whjo live someplace where noise might be a little bit more of an issue. They’re not excessively loud they have a nice rumble to them. If you get a nick or scratch you just buff it out and polish it; there’s no way for rust to start infiltrating under the chrome.
“The SPO is mainly a peformance pipe. We designed them first to enhance performance and then noise was kind of a secondcary thing that worked out well for us.”
S&S also has been having success with a quick setup for 2004 models and up. “This is basically a set of performance mufflers – slash cuts,” says Olson. “This is coupled with a low restriction air cleaner and comes with a jet kit for carbs. It gives you about 10 hp for about $500 retail.”

SAMSON MOTORCYCLE PRODUCTS
Contact: Nick Trumbo
Product: Big Guns 3. These have one piece heat shields, and the company says they are very easy to use and are a lot friendlier to the environment because they are a lot quieter.
Availability: Now
Suggested Retail: $469. “We’re very aggessive on this pricing,” says Trumbo, “about $150 less than regular Big Gun and Big Gun 2.”
Notes: Big Guns 3 is hot item; it answered a lot of questions about noise and the EPA because they have built-in baffles.”
Product: Fishtail and Longtail pipes.
Availability: Now
Suggested Retail: “Our old system for just the head pipes ,” says Trumbo, “used to be $581 retail Now the whole system, including muffler brackets, is $599. Again, that’s really aggresive pricing.
Notes: “The new Delux and Heritage models are really popular,” says Trumbo. “Our Fishtails are really going crazy.” They’re re-designed versions of the ones started back in 1992. “Then we introduced a new model called the Longtail so we have Fishtails and Long tails; we have them in longs and we have them in short. They are complete systems.”

-Joe Delmont