Mike Vaughan's final thoughts on Indy
I’ve been attending Dealer Expo since 1980, when I went there on a mission to determine whether it was worthwhile for my then-employer, Kawasaki Motors Corp. USA, to exhibit. A lot of years have passed...
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Demos, displays and more dealers fueling KYMCO's U.S. growth
IF JAMES BROWN was the hardest working man in show business, another "South Carolinian,” KYMCO USA, has to be one of the hardest working companies in the powersports business. According to director of...
View ArticleRoyal Enfield's Bullet train
WHILE MOST MOTORCYCLES are getting faster, quicker, sleeker and better handling than the previous year’s models, one brand bucking that trend and doing so quite successfully is Royal Enfield. One of...
View ArticleIt all started as a ‘temp’ job
FORTY YEARS AGO THIS MONTH, with a B.A. degree clutched in my hot, sweaty hands, I landed my first post-college job. By a quirk of fate it was with a little company in the powersports business, and the...
View ArticleChinese motorcycle sales, exports drop sharply
THERE ARE FEWER Chinese motorcycles on the global market these days. Domestic and export sales of Chinese-manufactured motorcycles dropped dramatically during the first half of 2012. The Chinese supply...
View ArticleCold, wet and shivering no longer
AS AMAZING AS the development in motorcycles has been, perhaps the changes in riding gear have been even more so. When I began my riding career in earnest back in 1963, I had a borrowed jet pilot-type...
View ArticleCIMA: Chongqing welcomes 400 exhibitors, more than 100K attendees
Editor's Note: Contributing editor Mike Vaughan is in China covering the 2013 CIMA exposition. Watch for his daily dispatches on new product and exhibitor news, and what it all means for the U.S....
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CIMA: Chinese-foreign OEM partnerships unveil new bikes
Editor's Note: Contributing editor Mike Vaughan is in China covering the 2013 CIMA exposition. Watch for his daily dispatches on new product and exhibitor news, and what it all means for the U.S....
View ArticleCIMA: Will China become top market for large-displacement motorcycles?
Editor's Note: Contributing editor Mike Vaughan is in China covering the 2013 CIMA exposition. Watch for his daily dispatches on new product and exhibitor news, and what it all means for the U.S....
View ArticleChina's Lifan prepares to re-enter U.S. market in 2014
U.S. remains 'strategically important' to Chinese manufacturers, as Lifan executives tell Mike Vaughan it must have a U.S. presence to be successful as a worldwide manufacturer. CHONGQING, China -...
View ArticlePromoting motorcycles as transportation? Maybe not
I RETURNED FROM visiting the Chinese Motorcycle Trade Show (CIMA) on a Friday. The following Wednesday I attended the MIC’s 14th Annual “Inroads to the Future” conference. Every year “Inroads” features...
View ArticleCalifornia enacts an un-sound exhaust law
IN 2010, one of California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s final acts was to sign SB435, the Motorcycle Anti-Tampering Act. This law gives police the authority, starting on Jan. 1, 2013, to ticket...
View ArticleDenis Manning tackles SB435 issue head-on
PROBLEMS. We've all got them. They come in various shapes, sizes and times. How we deal with them is a reflection of our intelligence, drive, and sense of responsibility. Some of us will ignore the...
View ArticleMid-America auction: Triumphs up, race bikes fluctuate
THE 22ND ANNUAL Mid-America three-day auction was held Jan. 10-12 in Las Vegas. In contrast to last year’s event, when two auctions were held simultaneously, there was only a slight overlap with...
View ArticleNeed marketing help?
Advertising. For some dealers it's easy, and for others it's hard. How much should I spend? Where should I spend it? How much should I pay for the creative, how much for media? When should I spend it?...
View ArticleSmart? Or just fortunate?
I FIND IT IRONIC when I read a press release announcing that, “Jimmy Smith, VP of Marketing for XYZ Inc., is departing the company after 10 successful years of increasing sales and market share to...
View ArticleWe say 'thank you' to February and look forward to fall '14
IF YOU'RE READING this, then it means that the Mayan prediction of the end of the world on Dec. 21, 2012, didn’t take place and we’ve got at least another year to look forward to, including the...
View ArticleDealer Expo reflects the industry it serves
IF YOU DIDN'T go to Dealer Expo in February, you missed a pretty good show. I’ve been going to Expo steadily since 1991 — actually, I think I’ve been to all of them since then, but I may have missed a...
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Crashed? Need help? There's an app for that
ONE OF THE SPECIAL joys of riding a motorcycle is finding a lonely road in the middle of nowhere. There’s no traffic, the towns are miles apart, and it’s just you, nature and the pavement. But your...
View ArticleOnline vehicle sales cheat everyone
A COUPLE OF MONTHS AGO I received an email from a dealer on the West Coast complaining about the continued lack of federal and state enforcement of laws governing online sales of motorcycles and ATVs...
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