Cheesecake in the Heartland: 2006 Indianapolis Motorcycle Dealer's Expo
Indianapolis. It's a medium-sized city in the heart of the Midwest, known for the Colts, the Indy 500, and college basketball. Once a year, thousands and thousands of dealers, distributors and others in the motorcycle industry descend upon the town to meet, deal, and find out what's going on.
For 2006, MO sent me to find out for you, the consumer, what is new in the industry and what kinds of products and trends we can expect from this multi-billion dollar industry that employs hundreds of thousands of people. These trends can affect who is selling you your parts and services in your community, and what might lie in store for them in the future.
This year's show may have been one of the biggest ever.
Although attendance figures have not been released by the show's organizers, 21,000 attended last year and over 25,000 pre-registered for the 2006 event. 1,018 booths were rented out, from the multi-storied colossi of giants like Lockhart-Philips and Fox Racing to a tiny card table in a dusty, lightly-trafficked hallway with a lonely Chinese sales rep displaying a selection of fasteners.
What surprised me on my first visit to the show -- this is my second trip to Indy -- was the lack of booths from the major manufacturers. Suzuki, Kawasaki, Honda, Yamaha, BMW, Ducati were absent, but manufacturers seeking to gain a market foothold like Piaggio (including Aprilia and Moto Guzzi), Kymco, Daelim, Hyosung and others had big, lavish booths full of brochures, show bikes and eager sales reps.
In fact, there are so many Asian manufacturers at the show that they have a hall all their own. The Chinese Pavilion was packed full of booths. Over 72 Asian importers or manufacturers of scooter, motorcycles, dirtbikes and ATVs were at the show, with many of them showing eerily similar lineups of cheap and cheerful products.
I asked Booker what a prospective dealer should look for in a Chinese importer. She told me they should be very careful; "Dealers should check warehouses for parts and inventory" she said. Many importers just bring in a few containers, sell the vehicles, and then disappear.
The main thing I picked up with these peddlers of low-quality vehicles was the lack of enthusiasts working in their booths. Cyndee has yet to learn how to ride a motorcycle, although she's tooled around a bit on the scooters she sells; "they're a ball", she said cheerfully. A CEO of another scooter importer also came from another industry, with no motorcycle riding experience. However, some importers are guys with cycle shops who are just trying to bring inexpensive inventory to their customers.
So we have some shoddy products imported by dozens of small business people. So what? These products are being sold in such numbers that it's becoming impossible to ignore. For example, the Motorcycle Industry Council (MIC) reported that its members (made up of the established European and Asian manufacturers like Yamaha, Piaggio and Kymco) sold 50,000 scooters in the USA in 2005. Dealer News estimated that the non-MIC members moved something like 80,000, not counting mini-bikes and ATVs.
Another trend that is obvious to anybody strolling along the rows of booths is sportbike customizing. Although makers of custom big twin-type parts still dominate, dominating most of the giant RCA Dome, there were plenty of makers of anodized, painted and chromed sportbike bits, including swingarms, wheels, frames and bodywork.
The Chinese influence isn't just limited to scooters and ATVs.
Almost all of the apparel we wear while riding our bikes is now made in an Asian country. Leather is almost all made in Korea and Pakistan, and countries like China and Vietnam make textile jackets, pants, gloves and luggage. Even companies like Held and Vanson, long known for quality European and American craftsmanship, are now taking advantage of the cheaper labor to keep them competitive.
Vanson's booth was redolent with the heady scent of made-in-USA steerhide, but there was something new there, too. The "Vanson World" line of apparel uses the same patterns and strict quality control as the standard, domestically-made clothing, but is priced significantly lower. Vanson knew it would have to have a line of jackets priced around the $300 mark to compete, so they have started to make some of their products overseas, all marked with a special label. For those purists who know $400-600 for a genuine Vanson product is really a bargain--their jackets are pretty much indestructible and have a totally unique look and feel--the Fall River, Mass. Factory is still cranking out jackets, pants and gloves with that unique Vanson-ness.
One interesting and overlooked corner of the show was a little ghetto of Italian manufacturers and organizations in a corner of the main Expo hall. There, stylish-looking Italians sat in their booths showing helmets, apparel and components.
What was Verlicchi hoping to achieve at the show? Vacari told me he was in the US to attend a meeting with Buell motorcycles, and decided to get a booth there to get a feel for the US market and see what kind of response there was to the Verlicchi name. I asked what the meeting with Buell was about, and Vacari responded that they "have a new project, and we hope we are chosen [to manufacture components]." I hit him with a few questions; was it a liquid-cooled motor-ed Buell? An inline-four? A dirtbike? He just kind of smiled at me. I thought Italians were supposed to be talkative.
Some of you might remember my comparison test last year between the Hyosung GT650R and the Suzuki SV650S. Although the Suzuki is definitely the more refined machine, Hyosung makes a very nice product that is definitely ready for prime time. To prove their commitment, Hyosung has finally gotten serious about the USA market, taking over distribution from the old importer. Their booth in the RCA dome was one of the larger ones, with a full product line-up, a squad of sales reps, and even an attractive woman dressed in traditional Korean costume to answer questions from potential Hyosung dealers.
It uses the suspiciously SV 650-like motor from the GT 650 in a beautifully styled power cruiser chassis. It's long, low, has plenty of chrome, but it also has lots of ground clearance, radial rubber and inverted front forks for what looks like a pretty good time. Expect it to be priced around $6200.
Another new-for-America machine is the slick-looking little GT 250 comet. This bike has been on the market in other countries for several years now and has been a hit with its peppy, eight-valve 250cc oil-cooled V-twin motor. With a full-sized frame, 17-inch radial tires and an inverted front fork, it should prove a match for the Methuselah-like Kawasaki 250 Ninja. For an extra $300 over the GT 250's $3,199 MSRP (pricing subject to change), you can get the fully-clothed GT 250 R, with clip-ons and digital instruments. While the Comet will kill the Ninja on looks and handling, it's probably not much faster (and a whole lot heavier), but we will have to wait until we do MO's first-ever 250cc sportbike comparison to find out for sure. Expect a Hyosung shop to be near you; the booth was positively jammed with prospective dealers.
At the end of the weekend, I was happy I went to the Expo. Not just because I got to spend two days looking at thousands of new motorcycle products, but because of being surrounded by the positive energy of tens of thousands of people making a living doing something they love.
There were plenty of folks with their inventions and dreams out on display, from all kinds of polishes and wheel-balancing compounds to clever luggage and riding gear. I especially relished meeting Mark Jagger, a slightly-unhinged Brit pursuing his dream of selling his helmet-mounted Mohawks. The brightly-colored combs of fake hair use suction cups to stick onto a rider's helmet. He claimed they were good up to at least 175 mph. How did he know? Did he test it?
"Yeah, I've tested it, but I can't do it any more. I can't keep my license."
More by Gabe Ets-Hokin, Feature Editor
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