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PSB FOCUS 16 • April 3, 2017 • Powersports Business www.PowersportsBusiness.com This issue: V-twin Next issue: ATV u BRAND – AND SPORT – BUILDERS Stories insideu HARLEY-DAVIDSON and INDIAN MOTORCYCLE lookto the future with new models, more riders. w w w . p o w e r s p o r t s b u s i n e s s . c o m NEWS: Textron completes Arctic Cat buyout . . . . . PAGE 4 ATV/UTV: ODES seeks staff at new HQ . . . . . . . . . . . PAGE 26 CYCLE: SSR adds models to lineup . . . . . . . . . . . . PAGE 37 PWC: Parts distributor expands catalog . . . . . . . PAGE 40 The application for the 2017 Power 50 dealer honors program is due Saturday, April 15. The Power 50 recognizes the best powersports dealers in North America. The program, now in its fifth year, is the only dealer recognition event of its kind in the industry, with independent application evaluators made up of the Powersports Business editorial staff of Dave McMahon, Liz Keener and Kate Swanson. It's also the only program in the industry to promote the dealerships in national consumer publications, including Rider and Thunder Press. Dealers must complete the online application form in its entirety to be considered for the Power 50. Incom- plete applications will not be consid- ered. Responses to all questions are INSPIRING SUCCESS THROUGH MARKET INTELLIGENCE Music to the ears Power 50 dealer Boswell's Harley-Davidson opens an apparel and merchandise store in Nashville. SEE PAGE 46 HOTNEWS Inside look Team HRC gives PSB senior editor Liz Keener a peek at its Supercross race-day prep. SEE PAGE 36 First-time riders Arctic Cat hosts Minnesota event that gets kids on the seats of youth snowmobiles. SEE PAGE 42 2018 sleds, four-seater Maverick X3 introduced at Club BRP BY LIZ KEENER SENIOR EDITOR In true Club BRP fashion the crews from Ski-Doo and Can-Am put on quite the show in mid-Feb- ruary at the Grand Sierra Resort in Reno, Nevada. As usual, the kickoff event included a formal presentation, lights, videos, appearances by BRP execs and new model introductions, but of course surprises were also in store. Ski-Doo and Can-Am dealers, BRP employees and select media entered the theater at the resort to find a pit orchestra ready to bring music to the event. But the showstopper that seemed to bring the most shock and excitement from the audience was the appearance of Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman from Discovery Channel's "Myth- busters" TV show. Savage and Hyneman were on hand to intro- duce Ski-Doo's new SHOT engine starting tech- nology. The duo joked that they were tasked by BRP to come up with a way to ease restarting frustrations, especially for mountain snowmobil- ers. Savage showcased his plan to increase his arm strength to make the process easier. Hyneman then brought out a robotic arm that sparked on stage, and then Hyneman hooked himself up to a prop rocket blaster before they stopped their skit an introduced the SHOT. Using ultracapacitor technology, the SHOT provides an electric charge to the engine with no battery, starter motor or ring gear. It weighs 2 pounds, saving nearly 20 pounds from a traditional electric start. The SHOT is avail- able on the 2018 Summit X 850 E-TEC and SP 850 E-TEC, as well as the Freeride 137 850 E-TEC, 146 850 E-TEC, 154 S-38 850 E-TEC and 154/165 850 E-TEC. The SHOT drew interest from a number of dealers in the showroom after the presenta- tion. Jason Bryant of St. Boni Motorsports and Minneapolis Motor Sports in Minnesota called the technology, "promising, very promising." While Ski-Doo didn't introduce any earth- shattering models at the unveil, the brand did announce that its REV Gen4 platform with Rotax 850 E-TEC is being made available on more than half of all Ski-Doo models, including the Summit, Freeride and Renegade Backcountry, and the X-RS packages of the MXZ and Renegade. "There were no big changes, but a lot of changes," said Rock Gagne, of TG Powersports in Sturgeon Falls, Ontario. After walking around the showroom floor for a while, Matt Redford of Badiuk's Powers- ports in For Frances, Ontario, said he was most impressed with the 2018 Renegade X-RS. "Just the colors and style of it, it's a pretty sharp look- ing sled," he said. Though Badiuk's saw both rain and snow this winter, the powder was enough to drive the traditional sales of 70-90 units. As of mid- February, only 19 were left on the showroom floor, Redford said "Hopefully we snow check a few of the things," he added, looking at the 2018 Ski-Doo lineup. PSB: FOCUS V-twin SEE PAGE 16 See Club BRP, Page 6 See Hot News, Page 3 April 3, 2017 • Volume 20, Number 5 • $3.99 Power 50 dealer application due April 15 pDealers check out the 2018 Ski-Doo Summit SP 850 E-TEC at Club BRP in Reno, Nevada, in February. BRP's Showroom Kit can be dropped into a single- or multi-line dealership. PARTS UNLIMITED RETURNS TO INDY (Left) The Parts Unlimited/Drag Specialties National Vendor Presentation brought the industry back to Indianapolis in February, and the show came away a winner with an impressive turnout of dealers. (Middle) Chris Hughson, operations manager for Magnum Shielding Corp., reported strong interest from reps and dealers in Indianapolis. (Right) Paul Devine, vice president of sales at S&S Cycle, shows off the company's newest products to dealer attendees from The Grease Pit in West Frankfort, Illinois. Ski-Doo wows with SHOT starting tech