News and stories from the world of Powersports business.
The Official Tire of the 2023 Harley-Davidson® Homecoming™ Event at the Harley-Davidson Museum
Dunlop is proud to announce that they will be the Official Tire of the 2023 Harley-Davidson® Homecoming™ event at the H-D Museum July 13-16. The four-day festival in H-D’s hometown of Milwaukee, WI marks the culmination of a yearlong 120th Anniversary celebration. In addition to music performances by top name bands, stunt shows, and H-D® demo rides, Dunlop will be in attendance with displays and giveaways at the H-D Museum!
Since becoming the Original Equipment tire on their Sportster® and FL models back in 1983, Dunlop and Harley-Davidson have built an unrivaled and iconic relationship. This relationship was cemented in January 1998 when Dunlop signed the first Master Supply Agreement in Harley-Davidson’s history. This bond has continued over 40 years and 10 million tires later to establish Dunlop as the OE tire of choice for most of the H-D lineup today!
Dunlop is recognized as a world-leader in motorcycle tire design, engineering, and manufacturing excellence. For over 40 years, Dunlop tire engineers have worked with Harley-Davidson to develop tires that meet the stringent performance standards established by Harley-Davidson. And meeting those parameters means Dunlop tires deliver excellent all-around performance under a variety of riding conditions. Some examples of this partnership include the D401, D402, D407, D408, D429, GT503, and the all-new DT-1.
In addition, Dunlop is the only tire company that designs, develops, and manufactures motorcycle tires for Harley-Davidson in North America—and that’s an advantage that directly benefits all Harley-Davidson riders.
We at Dunlop look forward to seeing the thousands of people from around the world for what’s sure to be an unforgettable experience.
Segway Powersports Expands Sales Force, Welcoming Six Regional Business Managers
With its sights set on becoming the leading all-terrain mobility solutions provider in the offroad segment, Segway Powersports is proud to announce the addition of six experienced industry hires to help drive its sales, service, and branding objectives.
Segway is a world-renowned brand synonymous with personal mobility solutions. The Segway powersports line includes a range of high-quality, innovative, and technologically advanced ATV and UTV models targeted at the sport, recreation, and utility segments. Segway produces modern, muscular designs with performance and technology features that offroad enthusiasts appreciate.
As Segway Powersports continues its expansion and upward growth trajectory in the U.S. market, and with dealer partners being added by the day, the company is pleased to announce the following new additions to its sales team:
Mo Bojku – is a 20-year veteran of the powersports industry. He comes to Segway with previous District Sales Manager and dealership experience in the NY, NJ, and PA territories. He has a genuine passion for the powersports industry and enjoys working with brands and products he’s genuinely interested in and enthusiastic about. In his new role, he’s excited to showcase Segway’s commitment to innovation and cutting-edge technology while cultivating customer relationships based on trust, empathy, and effective communication.
Michael Rickman – is a lifetime offroad enthusiast who grew up racing dirt bikes. His career path led him to the automotive industry, where he spent the last ten years in sales and finance. With his combined automotive and powersports backgrounds, he’s excited to bring new perspectives on growth strategies to Segway, where he’s been tasked with improving brand presence and customer satisfaction in Texas and Oklahoma. For Rickman, joining the Segway team means being part of a company that pushes boundaries. He looks forward to disrupting the market with elevated dealer and consumer experiences.
Kelly Rees – has been involved in the powersports industry since 2008, when he opened a performance motorcycle shop. His experience behind the counter has taught him that the long-term success of a brand’s dealer partners is ultimately the path to success for everyone. He understands that everyone has different ways of achieving their goals, and he hopes to share his market insights with other Segway staff and learn from their experiences. Rees will proudly represent and educate dealers about Segway’s innovative, exciting, high-performance powersports offroad vehicles in his new role.
Adam Hindle – is excited to bring his passion for powersports, in-depth industry knowledge, and customer-centric approach to his new Regional Business Manager role. He’s eager to make a meaningful impact and contribute to Segway’s success by helping the brand continue to grow and thrive in the U.S. market by bringing a lifelong passion, understanding, and enthusiasm for powersports to his new role. Hindle also has a wealth of knowledge about powersports products and the thrill they provide to end users, allowing him to personally connect with dealer partners and end users on a deeper level.
James Wagner – grew up racing motocross and still does to this day. He is a 20-year veteran of the powersports industry and brings many years of relationship-building, industry knowledge, and enthusiasm to his new role with Segway. His selling style focuses on relationships, getting to know everybody in each dealership, doing what you say you will do, and under-promise and over-deliver. In his new role, Wagner is tasked with building upon existing Segway dealer relationships while adding new business partners in his region.
Gary Sargent – got his first motorcycle at age three and has dedicated his life to the powersports industry for the past 25 years. After opening a small motorcycle repair shop upon graduating high school, Sargent helped transition one of his father’s fourth-generation auto dealerships to a full-line powersports dealership. There he helped several OEM manufacturers increase their brand recognition in his region. He is thrilled to join a company that embraces technology and innovation and looks forward to helping grow the Segway Powersports brand in the Pacific Northwest.
Newly appointed Vice President of Sales and Marketing, Jason Walling, is excited about the additions to the Segway Powersports sales team and what it means for the brand. “With our continued growth and success in the U.S. market, the timing was right to add to our group of talented, industry-experienced sales representatives.”
“As we continue to up the ante in the ATV and UTV segments with modern designs built for ultimate performance,” explains Walling, “it was crucial that we add new team members that speak the language of powersports and can foster long-term relationships with our dealer partners while driving consumer demand for our powersports line. We’re proud (and honored) to add these six extremely talented sales professionals to our staff. We’d like to officially welcome Mo Bojku, Michael Rickman, Kelly Rees, Adam Hindle, James Wagner, and Gary Sargent to the Segway Powersports Family.”
All six Regional Business Managers begin calling on Segway dealers starting July 14. For more information, visit the U.S. Segway website at SegwayPowersports.us or follow them on social media at @segwaypowersportsus.
Jason Walling Appointed as VP of Sales and Marketing at Segway Powersports, Driving Growth and Expansion
As Segway Powersports continues its pursuit of becoming the leading all-terrain mobility solutions provider, they are pleased to announce that Jason Walling has joined the company as its new VP of Sales and Marketing. With a range of sport, recreation, and utility ATV and UTV models available in more than 100 countries worldwide, the brand continues to produce athletic and muscular designs with the performance and technology features one expects in a modern offroad vehicle.
In his new role, Walling will be tasked with recruiting talented sales and marketing professionals, establishing strategic partnerships, collaborating with dealers, and implementing new marketing strategies that will lead to increased brand awareness and consumer demand for Segway’s powersports line. He will be based out of the company’s U.S. headquarters in McKinney, Texas.
Former VP of Sales and Marketing, Shane Wilson, will transition to his new role as VP of Corporate Strategy, where he will continue to drive growth through key business partnerships, expansion of the organization, and the development of new products. Additionally, Thomas Kang has assumed the role of Key Accounts Manager, where he’ll focus his efforts on providing the highest level of customer service and support to Segway dealer partners. Wilson and Kang will work closely with Walling through the restructuring, aiming to optimize day-to-day processes, company culture, and dealer support.
With over 20 years of powersports industry experience, Walling began as an independent rep, followed by roles with Fox Racing, Parts Unlimited, and Troy Lee Designs. For the past eight years, he has worked in sales and brand leadership roles with three other ATV/UTV manufacturers in the U.S. market. In addition to traditional sales and marketing duties, Walling has gained a wealth of knowledge about quality control processes, R&D, and product planning at the factory level.
Walling prefers a management style that fosters a collaborative and supportive team environment, with open communication, that empowers individuals to take ownership of their roles. He admits that many of the milestones in his career involved his ability to bring talented individuals together, help others, meet like-minded people on their journey, and being able to help propel their professional careers or businesses forward. He believes that if he takes care of the team, the team will take care of the company and its business partners.
“I’m excited to help expand our reach of the powersports industry by showcasing the performance and technology features of Segway’s products,” said Walling. “Segway has upped the ante in the ATV and UTV segments with its high-quality, modern designs built for ultimate performance. I look forward to implementing compelling sales and marketing strategies, fostering solid relationships with our dealers, and driving consumer demand for Segway’s powersports line. What excites me most about Segway is the opportunity to represent a household brand name that’s synonymous with cutting-edge technology and premium quality. I’m excited to contribute to the outstanding job that Shane and the rest of the Segway crew have done to get this division off the ground in the US market.”
Walling adds, “It’s a blessing to work for such a recognizable brand. It makes it more fun for us to do our jobs. But moreover, being part of a company and an industry that brings people together, enriches our lives, develops personal bonds, and creates unique memories that will last a lifetime is by far the most gratifying element of my career. I look forward to contributing even more to our awesome industry and the people who represent it in my new role at Segway Powersports.”
Segway proudly welcomes Jason Walling to its powersports employee family.
New Triumph X Steve McQueen X Michael Kalish Limited Edition Digital Collectibles
Inspired by a real-life, large format portrait of Steve McQueen by acclaimed artist Michael Kalish, the “King of Cool Racing Team” drop, is a limited collection of 1000 Triumph Motorcycles / Steve McQueen unique digital art collectibles. The collection has been created by Verified Labs and Immersive Enterprise Laboratories, and releases Friday, July 14th at 12pm ET | 9am PT at McQueen.ThetaDrop.com
ORIGINAL MICHAEL KALISH PORTRAIT OF STEVE MCQUEEN
In 2022, acclaimed artist Michael Kalish created a 25’ x 25’ original portrait of Steve McQueen. Kalish is known for his creative use of mixed mediums, regularly taking inspiration from his subjects to use relevant elements from their personal life for the creation of larger-than-life tribute art pieces. Fittingly, for his portrait celebrating the legacy of Steve McQueen, Kalish used a Triumph motorcycle ridden by Chase McQueen, grandson of Steve, to apply the paint to the canvas.
The Motorcycle
Steve McQueen had an intense passion for riding motorcycles, as exemplified many times on screen and in his personal life where he competed in a variety of desert races and endurance races such as the 1964 International Six Day Trial event. Steve’s garage included many Triumph motorcycles such as the ’62 TR6 Trophy used in the film of The Great Escape, a ’66 Bonneville 650 ridden in San Francisco while filming the movie Bullitt, and a ’63 Bonneville which McQueen converted into a Desert Sled.
The latter was the inspiration for the bike used by Kalish, which was a 2022 Triumph Bonneville T100 in Jet Black. Following the completion of painting Kalish adorned the motorcycle with the same colors laid down on the canvas using a splatter technique. The result is a truly distinct one of one Michael Kalish painted Triumph modern classic with bright splashes of white, light blue and yellow starkly contrasting the original jet-black scheme.
The Process
Chase McQueen has racing in his veins. Following in the footsteps of his grandfather Steve, and father Chad McQueen, who enjoyed a long career racing cars, Chase has been racing on both four and two wheels since his childhood. Confident in his skills from years of riding and racing, Chase agreed to ride the Bonneville on his most difficult surface yet, a giant canvas covered in wet paint.
To fully prepare the canvas for the final portrait, McQueen and Kalish spent hours laying down fresh layers of paint. Kalish would throw a gallon at a time of white, light blue and yellow paint onto the canvas, and McQueen would ride the T100 over it to spread the paint. After hours of application, the canvas was perfectly coated in the blend of colors, with care to ensure plenty of tire treads were noticeable in the paint.
With the paint full applied, Kalish meticulously peeled back layers of previously masked and scored sections of canvas to reveal an instantly recognizable and stunning portrait of Steve McQueen.
“KING OF COOL RACING TEAM” DIGITAL COLLECTIBLES
Following the incredible result of Kalish’s vision for an artistic tribute to iconic actor and motorcycle rider Steve McQueen, the family of Steve along with Kalish and Triumph Motorcycles were inspired to create a similarly premium artistic tribute that could be available for McQueen, Triumph, and Kalish enthusiasts. By creating a set of generative Web3 digital collectibles, 1,000 fans worldwide will be able to own a unique piece of digital art which authentically represents the timeless style and boundary pushing spirit of Triumph, McQueen, and Kalish, all at an accessible initial price point of $99 USD.
Boundary Breaking Legacy in a Modern Medium
While Triumph and Steve McQueen are well known for timeless style, they’re also known to push boundaries and often being ahead of their time. Kalish follows suit as he famously created a new genre of art by converting used license plates into impressive masterpieces celebrating pop culture and Americana. When embarking on a project to create a set of digital collectibles, it was important to do so in a way which celebrated the innovative spirit of the trio.
An award winning Web3 partner, Verified Labs, was trusted to help deliver a boundary breaking collection of digital art. At their recommendation, the final set will be a set of 1,000 unique generative, interactive, and fully 3D 360-degree NFT’s, the first of its kind ever released on the ThetaDrop platform.
To bring the innovative concept to life Web3 animation studio, Immersive Enterprise Laboratories (IEL), first designed a fully three-dimensional virtual garage where owners will discover a Triumph Bonneville T100 motorcycle, rider, and digital recreation of the original Kalish portrait of Steve McQueen. IEL used Unreal Engine to build the garage and each of the elements within, making the collection truly 3D from 360 degrees, which can be viewed within virtual reality headsets or proudly showcased in spatial reality displays via a FBX file.
Then to make the collectibles interactive, IEL produced an engaging animation which can be triggered by the NFT’s owner. Upon interacting with the T100 sitting on a pool of paint in the center of the garage, bike’s rider starts the engine, puts the motorcycle in gear, and begins to do a burnout, which sprays paint against the wall of the garage which reveals a portrait of Steve McQueen just like the real-life Kalish original as the paint drips off the wall.
Finally, to make each of the 1,000 unique, IEL used a generative process to assign color variations on a handful of elements within the garage, making no two NFTs from the collection the same. Elements that change range from the bike paint scheme or a splatter effect on it, to the color of the rider’s Triumph Bradden Air Jacket and color of the McQueen portrait. The combinations of color variants make certain NFTs from the collection more or less rare, depending on how many in the collection share attributes for each of the elements.
1,000 Unique Digital Collectibles
To ensure a high variety of uniqueness in each collectible, and to allow for some to be more common or more rare than others, 7 elements from within the garage have been produced with anywhere from 3 to 10 distinct attributes per element. With a total of 42 total unique attributes, which are broken down below, it would have been possible to create a total of 141,120 unique generative NFTs.
Unique elements and attributes include:
- Motorcycle Color: 10 Total (5 colors with splatter paint and 5 without)
- Rider Jacket Color: 8 (Blue, Green, Red, Orange, Grey, Bradden Air Race Blue, Bradden Air Race Green, and splatter painted)
- Rider Glove Color: 3 (Black, Red, White)
- Rider Helmet Color: 7 (Blue, Green, Red, Orange, Black, Grey, splatter painted)
- Goggles: 7 (Blue, Green, Red, Orange, Black, Grey, splatter painted)
- Neck Tube: 3 (Black, Checkered, Union Jack Flag)
- Portrait Color: 4
EASY TO ACQUIRE AND INCENTIVES FOR COLLECTORS
An important consideration of the project was for the collection was both accessible to interested enthusiasts, and that each of the collectibles also presented value for its owner.
To ensure that any interested fan around the world could secure their very own “King of Cool Racing Team” digital collectible, ThetaDrop was selected as the marketplace for the initial drop. Key advantages of the ThetaDrop marketplace are that it is user friendly and does not require cryptocurrency to purchase or trade NFTs. Those key benefits will more easily allow first time NFT buys to join the “King of Cool Racing Team”, with a much lower barrier to entry that other marketplaces.
To support the long-term value proposition, the collection will be limited to only 1,000 unique versions of the NFT. Also, to incentivize trading of the collectible, which supports an increase in value for owners, there will be a trio of challenges with high-value prizes attached to each challenge.
Trading Challenges and Prizes
Following the initial drop of the “King of Cool Racing Team” collection, a series of challenges and prizes will be made available to owners.
Challenge Name: “The Race to 100”
Challenge Prize: The Ultimate Motorcycle Rider Kit
Prize Description: Rider apparel kit consisting of black Triumph Bradden Air Racing leather jacket, black Triumph Sulby leather glove, and black Bell Moto3 helmet, all covered in splatter paint by Michael Kalish consistent with the splatter paint design scheme which adorns the 1:1 Bonneville T100 used for the original portrait.
Challenge Requirements: Be the first to collect a total of 100 “King of Cool Racing Team” NFTs
Challenge Name: “Luck of the Draw”
Challenge Prize: 5’ x 5’ Michael Kalish portrait of Steve McQueen
Prize Description: A one of its kind 5’x5’ recreation of the original 25’x25’ portrait of Steve McQueen, created by Michael Kalish using a similar technique as the original.
Challenge Requirement: At the time of initial sales, One of the 1,000 NFTs will be randomly identified at the one paired with this prize. The owner will know their NFT is the prize-winning asset, and may be kept or re-sold to an interested buyer. Prize will be awarded to the owner of the identified NFT at the end of the two-week period.
Challenge Name: “Survival of the Rarest”
Challenge Prize: Sony 15.6” 4k Spatial Reality Display
Prize Description: Made with Sony’s Eye-Sensing Light Field Display (ELFD) technology, the Sony 15.6″ 4K Spatial Reality Display delivers an immersive 3D optical experience without 3D glasses or a VR headset. The 15.6″ display features a 3840 x 2160 resolution and is combined with Sony’s own proprietary high-speed vision sensor. The sensor follows your eyes in vertical, horizontal, and depth axes simultaneously. Monitoring your eye movement down to the millisecond, the sensor can render the image instantaneously. The result is a realistic, virtual 3D environment that can be seen from any angle without the need of additional hardware.
Challenge Requirements: At the end of a two-week period be the owner of with a combination of the most 10 rare NFTs compared to other owners.
OWN THE ULTIMATE COLLECTIBLE
For only the most enthusiastic fan, there will be the most rare version of the “King of Cool Racing Team” collectibles paired with the actual 2022 Triumph Bonneville T100 with original splatter paint design which was ridden by Chase McQueen to create the original large format Michael Kalish portrait of Steve McQueen available for auction.
The “most rare” version of the digital collectible in fact brings the set to a total of 1,001 unique NFTs and will be the only one in the set with the motorcycle in black with the splatter paint design which matches the real-world motorcycle. This most rare version also features the exact reproduction of the original Kalish portrait.
This ultimate collectible combination will be auctioned for a two-week period on ThetaDrop. The starting bid for this priceless one of one Michael Kalish painted motorcycle ridden by Chase McQueen paired with the most rare “King of Cool Racing Team” will be $15,000 USD. The pair will be awarded to the highest bidder of the virtual open auction at the end of the two-week period.
PARTNER QUOTES
Michael Kalish – Acclaimed Artist
“Over my 30 year career creating art and sculpture, I have always been inspired by and used materials directly related to Americana. Shortly after getting out of Art School, I traveled across the US to get inspiration and pick vintage materials for my work. Having the opportunity to partner with the Steve McQueen family has been a perfect intersection of my passions as an artist and who Steve McQueen was to all of us on the big screen. There is so much overlap of our love of cars, motorcycles, family, American Iconic objects, and moments. What an honor this has been!”
Adam VanderVeen – Marketing Director, Triumph Motorcycles America
“We’re proud that the original King of Cool made Triumph his motorcycle of choice and given our shared history with the iconic racer and actor, we couldn’t be happier with Michael’s vision to include a Triumph in his creative artistic tribute to Steve McQueen. After seeing the final portrait, it was an obvious choice to work with Michael and the McQueen family to make the tribute piece available to Steve’s fans and I’m very happy we came up with a way to sharing it that lived up to our shared values.”
McQueen Family
“Triumph has held a special place in the hearts of our family for generations; we’ve experienced countless memorable rides on their iconic motorcycles. The chance to collaborate with Triumph and the exceptional artist Michael Kalish on this exclusive release brings us immeasurable joy. By becoming part of the respected Theta community, we eagerly look forward to offering our loyal Steve McQueen fans something truly extraordinary and unparalleled.”
Justin Trevor Winters – CEO, Verified Labs
“As an award-winning Web3 agency and studio, we strongly believe that emerging AI technology is revolutionizing every aspect of the way we live, work, and relate to the world around us. Therefore we couldn’t be more honored to collaborate with visionary artist Michael Kalish, Triumph Motorcycles, and Immersive Enterprise Laboratories to bring the original King of Cool back to life in the first ever 3D Digital Art Collection on Theta Network. No one lives forever but we strive to make sure their legacies do.”
Magnum Distributing adds Complete line of WR Performance Products to their lineup
One of the least discussed but most dreaded tasks we all contend with in the powersports industry is cleaning. Especially when it comes to air filter maintenance. WR Performance Products is changing the maintenance game.
The crew from WR Performance didn’t start out as a cleaning product company looking to attract powersports customers. They are active powersports enthusiasts that became frustrated with the constant process of cleaning and maintenance. After teaming up with a cutting edge lab, they were able to formulate some revolutionary products that allow for fast and enjoyable cleaning. which allows us to focus on the enjoyment of the sport rather than the time consuming maintenance.
If you’ve ever cleaned a foam air filter, you know what a mess it is. The F3 cleaner is an absolute game changer when it comes to air filter maintenance. It works on all types of filter oils. Cleans from start to finish in less than one minute. Cleaning the outside out your machine is now a breeze too with the Total Wash Foam Cannon Systems, Heavy Duty Wash and Mud Defender Spray. Whether you’re a motorcycle enthusiast, ATV Rider or ride a UTV with the family on the weekends, WR Performance products designed to make your life easier.
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