from https://www.marketwatch.com VALCOURT, Quebec, Apr 29, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE via COMTEX) — BRP Inc. (TSX:DOO; NASDAQ:DOOO) has decided to make the current period a little more bearable by announcing a 90-day extension to all of its manufacturer limited warranty, expiring between March 15 and June 30, 2020, across all its powersports product lines (Ski-Doo, Lynx, Sea-Doo and Can-Am). This initiative is an indication of BRP’s commitment to deliver an exceptional customer experience, even during these challenging times, and is part of the recent “Together, We Ride” project which is a reminder that tough times require new responses. Since some BRP dealers have temporarily closed or are partially open, we wanted to ensure that our customers can fully benefit from their warranty. “In the current context, people already have a lot of other things on their mind. We didn’t want their warranties running out to be one of them, especially with reduced service department capacity. We wanted to make sure we make things as easy as we can by being the first OEM in North America to offer a 90-day warranty extension on all our powersports products,” said Delton Bohlman, Vice-President, Global Customer Services Parts & Accessories at BRP. “Together, We Ride is not just a catchphrase for us: we are all in this together and we need to do our part to help each other get through it.” Customers who qualify do not need to take any action to be included in the warranty extension program, they will be automatically prolonged. The 90-day extension applies to all limited warranties and B.E.S.T. extended service coverage which are set to expire between March 15 and June 30, 2020.

The American Motorcyclist Association, Motorcycle Industry Council, and Motorcycle Safety Foundation have come together, with a joint letter on preparing now to ride again soon. And the MIC has added an additional resource map linking to reopening guidelines and plans from state to state, which will be useful for riders nationwide.

Meanwhile, more and more powersports businesses are offering valuable business-to-business resources, and a growing list of them can be found on the MIC website.

At the same time, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security is offering a number of resources to help businesses maintain cybersecurity, at a time when all companies need to keep up their online defenses while working to still conduct operations. Please see these important websites on:

Cybersecurity Resources
Enterprise VPN Security
Cybersecurity and Critical Infrastructure
Securing Network Infrastructure Devices

 

LACONIA, New Hampshire, April 29, 2020: Progressive Laconia Motorcycle Week has officially been postponed to August 22-30, 2020. The announcement was made shortly after the Laconia City Council unanimously decided to reschedule the rally in keeping with the governor’s mid-May extension of the state’s stay-at-home order. The consensus was that June was too early for a gathering of tens of thousands of people in Weirs Beach and beyond, particularly considering that most visitors travel from out of state.

Organizers are working tirelessly to maintain the look, feel and logistics of the rally by reaching out to vendors and event hosts in an effort to reschedule the signature events that make the world’s oldest motorcycle rally so popular, as evidence by the millions of dollars it pumps into the state’s economy. Already, New Hampshire Motor Speedway has announced that the 97th Annual Loudon Classic will be moved to August 29th, continuing its tradition of closing out the week. The rally traffic plan will stay the same, with Lakeside Avenue closed to motorcycles only, centerline parking and serving as home to Rally Headquarters for the duration of the 9-day event.

Says Deputy Director, Jennifer Anderson, “We know these are unusual times and are doing everything possible to make this year’s rally the best it can be within the parameters of ever-changing health and safety guidelines. We’d like to thank local businesses and the city of Laconia and town of Meredith for their commitment to ensuring this historic spring event endures. In our 97-year history, this is certainly a first. But, as riders, circumstance has given us the opportunity to experience August in New Hampshire, when the state is in full bloom and the warmth of summer is in the air.”

Stay tuned for event updates over the next several weeks as the rescheduled 97th Progressive Laconia Motorcycle Week takes shape. Any/all updates will be posted to  LaconiaMCWeek.com, through their e-newsletter and on all LaconiaMCWeek social media channels.

Laconia Motorcycle Week® gives great appreciation to all of our sponsors, especially our Presenting Sponsors: Progressive, AMSOIL, and Team Motorcycle as well as the State of New Hampshire for their large financial support of our rally each year.

“Laconia – where rallies were invented”

by Ankit Ajmera from https://www.reuters.com

(Reuters) – Harley-Davidson Inc (HOG.N) slashed its dividend and halted share buybacks on Tuesday to boost its cash reserves as global lockdowns due to the coronavirus pandemic hit motorcycle demand in the first quarter.

The company has $1.47 billion in cash and is in talks with big U.S. banks to get $1.30 billion in loan to ride out the crisis, it said, adding it would focus on its core U.S. market to prop up sales.

Harley shares, which have lost nearly half of its value so far this year, jumped as much as 17% in morning trading after the company rolled out its cash preservation plan.

“Harley continues to struggle with declining sales, but it continues to generate respectable free cash flow and we consider shares fairly valued at current levels,” said CFRA Research analyst Garrett Nelson.

To boost sales, the company also said it will “de-emphasize” on some unprofitable international regions.

The shift in strategy for the company that symbolized the counterculture movement of the 1960s comes as it struggles to woo the next generation of younger riders with its electric and more nimbler bikes in the United States.

Sales have been declining for the past five years in its largest market as its baby-boomer fan base ages. To make matters worse, the pandemic has further dented demand as Americans stay at home to curb the spread of COVID-19.

“We are at critical time in our history that requires significant changes to the company,” said acting Chief Executive Officer Jochen Zeitz, who took helm in February and is best known for turning around the Puma brand.

Zeitz’s plan to move the launch of new models to early part of the first quarter from August to better align with the start of the riding season helped U.S. retail sales in the first 10 week of the quarter to rise 6.6%.

But as the quarter drew to a close, overall sales fell 15.5% in the United States, taking a hit from the lockdowns. Retail sales fell 20.7% internationally.

Zeitz said Harley will expand its lineup of profitable motorcycles, while also focusing on selling new products such as adventure touring, sport bike Streetfighter and electric motorcycles.

Harley cut its quarterly dividend to 2 cents from 38 cents. Earlier this month, it pulled its 2020 profit forecast and decided to temporarily lay off most of its global production employees to reduce costs.

Motorcycles and related products revenue fell 8% to $1.10 billion in the quarter ended March 29. On an adjusted basis, it earned 51 cents, beating expectations of 41 cents, according to Refinitiv data.

Harley Davidson Sport Glide Replacement Windshield

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Tell ’em Bikernet sent ya and watch for more coverage in the Bikernet Weekly News later this week. –Bandit

by Enrico Punsalang from https://www.rideapart.com

Just when you thought you’ve seen it all.

When it comes to the level of freedom motorcycles give you, the sky’s the limit. To some, the prospect of cruising down the open road aboard a cruiser embodies this freedom. While to others, clocking in hot laps on a high performance sportbike on the track gives them a dose of freedom unlike anything else. The thrills of motorcycling undeniably come in many ways, shapes, and forms, but one particular trend that we’ve stumbled across is pretty interesting.

Traveling across the country in a camper isn’t exactly a rare thing. In fact you’re bound to come across a camper or RV parked in a mall parking lot, or cruising the open road almost any day. How would you fancy a motorcycle sidecar camper, though? Yup, you read that right. Some ingenious motorcycle enthusiasts have managed to create mini campers for their bikes. As far as safety is concerned, I’m not too sure any of these things will be meeting any international standards. Nonetheless, they’re pretty cool to look at, make for pretty cool customs, and just go to show the lengths at which people can stretch their imaginations to achieve most anything on motorcycles. Here are a few of the coolest ones we’ve seen.

from https://motorcycles.einnews.com

Program Supports Dealer Deliveries of New ATV, Side-by-Side, Motorcycle, and Snowmobile Products to Customers’ Homes Where Possible

/EIN News/ — MARIETTA, Ga., April 27, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Yamaha Motor Corp., USA, launched an all-new “Deliver Your Ride” program supporting Yamaha dealers that are able to complete vehicle purchases remotely and then deliver the product directly to customers. The new program includes ATV, Side-by-Side, motorcycle, and snowmobile products, and is available nationwide wherever dealers can legally and safely participate.

“Yamaha is working hard to support our dealer network and their customers during these difficult times,” said Steve Nessl, Yamaha’s Motorsports group marketing manager. “It’s not business-as-usual for anyone, yet we know people may still want to buy and enjoy new Yamaha products where possible and appropriate based on their local laws and regulations.”

The new Deliver Your Ride initiative was announced to Yamaha dealers on April 17, 2020, as a temporary program and Yamaha is working diligently with dealers to assist with the implementation. Interested customers can contact their local Yamaha dealer or visit YamahaMotorsports.com to determine availability in their area. This is a voluntary program and Yamaha is encouraging each dealer to determine the feasibility based on their local laws and capabilities.

For details regarding all Yamaha products, visit YamahaMotorsports.com. Connect with Yamaha on social media via @YamahaMotorUSA or @YamahaOutdoors.

by Pradeep Shah from https://www.financialexpress.com

Production at Ducati’s Bologna factory been reorganized. From an eight-hour shift, the working shifts have been converted to two seven-hour shifts in order to allow a minimum number of people.

Premium bike maker Ducati has announced a steady resumption of production at its Borgo Panigale factory in Bologna, Italy starting today. With the Covid-19 outbreak, the Italian superbike manufacturer had temporarily suspended production at the said plant on 13th March to reorganize production schedules. The company said in a press statement that the gradual improvement in health conditions has allowed the government to enable companies, whose activity is primarily aimed at exports and for firms for which prolongation of the suspension would risk losing the country additional market shares, to resume production.

Ducati says that masks will be mandatory for everyone working inside the factory, regardless of the social distancing. Ducati says that it will be an extremely difficult year but starting up again is still a beginning. The company says that it has a lot of orders for the Streetfighter V4, Multistrada GT and the Panigale V2. The brand adds that the first phase of return will only involve a portion of workers that work on the production lines. The workshop staff will begin first followed by engine assembly workers and starting tomorrow, motorcycle assembly workers will begin working.

The brand also says that the use of smart working will remain mandatory for the employees and only for those who are not in a position to carry out their work from home will be allowed to enter the factory. That said, all resources employed in the commercial, marketing, IT, personnel management, finance, purchasing and logistics areas will be working remotely. Ducati has announced that the production at its Bologna factory been reorganized. From an eight-hour shift, the working shifts have been converted to two seven-hour shifts in order to allow a minimum number of people to be inside the plant at the same time.

Moreover, the canteen will also be active but only with one seat for every four chairs. Ducati says that the technicians that are engaged in R&D activities who cannot do their work from home were already at work as allowed by the specific ATECO code. That said, the engineers of the engine test rooms along with those who carry out motorcycle tests and employees who carry out laboratory testing are all present at Borgo Panigale. The company claims that the delivery of Ducati motorcycles along with the development of new products is very much in place as all designers, project managers, and those in the calculation department will be working remotely.