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Destination Dealership: Motorcycles of Dulles
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Motorcycle Gloves for Adventure Seekers
8 Ways Motorcycle and Powersports Dealerships Can Manage Demand with Speed & Efficiency
Demand for motorcycle and powersports dealerships is at an all-time high, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy to make a sale. Inventory shortages and delays have created challenges that only add to a growing list of problems many consumers see with today’s motorcycle and powersports buying experience. Find out how you can uplevel your dealership experience in this free webinar. We’ll cover 8 ways motorcycle and powersports dealerships can manage demand with speed and efficiency, meeting customer demands and helping you make the sale.
In this webinar, you’ll learn how to:
Speakers Greg Jones, Content Director, Power & Performance Group
Reach out to Greg Jones at (330)670-1234 ext: 272 for general listing questions. You may also visit our contact us page and submit your inquiry with your questions and contact info.
Reach out to Greg Jones at (330)670-1234 ext: 272 for general listing questions. You may also visit our contact us page and submit your inquiry with your questions and contact info.
Motorcycle & Powersports News offers three unique newsletters designed to deliver business intelligence to powersports dealers and other industry professionals who sell and service motorcycles, scooters, UTVs, ATVs, electric motorcycles, karts and more in the United States. Subscribe now to receive the MPN Newsletter, the MPN Off-Road Newsletter and the MPN V-Twin newsletter directly in your inbox every week. If a powersports dealer carries it, MPN covers it. Dealers have come to count on Motorcycle & Powersports News as their No. 1 resource for researching products and services in the industry.
Motorcycle & Powersports News offers three unique newsletters designed to deliver business intelligence to powersports dealers and other industry professionals who sell and service motorcycles, scooters, UTVs, ATVs, electric motorcycles, karts and more in the United States. Subscribe now to receive the MPN Newsletter, the MPN Off-Road Newsletter and the MPN V-Twin newsletter directly in your inbox every week. If a powersports dealer carries it, MPN covers it. Dealers have come to count on Motorcycle & Powersports News as their No. 1 resource for researching products and services in the industry.
There were a ton of cool cars, bikes and vehicles on display at the 2022 Piston Powered Autorama earlier this year, but one of the more unique sightings were these custom mini bikes built by Skidmark Garage in Cleveland. We had to check them out and get the details for this episode of Ride of […]
We had to check out this mini bike/4-wheeler combo when we saw it on the show floor of the Piston Powered Auto-Rama. Inspired by the hot rod cartoon character "Rat Fink," this build by Greg Castillo of Skidmark Garage is sure to draw some attention. See it for yourself!
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What came in as Big Blue goes out as Orange Fury.
This Harley-Davidson SX175 might look a little beat up on the outside, but it has a lot of heart and more than enough power to perform on the track. Check out the details of this custom flat track racer that only cost $60!
Automotive fanatics should be familiar with the term “sleeper car,” which refers to a car that performs better than its beat up or ordinary look on the outside would suggest. Sleeper cars are essentially the automotive equivalent of “don’t judge a book by its cover.” But, are there sleeper bikes in the motorcycle world? The answer may seem like no, since motorcycles naturally display most of their upgrades and additions front and center without a hood to raise any inquiry.
Regardless of that, looks can always be deceiving. Even the most beat-up and tattered motorcycles can put on a show and turn heads. Case in point, we visited a race event called Flat Out Friday in Milwaukee during the Mama Tried Show where one flat track bike stood out to us. The 1974 Harley-Davidson SX175 didn’t look like much, but it turned out to be an absolute crusher on the track. We spoke to Andy Pickett, who owns the bike and Rustoration Cycles, to learn more about it.
“I was originally buying another bike and I asked the guy if he had anything else,” Pickett says. “We went and looked at one he had in the shed. He wanted $100 for it… we eventually settled on $60.”
Sixty dollars might be one of the greatest steals on a bike we’ve ever heard – even if it wasn’t in the best condition upon purchase. Pickett told us it didn’t take much to get it started, but the Harley was missing a bunch of parts to begin with.
“The good part about having a cheap, crappy bike is that people give you stuff,” Pickett says. “I ended up getting another parts bike and raced it in vintage once it was put together. After a win at last year’s Barber Vintage Festival, I decided to turn it into a flat tracker.”
Since then, it’s been performing well… except for the week before Flat Out Friday when the motor blew up. No problem for Pickett though, he was given a new piston and promptly hand sanded and honed it to fit in the cylinder.
To beef up the bike a little more, he added a carburetor from a Suzuki RM125, a clutch and an extra plate from a Honda CB350, a front end from a Kawasaki KZ250 with eight washers to slam it down, half of a Yamaha RD350 pipe setup, Harley-Davidson SX650 shocks, and a Screaming Eagle air filter.
All of these additions were finished and added to the motorcycle only one night before the Flat Out Friday race. How did Pickett do on the track?
“I pulled up to the line and I was leaking fuel and I was told to come off the track, but I turned my petcock off and took the hose and just wrapped it around until it stopped. The race started and I came off the line fourth, but the two dudes in front went wide and I cut in on them and then held second for most for the race. I realized, when I had started the bike again, I didn’t turn the petcock on all the way and it sprung close, so on the last lap everyone passed me.”
It definitely wasn’t the result Pickett wanted, but it was an impressive sight to see his $60 build keep up with the $8,000 motorcycle in first place. It just goes to show that sleeper bikes do exist, and Pickett’s SX175 is a prime example of one!
If you have a motorcycle, ATV, UTV, snowmobile or jet ski you’d like to feature in MPN’s Ride of the Week series, please email MPN Content Director Greg Jones at [email protected]
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