Following Carolwood LP’s majority acquisition, Indian Motorcycle — America’s first motorcycle company — reinforced its commitment to stay in the Twin Cities, after it announced Feb. 25 that it has signed a 37,832-square-foot, seven-year lease for its new global headquarters in Golden Valley, Minnesota.
The new headquarters represents a significant milestone for the manufacturer as it begins its next chapter as a stand-alone company and positions itself for continued long-term growth and innovation, while celebrating its 125th anniversary.
The new headquarters will serve as a central hub for global leadership, operations, and brand development, with integrated industrial space that supports product development, prototyping, and operational alignment — enabling greater vertical integration across key functions of the business.
“This new global headquarters represents an exciting next step for Indian Motorcycle,” says newly appointed CEO Mike Kennedy.
“As we begin this new chapter, we are proud to remain in Minnesota — a state that has played an important role in our journey — and to continue building a future focused on innovation, growth, and delivering exceptional products to riders around the world.”
“Establishing Indian Motorcycle’s global headquarters in Minnesota reflects both the strength of the organization and its long-term strategic direction,” adds Andrew Shanfeld, partner at Carolwood LP. “This investment positions the company for continued growth while reinforcing its deep connection to the region and its talented workforce.”
Indian Motorcycle was represented in its headquarters search and strategic site selection process by Willow Peak. The building is owned by Link Logistics, a Blackstone portfolio company, and Cushman & Wakefield represented the landlord, with brokers Brent Masica and Jason Meyer. Construction will be led by Matt Anderson of Anderson Construction, with architectural design by David Serrano, founder of Drift Prairie.
As a newly acquired company, Indian hasn’t been standing still since the acquisition. Over the last 30 days — in addition to the new HQ — the OEM has released a limited edition Indian Chief Vintage, as well as a motorcycle range featuring four hand-painted models with exclusive anniversary badging and premium componentry.
TVS Motor Company has surpassed Yamaha Motor in global two-wheeler sales, becoming the world’s third-largest manufacturer by annual volume, according to a report from Autocar India. India now holds two of the top three spots for the largest volume motorcycle manufacturers in the world.
According to the report, TVS sold approximately 5.46 million motorcycles and scooters in 2025, a 20.7% increase from 4.52 million units the previous year. Yamaha recorded roughly 5 million units, up just 0.8% year over year.
The change marks one of the most notable reshuffles in the global motorcycle industry in recent years. Honda, meanwhile, retained its dominant position with 16.44 million units sold globally in 2025, while Hero MotoCorp remained second with 6.25 million units.
The shift highlights the growing influence of Indian manufacturers in global two-wheeler markets, particularly across Asia, Africa and Latin America.
TVS has expanded its reach with a broad lineup that spans entry-level commuter bikes to premium motorcycles and electric scooters. Demand in India has increasingly shifted toward motorcycles above 150cc, a segment where the company has expanded aggressively.
The manufacturer also benefits from strong export volumes, particularly across African markets. And TVS is the owner of the resurrected Norton Motorcycles brand, which will begin shipping premium bikes later this year.
At the same time, TVS has emerged as a major player in India’s electric two-wheeler market and is reviewing plans to expand EV production capacity as demand rises, according to Autocar.
Yamaha’s sales growth has been more modest as the company increasingly focuses on higher-value segments and developed markets such as Japan, Europe and North America.
The company said its motorcycle performance in 2025 was “solid” but mixed across regions, with weaker demand in Europe and the U.S. offsetting gains in parts of Southeast Asia.
Higher procurement costs, rising R&D spending and new U.S. tariffs also pressured operating income. In North America, however, Yamaha remains heavily weighted toward premium motorcycles, performance segments, and off-road models rather than high-volume commuter bikes common in developing markets.
Motorcycle Industry Council announced that its members have elected Zach Parham to the MIC Board of Directors.
Parham is the president and CEO of aftermarket retailer Comoto Holdings, which has a portfolio that includes Cycle Gear, RevZilla, J&P Cycles, and Rever. With his experience, Parham brings retail, content, and consumer-facing knowledge to the MIC board.
Parham has been the chief executive of Comoto since December 2023. He started his powersports career back in 2007 with J&P Cycle, eventually working his way up to president, where he served from 2017 to 2020.
“I’m honored to be elected to the MIC Board of Directors,” Parham says. “Having grown up in this industry and now leading Comoto, I understand how important strong advocacy and collaboration are as motorcycling continues to navigate generational and structural change.”
“MIC’s strength comes from the collaboration between our members, our board, and our staff,” adds Christy LaCurelle, president and CEO of MIC. “Zach brings valuable retail and operational experience, and his background in the aftermarket retail space adds important perspective to the board.”
Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd. has announced plans to relocate its U.S. subsidiary, Yamaha Motor Corporation, U.S.A. (YMUS), from Cypress, California, to Kennesaw, Georgia, in a multi-year transition that will run from late 2026 through the end of 2028.
In conjunction with the move, Yamaha will sell all fixed assets at its 25.1-acre Cypress campus, including land, offices, and warehouse facilities. The company said it plans to utilize a sale-and-leaseback arrangement for a period of time to maintain business continuity during the transition. Details regarding the sale price, buyer, and timing are still under review.
The relocation formalizes a shift that has been underway for decades. While the Cypress site has served as Yamaha’s U.S. headquarters since 1979 — after the company acquired the land in 1978 — major operating divisions have already moved east.
Yamaha’s Marine Business Unit relocated to Kennesaw in 1999, followed by the Motorsports business in 2019. Today, the Cypress facility primarily houses corporate administrative functions and Yamaha’s Financial Services operations.
For dealers, the consolidation places Yamaha’s core U.S. operations — including marine and motorsports — under a unified Georgia base, potentially streamlining decision-making, logistics coordination and cross-division strategy. However, it does leave a void on the West Coast.
Yamaha positioned the move as part of broader structural reforms aimed at improving asset efficiency and enhancing profitability in the United States.
The company cited rising costs associated with U.S. tariffs and shifts in the market environment as factors driving the restructuring. In addition to cross-business cost reductions, Yamaha said it is working to build a profit structure “not solely dependent on top-line growth,” to create a more resilient and adaptable organization over the medium to long term.
The announcement reflects a wider trend among OEMs reassessing real estate footprints, overhead costs, and regional operating efficiencies as the post-pandemic market normalizes.
Yamaha first entered the American market in 1960, establishing Yamaha International Corporation in Los Angeles after determining that reliance on third-party trading companies limited growth and profitability.
Under then-president Genichi Kawakami, the company shifted to direct wholesale distribution and aggressively developed a nationwide dealer network. That direct-to-dealer strategy fueled Yamaha’s early growth in the U.S. powersports market.
The Cypress campus became symbolic of that expansion. Now, nearly 50 years after establishing its Southern California headquarters, Yamaha is consolidating around Georgia, where its marine and motorsports divisions have already operated for years.
Despite a significant dip in visitors to Daytona Beach Bike Week in 2025 — and what could be the start of a trend — two RideNow dealerships made their stores a destination, increasing their new unit sales by double digits.
The team at Indian Motorcycle Daytona Beach announced a 40% increase in new-unit sales compared to last year’s event. While RideNow Daytona Beach, a sister store to the Indian dealership, improved its sales by over 32% during the rally.
“We didn’t just wait for people to walk through the door; we went out and met them where the passion is,” says Kevin Dunn, general manager of Indian Daytona Beach. “My team’s focus was 100% on creating moments where we could really connect with riders. When you prioritize that level of engagement and have a great selection of products, the sales follow naturally.”
Lyle Kramper, regional director for RideNow Group, referenced the company’s “RideNow Way” motto, which focuses on efficiency and engagement to boost performance.
“We know what the company and our customers expect from us; that makes it far easier to deliver what we did last week.”
RideNow says the record-breaking sales effort was supported by a non-stop calendar of events that made the Indian dealership a must-see destination.
Events included:
A full slate of riding activities, including the first-ever Indian Motorcycle Ladies Ride, which included 123 riders, and the official Indian Owners Ride, which featured more than 220 motorcycles.
A 125th anniversary concert with Kip Moore and the first look at the Limited Edition 125th Anniversary 2026 Elite Lineup.
Every day featured Indian demo rides, vendors, great food, while special events like the Rat’s Hole Custom Bike and Tattoo show, two motorcycle audio competitions, and the V8 Motorcycle Parade.
RideNow says its dealerships will continue to leverage their focus on customer engagement at its 47-dealership network — especially at locations with major events and races. And numbers don’t lie. RideNow credits the success during Bike Week to the emphasis it puts on demo rides and other community events. With the warmer weather on its way and selling season upon us, dealers can use this customer-engagement approach to gain foot traffic and attract new riders.
Indian Motorcycle dealerships once again topped the industry in online lead response, but a new study shows most powersports dealers are still failing to capitalize on digital opportunities.
According to the 2026 Internet Lead Effectiveness (ILE) study from Pied Piper, Indian dealers earned the highest average score at 55, marking the fourth consecutive year the brand has led the rankings. Top performers behind Indian included Harley-Davidson, Can-Am, Triumph and BMW Motorrad.
“With nearly half of powersports dealers in this year’s study scoring under 40, many brands and dealers are leaving significant opportunity on the table,” according to Cameron O’Hagan, vice president of metrics and analytics at Pied Piper. “The effort to improve is worth it. Historically, dealers who improve their ILE performance from scoring under 40 to scoring over 80 on average sell 50% more units from the same quantity of internet leads.”
Despite those leaders, the broader industry continues to lag. The average dealership ILE score held at 44 for the third straight year, extending a five-year stretch of stagnant performance.
The study, which evaluated more than 2,100 dealership website inquiries, found widespread breakdowns in basic lead handling:
More than 50% of customers received no response within 24 hours
Only 47% of dealers answered customer questions via email or text
Just 13% offered an appointment
Only half of dealers followed up by phone
The result: dealers are effectively missing about half of their online sales opportunities.
Indian Motorcycle dealers stood out for consistent, multi-channel follow-up and low non-response rates.
39% used both digital response and phone outreach, compared to a 24% industry average
Only 1 in 25 customers received no response, significantly better than the industry
Pied Piper noted that top-performing dealerships are far more likely to combine email/text responses with phone calls, increasing the chances of connecting with customers.
The study also highlights a growing divide in dealer performance:
Only 11% of dealerships scored above 80 (fast, complete responses)
45% scored below 40, indicating slow or ineffective follow-up
Dealers who improve from below 40 to above 80 can increase unit sales by as much as 50% from the same number of leads, according to Pied Piper.
Despite clear benchmarks, adoption of best practices remains inconsistent.
“More than half of powersports customers still receive no personal response,” says O’Hagan. “Dealers are twice as likely to be top performers if they commit to responding to web customers at least once each day and measure those responses monthly.”
For dealers, the takeaway is straightforward: faster, more consistent and multi-channel follow-up remains one of the biggest untapped growth opportunities in the business.
SEMA will significantly expand its powersports footprint at the 2026 SEMA Show, introducing a dedicated Powersports / SxS / Lifestyle section aimed at better serving powersports dealers and aftermarket businesses.
The new section will debut Nov. 3–6 in Las Vegas and reflects increasing overlap between automotive and powersports customers — a trend dealers are seeing firsthand as enthusiasts build multi-vehicle “adventure” lifestyles.
SEMA said the expansion is designed to create a more unified buying environment by placing powersports brands and products alongside truck and off-road exhibitors, mirroring how consumers shop and use their vehicles.
“This move provides a more powerful, unified resource for the aftermarket,” says Tom Gattuso, SEMA vice president of events.
For powersports dealers, the updated show floor is expected to create more efficient product discovery and new cross-category opportunities. By grouping complementary segments, dealers can more easily source inventory across motorcycles, side-by-sides, trailers, tow vehicles, and lifestyle accessories in one location.
The Powersports / SxS / Lifestyle section will be housed in the West Hall and will include access to outdoor space for live demos and activations, giving dealers a closer look at products in real-world applications.
SEMA research shows the opportunity is already there:
60% of specialty-equipment manufacturers produce powersports-related products
47% of retailers and installers already sell into the segment
That crossover is driving demand for broader product assortments at the dealership level. While SEMA has attempted to lure the powersports community in the past, this appears to be a bigger, more significant attempt to bring the powersports aftermarket and the automotive aftermarket together under one roof.
SEMA officials say the change reflects how today’s customers approach ownership — often combining trucks, SUVs and powersports vehicles into a single lifestyle.
For dealers, that creates opportunities to expand accessory sales, partnerships and merchandising strategies beyond traditional OEM lines.
The association also continues to invest in advocacy and business tools following its acquisition of the Off-Road Business Association, supporting land access and motorized recreation — key issues for the industry’s long-term growth.
Exhibitor registration is open, with attendee and buyer registration for the 2026 show beginning May 4.
Expand beyond core categories: With clear crossover between truck/off-road and powersports customers, dealers should consider adding complementary accessories, tow solutions and lifestyle gear to increase average ticket.
Merchandising inspiration: The integrated show floor from SEMA will reflect how consumers actually build vehicles — offering ideas for in-store displays and bundled sales strategies.
New vendor discovery: A larger, dedicated section means more emerging brands entering powersports. Dealers can identify niche or high-margin products before competitors.
Lean into experiential retail: Outdoor demos and activations highlight the importance of hands-on selling — something dealers can replicate locally through ride events or demo days.
Watch the crossover customer: The “adventure lifestyle” buyer is growing. Dealers who align inventory and marketing across multiple vehicle types will be better positioned to capture that spend.
Performance Brokerage Services officially announced the sale of a pair of Virginia-based Harley-Davidson dealerships from the estate of Mary Hughes to Michael Veracka of MOD Enterprises.
The buy-sell transaction included Southside Harley-Davidson in Virginia Beach and Hampton Roads Harley-Davidson in Yorktown. Those two dealerships will now be consolidated into Bayside Harley-Davidson in Portsmouth, Virginia.
Bayside Harley-Davidson will be renamed Ironclad Harley-Davidson and will remain at its current location.
The previous owner was the late Mary Hughes, who served as president and CEO of Hampton Roads Harley-Davidson for 45 years. The dealership expanded in 1990 after adding Southside Harley-Davidson to its group. Today, the dealerships ranked in the top 1% of all Harley-Davidson stores for sales and rank in the top 10% for parts.
The buyer, MOD Enterprises, is the largest Harley-Davidson group in the U.S. and owns Riverside Harley-Davidson, the No. 1 volume Harley dealership in the world — based on new vehicle sales. MOD has earned numerous industry honors, including multiple Bar & Shield Awards. It has also received a Powersports Business Power 50 Award.
This transaction remains lockstep with Harley’s ongoing market adjustments over the past two years. Ownership transitions and multistore strategies remain active themes across the Harley-Davidson dealer network.
Registration is now open for the Motorcycle Industry Council’s 2026 Powersports Capitol Hill Fly-In, May 18–19 in Washington, D.C. The event brings industry leaders to Capitol Hill to meet directly with lawmakers and staff on the federal issues affecting powersports businesses nationwide.
For more than 10 years, the Fly-In program has been inviting its member companies to come to Washington, D.C. to meet with different members of Congress — on the House side and the Senate side — and talk about important issues that are impacting the powersports industry.
Last year, MIC had 28 member companies — about 40 people in total — come to Washington and scheduled 95 meetings with members of the House and the Senate all in one day, with the No. 1 issue being tariffs.
“Whether it’s protecting supply chains, maintaining rider access, or ensuring workable compliance standards, it makes a difference when lawmakers hear directly from the people operating businesses in their states and districts,” says Scott Schloegel, senior vice president of government relations at MIC
Meetings are scheduled in advance, and participants receive issue briefings and policy materials to ensure discussions are focused and productive.
Registration is open through April 21. MIC members attend free. Event information is available at capitolhillflyin.com.
HISUN Motors USA has promoted Zegin Braun to vice president of sales, tasking him with leading both dealer and retail sales channels across North America as the company looks to further align its go-to-market strategy.
Braun, who most recently served as national sales manager, will now oversee a unified sales structure designed to improve execution, strengthen partner relationships and support continued growth across the business.
The move brings dealer and retail sales leadership under one umbrella, a shift the company says will create better coordination across channels and improve how products are brought to market.
“Zegin has been a strong contributor to our growth and understands how to support both our dealer network and retail partners,” says King Dai, CEO of HISUN. “As we continue to grow, his leadership will be important in helping us build a more aligned and effective sales organization.”
The transition follows the planned retirement of Ryan Daugherty, vice president of retail sales.
“As I transition toward retirement, I am proud of the partnerships we have built and the progress HISUN Motors USA has made expanding its retail presence,” Dauherty says. “Zegin brings strong leadership and a deep understanding of our partners, and I am confident he will continue strengthening the foundation we have built.”
Braun brings more than 25 years of experience in the powersports and motorsports industry. He joined HISUN as a district sales manager, working closely with dealers to improve engagement and expand market presence, before being promoted to national sales manager.
Prior to HISUN, Braun held leadership roles with Parts Unlimited and Tucker Powersports, and also has a background in professional motocross, supercross and motorsports broadcasting.
“Zegin has earned this role through consistent leadership, strong dealer relationships and a clear understanding of how to build and scale a high-performing sales organization,” says Charles Kim, chief product and marketing officer. “His leadership will be critical as we continue expanding our product platforms and strengthening alignment across product, sales and marketing.”
In his new role, Braun will focus on aligning sales strategy across HISUN’s independent dealer network and national retail partners, while supporting continued expansion of the brand’s side-by-side and ATV lineup.
“I’m excited to take on this role and continue building on the momentum we’ve created,” Braun says “We have a strong foundation across both dealer and retail channels, and I’m looking forward to continuing to support our partners and customers as we grow.”
For dealers, the leadership move signals continued emphasis on improving coordination between retail and dealer channels — an area that has become increasingly important as OEMs balance multiple paths to market.