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Powersports Business • April 2026 • 11

FROM THE EDITOR INDUSTRY PODCASTS

If the past 18 months have taught powersports dealers anything, it’ s this: The biggest threats to your business aren’ t always sitting across the showroom floor— they’ re often being debated in a committee room on Capitol Hill.

Tariffs. PFAS regulations. Land access. Even

BRENDAN BAKER how a motorcycle is legally defined. These aren’ t abstract policy discussions. They directly impact what you can sell, what your customers pay, and whether they even have a place to ride when they leave your dealership.

Which is exactly why the upcoming Capitol Hill Fly-In hosted by the Motorcycle Industry Council( MIC) isn’ t just another industry event. It’ s one of the most important dates on the calendar for dealers and industry stakeholders in 2026.

FROM THE SHOWROOM TO THE SENATE In a recent Power Hour with Scott Schloegel, MIC’ s senior vice president of government relations, one thing became crystal clear: the volume— and complexity— of issues facing this industry has never been higher.

Last year, tariffs dominated the conversation. This year, they’ re still here— just layered with new challenges. Despite a Supreme Court ruling striking down certain emergency tariffs, the administration has pivoted to new mechanisms to keep them in place. The result? Continued cost pressure across the board.

Helmets. Tires. Replacement parts. Whole units … Dealers are seeing it firsthand: higher prices, delayed service, and customers hesitating to buy. And the truth is, those tariffs aren’ t going away anytime soon.

At the same time, dealers are being squeezed by a different kind of uncertainty. Regulations on PFAS, or“ forever chemicals,” are popping up state by state, sometimes with sweeping language that could unintentionally ban the sale of youth ATVs or motorcycles. Meanwhile, public land access— the lifeblood of offroad riding— depends on federal funding decisions that many dealers rarely think about.

WHY THE FLY-IN MATTERS MORE THAN EVER

That’ s where the Capitol Hill Fly-In comes in. Scheduled for May 18 – 19 in Washington, D. C., the event brings together OEMs, aftermarket companies, and dealers for a single purpose: to meet directly with lawmakers and their staff. Not lobbyists. Not trade groups speaking on your behalf— you.

The structure is simple but powerful. Participants receive issue briefings in advance, get matched with their elected officials, and spend a full day walking the halls of Congress, holding meetings in both the House and Senate.

Last year, the group conducted nearly 100 meetings in a single day. For an industry that sometimes struggles to have a unified voice, that kind of coordinated presence is hard to ignore.

WHY DEALERS CARRY THE MOST WEIGHT Here’ s something Schloegel emphasized— and it’ s worth repeating: When a dealer shows up in Washington, it matters more. Why? Because you’ re not theoretical. You’ re not speaking in policy language. You’ re talking about jobs, payroll, inventory, and customers in a specific congressional district.

You’ re the one employing people locally. Sponsoring events. Paying taxes. Supporting a community. That resonates in a way no white paper ever will.

About 10 years ago, I attended the MIC Fly-In, and was immediately impressed with the access to my representatives. I even met with the my Ohio Senator, who we lobbied for support of our interests.

THE ISSUES ON THE TABLE This year’ s conversations won’ t be hypothetical. Dealers will be weighing in on real legislation, including:

• Tariff policy and its impact on pricing and inventory

• Expanding funding for the Recreational Trails Program( RTP)

• PFAS regulations that could affect product availability

• Proposed rules like catalytic converter VIN etching requirements

• Changes to vehicle classifications that could impact products like autocycle models

And perhaps most importantly, the broader issue of access— ensuring customers actually have places to ride. Because without that, the entire industry shrinks.

THE RIPPLE EFFECT BACK HOME

If you’ ve never participated in a fly-in, it can sound intimidating. Schloegel says it shouldn’ t be. The MIC team handles the logistics. They set up the meetings. They prep you with talking points. You don’ t need a policy background— just real-world experience running your business.

And the benefits don’ t end in Washington. One of the most valuable outcomes is what happens after you get home. Schloegel says dealers who attend often become more engaged locally— inviting lawmakers to their stores, building relationships with district offices, and becoming go-to voices on industry issues.

A $ 1.3 TRILLION INDUSTRY Outdoor recreation is a $ 1.3 trillion economic engine supporting millions of jobs. Powersports is a key part of that ecosystem. But economic size alone doesn’ t guarantee political influence. Participation does.

Too often, dealers sit on the sidelines, assuming someone else is handling it. And to be fair, organizations like the MIC are doing heavy lifting every day. But they can’ t replicate the impact of dozens— or hundreds— of dealers showing up in person. As Schloegel put it, the fly-in is about multiplying the industry’ s voice.

THE BOTTOM LINE You can wait and see how tariffs shake out and hope regulations don’ t affect your inventory, or assume access issues won’ t hit your market. Or you can show up and be part of the conversation shaping those outcomes.

The Capitol Hill Fly-In is that opportunity. For an industry built on passion, independence, and action, this is one moment where getting off the sidelines isn’ t just encouraged— it’ s necessary. To register, visit capitolhillflyin. com.

EP. 46: NORTHWOOD UNIVERSITY’ S DR. DAVE OVENTHAL TALKS EDUCATION AND WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT

At AIMExpo, we caught up with Northwood University’ s Dr. Dave Oventhal, division chair of the Center for Automotive & Mobility Studies( CAMS), to talk about something that could shape the future of the powersports industry: education. From curriculum insights to industry partnerships, this conversation explores how higher education is stepping up to fuel the talent pipeline.

OPE

PEOPLE: CHANGE AND CHAINSAWS – TALKING WITH HUSQVARNA

For this one, host Glenn Hansen kind of snuck up on Husqvarna and turned a story interview into a podcast— the conversation was that interesting. They talked about change and stability, about chainsaws, robots, batteries, and more.

BOATING INSIDER: MEET-UP IN MIAMI WITH FREEDOM BOAT CLUB’ S CECIL COHN

Let’ s be honest, if you’ re a recreational boat dealer, the rise of boat clubs like Freedom can feel less like opportunity and more like competition. In this edition of Boating Industry Insider, host David Gee sits down with Cecil Cohn, president of Freedom Boat Club, to dig into what’ s really happening beneath the surface— explosive growth, strong member retention, a surge in female participation, and one stat that should get your attention: 90 % of Freedom members say they would never consider buying a boat. So maybe the question isn’ t whether Freedom is taking customers off your lot, but rather whether they’ re building an entirely new gateway to boating.

DEALER

LAB: MARTIN RICH: SERVICE MANAGER OF HATTIESBURG CYCLES

Max Materne and Danny French interview Martin Rich, service manager at Hattiesburg Cycles, about building a profitable service department by treating time as the dealership’ s most valuable inventory. Martin shares his path from Northern England to Mississippi and into powersports service management, then details the systems he implemented: daily and weekly tracking of customers through the door, scheduling, WIP and cycle time from RO creation to cash-out, a 24-hour diagnostic guarantee, and complimentary MPIs. He explains how hiring and training technicians through an apprenticeship pipeline grew the team from 4 to 10 and helped boost weekly billed hours and labor revenue, while coordinators for logistics / updates, warranty claims, and customer follow-ups improved communication, increased customer counts, and let advisers focus on customers.

REAL

TALK POWERSPORTS: GEN 4 CFMOTO CFORCE 500 TEST RIDE & REVIEW

First trail ride test on the all-new 2027 Gen 4 CFMOTO C5 ATV in mud, on rocks and trails. Blake Stalans and his cameraman, Justin, tested the CFORCE 500( C5) 4x4 with power steering. It was a cool experience as an American to get to trail ride ATVs in Nice, France. Thankful for this opportunity, and I hope that you enjoy this video and feel like you are right there on the trails with us.

DEALERSHIP

FIXIT PODCAST: THE FUNDAMENTALS OF EFFECTIVE INVENTORY LISTINGS FOR POWERSPORTS DEALERS WITH MARK SHEFFIELD

In this episode of the Dealership Fix Podcast, Jacob Berry sits down with Mark Sheffield, one of the most respected operational minds in the powersports industry, to break down the biggest mistakes dealerships make when presenting their inventory online. From“ Call for Price” listings that instantly kill trust, to poor photos, weak descriptions, and confusing website navigation, this conversation dives deep into what actually makes customers engage with your inventory— and what quietly pushes them away.