The way we consume information has changed dramatically over the past few years, and here at Powersports Business, we’re evolving, too. In this industry (powersports), as in publishing, it’s either change or die. Am I right? We don’t want to die, either. We are still in pretty good shape — and we eat somewhat healthy — but we’re not talking about diets here.
Our mission remains the same as it always has: deliver the news, insights and analysis powersports dealers and industry professionals need to run stronger businesses. However, today, we’re finding more ways than ever to do that. Most readers are getting their news and insights digitally. Part of that is because so many print magazines have gone away in the past few years. Just last month, Octane folded all of its consumer titles, including Cycle World. Yes, the magazine that was essentially the bible of the motorcycle industry for decades. Print has gone away for most publishers in this industry and many others because it just doesn’t make financial sense, and more advertisers are asking for a more data-driven approach.
Beginning with this issue, you’ll notice a completely redesigned digital edition of Powersports Business. We’ve moved beyond the traditional downloadable PDF experience to a modern digital magazine that’s easier to read on any device. Articles feature larger text, interactive images and charts, seamless scrolling for longer features, and intuitive navigation that lets you swipe from story to story without constantly zooming in and out. We think you’ll find it’s a much more enjoyable reading experience.
Best of all, our digital editions remain completely FREE for subscribers.
We also know there’s still something special about holding a print magazine in your hands. Whether you were featured in a story, want to share an issue with your dealership team, or simply enjoy reading a printed magazine, we’re excited to introduce a new print-on-demand option. You’ll be able to order individual printed copies directly through our website whenever you’d like with no subscription required.
But the magazine is only one piece of what Powersports Business offers today.
Every working day, we’re publishing breaking industry news on PowersportsBusiness.com, delivering our e-newsletter straight to your inbox, producing Power Hour Podcast interviews with industry leaders, creating more video content, and expanding our presence across social media. Our goal is to keep you informed wherever (and however) you prefer to consume information.
If you’re only reading the magazine, you’re missing a significant amount of exclusive content throughout the month. I encourage you to subscribe to our e-newsletter, listen to the Power Hour Podcast, and follow us on social media.
One final note: email providers continue tightening their spam and AI filtering, which means legitimate newsletters sometimes end up in junk folders. If you haven’t been receiving our emails consistently, take a moment to check your spam or junk folder and add EPGAcceleration.com to your safe-sender list. It’s the easiest way to make sure you never miss important industry news.
Thank you for your continued support of Powersports Business. Whether you’ve been reading us for decades or just subscribed recently, we’re committed to delivering more timely, more engaging and more valuable content than ever before.
This is just the beginning. But it’s not the end of this column.
Let’s talk about AI for a minute. We spoke to Haley Hollen from Dealerspike/LeadVentures a couple of months ago for a Power Hour podcast, and what we discussed was not just how to make AI take over everything, as it already is in some industries. It centered around how to bring the humans back to the dealership… both as customers and your team. The focus was on how to use your team’s best qualities for human-to-human interaction instead of human-to-machine. But there are places where the AI machine will take a larger role, such as backroom work and lead management.
Hollen suggests that the dealers who are winning today use AI to go back to the basics, in other words, doing some things old school and with more time to manage customers and relationships. This makes much more sense to me than trying to let AI take over everything, or handle too much where you lose the human touchpoints. You become a vending machine and not part of the whole process. AI is also about giving up more control, and some owners, let’s face it, will never do that. But I will also argue that those are the same dealer principals who are most at risk. Doing things the same old way just doesn’t really work anymore, sadly. I miss a lot of the old school ways (not all of them, though).
Having worked in racing for several years, I know that you don’t win races by bringing the same thing to the track every weekend. To win, you must be open to change and let it be part of the process. Going faster is the goal, and no matter how you do it (within the rules!), a win is a win.
I think dealers are ready to win again, judging from the insights we have seen in the first half, talking to dealers and industry leaders. We don’t have the full picture of the first half yet, but many are sharing that business is getting better, not worse. Getting back to the basics seems to be what is working. We aren’t going backwards. It’s more like “Back to Basics 2.0.”
Power Hour Ep. 53: Performance Brokerage Services discusses buy/sell market in Q1
Brendan sits down with Performance Brokerage Services’ George Chaconas, Juan Pardo, and co-owner Jesse Stopnitzky for this edition of Power Hour to discuss the health of the buy/sell powersports market in Q1.
Power Hour Ep. 52: America’s 9/11 Ride Marks 25 Years of Remembrance
As the nation marks the 25th anniversary of 9/11, PSB speaks with Ted Sjurseth, co-founder of America’s 9/11 Ride. What started as a grassroots memorial ride in 2001 has grown into a major annual event honoring first responders and victims of the attacks. Sjurseth discusses the ride’s history, dealer support, scholarship fundraising efforts, and how motorcyclists continue to unite in remembrance and service.
The Dealer Lab Podcast Ep. 34: AI-Edited Podcast, Claude’s “Fable 5,” and Building Agents That Run a Turnaround
Max, Danny, and Justin catch up after skipping an episode and explain a new format where the show is edited by an AI agent that cuts gaps, adds intro/outro, bleeps curses, and generates promo clips. They discuss Claude’s “Fable 5” model returning temporarily on subscription before moving to token-based pricing, and how the model rebuilt a company website perfectly and enabled rapid creation of tools like a customer portal. The conversation shifts to data centers, community pushback, and the tradeoff between slowing AI infrastructure and making AI access more expensive.
The Dealer Lab Podcast Ep.32: Bike Shed’s Arrick Maurice on growing motorcycle culture, brand marketing, and what dealers can learn
Arrick Maurice, chief growth officer of Bike Shed and former marketing leader for Ducati North America, Ferrari North America, Rivian CX, and Harley-Davidson global brand marketing, joins The Dealer Lab Podcast with Max Materne and Danny French to discuss building motorcycle culture through content, community, and hospitality. The conversation covers EV motorcycles and youth e-bike trends, dealer fundamentals and customer-first retail illustrated by Arun Sharma’s MotoCorsa, and how Bike Shed aims to lower barriers to entry via spaces, media, events, and new global membership.
The Dealership Fixit Podcast: 1,200 Used Bikes a Year, No Dealer Fees, No Floor Plan: Inside Lucky U Cycles with Jeremy Coon
In this episode of the Dealership fiXit Podcast, Jacob Berry and Jeremy Coons get into the real tactics behind running a high-volume used bike operation and scaling it to a second location. This is an honest, no-fluff conversation packed with things dealers can actually use. Coon sells around 1,200 pre-owned motorcycles a year out of one store in Wildwood, Florida. No new franchises. No floor plan. No dealer fees. He built it from the ground up starting at 23 years old, and in 2026 he took over a second store in Fort Myers, added the Piaggio brands, and tripled its sales in the first 120 days.