10 • November 2025 • Powersports Business

FROM THE EDITOR

INDUSTRY PODCASTS

It’ s tradeshow season again— and for many of us in the powersports business, that’ s practically a holiday. For most of my career, fall has been less about trick-ortreating and more about tradeshows and travel.

Back in my automotive days, I’ d wrap up the

BRENDAN BAKER year bouncing between

SEMA, AAPEX, and PRI, with Dealer Expo and AIMExpo added to the mix. If you were lucky, your passport got stamped for EICMA or INTERMOT. That’ s a lot of acronyms— and a lot of air miles.

In powersports, the unofficial kickoff to tradeshow season comes in September with the Parts Unlimited / Drag Specialties NVP Product Expo in Milwaukee. This is followed by NPDA’ s Dealer Connect event in Columbus, Ohio, which is only in its second year. Both shows saw record attendance.

That’ s a good sign, which we hope will translate to our Accelerate Conference in January. It’ s also the opening bell for the months ahead, which will be packed with dealer events, OEM meetings, and new product launches( and Accelerate, did I mention that already?).

Harley-Davidson even timed its dealer meeting right after NVP this year— more proof that the industry’ s biggest players still see tremendous value in bringing the network together face-to-face.

By the time fall rolls around, dealerships are catching their breath after the summer rush. Door swings slow a bit, test rides taper off, and service departments shift gears toward storage and winter maintenance. In other words, it’ s the perfect time to step back from the day-to-day and look at the bigger picture.

But this year feels different. According to recent Lightspeed data, dealership performance is actually up year-over-year in September— not just in unit sales, but also in parts and service. That’ s not what you’ d expect heading into the slower months. And pre-owned sales are also taking off, outpacing newunit sales across several categories. So, what’ s going on? Part of it could be inventory normalization. After years of shortages, then too much inventory, and then supply-chain chaos, dealers finally have the right amount of product on the floor again. Customers who sat on the sidelines during the uncertainty are back and buying. There’ s also continued growth in the used and small-displacement segments, driven by affordability and accessibility.

And then there’ s momentum. Many dealers have leaned into digital retailing, CRM tools, and service efficiency, and those investments are paying off. You can feel it on the tradeshow floor— optimism in the aisles, energy in the seminars, and confidence from vendors and OEMs launching fresh products.

Sure, tradeshows mean long days, sore feet, and more networking than most introverts can handle. But they also remind us why this industry thrives: relationships, shared enthusiasm, and the drive to keep powersports fun— and profitable.

While most people are carving pumpkins this time of year, we’ re comparing sales numbers, analyzing trends, and eyeing new model launches. And honestly? I wouldn’ t have it any other way.

Speaking of new models, one recent release caught my attention— the 2026 Moto Morini X-Cape 700. When Moto Morini’ s CEO, Chris McGee, and his team sent over the press materials, he asked if I wanted to test it out myself. That’ s all I needed to hear.

We don’ t typically publish test reviews, but we do like to experience the products dealers are selling— and share takeaways when it makes sense. The X-Cape 700 piqued my interest because it’ s one of the few adventure-touring bikes that actually fits riders of shorter stature like me, with a seat height of 33 inches.

Moto Morini’ s sales manager, John Griffin, assured me it wouldn’ t be too tall. The bike shipped to Cleveland Moto, where owner Phil Waters and his crew handled setup and broke it in with a few initial miles. Phil walked me through the bike and warned me to dig into the owner’ s manual for the infotainment and navigation system. Before heading out, he softened the suspension for me— though he suggested I stiffen it later to get a truer feel.

Now, full disclosure: I’ m no expert rider. I love two wheels, but my time on them is limited— mostly local rides on my Kymco 125cc scooter. Four wheels? Different story. But on a motorcycle, I’ m still building confidence. So this test was a big step— and I loved it.

I don’ t have a huge comparison base, so I called up a friend and former industry podcaster who rides year-round. We took the Moto Morini on a crisp Ohio fall day, winding through gravel roads near the West Virginia border. It was one of those rides that reminds you exactly why this industry matters— freedom, exploration, and a good dose of adrenaline.

I’ ll share more about that experience, and what it says about the adventure-touring segment’ s growth, in next month’ s column.

In the meantime, I’ d love to hear how you’ re positioning your dealership to sell these types of bikes— and what you’ re seeing in customer demand this fall. Drop me a line at bbaker @ epgacceleration. com.

POWER HOUR EP. 39: HOW SONIC POWERSPORTS CRUSHED SALES AT STURGIS

Brendan sat down with Sonic Powersports / Automotive President Jeff Dyke to discuss the amazing sales success the group experienced during the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in August. Dyke says they sold more than 1,000 motorcycles during the event, thanks to their preparation and the opportunity to sell in Sturgis at one of its dealerships. He also says there is a significant untapped opportunity in the pre-owned market.

POWER

HOUR EP. 38: BRP’ S PRESIDENT OF POWERSPORTS SANDY SCULLION TALKS ABOUT CLUB BRP AND NEW PRODUCTS

Brendan chats with BRP’ s president of powersports, Sandy Scullion, about Club BRP in Boston, the launch of the electric ATV, and a newly redesigned Defender. Scullion says they had more than 4,000 dealers join them in Beantown as the brand refocuses on business in the second half.

RIDER

INSIDER EP. 84: JT NESBITT OF BIENVILLE STUDIOS, DESIGNER OF THE MAGNOLIA 4

Episode 84 of the Rider Magazine Insider Podcast is sponsored by FLY Racing and the Big East Powersports Show. Rider’ s guest is JT Nesbitt, who runs Bienville Studios in New Orleans. The team talks about JT’ s past projects with Confederate and Curtiss, and his latest creation, the Magnolia 4, the first American-made inline-four in 83 years.

OPE

PEOPLE: YOSEMITE SAM TO THE RESCUE Will this new AI tool save you? Will Yosemite Sam boost your business efficiency? Or is AI going to eat all of us? We talk AI agents with experts in software and equipment dealerships. Join host Glenn Hansen for a near-future discussion on the potential of AI for OPE dealers.

BOATING

INDUSTRY INSIDER: BRUNSWICK’ S CTO AT IBEX: THE FUTURE OF BOATING

Fresh from IBEX, the BI crew brings you an episode of Boating Industry Insider featuring Áine Denari, president of Navico Group, and chief technology officer at Brunswick Corporation. As Simrad unveils an autonomous docking innovation, Áine explains how it advances Brunswick’ s ACES strategy— Autonomy, Connectivity, Electrification, and Shared access. BI also takes a broader look at today’ s recreational boating climate: demand, inventory, and the crucial role innovation plays in shaping tomorrow’ s market. If you want to understand where boating is headed— and how technology is reshaping the experience.

GARAGECAST

EP. # 305: FROM DETROIT TO DESTIN: THE JOURNEY OF GUS GUSOFF AND EMERALD COAST HARLEY-DAVIDSON

In this episode of GarageCast, Dan“ Gus” Gussoff shares his blue-collar roots, his rise through the Harley-Davidson world, and the bold leap that took him from Detroit to the Emerald Coast. From hard-earned lessons in sales to building community and even launching Big Gus Tractor & Equipment, Gus’ s story is packed with grit, humor, and insight.