18 • October 2026 • Powersports Business

Most of us have heard of the Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon Challenge, where players try to link a Hollywood actor to Kevin Bacon in six film steps or less. The powersports industry has its own version of that game. Except here, it’ s not six degrees. It’ s more like two.

JAN PLESSNER

According to the Yahoo Finance Research and Markets Outlook Report for 2025, the

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powersports industry was estimated at $ 13 billion, roughly 100 times smaller than the U. S. auto industry, which moves about 16 million passenger cars and light trucks a year.

Last Friday, a newly unemployed technician( not my guy) texted me minutes before his service manager messaged our confidential new client portal asking for help with a technician search. It happens regularly, but this one was a small-world record.

That’ s powersports for you. It feels like a tightknit neighborhood or an extended family of second cousins, all connected by a high-speed backdoor communications network.

TORCHING BRIDGES I’ ve been doing this long enough to know that whatever happens on a Tuesday in Tennessee is often common knowledge in Michigan by Thursday. OEM reps, dealer principals, GMs, parts managers, spouses of any of the above, and the former disgruntled employee all know somebody who knows somebody.

That’ s not a bug. It’ s the defining feature of our business and is exactly why integrity isn’ t just a nice-tohave here. It’ s survival gear.

Burn a bridge in most industries, and you might get away with it. Burn one in powersports, and you’ ll find out just how short the walk back across that bridge really is, because everyone on the other side saw or heard you do it.

I’ ve watched people torch relationships on their way out the door or on social media; bad-mouth a former employer in an interview; ghost a commitment; stiff a colleague on a deal; or pass