Latest Posts:
Asphalt & Rubber
Tag

business

Browsing
News

Don’t Call It a Merger: RevZilla & Cycle Gear Come Together

By 17 Comments

The speculation about RevZilla and Cycle Gear can stop now, as the brands are finally talking about their plans together for the future.

In a letter posted to RevZilla’s in-house publication, Common Tread, RevZilla CEO Anthony Bucci announces that RevZilla will be acquired by a new holding company, which will also own Cycle Gear.

The holding company’s board of directors will include Bucci, and his fellow RevZilla founders Nick Auger and Matthew Kull, as well as the private equity firm J.W. Childs, which bought Cycle Gear back in 2015.

While Bucci’s letter to RevZilla customers states that the two brands will only be “sister companies” that will operate independently of each other, his FAQ on the subject leaves the door open for collaborations between the two brands, which would be the obvious benefit of their new ownership structure.

Keep Reading
By
MotoGP

Private Funding Appears for the Circuit of Wales, Will Begin Hosting MotoGP in 2018

By 5 Comments

The Circuit of Wales is edging ever closer to becoming a reality. BBC Wales is reporting that UK insurance giant Aviva will be backing the Circuit of Wales project, and providing funds to allow building work on the track near Ebbw Vale in South Wales to start.

Construction will take some time, however, and Silverstone will continue to host the British round of MotoGP for the 2016 and 2017 seasons, the race only moving to the Circuit of Wales from 2018 onwards.

The news that Aviva is to provide financial backing for the Circuit of Wales still leaves many questions unanswered. It is not clear from the reports by BBC Wales exactly how much money Aviva will be putting into the track.

The circuit needs £300 million in private investment, on top of roughly £30 million in public funding in the form of loans. Whether Aviva will be providing the full £300 million for the Circuit of Wales, or sufficient seed money for building work to start is unclear.

Keep Reading
By
News

Report: Cycle Gear to Acquire RevZilla?

By 70 Comments

Respected newswire Reuters is reporting that Cycle Gear is close to finalizing the purchase of motorcycling e-commerce giant RevZilla. Citing a source “familiar with the matter” at hand, Reuters suggests that the deal could close in the next coming days, with the new venture worth between $400 million and $500 million.

If true, this acquisition would mark a titanic shift in the motorcycle retail space, with America’s largest brick and mortar chain combining with the industry’s most prominent online parts and apparel purveyor.

Keep Reading
By
MotoGP

Official: Marquez’s Management Confirms Split with VR46

By 21 Comments

As we reported back in January, Marc Marquez has ended his agreement with Valentino Rossi’s VR46 Racing Apparel company to produce and sell merchandising for the Spaniard and his younger brother.

Today, official confirmation came in the form of a press release from his management company, Alzamora Communications. The agreement with VR46 Racing Apparel has been officially terminated.

Keep Reading
By
News

Ducati North America Has Record Sales Year in 2015

By 1 Comment

Ducati North America is reporting a record year for sales, selling 12,132 motorcycles in 2015 – this number includes all Ducati sales in the USA (9,674 units, +10%), Canada (1,458 units, +12%), and Mexico (1,003 units, +85%).

The news is perhaps not surprising, since Ducati sales grew globally by 22% last year, for a total of 54,800 motorcycle sold in 2015.

Ducati North America’s numbers continue a six-year trend of solid sales growth, with last year’s sales being fueled primarily by the Ducati Scrambler.

Keep Reading
By
News

Energica IPO Set for January 29th on AIM Italia Index

By 4 Comments

It looks like Italian electric motorcycle maker Energica has finalized the details of its initial public offering of stock on London’s AIM Italia stock market.

As such, Energica’s IPO will take place January 29th, with over 1.65 million shares being offered at €3.20 a piece, this makes Energica’s IPO worth potentially €5.3 million.

With this money, Energica hopes to become the worldwide market leader of electric motorcycles within three years.

That will be at tall order, for the Italian company, as America’s Zero Motorcycles already boasts a much larger dealer network, and proven track record of sales.

Keep Reading
By
News

Crunching the Numbers of BMW’s Record Sales Year

By 19 Comments

BMW Motorrad set another record year of sales in 2015, seemingly along with all the European motorcycle manufacturers (Husqvarna, Ducati, & KTM). BMW quotes that 136,963 motorcycles and maxi-scooters were sold last year, and thankfully the Bavarian brand is fairly forthright with its sales data.

This allows us to make some interesting points of observation about BMW Motorrad, the most potent of which is the brand’s success in the sport bike market, which accounts for 16% of all BMW motorcycles sold last year.

Equally interesting is the fact that BMW’s boxer-engine machines, the R-Series, accounts for over half of BMW Motorrad’s sales (see the chart above) – a strong signal to the power of BMW’s iconic past.

Keep Reading
By
MotoGP

Marc Marquez Ends Contract with VR46 Racing Apparel

By 15 Comments

The feud between Valentino Rossi and Marc Marquez shows no signs of abating. As, it emerged today that Marquez has severed a number of links which tied him to the Italian,

This includes ending prematurely a contract for merchandise with Rossi’s VR46 Racing Apparel company, and ending his lease of accommodation in the GP Rooms portable hotel run by the Nieto family.

The news, broken by Speedweek and confirmed to us by sources with knowledge of the situation, is a reversal of reports from Valencia last year. Then, Spanish websites were reporting that Valentino Rossi had decided to terminate the contract, at the end of the second year of its three year term.

Those reports were denied, but now it appears that it is Marquez who has decided he does not want Rossi’s VR46 business selling his merchandise.

Keep Reading
By
News

Husqvarna Has Another Year of Record Sales

By 6 Comments

In case you missed it, KTM as a company is doing extremely well, selling over 180,000 units last year. KTM the company now has two brand of motorcycles under its roof though: its namesake, and then also the Swedish brand of Husqvarna.

The latest report from Mattighofen suggests that the sales success of KTM isn’t due solely to the KTM brand, and that Husqvarna had a very strong 2015 as well.

As such, Husqvarna is reporting that it sold 21,513 units in 2015, an increase of 31% over last year’s figure of 16,337. This means that 2015 was another record for Husqvarna, the best in the company’s 112 year history.

Keep Reading
By
News

Erik Buell Racing Sold at Third Auction, Will Live On Again

By 47 Comments

Don’t believe everything you read on the internet today. Much like the spirit of its riders, Erik Buell Racing refuses to go quietly into that good night. After two failed receivership auctions, the brand has now been acquired for $2.05 million via a third auction held Wednesday, and seems set for another revival.

The winning party of this latest auction is the same winner from the second auction, Liquid Asset Partners – the same company that liquidated Buell Motorcycles when it was shutdown by Harley-Davidson, which makes for some interesting trivia.

Walworth County Circuit Judge Phillip Koss approved the winning bid today, despite a similar bid from Bruce Belfer, the first auction winner. According to a report by the EBR receiver, Belfer’s bid did not conform to the terms of the auction, and thus was not recommended to the court.

Keep Reading
By
News

Pro Italia Online Sold to AMS Ducati Dallas

By 4 Comments

Though the announcement is only going public today, Pro Italia Online was sold to AMS Ducati at the end of last year, on December 31, 2015.

The news is a big deal in the world of Ducatisti, as Pro Italia’s online store is one of the largest online retailers for Ducati parts in the United States.

Therefore, its movement from one top Ducati dealership (Pro Italia in Glendale, CA) to another (AMS Ducati in Dallas, TX) is tectonic shift in the retail power found in Ducati’s online landscape.

Keep Reading
By