If you were a manufacturer who shell-shocked the industry with an award-winning, genre-bending machine last year, you might be excused for taking the year off, making like a wallflower and watching the new designs from other OEMs hit the street. But that’s not how Victory operates.
Not content to watch from the sidelines, the motorcycle arm of Polaris Industries jumped at the chance to ring in its 10th anniversary celebration with not just several tweaks and updates of existing models, but four all-new examples to boot.
To say that machines issuing forth from the Victory’s Medina, Minnesota, plant …Â More info
Retailers across the country are yanking shoes, toys, Valentine’s gifts and other children’s goods from shelves to comply with a strict lead law that took effect Tuesday.
The repercussions of the hotly debated Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act, which bans the sale of children’s products containing dangerous amounts of lead and chemicals called phthalates, began rippling through the industry as manufacturers realized the law wasn’t going away…. More info
For the action sports industry in 2009, it’s all about keeping your head above water.
Already struggling with a glut of inventory, the $14.4 billion industry is forecasting sales to fall as much as 25 percent this year. Some surfboard makers say their business is down 30 percent to 40 percent as consumers put off larger purchases.
With numbers like that, industry insiders say some brands will disappear and the economic undertow will pull down a number of mom-and-pop shops, considered the backbone of the business because of their connection to the core action sports customer…. More info
Michelin has announced its participation in three motorcycle speedway racing competitions in 2009. It will take part in the Endurance World Championship as well as in national speed championships in Spain and Italy.
This year, Michelin will provide tires for the Yamaha Austria Racing Team, which finished second over all in the six-race 2008 Endurance World Championship. The partnership will enable Michelin to measures its tires against its competitors’ products… More info