Dealer News - Nov 2006

Big Twin West Shows Its Cards

A 100-strong Custom bike invitational and an exclusive "town hall" debate on EPA decisions will dominate the events at the Big Twin West trade/consumer show Dec. 1-3 in Las Vegas.

The weekend event also will feature

• The most comprehensive collection of Arlen Ness motorcycles and memorabilia fresh from Ness' showroom in Dublin, CA.
• Seminars on Cost-effective shop remodels and showroom merchandising, hosted by Steve Zarwell and Mercedes Ross.
• A fuel injection class courtesy of Daytona Tec.
• The launch of a Dealernews 20 Group exclusive to Big Twin dealers.
• First look at new products, parts and accessories for the V-twin market.

Clearly, the marquee event will be the EPA Regulations Forum hosted by Tom Austin, co-founder and senior partner at Sierra Research, a consulting firm specializing in air pollution control regulations. Austin will lead a panel of V-Twin industry leaders to answer audience questions on how EPA omissions and engine certification rulings will affect builders, manufacturers and dealers.

"There are a lot of misnomers and misunderstandings regarding current EPA regulations," says show manager Dave Scott. "The forum atmosphere is expected to be highly charged, and important for anyone operating in the custom bike market."

Scott and his team also confirm that roughly 100 of the most innovative custom motorcycles built in the United States and abroad will be on display during the show. The Big Twin Customs Invitational is being conducted under the supervision of an advisory board made up of Denny Berg, Roger Bourget, Dave Perowitz, Michael Prugh, and Bill Rucker. Bikes selected for the invitational have been reviewed based on quality of body parts and frame fabrications, paintwork, engine and associated components, driveline, and impact of design.

And for those dealers wanting to own a masterpiece, many of the bikes at the invitational will be up for public auction on Sunday, according to Scott. "After last year's Big Twin West show, we noticed that about 60 percent of the bikes on display had handmade 'For Sale' signs next to them. We realized that other than eBay, their own websites or consumer shows, custom builders have few options when trying to market their creations. So we have partnered with Manheim Specialty Auctions to host a custom bike auction starting at 1 p.m. on Sunday."

Big Twin West attendees will be able to take advantage of a free online planning tool designed to connect customers with product vendors of interest, and vice versa. The ShowConnect tool provides online search and product categories to help buyers identify exhibitors who carry a product they've expressed an interest in examining or buying. The tool also allows attendees to set up meetings with distributors, basically crafting a customized calendar for the show.

Big Twin West will be open to dealers, custom builders and other members of the industry Friday and Saturday, Dec. 1-2, and then open to the public on Sunday, Dec. 3.

January 18, 2007 11:15 AM | send page | Press Releases