Sept. 1, 2008 – Aftermarket Digest

Founder of Weld Wheel Industries Dies at 64

Greg Weld, founder of Weld Wheel Industries and a former race car driver, died in early August. He was 64.
Weld won more than 100 sprint car races, including the 1963 Knoxville Nationals, the premiere event in sprint car racing, and won the USAC National Sprint Car Championship at the age of 23.
He raced in the USAC Championship Car series in the 1965-1972 seasons, with 36 career starts, including the 1970 Indianapolis 500 and qualified as the fastest rookie qualifier.
In 1970, Weld retired from racing and founded Weld Wheel Industries. He then started Weld Wheels with $2,300 he had saved from racing and the simple idea of making Sprint Car wheels that performed better. Weld manufactured forged alloy wheels for various vehicles, including racecars, and was an active sponsor of the United States Auto Club series, NHRA and IHRA.

New Vehicle Tracking System for Motorcycles Launched

Guidepoint Systems launched a newly designed unit for its stolen vehicle tracking system for motorcycles.
The self-contained unit comes standard with Guidepoint’s signature security features while utilizing an internal antenna and advanced GPS chipset.
According to the National Insurance Crime Bureau, motorcycle thefts increased 135 percent from 2001-2005. The bureau also indicates about 25 percent-30 percent of stolen motorcycles are recovered, while the recovery rate for cars and trucks is 65 percent-70 percent.
Guidepoint’s stolen vehicle recovery and tracking unit combines GPS technology, advanced wireless, the Web and a 24/7/365 response center to provide motorcyclists a way to protect their bikes.
Each unit is assigned a unique electronic serial number, similar to a cell phone number, that allows information to be transmitted between the motorcycle and the Guidepoint Response Center. In the event of a theft, Guidepoint customers can call its response center where an operator will activate the unit’s receiver and can track the bike anywhere in the United States, Canada and Mexico using AT&T’s nationwide wireless network. Once the bike is located, the operator works directly with local law enforcement to provide real-time information, including the vehicle’s location, speed and direction.
“We’ve worked hard to make Guidepoint for motorcycles different from anything on the market,” said Rand Mueller, CEO of Guidepoint. “Other companies that sell GPS tracking systems deliver their service through the Web, but Guidepoint customers receive help from the Guidepoint owned and operated Response Center.”
The Guidepoint system is transferable and the system is available for a set price. For dealer inquiries, contact Guidepoint Powersports at 916/458-5433 or visit www.guidepointmc.com.

M&R Products Founder and CEO Dies at 81

W. Virgil Brown Jr., founder and CEO of a U.S. manufacturer of motorcycle, ATV and auto tie-downs, wheel chocks and other items, recently died at the age of 81, stated a company press release.
Brown established the manufacturer M&R Products, and worked there for more than 28 years until he retired in 2003. The company supplies products to more than 1,000 dealers internationally.
Brown served in the Navy during World War II and later worked in the airline industry for almost 30 years. He is survived by his wife, Mary “Pat” Brown, and his five children.

Helmet House Makes Sales Team Changes

Helmet House promoted Rick Hoak to regional sales manager and added Steve Gordon as an account manager for Eastern Tennessee and Southern Kentucky as well as Scott Craig as account manager for Southeast Texas, according to a company press release.
Helmet House President and Co-founder Bob Miller says the staff changes should benefit the company considerably.
“Rick’s background in sales and in our products department, designing Tour Master and Cortech products, makes him a great addition to our sales management staff,” he said.

S&S Cycle Engine Meets 2010 Emissions Standards

The S&S Cycle X-Wedge’s X117E is the first 49-state certified engine produced by an engine manufacture that already meets 2010 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Tier II standards.?
The 49-state X117E is available for use in building a certified motorcycle in any state except for California by a home builder, custom shop or small volume manufacturer.?These X-Wedge engines come with an installation manual, owners manual and emissions control sticker.
Small volume manufacturers will benefit from this product, as no additional certification work is required when building less than 3,000 units per year. The current 49-state 117ci X-Wedge engine is available in three finishes: silver powdercoat, wrinkle black powdercoat and full polish.
The X-Wedge, introduced in 2007, is an all-new engine design intended to allow the industry to continue riding air-cooled, pushrod V-twins as emissions requirements tighten.? Using a belt driven three cam design, the 56-degree X-Wedge aligns its valve train geometry for maximum efficiency and minimal noise. A massive one-piece crank with side-by-side plain bearing rods drive full skirt pistons in five bolt cylinders and heads. Fuel is delivered via injectors built right into the heads and both closed-loop fuel control and knock control ignition technologies are part of the package. Learn more about the technical highlights of the X-Wedge at www.x-wedge.com .

Goodyear Dunlop Tires N. America Names President

Dunlop Tires has appointed Joseph Rosen president and chairman of Goodyear Dunlop Tires North America.
Since 2005, Rosen has been vice president of finance of Goodyear’s Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa region. He joined the company in 2004. Prior to joining Goodyear, he was finance director at Ameritech (now AT&T), where he worked for 17 years.
Rosen earned his bachelors of business administration degree at Iowa State University and is a certified public accountant.
“I greatly appreciate the results the Buffalo team delivers and I look forward to working with Goodyear Dunlop Tires North America’s existing manufacturing, technical and business team members,” Rosen said.
Dunlop Tires is the largest supplier of original equipment and replacement motorcycle tires in the United States and the only manufacturer of motorcycle tires in North America. With North American operations headquartered in Buffalo, N.Y., Dunlop has been making and selling high-quality tires in the U.S. since 1923.

OceanLED Appoints International Sales Manager

OceanLED, the manufacturer and designer of LED underwater lighting products, has appointed Michael Grove as its international sales manager.
Grove is responsible for managing accounts, handling distributors and sourcing new business outside of the United States and the United Kingdom.
Having previously worked as European account manager for Fabrex International, and as sales and marketing manager for Classic Promotions, Grove has vast experience within the international market.
“It’s great to join the market leaders in underwater lighting,”?Grove said, “and I’m looking forward to the challenge of working in an industry with worldwide sales opportunities.”
OceanLED is continuing to expand and now has offices in the U.K. and U.S., alongside established distributors in Italy, France, Spain, Norway and Australia.

Forge-Tec Introduces a New 3D Wheel

Forge-Tec Motorcycle Wheels and Accessories announced the introduction of the Engage, a new 3D wheel.
The Engage is available in all popular sizes and applications (’84-’08, including ABS equipped models) and has matching rotors and pulleys. All Forge-Tec 3D wheels are available in four different finishes: polished, black powder coated, chrome and the Midnight Series, which is a black anodized finish combined with classic machining.
Forge-Tec not only makes these new 3D wheels for the Harley and Custom American V-twin markets, but for Victory and sport bike markets as well.
For further information, please contact Forge-Tec Motorcycle at 888/367-4385. psb