May 14, 2026 • 37 mins
David Zelma, USA Country Manager for SW-MOTECH, has built a career around motorcycles, marketing and the aftermarket industry. In this episode, host Heather Wilson Schiltz talks with him about his path from the custom Harley side of the industry to the adventure touring market.
David shares how an early piece of advice helped him choose a career tied to something he loved. The conversation also explores dealer education, motorcycle setup, the growth of smaller-displacement bikes, emerging e-bike riders and why hands-on product knowledge still matters in sales, marketing and leadership.
🎧 What You’ll Hear in This Episode:
- How David turned his love of motorcycles into a long career in powersports
- Lessons learned from the Harley, custom and performance aftermarket segments
- Why adventure touring became an exciting next chapter
- How bike fitment can make a major difference
- What sets SW-MOTECH apart in luggage, crash protection and rider accessories
- How dealer education supports both dealerships and riders
- David’s perspective on small-displacement motorcycles, Chinese brands and future riders
- Why technical product knowledge strengthens marketing and storytelling
- The role technology plays in modern motorcycles
- David’s favorite SW-MOTECH product and how he uses it every day
📲 Follow SW-MOTECH on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube
🌐 Learn more at SW-MOTECH.us
SPONSORED CONTENT: If you're a motorsports event organizer who wants more participants or attendees, your marketing and operations may be in need of a revamp. I help evaluate where you're at, develop a customized strategy, implement the tasks and assess the results. So if you're serious about getting more support, let's work together. Visit HighGearSuccess.com to get started.
SPONSORED CONTENT: If you're a racer looking to show sponsors how you can bring value to their company, visit HighGearSuccess.com to view services offered by High Gear Success for racers.
-------------------------------------
Momentum: A Motorsports Podcast, powered by High Gear Success
👉 Want to connect or recommend a guest? Visit: MomentumMotorsportsPodcast.com
🔔 Subscribe on YouTube for more motorsports stories and strategies
📸 Follow @MomentumMotorsportsPodcast on Instagram + Facebook
Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:05):
Welcome to Momentum, a motorsports podcast powered by High Gear Success.
I'm your host, Heather Wilson Schiltz.
Here we share the stories and strategies that keep the world of motorsports movingforward.
And today I'm chatting with David Zelma, USA country manager for SW-MOTECH.
So David, thank you for joining me.
Thank you, I appreciate being here.
(00:27):
I'm really excited to dig in because you've had a long and diverse career in power sports.
So kind of take us back to the beginning.
What first pulled you into motorcycling and eventually to being an industry professional?
long and diverse.
just means I'm old, doesn't it?
um I worked in marketing for years.
(00:49):
Even in high school, I was in some sort of something marketing related or media related.
I really wanted to be a pressman back then.
And an old guy who was running machines with me and I was doing it said, and I was tellinghim I wanted to be a pressman and he says, do you really love it?
(01:09):
Well, no, I don't love it, but I think I'm pretty good at it because you got to it becauseyou're going to do it more than you do anything else in your whole life.
And even as a dumb teenager, that really resonated with me.
So at that point on, I decided to whatever I did, I needed to love.
And I was a motorcycle guy.
And, know, even in, even in high school, beyond and rode a motorcycle.
(01:30):
So my dad was a motorcycle guy.
So it, I knew that somehow I wanted to tie it to that.
So, and I've been lucky enough to build an entire career and passion for motorcycles.
What was your first industry job then?
Um, I did a lot of stuff.
worked at ad agencies, so he did a lot of stuff back then.
(01:51):
So I don't know if that's a job or client.
my first, uh, real industry role was at a company called performance machine.
So this would have been like the late nineties.
this super neat company that at the time it was family owned.
So, and it was really, that was really my introduction into the Harley side of the markettoo, which that was the really.
(02:13):
The Harley End of it had really started gaining steam You know the custom end of it and itwas it was really cool to be kind of part of that as it grew and took over
so you've been able to work across kind of multiple segments of power sports over theyears, that cruiser segment being one of them.
What were some of the biggest lessons or takeaways that you learned from that side of thebusiness?
(02:37):
On lessons, the focus on the aftermarket has been my whole world.
So you really kind of, you learn what motorcycles matter, even if they are not themotorcycles you love.
Yeah.
So I was not originally a Harley guy.
was really a dirt bike guy, really like cafe racers and stuff.
(03:00):
because of really the money in the aftermarket was spent, still probably is, in the Harleyspace,
I really had to get my head around Harleys.
that was, you really have to, to be I think, effective, you really got to be part of yourown market.
And I had to kind of get my head around Harleys and now I can't let go of them.
(03:23):
I feel like different people have different ideas of what's important to them withmotorcycling, right?
Like you said, for some it's customization, for some it's performance, for some it's justhaving a bike to go ride.
it's very interesting too, because I come from the dirt bike world.
And when I'm in a street environment, especially like a cruiser focused environment, likeeverybody is like...
(03:47):
quick to whip out their phone and want to show you a picture of their bike, right?
And like the customizations that they did.
And it, caught me off guard for a while though, because like in the dirt bike world,people don't do that.
They don't like meet you and then start talking about their dirt bike and be like, Hey, Iwant to show you this picture of it.
So it was like a very foreign concept to me, but I've come to learn that that's like verycommon in that market.
(04:11):
Yeah, wait till you see somebody's dyno chart.
Yeah.
It happens consistently.
know, in that performance end of it, you know, it's really big deal.
It's the tell of how effective the work was.
So the odds of the guy having a photo of his dyno chart on his phone is really high.
(04:31):
I have not been shown that but I know exactly what you're talking about because I've seenthose dynos out at events and in dealerships and and the people utilizing them
Yeah, I worked in the performance end of the market for years and years.
it's really, it's meaningful.
It's the test of, of how effective and how much money you spent and what the bike'scapable of.
(04:51):
And so, you know, without having to drag race down the road illegally, a dyno chart isyour next best kind of measurement of the performance.
And then after working in that side of the industry for a while, you've kind of made theswitch to the adventure touring market.
So how did that change come about and how has that kind of changed for you in this stageof your career?
(05:16):
I did a lot of adventure touring stuff when I worked at Progressive Suspension.
So we did a whole lot of adventure stuff and I've done a lot of the courses and adventurerides and the Overland Expos and everything.
I had to kind of had that history.
I rode to Alaska on a KLR.
So I had kind of that history and I've always really, really enjoyed that.
(05:37):
When you work in the Harley side of it, you kind of get wadded up in that and focused onthe Harley end of it, which I don't mind.
Motorcycles, I love all of them.
So, you know, this was a neat opportunity to do something that was a challenge and that'skind of been a part of what drives me.
You know, I'm never going to get rich working in the motorcycle industry, but I really,really love a challenge.
(06:01):
And this particular brand is a really, really great brand.
The U S division needed some attention.
It was a whole different location, a different space, a different business model.
So it's been, it's been very exciting.
For people that may not know SW-MOTECH, how would you describe the company and what setsit apart from other aftermarket brands?
(06:24):
Super neat company.
it's 25-ish years old.
It's formed by a handful of passionate motorcycle guys that were traveling and neededluggage, that needed crash bars and designed their own and then made it a business.
we have a division in France, Italy, Spain, and the US.
(06:44):
The US division is only six years old.
the intent of each of these is to focus on the regional markets.
I'm sure we're probably one of, not the highest end in our space.
So we do OEM stuff.
do a lot of things beyond just what we do to consumers.
It's a really, really high end company doing really cool stuff.
(07:06):
a lot of its adventure, sometimes it's just, you know, it's guys that actually ride theirmotorcycle and need somewhere to put their lunch.
So being kind of in a newer market like the United States, a lot of it I would assume isbuilding that brand recognition right now, that product recognition.
You have a huge catalog of products.
So what are some of those core categories that people might immediately recognize?
(07:29):
We're pretty famous for our tank bags.
mean, we probably have 10, 12 different shaped and size tank bags.
Our thing is a quick release system for them.
So it pops on off the bike really easily.
do a lot of side luggage as well.
The luggage itself is generally agnostic.
The um racking and everything is what ties it to the bike.
(07:52):
And we do very, very high end welding and powdercoat and everything for that.
A of crash bars, skid plates, things of that nature.
As far as product development, how much rider feedback goes into that development process?
And when a new bike hits the market, how quickly are you guys able to get luggage systemsand crash protection accessories?
(08:14):
Yeah, that's a great question.
So all of our development is done in Germany.
sometimes that, you know, the priorities are different because the bike is going to bedifferent in Europe.
A lot times it crosses over.
For instance, the KLE, the 500 Kawasaki is, I think our team even in Europe recognize thepotential of that.
You know, we've jumped right on it and have product in play already.
(08:37):
You know, so every day I see a development email on what they've got done on it and what'snext.
As far as like adventure bikes, people talk about choosing the right bike and howimportant that is for what they want to do.
But even just aside from choosing the right bike, like the setup could make just as muchdifference.
what do you think are some like upgrades that riders should make, especially if they'replanning on doing like a big trip?
(09:04):
What are some of your go-to upgrades?
But bike fitment is kind of one of our go-to's.
So we do risers and adjustable pegs and kind of finding that happy spot.
You you get in a car and you adjust the seat and you adjust the steering column and makeit fit you.
Like a motorcycle, they don't really have that option.
So you really, you really have to go out of your way to make it fit you and everybody'sdifferent shape, different comfort level.
(09:27):
So moving the bars around, back up, really meaningful.
I it really changes the feel of the bike.
It changes the leverage you have against the bars.
Pegs are the same way, you know, if you're cramped, you're not going to be comfortable,you or your reach is bad.
So that kind of stuff is really, really crazy.
Yeah.
All those things that you just mentioned, I've made adjustments on, I have a KTM 690Enduro.
(09:50):
Yeah.
That's a great I had a lowering kit put on it because I'm like 5'6", so I wanted to beable to touch a little better, which I still tippy toe on.
Then I got upgraded foot pegs, the wider pegs.
And then I think it was last year for Christmas, I got risers for the bars to make them.
I like that feeling of like the bars being up and back a little bit.
(10:13):
So yeah, those are all.
Yeah.
When you, I'm tall.
when you stand up on a bike, if the bars are low, you're bent over, you're not reallystanding out.
So that kind of stuff is really meaningful to make it fit you.
So then they, on the Harley side of it, you know, they, it's some of it's aesthetic, but alot of it is, I mean, it really, it's making the motorcycle fit you as a core part of
(10:33):
enjoying the bike.
um Yeah, absolutely.
As far as products that are sold worldwide, are there differences between the Europeanmarket and what riders in the US tend to even want?
Most of this crossover, there's different bikes.
There's some bikes that just don't make it here or are not big sellers here and viceversa.
(10:56):
Within the KLR days, that bike never, it didn't really go to Europe.
It was carbureted and didn't pass emissions there.
So that was a big deal to have them do development.
We had to specially import a bike for them to do development on it.
Gotcha.
Yeah.
My husband has a KLR.
actually, um, one of my former coworkers was selling it.
(11:19):
It was kind of in parts and he couldn't figure out how to get it running again.
And my husband's a mechanic and does suspension.
And I was like, Hey, I think this could be like an easy flip for you.
he's selling it like pretty inexpensively and you know, you could probably figure it outand be able to flip it.
And he had it running in like 20, 20 minutes and, uh, he rode it.
(11:40):
around and was like, actually, I think I'm just going to keep it.
Cause he didn't have an adventure bike at the time.
And, you know, kind of the joke is it, it just doesn't do anything great, but it doeseverything like well.
And it's a big comfy, comfy couch.
They're unkillable too.
It's really the cockroach of motorcycles.
It's just unkillable.
(12:00):
Yeah, I rode Alaska years ago with a MotoQuest, the touring group up there.
And I had a whole bunch of bikes.
At the time, I was riding a GS 850.
I was in Decent Bikes, and I rolled in there, and they have a 15,000 mile KLR for me.
(12:23):
They can all my motorcycles combined.
They'll have 15,000 miles on them.
And it was, it was the best bike.
It was amazing.
You know, we were doing a lot of crossings.
We're doing, you you're beating the bikes up pretty bad.
And there was a tour company.
So you know, the bikes were going to get beat up and it did such a great job.
So yeah, they were good bikes.
In Alaska or you rode all the way to Alaska?
(12:45):
I was riding in Alaska.
I was riding in Alaska.
Yeah.
The original plan was to ride to every round that time.
So we said, screw it.
I'm dying to ride it.
So I ended up joining the touring company.
it is such the perfect bike for that.
And you could beat the hell out of it and it just keeps coming back for more.
So they were good bikes.
In some of your previous roles and maybe even in your current role too, you're interactingwith both riders and dealers.
(13:11):
So how important is that dealer education and relationship between your company and thedealers and the dealers and the riders?
Oh, it's, it's key.
You know, we, we've in the past almost a year, we've, we've put a special effort intodealer training.
So we now have a guy full time on the road and we'll probably add to that in the nearfuture.
(13:33):
Um, just training dealers.
You know, and you're not necessarily even selling sometimes you are, but a lot of timesyou are literally just doing training.
You know, the dealers, you know, the, there's no way for them to keep up.
There's just too much activity.
you know, both inside their dealer and outside in the industry.
So for somebody to come in, spend 20 minutes with them, walk them through what's new andwhat can sell and what's going to be a fit for the dealership.
(13:58):
You you walk into a Kawasaki dealer, it's a different conversation than the BMW dealer.
And for somebody to come in and really kind of narrow down what's relevant to them is someaningful.
You know, we, we regularly get dealer thank yous.
Hey, we really appreciate the guy came in and worked with us and now we know what to doand set up our display.
(14:19):
So the dealer end of it for me has always been such a critical part of success.
Yeah.
It's tough.
I'm a dealership owner's daughter, right?
And so my parents just retired and sold the dealership last year after 48 years.
It's such an interesting time in the industry, I think, for dealers, especially just withThe rise of like the internet and social media and how it has completely changed things
(14:42):
over the years, but I still am very much a person.
And maybe that's just the way that I grew up, that I want to like go in and physically seeand feel an item rather than just looking at it online.
Yeah, I love going out dealers.
I struggle to drive them past a dealer.
The dealership model, I think, has really, really evolved, The Harley end of it has donereally well.
(15:04):
They figured out how to make the experience really good.
You know, you're greeted.
There's a lot of events.
The floor plan is really good.
The metric end of it is now really kind of catching up.
You see a lot of events, see a lot of, you know, the store kind of gets how to draw crowdsin.
(15:26):
You you can't just open the door in the morning and call a day and expect to succeedanymore.
I think on the adventure segment too, I just had some guests on from Backcountry DiscoveryRoutes and what they're doing with their documentaries and the dealership kind of
previews.
There's a lot of activity around the adventure riding segment, a lot more dealers.
(15:47):
I see hosting a Saturday adventure ride just to get people together.
So that's been cool to see.
Yeah, I love seeing that.
And the dealers have really, you see them really embrace it.
You know, they've got like the local adventure club is operating out of the dealer.
The meeting point is the dealer and the BDR stuff is fantastic.
It's such a cool vibe.
(16:09):
As far as your personal riding style these days, are you more road focused, off road, amix of both?
Kind of what's in the garage these days?
Yeah, more work focus than anything else.
That's the downside of working in motorcycle industry is it impedes your ability to ridemotorcycles.
(16:31):
sometimes, not all the time.
I am, I'm a giant fan of the Chinese motorcycle movement and really even small boremovement.
You know, you're, you're seeing, especially in the unit sales.
think right now Kawasaki Ninja 500 is the best selling or one of the best sellingmotorcycles in the country.
(16:52):
What does that tell you about the market?
Like that's a newer rider or in a lot of cases it's an older rider who's tired of giantmotorcycles You know, doesn't want to fight it anymore.
Now you just want something easy.
So it's, it's really an interesting transition in the market across the last couple ofyears.
So I am a giant fan of that.
I was trying to participate in whatever I'm doing.
(17:15):
So, um, right now I'm commuting on a Moto Marini 700 Escape.
You know, and this is retail on this bike is $8,300.
And it's an amazing bike.
I really like it.
You know, like the CFMoto 450 ibex is another really good bike.
You know, against all odds, because you know, previous Chinese bikes were questionablequality, questionable everything.
(17:39):
The latest generation of them are great.
You know, CFMoto makes things for KTM.
The motor that's in the Moto Marini is a Kawasaki motor.
So there's all of this kind of connection to really higher quality parts now, but at aprice point that it's really inviting and you can see it new riders into the space.
(18:03):
My 84 year old grandpa actually just bought a CF Moto.
Couldn't even tell you what model it is.
I just saw it for the first time yesterday.
uh It looks like a bobber.
It's like the styling of it.
And his whole reason for getting it is he has ridden adventure and street for decades anddecades.
(18:24):
but because he's getting older, he wanted something that he could more easily touch on andget his leg over.
And so that bike, you he went and looked at a bunch of different ones.
And I was actually really shocked that that's what he landed with.
But he's loving it.
And I think he got it like two weeks ago and already has a couple thousand miles on it.
The price point is really good.
The quality is really good.
(18:44):
There's plenty of aftermarket support.
So it's like us, I am sure it's a lot like what it was when Honda and Yamaha came into theUS in the 60s.
And at the time everyone went, I don't know.
And then you realize that what a great bike at a great price point.
And it kind of creates a whole new segment.
(19:05):
Mm-hmm.
And I think price is going to be a huge factor for the industry going forward, especiallybringing in younger riders because
it's a thing.
It's really a thing for a younger rider in particular.
You know, it's a thing for an older rider that's transitioning into a smaller bike becauseyou're, it's my third or fourth bike.
You know, it's hard to spend a whole ton of money on.
(19:27):
So it's a really good fit at a good time.
know, like the Grom is still one of the better selling motorcycles in the U S.
If you ever spent some time on a Grom, it's like, you can't like the smile off your face.
They are fun.
We use them in some of the training classes that I teach out on a Honda campus.
Yeah, they're so much fun and they're taller than you would think though.
(19:51):
Like the seat height, people think like, a little motorcycle, but it actually has a prettytall seat height.
Yeah, my grom has a higher seat height than one of my sports stars.
So yeah, and they're just, they're in really crazy good time.
Like it's hard not to smile.
So you know, it's really fun.
know, so I watched the market.
I watched the market really, really close and what, what trends we're seeing.
(20:13):
Um, E-bike gangs is my new favorite thing.
I have so many thoughts on e-bikes that that would be like a three-hour conversation.
Well, yeah, anyway, the e-motorcycles, I think, is a struggle, you know, because there'ssomething about the sound is part of the experience.
(20:36):
But e-bike gangs is a whole different thing.
So these are kids, these are little kids, you know, and, you know, you know, probablyjunior high and high school.
And there's whole gangs of e-bike gangs.
The beauty of that, that's a future motorcyclist.
You know, so like the e-bike guys get that rap and they're all over the place and they'rerunning into people and causing problems and stunting in parking lots.
(21:02):
know, I get it.
That's, that is potentially dangerous.
But I watch that space and you go, everyone knows this guy's a future motorcyclist.
You know, cause once you get kind of hooked on two wheels, it's, you don't just turn itoff and go, well, I guess I'm a car guy now.
You're kind of a motorcycle person forever.
You know, so it's, I love seeing that.
(21:22):
There's how you get into an especially an urban or urban environment and there'll be, youknow, five, 10 of these dudes all riding together and you're terrorizing the sidewalk and
kicking over trash cans and, you know, but like you're all every one of you guys is afuture motorcyclist.
love that.
And even like predating that going back to like the stacyc and then or actually theStrider then the stacyc Being able to give them that throttle experience at such a young
(21:51):
age.
It's so cool.
Now you've just accelerated that as wellAbsolutely.
it's, you know, they, the kids are really sensitive to noise.
You know, when my youngest first start riding was three and a half.
And for a long time, he just wanted to sit on the bike.
started, he cried.
He just wanted to sit on it.
Like the noise kind of spooked him until he kind of made friends with it.
I think if I had had a stacyc or something like that at that time, he'd been fine.
(22:16):
so I think that's a great transition into two wheels.
But I think we're building our future market right now.
And I don't know if we even know it.
Yeah, I think it's largely untapped and unregulated in a lot of ways.
So that's why I definitely have so many thoughts about it.
But even being out at AIMExpo this past January, like I want to say like a third of thebooths were probably electric motorcycles of sorts, which really surprised me.
(22:46):
But yeah, I think a lot of the different companies in the industry haven't reallyfigured out how they're going to capitalize on that or what that might look like.
That's a tough market.
the e-bike thing in general, I think, has really kind of lost momentum.
The e-mountain bike stuff has a little bit, but that $8,000, $10,000, $15,000 mountainbike, that was great during COVID.
(23:10):
And I think you're seeing a lot of reduced sales by virtue of that.
But the e-bike gang, the bike has a kind of a motorcycle feel to it, it's powered mountainbike.
Every one of those guys, I can't wait.
It will be interesting to see what people do with it.
(23:32):
You referenced a couple times your riding trip in Alaska.
Is that your favorite trip or do you have some other motorcycle memories that stick withyou throughout the years?
used to run from California to Sturgis every year.
And that was always such a great experience.
You know, you go through a whole lot of really beautiful states.
(23:53):
You go across the Rockies and it's that that's probably one of my favorites.
You know, I really enjoyed that.
And the I've done it with industry groups.
I've done it with stuff like that.
I did it one year, just two of my buddies.
And we didn't have a heavy timeline.
And it was just it was so good.
You know, you youbuild a trust with certain people that you ride with.
(24:14):
Group rides are, you know, done enough group rides in my life, I'll probably never doanother.
You know, it's just a, it's a battle.
So, but you, you ride with a couple of guys that you've been riding with since you were akid.
You have a level of trust with them and it's, it makes the ride so much easier.
So yeah, that's probably one of my favorites.
You know, I've, I've done some big rides across the country that are, you know, it'spretty amazing how big this country is compared to Europe.
(24:40):
You know, there's all these amazing things in the middle that you don't necessarily get toreally feel unless you're on a bike.
So I've really enjoyed that kind of stuff.
We did one, it was California.
think we went up north, rode through the park and then dropped down years ago.
And that was a gorgeous ride.
know, Wyoming gets a terrible wrap as a boring state to ride across, but it's just, Imean, you hit it the right time of year.
(25:06):
It's just gorgeous.
So yeah, those are some of my favorites.
(25:45):
As far as working in the industry, you've worked for some like emotional lifestyle typebrands and then more technical product categories.
You've been in marketing a long time.
So how do you balance that storytelling with like the product education, like thetechnical side of it?
I am super technical.
So for me, that's natural.
(26:06):
You know, I, I've built bikes.
I've been in what was magazines.
You know, I've lost track of how many bikes I've built, you know, and I was thought thatwas kind of my edge.
wasn't that I was just marketing the product, but I had installed it and I'd built it.
I've modified it.
And in some cases I had designed it, you know, which is for, so for me, that was always myhook.
(26:29):
I had an opportunity years ago.
was working for, so one of my first companies was Performance Machine.
They got bought by what was called the MAG group at the time, so which was private equitybuying companies, which in hindsight was probably not the greatest thing.
At the time, it created this group of companies that we all kind of worked together, whichwas kind of neat.
(26:50):
It was a neat opportunity.
For me, it was just, you know, new motorcycle friends, right?
So we got handed a...
a brand that was part of something else that had shut down.
So they said, hey, here's Burley brand.
And it's this little tiny company and has virtually no revenue right now.
And it makes handlebars and a couple of other things.
(27:10):
it made some suspension parts and you're working in suspension.
So can you figure it out?
And no one else in the company wanted anything to do with it.
So, all right, I'll figure it out.
And it was at the time, so like I said, I really watched the market.
It was that time we were starting to see the Sportster kid come to lifeAnd this was probably early-ish 2000s.
And that next generation of rider, of Harley enthusiast, was these guys buying these cheapsportsters and cutting them up.
(27:39):
And we saw more and more of these guys.
And they were, know, they're eBaying parts and they're doing everything in their garagethemselves.
And they were trying to ride to build tall bars and then try to figure out cables and allthe other things.
So it was, and I was already chasing that market and kind of trying to understand it.
And I'd ridden with them a couple of times.
I'm like the oldest guy there, but it was really kind of fun.
(27:59):
And like, I loved their passion.
So they, when they handed us Burley brand, I'm like ah, this is perfect.
So we immediately started designing parts, you know, and I got, because no one else in thecompany was super excited about it initially.
So I got to kind of start designing my own parts, which was really kind of fun.
And like the development team, they're all do it or how we want, just don't do it in ourbuilding.
(28:20):
You know, cause a suspension, it's, it's like a lab.
It's really a clean room.
So the last thing you want to do is fiberglass or cutting metal or anything.
all, get that crap out of here.
So I did it all at home and with very little adult supervision.
we designed all these fun parts.
it was pretty wild and it did really well.
It was probably 20 times its original revenue within a couple of years.
(28:45):
and I think it's still operating.
And it was actually my first foray into luggage, which is what I'm doing now.
So I got to go through the entire design process of luggage and sourcing and everything.
And that was really super cool.
So the technical end, that is my forte, is the technical.
(29:06):
Gotcha.
Some of my, would say favorite roles that I've been in and maybe more of the reason why Ibecame an entrepreneur too is having that flexibility to like start a process from start
to finish to like try something new and not be like boxed in or limited.
That's kind of how my brain works.
I'm not on the technical side of things.
(29:27):
would say I'm definitely more on the lifestyle.
I'm learning the technical side of it, especially like I said, being married to a mechanicand suspension guy.
yeah, it's always cool when you kind of have a role that they're flexible and can let youkind of take the lead on stuff.
oh let me.
I think they tolerated me more than anything else over the years.
(29:51):
My wife says I am the bluest white collar guy ever.
know, end of the day, know, most of these roles you're in spreadsheets and you're sittingin front of computer.
You're not touching motorcycle parts.
So I've always made sure that I did.
You know, and I think it made all the difference for me.
(30:13):
It makes me happy, endlessly happy.
to.
I that's what makes a good leader too, is if they're kind of well-rounded and theyunderstand different roles within the company and how stuff is actually done rather than
just guessing from an office.
Yeah, I've been lucky and I've worked with teams over the years that are really more handson as well as marketing and sales.
(30:37):
that, and I think I do better with the kind of person who isn't afraid to pick up awrench, which is kind of cool.
And the team here is, they're more than willing to get their hands dirty and get thingsdone.
I think it makes for, you're more connected to your product.
I think you're better at sales and marketing because of that.
(30:58):
Absolutely.
When it comes to the bikes on the market today, there's a lot more technology than thereused to be different ride modes, electronics, connectivity.
Do you think that's helping to bring more people into it or is it overly complicating itin some ways?
depends on how old you are.
Really does.
You know, it's an expected part of the experience oh at a younger age.
(31:25):
You know, m but as an older guy, you're thinking, I don't want to have to take a class tolearn how to use these hand controls.
You know, like the, um the Pan America is an incredible motorcycle, but the amount ofbuttons it has on the hand controls is daunting.
Like, here, I'm going to be playing in thedirt in this thing.
I don't have time to learn how to push buttons and try and manage not flipping it over.
(31:50):
So it really depends on the use case and your age.
I don't if you're following what Harley's doing right now, but they are bringing back theAir Cold Sportster.
That is an unheard of move for a brand to bring back a bike they killed.
But the beauty of that bike is the simplicity.
(32:11):
It is pure motorcycle.
It is air-cooled.
It doesn't have anything fancy.
It doesn't have traction control.
It barely had ABS.
It's just a simple machine.
I think I bet that resonates really well now.
I don't know what the price point will be on that, but I think like you said, thetechnology can be great in some aspects depending on who you are.
(32:35):
But I also feel like it's maybe driven the price up of machines as well.
Yeah, for sure.
Yeah, for sure.
Yeah, by comparison, motorcycles are still relatively simple compared to cars.
So we haven't gotten too nutty about it.
But the Moto Marini I'm on right now has a built-in camera with an app.
(32:57):
I don't know what I'm going to do with that.
I'm not doing anything interesting enough to film it.
But it's there.
It's kind of neat tech.
The screen is huge.
So that is kind of cool.
So it will actually like film as you're riding?
like what's out ahead of you.
into the motorcycle under the headlight.
It's kind of wild, right?
know, and it's interesting that Moto Marini was the first one to do that.
(33:22):
All right.
So it's a neat bike.
It's a super neat bike.
So, you know, it's kind of like a like the tenere as far as horsepower and shape and it'sa little porkier, a little heavier.
But what an amazing bike for an amazing price.
yeah, built in camera.
From the factory.
Which is pretty wild.
(33:43):
yeah, so the tech has its place.
There's something about, I think for me, the motorcycle experience is there's a lot goingon in motorcycle.
The last thing is distractions.
So I'm not a giant fan of heavy tech in bikes, but I'm old.
So, you know, that might be a generational thing.
(34:05):
There are some features I definitely love and appreciate.
Fuel injection being one of them.
And when I teach motorcycle safety classes for the state, we have a mix of some very oldbikes and some newer models and a lot of carbureted bikes.
And it's always interesting as the years pass, the students that have no idea aboutcarbureted bikes, because that wasn't even on their radar.
(34:28):
And even this year training a new class of instructors,how many of them have never owned carbureted bikes to understand how that works.
Again, coming from the dirt bike world, that was just like second nature to me.
But on those really chilly mornings that we have sometimes, it's really nice to have thosefuel injected bikes and not be messing with the carbureted bikes.
(34:53):
There's something kind of ethereal about jetting a bike and setting up a carb.
But it's equally cool to get on a computer and tune a bike.
It really is.
And way cleaner and easier and more manageable and repeatable.
so yeah, I think I enjoy them both.
(35:13):
I've spent a whole lot of my life changing brass.
So you get in front of uh atune and you can see it happening is pretty darn cool.
You and you can look at an air fuel ratio and see the change you made and you know thatit's going to work.
Whereas, you know, brass, think I was always guessing a little bit.
(35:39):
Let's wrap up with maybe your favorite SW-MOTECH product personally and why that's beenyour favorite.
I love how the tank release or the tank bag release is done.
I think more of our competitors are doing that now too, but the quick release is supercool.
So you can kind of just drop the bag on the tank and it clicks.
(36:01):
And you know it's there, it's not gonna move around.
I have a bag that it's a smaller one and I actually use it as my lunch bag.
So I throw it in the fridge and it works really well.
And my guys here just roll their eyes at me.
But it works.
It works super good.
Like I tried getting my lunch bag into my bag.
Like, oh, we need two bags.
So and you know, obviously we got a ton of them around the office.
(36:24):
I like I just put my lunch in in the tank bag and it goes in the fridge when I get hereand it pops right off and it works really well.
So yeah, right now that's my favorite.
Tell people where they can learn more about SW-MOTECH and then connect with you online.
So SW-MOTECH is S-W-Motech, M-O-T-E-C-H dot U-S, because we have European versions aswell.
(36:47):
So that's our site.
All our socials are SW-MOTECH as well.
For me personally, Instagram, I am Dave's Garage.
I don't do a ton anymore, but I was building a lot of bikes and cars and stuff, so that'swhere I collect.
all of that.
Well thank you so much for joining me and thanks to everybody for tuning in to Momentum.
(37:08):
This has been a production of High Gear Success.
If you want to connect or recommend a guest, head to MomentumMotorsportsPodcast.com.
Until next time, keep the momentum rolling.
Welcome to Momentum, a motorsports podcast powered by High Gear Success.
I'm your host, Heather Wilson Schiltz.
Here we share the stories and strategies that keep the world of motorsports movingforward.
And today I'm chatting with David Zelma, USA country manager for SW-MOTECH.
So David, thank you for joining me.
Thank you, I appreciate being here.
(00:27):
I'm really excited to dig in because you've had a long and diverse career in power sports.
So kind of take us back to the beginning.
What first pulled you into motorcycling and eventually to being an industry professional?
long and diverse.
just means I'm old, doesn't it?
um I worked in marketing for years.
(00:49):
Even in high school, I was in some sort of something marketing related or media related.
I really wanted to be a pressman back then.
And an old guy who was running machines with me and I was doing it said, and I was tellinghim I wanted to be a pressman and he says, do you really love it?
(01:09):
Well, no, I don't love it, but I think I'm pretty good at it because you got to it becauseyou're going to do it more than you do anything else in your whole life.
And even as a dumb teenager, that really resonated with me.
So at that point on, I decided to whatever I did, I needed to love.
And I was a motorcycle guy.
And, know, even in, even in high school, beyond and rode a motorcycle.
(01:30):
So my dad was a motorcycle guy.
So it, I knew that somehow I wanted to tie it to that.
So, and I've been lucky enough to build an entire career and passion for motorcycles.
What was your first industry job then?
Um, I did a lot of stuff.
worked at ad agencies, so he did a lot of stuff back then.
(01:51):
So I don't know if that's a job or client.
my first, uh, real industry role was at a company called performance machine.
So this would have been like the late nineties.
this super neat company that at the time it was family owned.
So, and it was really, that was really my introduction into the Harley side of the markettoo, which that was the really.
(02:13):
The Harley End of it had really started gaining steam You know the custom end of it and itwas it was really cool to be kind of part of that as it grew and took over
so you've been able to work across kind of multiple segments of power sports over theyears, that cruiser segment being one of them.
What were some of the biggest lessons or takeaways that you learned from that side of thebusiness?
(02:37):
On lessons, the focus on the aftermarket has been my whole world.
So you really kind of, you learn what motorcycles matter, even if they are not themotorcycles you love.
Yeah.
So I was not originally a Harley guy.
was really a dirt bike guy, really like cafe racers and stuff.
(03:00):
because of really the money in the aftermarket was spent, still probably is, in the Harleyspace,
I really had to get my head around Harleys.
that was, you really have to, to be I think, effective, you really got to be part of yourown market.
And I had to kind of get my head around Harleys and now I can't let go of them.
(03:23):
I feel like different people have different ideas of what's important to them withmotorcycling, right?
Like you said, for some it's customization, for some it's performance, for some it's justhaving a bike to go ride.
it's very interesting too, because I come from the dirt bike world.
And when I'm in a street environment, especially like a cruiser focused environment, likeeverybody is like...
(03:47):
quick to whip out their phone and want to show you a picture of their bike, right?
And like the customizations that they did.
And it, caught me off guard for a while though, because like in the dirt bike world,people don't do that.
They don't like meet you and then start talking about their dirt bike and be like, Hey, Iwant to show you this picture of it.
So it was like a very foreign concept to me, but I've come to learn that that's like verycommon in that market.
(04:11):
Yeah, wait till you see somebody's dyno chart.
Yeah.
It happens consistently.
know, in that performance end of it, you know, it's really big deal.
It's the tell of how effective the work was.
So the odds of the guy having a photo of his dyno chart on his phone is really high.
(04:31):
I have not been shown that but I know exactly what you're talking about because I've seenthose dynos out at events and in dealerships and and the people utilizing them
Yeah, I worked in the performance end of the market for years and years.
it's really, it's meaningful.
It's the test of, of how effective and how much money you spent and what the bike'scapable of.
(04:51):
And so, you know, without having to drag race down the road illegally, a dyno chart isyour next best kind of measurement of the performance.
And then after working in that side of the industry for a while, you've kind of made theswitch to the adventure touring market.
So how did that change come about and how has that kind of changed for you in this stageof your career?
(05:16):
I did a lot of adventure touring stuff when I worked at Progressive Suspension.
So we did a whole lot of adventure stuff and I've done a lot of the courses and adventurerides and the Overland Expos and everything.
I had to kind of had that history.
I rode to Alaska on a KLR.
So I had kind of that history and I've always really, really enjoyed that.
(05:37):
When you work in the Harley side of it, you kind of get wadded up in that and focused onthe Harley end of it, which I don't mind.
Motorcycles, I love all of them.
So, you know, this was a neat opportunity to do something that was a challenge and that'skind of been a part of what drives me.
You know, I'm never going to get rich working in the motorcycle industry, but I really,really love a challenge.
(06:01):
And this particular brand is a really, really great brand.
The U S division needed some attention.
It was a whole different location, a different space, a different business model.
So it's been, it's been very exciting.
For people that may not know SW-MOTECH, how would you describe the company and what setsit apart from other aftermarket brands?
(06:24):
Super neat company.
it's 25-ish years old.
It's formed by a handful of passionate motorcycle guys that were traveling and neededluggage, that needed crash bars and designed their own and then made it a business.
we have a division in France, Italy, Spain, and the US.
(06:44):
The US division is only six years old.
the intent of each of these is to focus on the regional markets.
I'm sure we're probably one of, not the highest end in our space.
So we do OEM stuff.
do a lot of things beyond just what we do to consumers.
It's a really, really high end company doing really cool stuff.
(07:06):
a lot of its adventure, sometimes it's just, you know, it's guys that actually ride theirmotorcycle and need somewhere to put their lunch.
So being kind of in a newer market like the United States, a lot of it I would assume isbuilding that brand recognition right now, that product recognition.
You have a huge catalog of products.
So what are some of those core categories that people might immediately recognize?
(07:29):
We're pretty famous for our tank bags.
mean, we probably have 10, 12 different shaped and size tank bags.
Our thing is a quick release system for them.
So it pops on off the bike really easily.
do a lot of side luggage as well.
The luggage itself is generally agnostic.
The um racking and everything is what ties it to the bike.
(07:52):
And we do very, very high end welding and powdercoat and everything for that.
A of crash bars, skid plates, things of that nature.
As far as product development, how much rider feedback goes into that development process?
And when a new bike hits the market, how quickly are you guys able to get luggage systemsand crash protection accessories?
(08:14):
Yeah, that's a great question.
So all of our development is done in Germany.
sometimes that, you know, the priorities are different because the bike is going to bedifferent in Europe.
A lot times it crosses over.
For instance, the KLE, the 500 Kawasaki is, I think our team even in Europe recognize thepotential of that.
You know, we've jumped right on it and have product in play already.
(08:37):
You know, so every day I see a development email on what they've got done on it and what'snext.
As far as like adventure bikes, people talk about choosing the right bike and howimportant that is for what they want to do.
But even just aside from choosing the right bike, like the setup could make just as muchdifference.
what do you think are some like upgrades that riders should make, especially if they'replanning on doing like a big trip?
(09:04):
What are some of your go-to upgrades?
But bike fitment is kind of one of our go-to's.
So we do risers and adjustable pegs and kind of finding that happy spot.
You you get in a car and you adjust the seat and you adjust the steering column and makeit fit you.
Like a motorcycle, they don't really have that option.
So you really, you really have to go out of your way to make it fit you and everybody'sdifferent shape, different comfort level.
(09:27):
So moving the bars around, back up, really meaningful.
I it really changes the feel of the bike.
It changes the leverage you have against the bars.
Pegs are the same way, you know, if you're cramped, you're not going to be comfortable,you or your reach is bad.
So that kind of stuff is really, really crazy.
Yeah.
All those things that you just mentioned, I've made adjustments on, I have a KTM 690Enduro.
(09:50):
Yeah.
That's a great I had a lowering kit put on it because I'm like 5'6", so I wanted to beable to touch a little better, which I still tippy toe on.
Then I got upgraded foot pegs, the wider pegs.
And then I think it was last year for Christmas, I got risers for the bars to make them.
I like that feeling of like the bars being up and back a little bit.
(10:13):
So yeah, those are all.
Yeah.
When you, I'm tall.
when you stand up on a bike, if the bars are low, you're bent over, you're not reallystanding out.
So that kind of stuff is really meaningful to make it fit you.
So then they, on the Harley side of it, you know, they, it's some of it's aesthetic, but alot of it is, I mean, it really, it's making the motorcycle fit you as a core part of
(10:33):
enjoying the bike.
um Yeah, absolutely.
As far as products that are sold worldwide, are there differences between the Europeanmarket and what riders in the US tend to even want?
Most of this crossover, there's different bikes.
There's some bikes that just don't make it here or are not big sellers here and viceversa.
(10:56):
Within the KLR days, that bike never, it didn't really go to Europe.
It was carbureted and didn't pass emissions there.
So that was a big deal to have them do development.
We had to specially import a bike for them to do development on it.
Gotcha.
Yeah.
My husband has a KLR.
actually, um, one of my former coworkers was selling it.
(11:19):
It was kind of in parts and he couldn't figure out how to get it running again.
And my husband's a mechanic and does suspension.
And I was like, Hey, I think this could be like an easy flip for you.
he's selling it like pretty inexpensively and you know, you could probably figure it outand be able to flip it.
And he had it running in like 20, 20 minutes and, uh, he rode it.
(11:40):
around and was like, actually, I think I'm just going to keep it.
Cause he didn't have an adventure bike at the time.
And, you know, kind of the joke is it, it just doesn't do anything great, but it doeseverything like well.
And it's a big comfy, comfy couch.
They're unkillable too.
It's really the cockroach of motorcycles.
It's just unkillable.
(12:00):
Yeah, I rode Alaska years ago with a MotoQuest, the touring group up there.
And I had a whole bunch of bikes.
At the time, I was riding a GS 850.
I was in Decent Bikes, and I rolled in there, and they have a 15,000 mile KLR for me.
(12:23):
They can all my motorcycles combined.
They'll have 15,000 miles on them.
And it was, it was the best bike.
It was amazing.
You know, we were doing a lot of crossings.
We're doing, you you're beating the bikes up pretty bad.
And there was a tour company.
So you know, the bikes were going to get beat up and it did such a great job.
So yeah, they were good bikes.
In Alaska or you rode all the way to Alaska?
(12:45):
I was riding in Alaska.
I was riding in Alaska.
Yeah.
The original plan was to ride to every round that time.
So we said, screw it.
I'm dying to ride it.
So I ended up joining the touring company.
it is such the perfect bike for that.
And you could beat the hell out of it and it just keeps coming back for more.
So they were good bikes.
In some of your previous roles and maybe even in your current role too, you're interactingwith both riders and dealers.
(13:11):
So how important is that dealer education and relationship between your company and thedealers and the dealers and the riders?
Oh, it's, it's key.
You know, we, we've in the past almost a year, we've, we've put a special effort intodealer training.
So we now have a guy full time on the road and we'll probably add to that in the nearfuture.
(13:33):
Um, just training dealers.
You know, and you're not necessarily even selling sometimes you are, but a lot of timesyou are literally just doing training.
You know, the dealers, you know, the, there's no way for them to keep up.
There's just too much activity.
you know, both inside their dealer and outside in the industry.
So for somebody to come in, spend 20 minutes with them, walk them through what's new andwhat can sell and what's going to be a fit for the dealership.
(13:58):
You you walk into a Kawasaki dealer, it's a different conversation than the BMW dealer.
And for somebody to come in and really kind of narrow down what's relevant to them is someaningful.
You know, we, we regularly get dealer thank yous.
Hey, we really appreciate the guy came in and worked with us and now we know what to doand set up our display.
(14:19):
So the dealer end of it for me has always been such a critical part of success.
Yeah.
It's tough.
I'm a dealership owner's daughter, right?
And so my parents just retired and sold the dealership last year after 48 years.
It's such an interesting time in the industry, I think, for dealers, especially just withThe rise of like the internet and social media and how it has completely changed things
(14:42):
over the years, but I still am very much a person.
And maybe that's just the way that I grew up, that I want to like go in and physically seeand feel an item rather than just looking at it online.
Yeah, I love going out dealers.
I struggle to drive them past a dealer.
The dealership model, I think, has really, really evolved, The Harley end of it has donereally well.
(15:04):
They figured out how to make the experience really good.
You know, you're greeted.
There's a lot of events.
The floor plan is really good.
The metric end of it is now really kind of catching up.
You see a lot of events, see a lot of, you know, the store kind of gets how to draw crowdsin.
(15:26):
You you can't just open the door in the morning and call a day and expect to succeedanymore.
I think on the adventure segment too, I just had some guests on from Backcountry DiscoveryRoutes and what they're doing with their documentaries and the dealership kind of
previews.
There's a lot of activity around the adventure riding segment, a lot more dealers.
(15:47):
I see hosting a Saturday adventure ride just to get people together.
So that's been cool to see.
Yeah, I love seeing that.
And the dealers have really, you see them really embrace it.
You know, they've got like the local adventure club is operating out of the dealer.
The meeting point is the dealer and the BDR stuff is fantastic.
It's such a cool vibe.
(16:09):
As far as your personal riding style these days, are you more road focused, off road, amix of both?
Kind of what's in the garage these days?
Yeah, more work focus than anything else.
That's the downside of working in motorcycle industry is it impedes your ability to ridemotorcycles.
(16:31):
sometimes, not all the time.
I am, I'm a giant fan of the Chinese motorcycle movement and really even small boremovement.
You know, you're, you're seeing, especially in the unit sales.
think right now Kawasaki Ninja 500 is the best selling or one of the best sellingmotorcycles in the country.
(16:52):
What does that tell you about the market?
Like that's a newer rider or in a lot of cases it's an older rider who's tired of giantmotorcycles You know, doesn't want to fight it anymore.
Now you just want something easy.
So it's, it's really an interesting transition in the market across the last couple ofyears.
So I am a giant fan of that.
I was trying to participate in whatever I'm doing.
(17:15):
So, um, right now I'm commuting on a Moto Marini 700 Escape.
You know, and this is retail on this bike is $8,300.
And it's an amazing bike.
I really like it.
You know, like the CFMoto 450 ibex is another really good bike.
You know, against all odds, because you know, previous Chinese bikes were questionablequality, questionable everything.
(17:39):
The latest generation of them are great.
You know, CFMoto makes things for KTM.
The motor that's in the Moto Marini is a Kawasaki motor.
So there's all of this kind of connection to really higher quality parts now, but at aprice point that it's really inviting and you can see it new riders into the space.
(18:03):
My 84 year old grandpa actually just bought a CF Moto.
Couldn't even tell you what model it is.
I just saw it for the first time yesterday.
uh It looks like a bobber.
It's like the styling of it.
And his whole reason for getting it is he has ridden adventure and street for decades anddecades.
(18:24):
but because he's getting older, he wanted something that he could more easily touch on andget his leg over.
And so that bike, you he went and looked at a bunch of different ones.
And I was actually really shocked that that's what he landed with.
But he's loving it.
And I think he got it like two weeks ago and already has a couple thousand miles on it.
The price point is really good.
The quality is really good.
(18:44):
There's plenty of aftermarket support.
So it's like us, I am sure it's a lot like what it was when Honda and Yamaha came into theUS in the 60s.
And at the time everyone went, I don't know.
And then you realize that what a great bike at a great price point.
And it kind of creates a whole new segment.
(19:05):
Mm-hmm.
And I think price is going to be a huge factor for the industry going forward, especiallybringing in younger riders because
it's a thing.
It's really a thing for a younger rider in particular.
You know, it's a thing for an older rider that's transitioning into a smaller bike becauseyou're, it's my third or fourth bike.
You know, it's hard to spend a whole ton of money on.
(19:27):
So it's a really good fit at a good time.
know, like the Grom is still one of the better selling motorcycles in the U S.
If you ever spent some time on a Grom, it's like, you can't like the smile off your face.
They are fun.
We use them in some of the training classes that I teach out on a Honda campus.
Yeah, they're so much fun and they're taller than you would think though.
(19:51):
Like the seat height, people think like, a little motorcycle, but it actually has a prettytall seat height.
Yeah, my grom has a higher seat height than one of my sports stars.
So yeah, and they're just, they're in really crazy good time.
Like it's hard not to smile.
So you know, it's really fun.
know, so I watched the market.
I watched the market really, really close and what, what trends we're seeing.
(20:13):
Um, E-bike gangs is my new favorite thing.
I have so many thoughts on e-bikes that that would be like a three-hour conversation.
Well, yeah, anyway, the e-motorcycles, I think, is a struggle, you know, because there'ssomething about the sound is part of the experience.
(20:36):
But e-bike gangs is a whole different thing.
So these are kids, these are little kids, you know, and, you know, you know, probablyjunior high and high school.
And there's whole gangs of e-bike gangs.
The beauty of that, that's a future motorcyclist.
You know, so like the e-bike guys get that rap and they're all over the place and they'rerunning into people and causing problems and stunting in parking lots.
(21:02):
know, I get it.
That's, that is potentially dangerous.
But I watch that space and you go, everyone knows this guy's a future motorcyclist.
You know, cause once you get kind of hooked on two wheels, it's, you don't just turn itoff and go, well, I guess I'm a car guy now.
You're kind of a motorcycle person forever.
You know, so it's, I love seeing that.
(21:22):
There's how you get into an especially an urban or urban environment and there'll be, youknow, five, 10 of these dudes all riding together and you're terrorizing the sidewalk and
kicking over trash cans and, you know, but like you're all every one of you guys is afuture motorcyclist.
love that.
And even like predating that going back to like the stacyc and then or actually theStrider then the stacyc Being able to give them that throttle experience at such a young
(21:51):
age.
It's so cool.
Now you've just accelerated that as wellAbsolutely.
it's, you know, they, the kids are really sensitive to noise.
You know, when my youngest first start riding was three and a half.
And for a long time, he just wanted to sit on the bike.
started, he cried.
He just wanted to sit on it.
Like the noise kind of spooked him until he kind of made friends with it.
I think if I had had a stacyc or something like that at that time, he'd been fine.
(22:16):
so I think that's a great transition into two wheels.
But I think we're building our future market right now.
And I don't know if we even know it.
Yeah, I think it's largely untapped and unregulated in a lot of ways.
So that's why I definitely have so many thoughts about it.
But even being out at AIMExpo this past January, like I want to say like a third of thebooths were probably electric motorcycles of sorts, which really surprised me.
(22:46):
But yeah, I think a lot of the different companies in the industry haven't reallyfigured out how they're going to capitalize on that or what that might look like.
That's a tough market.
the e-bike thing in general, I think, has really kind of lost momentum.
The e-mountain bike stuff has a little bit, but that $8,000, $10,000, $15,000 mountainbike, that was great during COVID.
(23:10):
And I think you're seeing a lot of reduced sales by virtue of that.
But the e-bike gang, the bike has a kind of a motorcycle feel to it, it's powered mountainbike.
Every one of those guys, I can't wait.
It will be interesting to see what people do with it.
(23:32):
You referenced a couple times your riding trip in Alaska.
Is that your favorite trip or do you have some other motorcycle memories that stick withyou throughout the years?
used to run from California to Sturgis every year.
And that was always such a great experience.
You know, you go through a whole lot of really beautiful states.
(23:53):
You go across the Rockies and it's that that's probably one of my favorites.
You know, I really enjoyed that.
And the I've done it with industry groups.
I've done it with stuff like that.
I did it one year, just two of my buddies.
And we didn't have a heavy timeline.
And it was just it was so good.
You know, you youbuild a trust with certain people that you ride with.
(24:14):
Group rides are, you know, done enough group rides in my life, I'll probably never doanother.
You know, it's just a, it's a battle.
So, but you, you ride with a couple of guys that you've been riding with since you were akid.
You have a level of trust with them and it's, it makes the ride so much easier.
So yeah, that's probably one of my favorites.
You know, I've, I've done some big rides across the country that are, you know, it'spretty amazing how big this country is compared to Europe.
(24:40):
You know, there's all these amazing things in the middle that you don't necessarily get toreally feel unless you're on a bike.
So I've really enjoyed that kind of stuff.
We did one, it was California.
think we went up north, rode through the park and then dropped down years ago.
And that was a gorgeous ride.
know, Wyoming gets a terrible wrap as a boring state to ride across, but it's just, Imean, you hit it the right time of year.
(25:06):
It's just gorgeous.
So yeah, those are some of my favorites.
(25:45):
As far as working in the industry, you've worked for some like emotional lifestyle typebrands and then more technical product categories.
You've been in marketing a long time.
So how do you balance that storytelling with like the product education, like thetechnical side of it?
I am super technical.
So for me, that's natural.
(26:06):
You know, I, I've built bikes.
I've been in what was magazines.
You know, I've lost track of how many bikes I've built, you know, and I was thought thatwas kind of my edge.
wasn't that I was just marketing the product, but I had installed it and I'd built it.
I've modified it.
And in some cases I had designed it, you know, which is for, so for me, that was always myhook.
(26:29):
I had an opportunity years ago.
was working for, so one of my first companies was Performance Machine.
They got bought by what was called the MAG group at the time, so which was private equitybuying companies, which in hindsight was probably not the greatest thing.
At the time, it created this group of companies that we all kind of worked together, whichwas kind of neat.
(26:50):
It was a neat opportunity.
For me, it was just, you know, new motorcycle friends, right?
So we got handed a...
a brand that was part of something else that had shut down.
So they said, hey, here's Burley brand.
And it's this little tiny company and has virtually no revenue right now.
And it makes handlebars and a couple of other things.
(27:10):
it made some suspension parts and you're working in suspension.
So can you figure it out?
And no one else in the company wanted anything to do with it.
So, all right, I'll figure it out.
And it was at the time, so like I said, I really watched the market.
It was that time we were starting to see the Sportster kid come to lifeAnd this was probably early-ish 2000s.
And that next generation of rider, of Harley enthusiast, was these guys buying these cheapsportsters and cutting them up.
(27:39):
And we saw more and more of these guys.
And they were, know, they're eBaying parts and they're doing everything in their garagethemselves.
And they were trying to ride to build tall bars and then try to figure out cables and allthe other things.
So it was, and I was already chasing that market and kind of trying to understand it.
And I'd ridden with them a couple of times.
I'm like the oldest guy there, but it was really kind of fun.
(27:59):
And like, I loved their passion.
So they, when they handed us Burley brand, I'm like ah, this is perfect.
So we immediately started designing parts, you know, and I got, because no one else in thecompany was super excited about it initially.
So I got to kind of start designing my own parts, which was really kind of fun.
And like the development team, they're all do it or how we want, just don't do it in ourbuilding.
(28:20):
You know, cause a suspension, it's, it's like a lab.
It's really a clean room.
So the last thing you want to do is fiberglass or cutting metal or anything.
all, get that crap out of here.
So I did it all at home and with very little adult supervision.
we designed all these fun parts.
it was pretty wild and it did really well.
It was probably 20 times its original revenue within a couple of years.
(28:45):
and I think it's still operating.
And it was actually my first foray into luggage, which is what I'm doing now.
So I got to go through the entire design process of luggage and sourcing and everything.
And that was really super cool.
So the technical end, that is my forte, is the technical.
(29:06):
Gotcha.
Some of my, would say favorite roles that I've been in and maybe more of the reason why Ibecame an entrepreneur too is having that flexibility to like start a process from start
to finish to like try something new and not be like boxed in or limited.
That's kind of how my brain works.
I'm not on the technical side of things.
(29:27):
would say I'm definitely more on the lifestyle.
I'm learning the technical side of it, especially like I said, being married to a mechanicand suspension guy.
yeah, it's always cool when you kind of have a role that they're flexible and can let youkind of take the lead on stuff.
oh let me.
I think they tolerated me more than anything else over the years.
(29:51):
My wife says I am the bluest white collar guy ever.
know, end of the day, know, most of these roles you're in spreadsheets and you're sittingin front of computer.
You're not touching motorcycle parts.
So I've always made sure that I did.
You know, and I think it made all the difference for me.
(30:13):
It makes me happy, endlessly happy.
to.
I that's what makes a good leader too, is if they're kind of well-rounded and theyunderstand different roles within the company and how stuff is actually done rather than
just guessing from an office.
Yeah, I've been lucky and I've worked with teams over the years that are really more handson as well as marketing and sales.
(30:37):
that, and I think I do better with the kind of person who isn't afraid to pick up awrench, which is kind of cool.
And the team here is, they're more than willing to get their hands dirty and get thingsdone.
I think it makes for, you're more connected to your product.
I think you're better at sales and marketing because of that.
(30:58):
Absolutely.
When it comes to the bikes on the market today, there's a lot more technology than thereused to be different ride modes, electronics, connectivity.
Do you think that's helping to bring more people into it or is it overly complicating itin some ways?
depends on how old you are.
Really does.
You know, it's an expected part of the experience oh at a younger age.
(31:25):
You know, m but as an older guy, you're thinking, I don't want to have to take a class tolearn how to use these hand controls.
You know, like the, um the Pan America is an incredible motorcycle, but the amount ofbuttons it has on the hand controls is daunting.
Like, here, I'm going to be playing in thedirt in this thing.
I don't have time to learn how to push buttons and try and manage not flipping it over.
(31:50):
So it really depends on the use case and your age.
I don't if you're following what Harley's doing right now, but they are bringing back theAir Cold Sportster.
That is an unheard of move for a brand to bring back a bike they killed.
But the beauty of that bike is the simplicity.
(32:11):
It is pure motorcycle.
It is air-cooled.
It doesn't have anything fancy.
It doesn't have traction control.
It barely had ABS.
It's just a simple machine.
I think I bet that resonates really well now.
I don't know what the price point will be on that, but I think like you said, thetechnology can be great in some aspects depending on who you are.
(32:35):
But I also feel like it's maybe driven the price up of machines as well.
Yeah, for sure.
Yeah, for sure.
Yeah, by comparison, motorcycles are still relatively simple compared to cars.
So we haven't gotten too nutty about it.
But the Moto Marini I'm on right now has a built-in camera with an app.
(32:57):
I don't know what I'm going to do with that.
I'm not doing anything interesting enough to film it.
But it's there.
It's kind of neat tech.
The screen is huge.
So that is kind of cool.
So it will actually like film as you're riding?
like what's out ahead of you.
into the motorcycle under the headlight.
It's kind of wild, right?
know, and it's interesting that Moto Marini was the first one to do that.
(33:22):
All right.
So it's a neat bike.
It's a super neat bike.
So, you know, it's kind of like a like the tenere as far as horsepower and shape and it'sa little porkier, a little heavier.
But what an amazing bike for an amazing price.
yeah, built in camera.
From the factory.
Which is pretty wild.
(33:43):
yeah, so the tech has its place.
There's something about, I think for me, the motorcycle experience is there's a lot goingon in motorcycle.
The last thing is distractions.
So I'm not a giant fan of heavy tech in bikes, but I'm old.
So, you know, that might be a generational thing.
(34:05):
There are some features I definitely love and appreciate.
Fuel injection being one of them.
And when I teach motorcycle safety classes for the state, we have a mix of some very oldbikes and some newer models and a lot of carbureted bikes.
And it's always interesting as the years pass, the students that have no idea aboutcarbureted bikes, because that wasn't even on their radar.
(34:28):
And even this year training a new class of instructors,how many of them have never owned carbureted bikes to understand how that works.
Again, coming from the dirt bike world, that was just like second nature to me.
But on those really chilly mornings that we have sometimes, it's really nice to have thosefuel injected bikes and not be messing with the carbureted bikes.
(34:53):
There's something kind of ethereal about jetting a bike and setting up a carb.
But it's equally cool to get on a computer and tune a bike.
It really is.
And way cleaner and easier and more manageable and repeatable.
so yeah, I think I enjoy them both.
(35:13):
I've spent a whole lot of my life changing brass.
So you get in front of uh atune and you can see it happening is pretty darn cool.
You and you can look at an air fuel ratio and see the change you made and you know thatit's going to work.
Whereas, you know, brass, think I was always guessing a little bit.
(35:39):
Let's wrap up with maybe your favorite SW-MOTECH product personally and why that's beenyour favorite.
I love how the tank release or the tank bag release is done.
I think more of our competitors are doing that now too, but the quick release is supercool.
So you can kind of just drop the bag on the tank and it clicks.
(36:01):
And you know it's there, it's not gonna move around.
I have a bag that it's a smaller one and I actually use it as my lunch bag.
So I throw it in the fridge and it works really well.
And my guys here just roll their eyes at me.
But it works.
It works super good.
Like I tried getting my lunch bag into my bag.
Like, oh, we need two bags.
So and you know, obviously we got a ton of them around the office.
(36:24):
I like I just put my lunch in in the tank bag and it goes in the fridge when I get hereand it pops right off and it works really well.
So yeah, right now that's my favorite.
Tell people where they can learn more about SW-MOTECH and then connect with you online.
So SW-MOTECH is S-W-Motech, M-O-T-E-C-H dot U-S, because we have European versions aswell.
(36:47):
So that's our site.
All our socials are SW-MOTECH as well.
For me personally, Instagram, I am Dave's Garage.
I don't do a ton anymore, but I was building a lot of bikes and cars and stuff, so that'swhere I collect.
all of that.
Well thank you so much for joining me and thanks to everybody for tuning in to Momentum.
(37:08):
This has been a production of High Gear Success.
If you want to connect or recommend a guest, head to MomentumMotorsportsPodcast.com.
Until next time, keep the momentum rolling.
Popular Podcasts
Hey Jonas!
Hey Jonas! The official Jonas Brothers podcast. Hosted by Kevin, Joe, and Nick Jonas. It’s the Jonas Brothers you know... musicians, actors, and well, yes, brothers. Now, they’re sharing another side of themselves in the playful, intimate, and irreverent way only they can. Spend time with the Jonas Brothers here and stay a little bit longer for deep conversations like never before.
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang
Ding dong! Join your culture consultants, Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang, on an unforgettable journey into the beating heart of CULTURE. Alongside sizzling special guests, they GET INTO the hottest pop-culture moments of the day and the formative cultural experiences that turned them into Culturistas. Produced by the Big Money Players Network and iHeartRadio.