Friday, November 9, 2012

Running The Numbers On Helmets Sales

OFF THE WIRE


An ADP Lightspeed study of 219 V-Twin dealers from Jan.-Sept. 2012 shows that helmets represent 3 to 9% of total parts & accessories sales. The 219 V-twin dealerships polled sold $3.1 million in helmets during the first nine months of 2012, part of $60 million in total P&A sales. The state of Indiana ranks number 1 with helmets comprising 9.1% of P&A sales, the state of West Virginia ranking last with only 2.9% of P&A sales.
But how different state laws affect the sales of helmets?  ADP Lightspeed data shows that states without a helmet law make up 7 of the top 10 states when considering helmet sales as a percentage of total P&A sales. Indiana, Hawaii, Idaho, Nevada, Alaska, North Dakota and Puerto Rico are all states without helmet laws, and they ranked among the top 10 for helmets sales as a percentage of total P&A sales.
Among V-Twin dealers, Harley-Davidson, Tucker Rocky and Parts Unlimited are the source of 87 percent of helmet sales. In fact, nearly 2 out of 3 helmets (64 percent) sold by ADP Lightspeed V-twin dealerships is a Harley lid. Dealers who use ADP Lightspeed sold $2.07 million in Harley-Davidson helmets and helmet accessories over the January to September period. Tucker Rocky (12 percent) and Parts Unlimited (11 percent) follow, ahead of Western Power Sports (6 percent) and Fox Racing (3 percent).
Metric dealers who use ADP Lightspeed, meanwhile, generated $21.4 million in helmet sales from January to September, part of $287.3 million in total P&A sales. Helmets and helmet accessories by metric dealers run from 3 to 13%  of total P&A sales. Delaware checks in highest, with helmet sales making up 13.3 percent of total P&A sales. Wyoming is lowest at 3.3 percent. Seven of the top 10 states in the study are states that require riders to wear helmets.
Among Metric Dealers, Helmet sales from Tucker Rocky lead the way at metric dealerships, with 36 percent of all helmet sales coming from the Texas-based distributor. Parts Unlimited follows with 22 percent, with Western Power Sports at 18 percent. Fox Racing claims 8 percent of the metric helmet sales market by ADP Lightspeed dealers, with Sullivans (5 percent) and Helmet House (3 percent) also eclipsing the $600,000 in sales mark from January to September.
ADP Lightspeed works closely with dealers to create high performance Powersports dealer management solutions that help increase profitability, improve customer retention and speed efficiency.
 ROGUE Nov 9th, 2012 at 10:24 am
I agree with the statement that helmet use should Not Be Mandatory.
Back in the 70s when Mandatory Helmet Laws came into being they were fought vigorously and over the years this has slowed down.
One of the reasons is after the Federal Blackmail Threat of withholding Highway Funds to states was beat with HB-3869 on July 21-1975 the government took a different approach and made Helmets Mandatory for Children and threatened to file Child Abuse Charges Against Parents whose children were caught riding without helmets.
The children were taught in school about bicycle safety and grew up wearing helmets, they became conditioned to do this much like we have with things like putting clothes on. Okay have some fun with that But you should get the idea.
The kids were taught what the government wanted them to learn and the parents went along with it. Yes we all want our children to be safe But we still want them to make decisions for themselves as they grow older and these decisions should be made with pros and cons and Not just what the government says or wants.
One of the reasons the government is still fighting Freedom of Choice is that they got their ass kicked by the Bikers that fought against Mandatory Helmet Laws and did not like it. The Bikers rebelled and if allowed to get away with it the government will lose control over this segment of society.
Look at how many other bills have passed since then like the roadside stops and Mandatory Rider Education Laws.
The government is keeping the motorcyclist tied up talking about how to do this and that and continues to get away with violating rights.
When the people that follow how government deals with motorcycle issues and check statements and studies from the government they find many discrepancies.
Some gains are made But the fact still remains that Rights Are Violated Every Day.
No one is saying you should not wear a helmet But Do Not Condone Forcing Others To Do So.
Share information and opinions But Demand Freedom Of Choice.

 You may want to check out the discussion on Cyril Huze's sight http://cyrilhuzeblog.com/2012/11/08/running-the-numbers-on-helmets-sales/comment-page-1/#comment-215132