MotorcycleSeatBlog.com

Now that the wrapping paper is all picked up and the gifts are put away, we have time to take a breath and look back at 2011.  We have survived the holidays, seen ups and downs of the economy and experienced the wrath of Mother Nature.

The economy has been on a roller coaster ride, and we are happy to be still strapped in our seats at the end of the year.  We hope the 2012 brings much needed boosts to the economy for all concerned.

Mustang, for the first time in years, closed for a day due to weather related conditions.  Mother Nature decided to “trick us” with a surprise snow storm before that practically shut down Connecticut.  Once the snow was cleared and the power turned back on, we were up and running with business as usual.  We were one of the lucky ones that did not lose power for a long period of time.  It was quite the ordeal for many others, some being without power for 10 days or more.

Even though it is the end of the year when many businesses are quiet during the holidays, we are just beginning to hustle and bustle with things to do.  This is the time of the year that we begin planning our line of seats, creating new ones and continuing to produce the seats that everyone has come to know.  We are preparing our catalogs for printing and distributing, and planning our attendance at dealer and retail shows during 2012.  We always look forward to seeing old friends and making new ones at these shows.  Our scheduled shows in 2012 are listed on our website, so if you are going to be attending one or more of them, please stop by and say hello.

We hope that 2012 brings good health and prosperity to all.  We also hope that Mother Nature will be kinder to everyone in the weather department.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!  See you in 2012!

Anyone who’s professionally involved in any industry involving cars, trucks and motorcycles knows that the annual Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) convention is absolutely the top dog of such events in the United States.

SEMA is a trade association consisting of a diverse group of manufacturers, distributors, retailers, magazines, builders, restylers, race teams and more. And each fall, this industry’s brightest minds and hottest products are drawn to the Las Vegas Convention Center like moths to a light bulb.

And while this is strictly an industry-only event that’s not open to the public, even civilians know this trade show by one simple acronym: SEMA.

This month, Gary Kendrick, Mustang’s vice president of manufacturing, joined more than 60,000 of his closest friends at SEMA, touting our world-famous motorcycle seats and talking them up to anyone who would listen. He said he spent three full days making (more…)

We’re shipping a bunch of our staffers off to a pair of motorcycle industry trade shows over the next couple of weeks, which gives them the perfect setting to meet and interact face-to-face with distributors, dealers, retailers and the press. Some see industry trade shows in general as junkets, but not us — we put a lot of stock in what can happen at such events and how the knowledge we gain from our peers helps you, the motorcycle enthusiast.

The first February trade show we’ll be attending is V-Twin Expo, which begins this Saturday and runs through Monday at the Duke Energy Convention Center in Cincinnati, Ohio. We’ll be in Booth No. 315 for this, the V-Twin industry’s biggest trade show of the year. While we’re in The Queen City, we’ll be talking with folks about what’s new for 2011 and attending a number of seminars that are tailor-made for industry professionals.

Then on Friday, Feb. 18, we’ll move one state over to attend the 44^th annual Dealernews International Powersports Dealer Expo in Indianapolis, Ind. This is where everybody who works in the powersports industry gathers to (more…)

Our dance card is full with 17 rallies in 11 states scheduled for 2011, and the chances are good that our huge tractor-trailer chock full of motorcycle seats, parts and accessories will be arriving at a rally near you sometime during the next 12 months.

Here at Mustang, we make these rallies into memorable events, allow you – our beloved customers – to try out different Mustang seats on your bike before you buy. And if you’re indecisive about which bike seat best suits your needs, the capable and efficient Mustang mechanics and installation specialists who attend these rallies can help you choose the right size and style of seat for you and your passenger. Installation is quick and free, and we’ll even ship your old seat home at no charge so you don’t have to tote the darn thing around with you.

More details —  including exact locations, dates and hours — will be listed here on the blog and on our site as the date of each event approaches. In the meantime, you can find updates to our 2011 rally schedule online at our 2011 Motorcycle Rally Page. Or you can make a copy of this preliminary list and hang it in your garage for reference: (more…)

We’re closing the curtain on the 2010 rally season this weekend at the Lone Star Rally in Galveston, Texas, and we’re bringing along everything that’ll fit in the Mustang rig.

It’s been a great year and we’ve met thousands of riders at events from Florida to New Hampshire and from Sturgis to Nevada. The Lone Star Rally is our last hoopla of the year so we hope that “y’all come on down” to Galveston!

Since everything is bigger in Texas, we decided to end the year with a big bang! In addition to our huge Mustang Seats truck and a full team, we’ll be set up alongside trucks from Kuryakyn, Performance Machine, Progressive Suspension, and Metzeler Tires. You can outfit your bike from tip to toe without even leaving the area! 

Trying out different Mustang seats on your bike has never been easier — or more fun. Our capable and efficient mechanics and installation specialists will help you choose the best size and the best style seat for you and your passenger. Installation is quick and free, and we’ll even ship your old seat home at no charge so you don’t have to tote the darn thing around with you.

We’ll be at the same location as last year (Pier #21, right next to where the cruise ships are docked).  Hours are from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, and from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. 3pm on Sunday.

Hope to see you in Galveston this weekend or at another show in 2011!

Waterbury, Connecticut is the place to be on Sunday, Sept. 19, when Doc’s Motorcycle Parts hosts its 41^st Annual Customer Day and Bike Show, highlighted by a motorcycle design competition featuring 30 bike classes, trophies and cash prizes. This once-a-year-event takes place from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and activities will be spread out all over Doc’s property at 1625 Thomaston Ave. in Waterbury.

All bikes and classes are welcome to enter and registration forms — at $20 a pop — are available at Doc’s prior to the show. Those who register receive a gift bag filled with goodies from top vendors, including Mustang Motorcycle Seats. All classes — from rat and antique to stock and custom — are welcome to compete, with $2,000 in cash and prizes awarded to trophy winners. For contest information, call Mike Doc at (203) 757-0295.

In addition to the bike show, there will be food, music, drinks, drawings and a free swap meet. Doc’s customer appreciation day will also feature the best vendors in the motorcycle industry — including your friends from here at Mustang! And that’s really good news because everything at Doc’s will be on sale that day — helmets, tires, batteries, leathers, brake pads and, of course, motorcycle seats.

Established in 1969, the store has more than 100,000 parts and accessories that will fit Harley-Davidson motorcycles from 1948 all the way to last week. There are also thousands of parts on hand for foreign and domestic bikes, as well as street bikes, dirt bikes and ATVs. If you need a Harley part, chances are good that you’ll find it at Doc’s.

That’s a far cry from the store’s humble beginnings after Doc returned from a four-year stint in the military in 1968. He couldn’t find parts for his motorcycle and discovered that the (more…)

We’ve inked our fall schedule and, as usual, it’s a busy one with rallies and events planned in four states and a half-dozen locations. Each event will feature either our factory tent or our Motorsport Rally Corp. road show truck and tent on site.

We don’t like to admit that we’re predictable or anything, but when you see the Mustang display at any of these events, you can be 100 percent certain that the motorcycle seat you buy there will be installed for free and that your old motorcycle seat will be shipped home for free.

So, no more lollygagging — here’s our fall 2010 rally schedule:

Sept. 16-19: DelMarVa Bike Week in Ocean City, Md., where Mustang’s authorized MRC road show tent will be open for business. Call MRC for details at (877) 376-5021.

Sept. 22-26: Reno Street Vibrations, to be held at Circus Circus in Reno, Nev., featuring our road show tent. For more information, call MRC at (877) 376-5021.

Sept. 30-Oct. 3: Thunder Beach, Panama City, Fla. You’ll find the Mustang road show tent in the Club La Vela parking lot. Call (877) 376-5021 for additional details.

Oct. 13-17: Biketoberfest in Ormond Beach, Fla., where our factory sales tent will (more…)

Editor’s Note: This blog entry was written by Mike Panasci, Vice President, Mustang Motorcycle Products, Inc.

I’ve been working in the motorcycle industry and riding bikes for more than 42 years now and, truth be told, last week was the first time I ever set foot in Sturgis, South Dakota.

My boss — Mustang Motorcycle Seats President Al Simmons — pretty much insisted I fly with him to Sturgis, along with Gary Kendrick, our vice president of production. Al did the flying, expertly handling the controls of his own eight-seat Pilatus PC-12 turbo prop.

Another directive from my boss was that the three of us had to spend an afternoon riding in the famous Black Hills of South Dakota. After a leisurely tour of the well-traveled loop of Deadwood, Custer Park and the Needles, we approached our ultimate destination — Mount Rushmore.

No photograph I’ve ever seen of the place prepared me for the impact of actually standing beneath this monumental, man-made creation, surrounded by fellow bikers who also stood in awe before these inspirational carved granite figures.

Breaking the reverie, my cell phone indicated I had a voice message. It was the staff back at the Mustang booth with an urgent message for Al to call J&P Cycles as soon as possible. As most riders know, J&P is the premier motorcycle aftermarket retailer, started in the cornfields of Iowa more than three decades ago by owners John and Jill Parham.

As you may or may not know, John Parham publicly announced this spring that he was diagnosed with Pulmonary Fibrosis back in 2007. There’s no cure for this disease — the only hope for extended survival is a lung transplant.

When Al called J&P, he was told that a suitable donor had been matched to John, and that John and his wife were flying from Iowa to the Cleveland Clinic for the surgery. Meanwhile, the Parham’s son, Zach, who is vice president of operations for J&P, was stuck in Sturgis overseeing the company store. Obviously, it was important that Zach see his father before an operation of this magnitude and time was of the essence.

Could Al fly Zach to Cleveland in time to see his father?

Good question. And it raised other questions. Al’s plane was (more…)

The 70^th edition of the biggest motorcycle event in the world — Sturgis Motorcycle Rally 2010 — gets underway next month, and Mustang Motorcycle Seats will be covering it like a black leather glove.

Mustang's Huge Factory Tent at Sturgis

Our huge 40-by-60-foot factory tent will be set up on Junction Avenue just two miles south of Sturgis’ downtown area. (If you’re coming into town on I-90, the Mustang tent is just off exit 32, a quarter of a mile up on the right, in front of Hardware Hank’s and Taco John’s.)

In addition, our Mustang tractor-trailer, chock full of Mustang goodies, will be stationed at Black Hills Harley-Davidson, which is located at exit 55 off of I-90 in Rapid City, S.D. Mustang products will also be available at J&P Cycle’s Sturgis Store on Lazelle Street, which is only open during August for the Sturgis Rally.

Mustang motorcycle seat install at Sturgis

Trying different Mustang seats on your bike was never easier — or more fun.  Our capable and efficient mechanics and installation specialists will help you choose the best seat for you and your passenger. Installation is quick and FREE and we’ll even ship your old seat home at no charge so you don’t have to tote the darn thing around with you.

Close to a half million riders will descend on Sturgis between Aug. 9 and 15, transforming the tiny town into “Motorcycle City USA.” And we’ve got some tips for first-time attendees and those veteran visitors with bad memories.

• First off, remember to stock up on lots of bottled water and some reasonably healthy food. So our first tip is this: Stop at a grocery store on your way into town for provisions. That way you can save money for more important things — like a Mustang seat, for example. Hey, it’s just a suggestion!

• Second, South Dakota is one of those states where, if you don’t like the weather, just wait a minute. It can be either blazing hot or cool and rainy so be prepared with everything from shorts to slickers. They might all get a workout.

• Third, everybody heads out to see Mount Rushmore, and it’s an impressive piece of work, but there are plenty of other local day-ride destinations in the area. So be sure to pick up a free Biker InCite map from any of the vendors as soon as you hit town. That map, which it just so happens Mustang advertises in, can direct you to such side trips as Rapid City, Spearfish, Deadwood and the Black Hills National Forest.

• Finally, you don’t even need a map to take a stroll up and down Main and Lazelle Streets, which will be chock full of bikers, vendors, bikes, food and all kinds of people watching the biggest rally of the year!

Hope to see you next month in Sturgis!

Like April in Paris, June in New Hampshire conjures up certain feelings and emotions. For kids, June and New Hampshire means summer camp. For families, it means road trips and camping throughout the White Mountains or extended stays at Lake Winnipesaukee. And for motorcycle riders and enthusiasts, June in New Hampshire means Laconia Motorcycle Week, a week-and-a-half long festival that attracts more than 400,000 people to central New Hampshire.

As you would expect, the Mustang Motorcycle Seats 18-wheel tractor-trailer and show crew will be on hand in Laconia for all of Motorcycle Week (starting Saturday, June 12, through Sunday, June 20). If you’ll be partying in Laconia, touring the spectacular White Mountains, or swimming in beautiful Lake Winnipesaukee, please stop by and say hello – especially if you’re in the market for a new motorcycle seat.

You can find us at Laconia Harley-Davidson, which is located at 239 Daniel Webster Hwy (Rte 3), in Meredith, NH. Our highly efficient and hard-working mechanics and installation specialists can set you up on the spot with (more…)