IN
THE
WIND
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MOTORCYCLE USA CEASES OPERATIONS
R
espected online publica-
tion Motorcycle USA
has ceased operations as of
Friday, February 26.
Motorcycle-USA.com has
been a cornerstone of the
U.S. online publishing indus-
try for 20 years, employing
some of the finest bike jour-
nalists in the business.
The announcement came
via the publication's twitter
page, which simply stated,
"What a long strange trip it's
been…Breaking news. LDI is
pulling the plug on Motorcycle
USA Friday. Thx for the 20 year
run readers."
The move to close Motor-
cycle USA is part of a wider
restructuring by owners MAG
Retail Group.
"We've certainly had our fair
share of highs, and some lows
just to keep us grounded, but
we want to thank all of our loyal
readers and fans across the
globe," said Motorcycle USA
Road Test Editor, Adam Wa-
heed. "We were able to leave
one hell of a skid mark over the
last two decades and help set
the bar and influence online
motorcycle publishing." CN
NEW PRESIDENT TAKES OVER AT KAWASAKI
K
awasaki Motors Corp., U.S.A. (KMC)
has announced that Yoshitaka "Yoshi"
Tamura will succeed Masafumi "Masa"
Nakagawa as president of the company,
effective April 1. Nakagawa has been with
KMC's parent company for 39 years and
will retire after recently reaching the com-
pany's retirement age.
Mr. Tamura returns to KMC after serving
in many roles for Kawasaki, including as
Director of Kawasaki Motors Europe and
most recently as Associate Officer, KD Of-
fice in the Marketing and Sales division of
Kawasaki's Motorcycle and Engine Com-
pany, where he worked with Kawasaki subsidiar-
ies around the globe. Mr. Tamura will lead KMC
in celebrating the company's 50th anniversary in
North America, as well as spearheading the com-
pany's move to its new Irvine, California headquar-
ters later this year.
"Yoshi brings a wealth of experience in the power-
sports industry to his new position. I am confident he
will continue to lead KMC to greater heights as it cel-
ebrates its golden anniversary," said Nakagawa.
During Nakagawa's two-year tenure at KMC,
the company introduced several new products
that are revolutionary in the powersports industry,
including the supercharged Ninja H2R and Ninja
H2 sportbikes, and the popular Mule Pro series
side x sides. CN
Big changes at Kawasaki these days. They're
moving to a new building later in the year and are
getting a new president.
