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Wind around the nose, the vibrating power of the motorcycle below and a beautiful sunset – yes, this is definitely a bit of a cliché. But powersports has become an integral part of leisure spend and this was never more prevalent than during the COVID air-travel downturn. The lack of demand for the close-proximity sardine-can nature of flights left individuals longing for a more personal leisure experience. That adventurous atmosphere of touring unknown local areas and getting a refresher of the outdoors was just what everyone was looking for. Of course, we are talking about brands such as Buell, Harley-Davidson, and many more which are here to bridge that gap between nature and accessibility.
Francesco Muglia, National Sales Manager at NORMA Group in the United States, explains in this interview how NORMA Group contributes to the Powersports business and how the company continues to be awarded for upcoming model years.
Francesco, how big is the powersports market?
It is an important market for NORMA Group. According to Fortune Business Insights, the global powersports market size was valued at USD 36.27 billion in 2022 and is expected to grow to USD 54.52 billion by 2030. Powersport vehicles are designed for both off-highway and on-highway use, delivering exceptional performance. The vehicles comprise motorcycles, but also trikes, snowmobiles or even jet skis.
How is NORMA Group involved in the powersports business?
You might be surprised to learn just how diverse the line card offering is for powersports.
Currently, the products of choice for hose connections are still our EMEA brand TORRO clamps and spring band hose clamps due to engineering preference and familiarity with the metric sizing.
The BREEZE brand out of Pennsylvania in the US is making traction with our Power seals as well as CT- and T-bolt line card.
The TORCA brand, produced in Tijuana, Mexico, continues to remain the exhaust clamp solution of choice with our AccuSeal clamp and adjacent product families.
Our manufacturing plant of NORMA TORCA in Tijuana, Mexico.
What makes NORMA Group’s powersports product offering so special?
It should be no surprise that powersports enthusiasts tend to have an adventurous spirit which brings them to tough environments and when paired with a need for speed and/or utility, durability is critical. Our products achieve the highest quality and performance expectations that have come to be expected of the PV/CV/Military and Aerospace industries and for these reasons we find the powersports engineers trusting our products time and time again due to the positive press in these adjacent industries.
Speaking of performance – are there special requirements we need to fulfill in the powersports business?
The requirements are similar to those of the passenger and commercial vehicle world, especially concerning product performance, leak avoidance and performance-to-weight ratio. A great example of this is a recent product development award for a solution designed by one of our colleagues. His design facilitated a specific request by the Harley-Davidson Motor Company. We were tasked to provide a low-leak and reduced-mass exhaust clamp solution. Needless to say that this was also a team effort: With the help of our Application Engineering, Product Development, Product Lifecycle Management in Tijuana and the guidance from Harley-Davidson, we were able to reduce our clamp material content. This resulted in saving weight and increasing fuel efficiency, all while reducing leak and improving performance in parallel.
Are our products used by other powersports customers?
Yes, there are many OE manufacturers looking to NORMA Group. We are proud to be supplier to some of the largest powersports OEMs on the globe such as Harley-Davidson or Buell, among many others.
Does the non-metal side of NORMA Group’s business have much impact on our business in powersports?
We have seen some success translating what is being trailblazed in the passenger vehicle market with plastics, but the powersports world is dominated by DIY and on the fly repairs, which at the moment dictates primarily EPDM (ethylene propylene diene monomer rubber) and silicone hose applications, rather than our light-weight formed nylon.
An example for an exciting project is a Fuel Transport System which we are currently designing for Buell Motorcycle, a low-production/ultra-performance motorcycle brand out of Detroit, Michigan. This is a great example of the passenger vehicle technology crossing over into powersports. These fuel lines are currently in prototype at our plastics lab in St. Clair, Michigan and will transfer for production to NORMA Monterrey in Mexico.
Francesco testing a Buell Motorcycle in Detroit, Michigan. NORMA Group has recently launched a project for a Fuel Transport System with the motorcycle brand.
Francesco Muglia is currently National Sales Manager in the Americas region. Over 12 years and 9 roles, he is proud of being part of NORMA Group.
