During his days as a race car driver and team owner, Edward DuCoin has seen about every imaginable souvenir available for the nearly 75 million NASCAR fans.
“There's T-shirts, hats..., but we couldn't find a NASCAR motorcycle,” DuCoin said. That revelation led to the launching of the Signature Series Moto 50 line of motorcycles.
Evesham-based Moto Cycle Corp. debuted the motorcycle line endorsed by several NASCAR drivers last month during the 2007 Dealer Expo in Indianapolis.
“After several months of very detailed research with dealers in multiple states, we determined that the NASCAR fan base is very interested in power sports products,” said DuCoin, an entrepreneur who races cars in a West Coast series and is a team owner in the NASCAR Truck Series. He said there's no other product like this on the market today.
“We're just getting them out to the dealers and they've been very well received,” DuCoin said last week. The 50cc motorcycles come with an automatic transmission, electric start and can get up to 80 miles per gallon.
“They are a great secondary mode of transportation,” DuCoin said. “The 50 cc motorcycles can hold two adults and go up to 40 mph.”
The company plans to offer 250cc motorcycles in the Signature Series within about four months.
While the primary focus of the marketing has been in the Sunbelt states and at NASCAR races, the company is working to expand to the northern states soon, DuCoin said.
“We're doing more a grassroots (effort),” DuCoin said of the company's marketing strategy. “In February, we were in Daytona for the (Daytona) 500 and riding the bikes around the track and got a wonderful response.”
He said the NASCAR races are a perfect opportunity to reach 100,000 potential buyers all at one event.
In addition to the Signature series, Moto Cycle Corp. offers similar motorcycles with various paint schemes of colleges and universities and its private label with prices starting at $1,300. DuCoin said the company expects the line of motorcycles will reach $20 million in sales by 2010.