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In the mainstream news, we have seen no shortage of companies pulling out of business operations in Russia and with Russian-aligned firms, as a reaction to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

That growing economic and financial influence is also coming from the motorcycle industry, as we can count Harley-Davidson and Polaris as joining that list of brands who have made a stand against Russia’s hostilities.

If you have a Polaris Slingshot (circa 2020-2021) in your garage, you might want to check your rear wheel before you take it for its next drive.

This is because Polaris is recalling over 4,700 units of its 2020-2021 Slingshot three-wheelers because their rear wheel studs may not have been fully pressed into the axle by the supplier, which possibly could cause them to come loose.

With the departure of Scott Wine from the powersports industry, the question coming into 2021 was who was going to lead Polaris Industries going forward.

We still don’t have a definitive answer on that, but we do know who will be leading the company’s house of brands as it looks for a permanent solution, as Michael Speetzen has been named the interim CEO for Polaris.

A news item that got lost in the shuffle, there is some pretty big news from Medina, Minnesota as Polaris CEO and Chairman Scott Wine has announced his departure from the American powersports company.

This is a shake-up for Polaris Industries, as Wine’s tenure at the American firm has been some of the company’s best, with sales more than tripling and Polaris joining the Fortune 500 listing during Wine’s time as CEO and Chairman.

Most notably, Wine oversaw the takeover of the Indian motorcycle brand, which continues to gain marketshare against Harley-Davidson, and he closed the struggling Victory motorcycle brand in the process.

Polaris Industries and Zero Motorcycles have inked a 10-year deal that will see the two American companies partnering on electric ATVs, side-by-sides, and snowmobiles (but not motorcycles).

While the 10-year duration might be an ambitious commitment, we do expect to see the fruits of this partnership to debut in just a year’s time, with the first model from this partnership expected to come in 2021.

The plan is for Polaris to develop, manufacturer, and sell electric powersport products that use Zero’s drivetrain hardware and software components.

This gives Polaris a jump on electrifying its fleet of vehicles, while it gives Zero some much needed cash from selling drivetrain systems.

Episode 28 of the Brap Talk podcast is now out for your two-wheeled audio pleasure, and as always, it is packed with some interesting motorcycle discussions…and some strong opinions.

Our show starts with news from the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), where we saw the new Alpinestars Tech-Air 5 airbag vest, and the electric superbike from Damon Motorcycles.

The latter provides quite a bit of fodder for a frank conversation about this motorcycle debut, and the lofty promises the Canadian company is making about its product.

Polaris Industries has begun teasing the next iteration of its three-wheeled sporting machine, better known as the Slingshot.

First debuting for the 2015 model year, Polaris in 2020 is finally bringing an update/new edition to the Slingshot line, which will hopefully help spur sales for this autocar.

The American brand isn’t saying too much about their new Slingshot right now, but our Bothan spies have tipped us to an automatic transmission option for the reverse-trike car.

Another recall for you, this time from the three-wheeled world, as Polaris continues to recall its Slingshot autocar because of issues with the seat belt and seats being able to detach and possibly slide.

It is of note that this is the third recall announcement (1st and 2nd) that has been issued by Polaris for a seat belt safety concern, which now affects 3,305 units from the 2018 and 2019 model years.

By our counting, today marks the ninth time that the Polaris Slingshot has been recalled in the US market, as Polaris Industries  is recalling certain 2015-2016 Polaris Slingshot, Slingshot SL and Slingshot SL LE motorcycles autocycles equipped with a back-up camera.

The issue stems from the fact that the back-up camera may fail internally, which may melt the voltage regulator and also possibly blow the fuse for that circuit. If this occurs, it would prevent the taillight from functioning properly.

If the taillight fails to  operate, then the affected Slingshot would fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 108, Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment. 

There is also a risk that a melted voltage regulator could cause a fire on the vehicle. In total, Polaris says that 11,371 Slingshots are affected by this recall.

The Polaris Slingshot is the latest “motorcycle” to get a recall from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, and this one affects 10,658 vehicles in total. 

The issue concerns the Slingshot’s seatbelt, which may not lock when the vehicle is involved in a crash – especially a crash that involves a sizable lateral impact.

For those keeping track, this is the second time that Polaris has had issues with the design on the Slingshot’s seatbelts, having recalled the system previously earlier this year because of poor anchoring welds.

So, once again Polaris Industries is recalling the Polaris Slingshot S, Slingshot SL, Slingshot GT LE, and Slingshot SLR, this time from the 2017, 2018, and 2019 model years.

President Trump’s trade war is about to see another player in the motorcycle industry jump ship from American soil, and this time it is heavyweight Polaris Industries.

According to a report by the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal, Polaris is considering moving some of its production capacity to Europe, eyeing a production facility in Poland that would build units for the European market.

The move is a direct response to the retaliatory tariffs imposed by the European Union on motorcycle imports, which itself was a response to the Trump Administration’s taxing of steel and aluminum imports.