Welcome

North Dakota Powersports Dealers Association
Meeting
July 17, 2007

The North Dakota Powersports Dealers Association held a meeting on July 17, 2007 at 10:00 a.m. at the Sertoma Community Center in Bismarck, ND.

Present:  President Keith Braunberger – Pure Honda, Executive Director Keri Wanner, Vice President -  Annette Behm-Caldwell – Open Road Honda, Justin Bohn – Cycle Hutt, Bill Stork – Roughrider Harley Davidson, and Dusty Caldwell – Open Road Honda.

Others present:  Duane Wall – D & S Trailer Sales, Jason Lueder – ND Dirt Riders, and Lorrie Pavlicek – ND Department of Transportation – Motor Vehicle Division and Jerry Auch ND Department of Transportation – Motor Vehicle Division. 

President Keith Braunberger called the meeting to order at 10:10 a.m. 

The meeting agenda was reviewed.  Annette Behm-Caldwell made a motion to approve the agenda, Justin Bohn seconded the motion, motion carried. 

The financial reports were reviewed.  Annette Behm-Caldwell made a motion to approve the financial reports, Bill Stork seconded the motion, motion carried.

The minutes from the previous meeting were emailed and placed on the website.  Annette Behm-Caldwell made a motion to approve the minutes, Justin Bohn seconded the motion, motion carried.

Keri Wanner reported the final registration numbers for OHV’s and snowmobiles for the 2005-2007 biennium.  There were over 20,000 OHV’s and 16,249 snowmobiles. 

Jason Lueder’s provided an updated for the Dealers on the activities of the ND Dirt Riders.  The ND Dirt Riders are trying to increase their membership.  Currently there are approximately 200 memberships.  Current clubs in the association include cities of Hankinson, Fargo, Fordville, and there are also individual members from Minot.  The ND Dirt Riders are working with the ND Parks & Recreation Department on the potential Dunn Center OHV trail.  They are currently waiting for paperwork from the Core to pursue the project.  The ND Dirt Riders is also helping ND Parks & Recreation grub the Roughrider Trail located south of Mandan.  There is also 1,938 miles of OHV trail available in the Badlands in western ND.  The association is also trying to host ride days to encourage more involvement with the Dirt Riders. 

Keri Wanner provided an update for Snowmobile ND (SND).  SND is still providing the membership discount card program.  Any business that participates has to provide a discount to the members of SND and the business is provided free listings on SND’s website and in the Sno-Dak News.  Keri is also trying to work with DOT on providing a registration incentive to encourage renewing snowmobile registrations. 

Jerry and Lorrie provided a presentation on behalf of the ND Department of Transportation (DOT)– Motor Vehicle Division.  They currently publish a quarterly newsletter for all dealers.  They are willing to provide space to the Dealers Association to publish articles.  The MV Division is also in the process of contacting the ATV and snowmobile dealers on the new Motor Powered Vehicle Dealer registration.  They plan to write a press release.  Keri offered to provide them with an Excel list of dealers she uses for mailings.  She will email this to Lorrie.  The turn around on titles is 60-90 days.  The law in ND is that an individual must provide a title within 15 days after selling a registered motor-vehicle and a dealer has 30 days.  There is nothing in the law about the lender holding titles on newly purchased machines.  South Dakota’s law states they can’t sell a motor vehicle until the title is in hand.  There has been a problem acquiring titles on dirtbikes (if the bike is traded in).  The dealer needs to have a notarized bill of sale and the machine must be inspected by the highway patrol to obtain title.  The reason the highway patrol has to inspect the machine is for VIN verification.  It was reported, at the DOT MV windows some of the representatives have required an MSO even though the above information is all that is needed to obtain the title.  Lorrie & Jerry were going to check on this issue to try and correct. 

The Motor Powered Vehicle Law allows 30 days for application.  When registered, the dealer’s records are open for review by DOT.  If a dealer is not licensed there is not a fine by the DOT, it’s a criminal offense and will be fined by the court.  They have already started to receive phone calls from people selling the products out of their house.  DOT is providing the information about the new law to these individuals.  The plates will not be metal, so keep track of them. 

Tips were provided on titling equipment.  1.  Make sure to match the serial number on the title and on the machine to make sure they are the same.  2.  All of the VIN (vehicle identification numbers) numbers are 17 digits long and the 10th digit tells you the year of the machine.  Please double check this when taking trades.  3.  If VIN’s don’t look right, double check.  4.  Double check to make sure the serial number is on the machine.  4.  All machines have a ND title.  5.  Look for serial number, some sellers may remove it.  5.  All machines 2007 and newer must have an EPA sticker on the machine.  6.  Track the date of sale to the day of submission on titles. 

Representatives from the ND Parks & Recreation Department were unable to attend so Keri reported for their agency.  The Department is working on the Pembina Gorge riding opportunities and is also in the process of providing an online youth safety education certification for OHV’s and snowmobiles.  They also are hoping to work with the Dealers Association on finding dealers to sell the out-of-state snowmobile passes.  All businesses that sell the passes can receive $1 administration fee for every pass that is sold. 

The 2007 Legislation passed several laws that affected the recreational dealers, OHV’s, and snowmobiles.  The Motor Powered Vehicle Law requires all OHV, motorcycle, and snowmobile dealers to be registered with the state.  Class II OHV’s (ATV’s) can now operate on roadways up to 55 mph and Class III OHV’s (Utility side-by-side ATV’s) can operate on roadways up to 65 mph.  An individual can operate an off-highway vehicle on a roadway only if it is equipped with the following equipment, all of which must be in working order:  one headlamp, one horn, one taillamp, speedometer, one brake light, odometer, one mirror, motor with a minimum of 350 cubic centimeters.  If you are operating a class I OHV you are not required to have a headlamp, taillamp, or brake light unless you are riding at night.  Youth OHV riders can participate in special events but cannot operate OHV’s on public land unless they have an OHV safety certification.  Possible legislation for the 2009 session is to pursue a law requiring the dealers to charge title, registration, and tax fees when selling machines instead of the individual being responsible for the fees at a later date. 

Membership to the Dealers association was discussed.  The Dealers attending the meeting felt more incentive should be provided to attend the meetings.  For instance, hosting rides in conjunction with the meetings or providing speakers/seminars before or after the meeting.  It was also discussed to move the meeting locations around the state making it more convenient for all Dealers.  All Dealers that are members of the association should contact non-members to attend the meetings.  To help the members contact non-members Keri will email the current Dealers Association membership list, the DOT MV motorcycle dealers list, and the list of potential dealerships that Keri put together of businesses around the state. 

Keri will provide all of the members of the Dealers Association with the ND Powersports Dealers Association logo to place on their business websites.  Keri will email a jpg; if a different version is preferred please let Keri know. 

The projects and goals of the ND Powersports Dealers Association are to gain more membership to earn more credibility with the Legislators and businesses within the state. 

The Dealers at the meeting don’t want to work on fundraising opportunities at this time.  This is a good idea when the membership is larger providing more parties to help with fundraising efforts. 

Duane Wall from D & S Trailer Sales stated the Burleigh County Commissioners said they may possibly ban OHV’s in the ditches in Burleigh County.  At this time there is not a lot of information to provide.  This is just information he received as a representative on the Burleigh County Fairgrounds Board.  He will contact the Dealers Association as he learns more information. 

Bill Stork made a motion to adjourn the meeting, Annette Behm-Caldwell seconded the motion, motion carried.  The next meeting will be held in January of 2008.  Keri will send an email to the Dealers Association members to determine a date, time, and location.  Keri will work on putting together a list of events that the meeting could possibly be held in conjunction. 

Respectfully Submitted,
Keri Wanner
Executive Director