The revitalization of the iconic MV Agusta brand under CEO Timur Sardarov continues with the hiring of Christian Henderson as Managing Director Americas for MV Agusta. Henderson has a long career in the motorcycle industry, starting from the ground up.In 1996, Henderson earned a Mechanics diploma from the Motorcycle Mechanics Institute. Later that year, he became Parts and Service Sales Director, as well as Business Manager, of Honda of Jacksonville in Florida. In 2002, he struck out on his own as the owner of Henderson Powersports until 2007.Christian Henderson
Next, Henderson had a short run as Service Sales Manager at Adamec Harley-Davidson in Jacksonville. He moved to the General Manager position at nearby Orange Park Powersports at the end of 2007, holding that position until 2012.Henderson then made the jump to Triumph Motorcycles America, where he worked until last month. Henderson was a Regional Sales Manager at Triumph, as well as the Sales Manager North America/South. According to Henderson’s curriculum vitae, he was “Responsible for managing the Triumph brand in the southern half of the United States, from Hawaii to Florida.”“The MV Agusta Americas team will be concentrating on increasing its presence and brand awareness in the United States, Canada, and LATAM,” according to an MV Agusta spokesman, “with the goal of establishing MV Agusta as the premier quality brand in all aspects of the business. In particular, the focus will be on the development of a premium support network, the application of the latest business technology, and the launch of exciting new products and services to create a thrilling customer experience.”MV Agusta CEO Timur SardarovSpeaking about Henderson’s hiring, Sardarov stated, “Reinforcing our presence in such an important market as the Americas is a key part of our strategic plan. I am glad Christian is leading our US operation, as he brings a wealth of experience and forward-thinking, one-step-ahead leadership to the team, on top of his passion for motorcycles.”“It is with great pleasure that I join the MV Agusta team,” Henderson said. “I will bring to bear my years of experience in the industry, both from the dealer and the OEM perspectives. In order to further propel this iconic brand to new heights in the Americas, my focus will be on increasing brand awareness and strengthening the overall premium experience for both MV Agusta customers and our dealer network. My goal is for MV Agusta to become the premier brand in each of our dealerships while remaining premium and aspirational.”This is MV Agusta’s second high-profile hire in the United States in the last year. Industry veteran Nathon Verdugo, who has a track record with Aprilia, Ducati, Roland Sands Design, and ESPN X Games, was hired in November as Marketing Director at MV Agusta USA.
Hello everyone and welcome once again to Ultimate Motorcycling’s weekly Podcast—Motos and Friends.
My name is Arthur Coldwells.
This week’s Podcast is brought to you by Yamaha motorcycles. Discover how the YZF-R7 provides the perfect balance of rider comfort and true supersport performance by checking it out at YamahaMotorsports.com, or see it for yourself at your local dealer.
This week’s episode features Senior Editor Nic de Sena’s impressions of the beautiful new Harley-Davidson Low Rider ST that is loosely based around the original FXRT Sport Glide from the 1980s. Hailing from The Golden State, these cult-status performance machines became known as West Coast style, with sportier suspension, increased horsepower, and niceties including creature comforts such as a tidy fairing and sporty luggage.
In past episodes you might have heard us mention my best friend, Daniel Schoenewald, and in the second segment I chat with him about some of the really special machines in his 170 or so—and growing—motorcycle collection. He’s always said to me that he doesn’t consider himself the owner, merely the curator of the motorcycles for the next generation.
Yet Daniel is not just a collector, but I can attest a really skilled rider. His bikes are not trailer queens, they’re ridden, and they’re ridden pretty hard. Actually, we have had many, many memorable rides on pretty much all of the machines in the collection at one time or another.
From all of us here at Ultimate Motorcycling, we hope you enjoy this episode!