November 4, 2017 – Andy Palmer of AP MotoArts/MotoShop will join Altus Motorsports as Service Manager and move the FZ07R program to Oklahoma. The move will give the dealership an additional motorcycle expert and gain the FZ07R the support it needs to grow to the next level.
“I’ve known Andy for a few years,” said George Nassaney, owner of Altus Motorsports. “We met in the MotoAmerica paddock and out at Chuckwalla during winter testing and training. Altus has been growing in the past few years and we are always in need of experienced leadership in our service department. Andy brings years of knowledge and problem-solving, as well as a deep understanding of sport and road race bikes.”
“The past few years have been a lot of travel. Between the MotoAmerica series and supporting the FZ07R program from California, I’ve logged more than 200,000 miles on the road. Every time we headed out to drop off a new set of FZ07Rs or to a MotoAmerica round, I’d think, ‘This would be easier if i was more centrally located.’ Well, you don’t get much more ‘central’ than Oklahoma,” said Andy Palmer.
In a year where the FZ07R has gained in popularity and orders started rolling in, Palmer was hit with a major setback when his exclusive bodywork vendor suddenly closed. Unwilling to sell the molds to an outsourced company, Andy documented the process of bringing the work in-house and the painful learning curve of producing a great product via social media. He will move production of the bodywork as well as many of the other custom parts with him to Oklahoma.
“George is committed to helping grow the FZ07R program. We will have staff for building bikes, fabricating our custom parts and creating bodywork. We will also have amazing customer support and possibly even financing,” added Palmer. “And, I’m not just there for the FZ07R, I am going there to work. Whatever I can do to help Altus be a premier dealership in the U.S.”
Altus Motorsports has fielded a team in the MotoAmerica Series for the past three years. In 2017 they supported two riders in the SuperStock 600 class: JC Camacho, who finished the season in 8th place, and Jaret Nassaney in 24th place. In 2018, Palmer will support the new twins class and junior cup entries while anchoring the service department at the dealership and maintaining all the bikes under the banner between rounds.
“We love what MotoAmerica is doing for the sport of Road Racing in America and we are proud to be a part of it. We started with a KTM Cup team in 2015 and have moved into the SuperStock 600 class. The FZ07R is a beautiful bike. We think it has a lot of potential to revitalize the lightweight Twins Class. With the new Twins Class being added to the MotoAmerica schedule for 2018, it made sense to get involved and see how we can support and build that platform,” said Nassaney.
Over the winter, Palmer will slowly move the bulk of his operation to Altus, including the Dyno. Andy plans to keep a small footprint in Southern California for the foreseeable future: “We do a lot of testing out here and I still have a customer base here. It makes sense to keep a small presence here.”
Altus Motorsports, an Altus, OK motorcycle dealer, has been in business since June 1998. They are the largest volume Polaris, Kawasaki, Yamaha, KTM and Honda dealer in the Southwest Oklahoma / North Texas region and have over 26,000SF of fun, including new and used Honda, Yamaha, Kawasaki and KTM Motorcycles, trike motorcycles, Watercrafts, and ATVs featuring Goldwing, Ninja, Vulcan & other models for sale. We also carry Honda Power Equipment, Cub Cadet Lawnmowers, Redmax, and Wright (Lawnmowers and Generators). Lawton Motorsports is also part of the Altus Motorsports family. Opened in April 2009, Lawton Motorsports sells Kawasaki, Polaris, Victory, Polaris Slingshot and Suzuki powersports products and Polaris UTV sales like the Polaris RZR and Polaris Ranger. Our sister store also carries Honda Power equipment, Wright Mowers, Gravely Mowers, Redmax, and YBravo. Both stores have motorcycle, Polaris UTV, and ATV accessories, gear, and apparel for sale to include: No Fear Motocross Gear, Fox Motocross Gear, Answer Gear, Thor Gear, and MSR Gear are just a few examples of our off-road gear. Kuryakyn, Alpinestars boots, ShowChrome, Cobra, Vance Hines, Muzzy, Yoshimura, and ICON are also available.
2116 E. Broadway, Altus, OK 73521
Phone: 580.477.1500