Mel Magnet Rivera Engineering Founder July 28, 1926 - June 24, 2008
It's a great story. It all started back in 1970, when Mel had a TV store where he sold & repaired television sets. Not to common a thing now. Mel always had a great interest in Harleys and he came up with the idea of using a British carburetor found on some British cars, like Jags, & MG's, on the Harley v twin engine. This carb was known as the S.U. (abbreviation for Skinners Union), and after Mel applied his magic to the base carb, it worked better than anything available at the time. He would do the rework of the carb at his garage and then take the finished carb to the TV shop to sell. Mel's customers ranged from a little old lady looking for a TV set to a big, burly biker looking for a new carb to make his Harley go faster!
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People are always claiming that doom is just around the corner. But we just went through another Sturgis rally
John Ventriglia President
and guess what? It was great! Lots of people riding, having a blast and buying stuff. Shirts, souvenirs, and parts... lotsa parts. So the world maybe isn't coming to an end and our industry, at least for now, remains healthy and alive.
Rivera Primo has endured many changes over the last few years, some good, some bad. We changed our name from Rivera Engineering and Primo Belt Drives, to Rivera Primo Inc., Home of Genuine Primo Belt Drives. We moved into a state of the art facility with 40000 sq. ft. of space to grow with manufacturing now on site... all good. And then in June of 2008 we lost our founder and mentor, Mel Magnet.
We've brought out several new product lines like our new HedLed Lighting System, which combines a beautiful custom headlight with integral LED turn signals and/or running lights. We now manufacture in-house the Sharpeye kicker assemblies that fit 5 & 6 speed late model transmissions and Cal Products inner primary covers for 1965-69 & 1970 -84 Big Twins.
But most importantly, we continue down the path that Mel set for us over 38 years ago to provide the best quality and customer service possible. Like our motto says "Our commitment to quality is only surpassed by our commitment to our customers". Visit our website often and watch us grow!
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I travel a lot. If you go to any of the rally's or shows you have probably run into me at one time or another. I get a real sense of the market from listening to what
Ben Kudon Executive Director
the customer is looking for and thinks about other products and the industry in general.
I get asked a million questions at every show I go and this just passed Sturgis rally was no exception. Other then the usual questions, such as "Where are the cheapest drinks and the most girls?" and the always amusing "Are you guys having fun?" (Not that us vendors don't have fun, but having to stand at a booth for 9 hours a day and answer the same questions over and over... well, it could be more funner!); the question I like the best is "How does your product stand up against the other manufacturer's product"?
Now, a lot of vendors might immediately say that the other guys product sucks or is always defective or blah, blah, blah. I never talk bad about any other manufacturer, instead I launch into my features and benefits speech. Features like built in mid control capability and hidden oil filters on our belt drives, single spring operation on our Pro Clutches and the ability to hold gobs of horsepower without the wrist strain with our TPP Variable Clutch Assist, and benefits like superior quality control, super strong, long lasting materials, not to mention our superb tech and customer support and great warranties. In fact 38 years of the best customer service in the industry. And at the end of this great speech, I simply ask "How many do you want?" It's a sale!!
