With the economy teetering on a precarious ledge, it won't be long before Asian-built 125cc bikes are all that anybody can afford to ride any more.
While the money markets and world politics might not be high on most motorcyclists' priorities, in Europe they are regrettably going to soon play a big part as European manufacturers have to up the price of bikes in the dealer's showrooms. While the English pound looks good against the dollar, it is not doing so well against the Euro and over the last year has lost 16% of its value.
Move into the global market and the changes to the exchange rates mean the Japanese can now sell cheaply and still make reasonable profits, while the European brands are currently losing money because of the reversal of currency strength. Dealer profits are also currently low, so it is expected that come autumn and the major world shows, prices will have to rise.
Predictions show that some bikes could rise as much as $1800, with some of the more expensive topping $2000 over current showroom tickets. However, all European brands are acutely aware that they could end up pricing themselves out of the market compared to Japanese machines if they raise prices too much. Buyers, of course, have to cut their spending as well, and as many bikes are a leisure item, they come well down the list of priorities. If push comes to shove though, any bike will do!
There is also another threat to motorcycling on the horizon as the European Transport Safety Council, (an independent body of 'experts' set up to advise the European Council (EU)) has just published a report that recommends what they see as essential safety aids being fitted as standard to all bikes.
Motorcycles like the Honda Goldwing are already equipped with air bags, but whether or not they'll save you in an accident is still debatable.
Air bags is one. We have mentioned here before the debate between the likes of Honda, who fit one to its Goldwing, and BMW, who gave up with their research, stating they were not sure of the benefits. ABS is pretty much out there already, and the idea of compulsory protective clothing again is not too much of a concern, apart from maybe an infringement of human rights.
More worrisome though is the suggestion of leg protectors, an idea that was eventually rubbished and overturned in the UK nearly 30 years ago. While they did reduce some injury, they transferred it elsewhere and trapped riders on the bikes, thereby increasing the risk!
Speed limiters, or Intelligent Speed Assistance (ISA) as they are calling them, which have already been shown to be dangerous on powered two wheelers, is another ill-conceived suggestion in the report. (It could throttle back mid corner and/or reduce stability and leave no throttle response when needed.)
You can see from this brief resume that bikes could become shapeless, boring items that could cost a whole lot more and reduce the importance of rider skill if they have their way!
Understandably, rider's rights organizations are planning a counter attack, pointing out that much of the research is old and some of the ideas could not work on small machines, sports bikes or dual purpose machines. No doubt in time these ideas will be defeated, but we will keep you posted, as it could affect motorcycle design on a global scale!
Austria
We mentioned that Indian motorcycle manufacturer
Bajaj had signed a deal with
KTM to produce Austrian-designed small-capacity bikes (125cc and 250cc) and market them under the KTM name. We assumed what was being talked about were commuter-styled machines, but rumors now suggest that these could in fact be more sports-oriented items with similar styling to the KTM RC8!
Germany
Is BMW looking to enter the cruiser market once more? If so, look for an engine other than the Boxer to be the power source. How about a Bavarian V-Twin?
Given our lead story, it's no surprise that rumors from within
BMW suggest that the top spec HP2 may well not be offered with
Ohlin's suspension and
Brembo brakes as standard. Insiders say that the 130-hp machine is already underpriced and cuts in some areas could allow the showroom price to remain static. All higher specification parts would still be on offer as extras if buyers have the extra money and want to upgrade!
While the R1200C may not have sold as well as BMW would have liked, even with the exposure in the James Bond movie, it seems that they may well revisit the cruiser market in the near future. The only problem is now that many other firms like
Triumph have increased the capacity of the motor used to power them to a level that the Boxer engine could never achieve.
So, either they introduce another new engine or totally build a new one on the horizontally opposed, or Boxer, principle. As rumors suggest that its car plant in the U.S. is getting ready to manufacture bikes, we could well see a Honda-style operation where the firm's cruisers are produced in a country seen as the originator of the genre!
Italy
Given the recent spy shots that have been circulating in Europe, the long awaited and much talked about
Aprilia RSV4 looks like it will soon be with us. Most of the shots show an almost production-ready machine using the first all-Aprilia 1000cc 65-degree V4 motor, which was publically shown in 2006 at the Milan show.
Aprilia's RSV4 is getting closer to being production ready, which is a good thing if Aprilia intends on entering the World Superbike series in 2009.
Although the matte black bike is shown with data logging equipment, most parts seem production ready. This would be in line with having a bike homologated for the 2009 WSBK series. Expect, therefore, a public launch at the Milan Show in the autumn at the latest or Koln in October.
Despite predictions that the three-wheeled
Piaggio MP3 scooter would flop, it has been a real sales success, with
Gilera (part of the company) brining out its own version, the Fuoco 500. The front of the bike is a two-wheeled affair which still allows the rider to lean into corners. Piaggio has made a sales success of this aspect, where others, including the mighty Honda, have failed.
Rumors now suggest that they are looking at adding a similar axle at the rear to try and attract people out of their cars. Obviously this may well end up in the same legal category as a Quad, meaning you would need a car, rather than a motorcycle license to ride (drive?) it. Given the success of the three-wheeled version, it would be a brave person to bet against a four-wheeler not doing well if they actually take it past the design stage!
Aprilia has also filed a patent for a three wheeler, featuring double fork legs on each side and powered by a V-Twin motor. Obviously with all companies being under the same umbrella, it is inevitable that similar designs and engineering may crossover into another brand, especially if the concept is selling well!
Three-wheeled scooters like Piaggio's MP3 and Gilera's Fuoco 500 (above) have been surprising sales successes while other such efforts in the past failed.
Following on from the recent news that
Dainese is close to perfecting a commercial airbag system for riders to protect them in the event of a crash, comes news that
Alpinestars also has its own version close to production. The airbag-style neck protector is controlled by an electronic launch system stored in the riders hump on the back of the leathers.
Although there have been inflating jacket systems on the market for some time, these have been inflated by a pin being pulled by a chord attached to the machine. Both companies want to eliminate unnecessary discharges of the protective collar and have been concentrating on gathering information to enable the trigger to be more discerning.
Alpinestars have used former World Champion Kenny Roberts Jr. to gather data as well as many others and were at the recent IOM TT races due to its unique circuit causing riders to move differently to those on a normal track. The company already has a fixed neck brace-style protector on the market for Enduro and motocross riders which requires a separate back protector to be used. It was discovered that this was not really suitable for road riders, hence the work on the new airbag system.
United Kingdom
Triumph it seems is on the verge of launching its new Street Triple R and updated Daytona 675, given they were recently spotted in France shooting publicity shots.
The Street Triple R it seems will come with better suspension and brakes compared to the standard version and probably a hike in power over and above the current 107 hp. (This could easily be achieved by using the 123 hp Daytona engine.) Expect to see the inverted forks and Nissin radial brakes from the Daytona, along with an up-rated rear shock. The new Daytona 675 it seems is more a case of sharper styling, rather than radical upgrades.
Actor Ewan McGregor helped in the design of one of the two 50th Anniversary Triumph Bonnevilles.
Two Anniversary Triumph Bonneville's have been revealed in Italy by the once very British
Belstaff Clothing Company, which is now owned by the Italians. Actor Ewan McGregor played a part in the design of one, which uses a copper finish for the petrol tank, while other areas have waxed cotton type material on the seat and side panels.
The Bonneville first appeared at the British bike show back in 1958 and was named after Johnny Allen's land speed runs at the famous Salt Flats back in 1956. Triumph themselves plan to produce its own limited version of the current machine to celebrate the half century, while the McGregor bike will be auctioned off for the UNICEF charity.
The recent Isle of Man TT races saw
Ducati celebrating a double anniversary at the world famous road racing course. It was 50 years ago when the Italian factory first took part in the annual races and 30 since Mike Hailwood made his historic comeback, taking the win on the Sports Motorcycles Ducati. This of course led to the MHR 900 and latterly inspired the more modern hand-built version.
Few can remember the Bologna factories' first TTs, but virtually everyone can remember the 1978 victory. After an 11-year lay-off, Hailwood returned, won, set a new lap record at 110.62 mph (beating Phil Read's previous by nine mph) on a 900NCR F1 bike that was at least 20 hp down on the opposition.
Ducati of course could not let this memorable occasion go unnoticed and flew in a few Ducati stars to take place in a parade to celebrate. Despite shipping in a few bikes from the factory museum, none of these made it to the parade; instead it was mainly road bikes that circulated in front of the crowd.
Former WSBK World Champion Carl Fogarty was the center of attention at the recent Isle of Man races as he helped Ducati celebrate by leading a procession around the course on the Desmosedici.
Former WSBK World Champion Carl Fogarty led the ten riders round on a Desmosedici RR. Paul Smart, who also gave Ducati a memorable victory, was also part of the parade on a Paul Smart replica. David Hailwood (son of Mike) was also out as was former GP rider Sammy Miller. Current BSB Ducati rider Michael Rutter followed his father Tony Rutter, a former Ducati world champion, around, but one could not help but feel so much more could have been done by using the original TT machines ridden by the people who made them famous.
However, Ducati did manage to get masses of coverage in the UK after Sammy Miller managed to hit the wall at the Gooseneck corner and became airborne. Fortunately, he was unharmed in the spill, but the bike borrowed from a private owner was not in such good shape. The mishap was caught on camera and video and was enjoying high viewing figures on YouTube!
Last November, the British Government revealed plans to test every crash helmet on the market and give it a star rating, in the same way cars are rated. They claimed that this would enable purchasers to know how good the product was and give it a direct comparison against others on the market irrespective of price.
The
SHARP tests were to be a combination of those used in various test standards already in use around the world and they claimed would be more realistic to what happens in real world crash scenarios. The first batch of these new test results and ratings has just been published and has already started to attract criticism from manufacturers not scoring as high as they might have expected.
In America, helmets can either be up to Snell or DOT ratings or both. Britain's SHARP tests are already receiving grief from manufacturers that didn't score well.
Critics claim that the helmets are being bought from shops, which means they could be buying cheap copies and that the head-forms do not fit the helmets sizing structure. In addition, one test is in an area that would be masked by a rider's shoulder in the event of fall and is unlikely ever to receive an impact. Broadly speaking, the manufacturers all claim to be behind the tests, but feel that they should have been asked to work with the laboratory to ensure that every test in done in a fair, consistent and realistic manner.
Rest of the World
Japan
Car manufacturers already have to have percentages of the car that are capable of being recycled. Like any other industry it is already big, but to date there are no requirements for two wheelers. The Phoenix Metal Corporation in Japan though has already got a plant in Tokyo up and running ahead of any legislation that may make it compulsory.
However, they are already receiving support from the manufacturers and dealers, allowing machines to be dropped off close to home ready for collection. The bikes are drained of all fluids and dismantled, with all the various materials being divided before the remains end up as cubes of scrap metal ready to become another newer two wheeler!
And lastly!
A French postal worker with links to an anti-speed camera group known for blowing up cameras has managed to blow off both his hands whilst attempting to make a bomb at home, meaning he is unlikely to be caught speeding on a bike ever again!
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