Say it ain't so, John Bloor. Tell us you're not outsourcing your entire company after working so hard to resurrect Triumph into one of the leading manufacturers.
Let's face it; part of the title of the column is Gossip, so let's start with the major headline gossip currently doing the rounds in the UK and Europe concerning
Triumph Motorcycles.
If you are a regular reader of this monthly trawl through the facts and whispers that do the rounds in Europe and elsewhere in the world, you will constantly see mention that the major Japanese manufacturers have set up manufacturing plants in China or India. Alternatively, they have gone into partnership with some of the major motorcycle producers in these and other such countries who are actually selling millions of small machines.
The reason is obvious. Manufacturing costs go down thanks to lower overall costs, including labor! This is why even the big players like Harley-Davidson and Triumph get components manufactured in the Far East or source from suppliers based there. However, it now seems that the tables are turning whereby some of these companies are in a position to make a move on European brands, just as in the car world.
As reported here, a Chinese company recently bought the historic Italian motorcycle company Benelli and is now pumping in millions to move it forward from its struggling past, and as we know it is working! The money comes of course from mass production (and sales) of small capacity machines, many of which are based on old models sold to them by Japan, or just copied! However, volume sales create wealth and enable them to look at entering the big bike, leisure-orientated market as opposed to the utilitarian one. By buying an existing company you save on production and development costs and start making money straight away.
The rumor mill churns about the possible demise of British motorcycle production as we know it. Will the future of Triumph lead to India? Somehow, the Bajaj Speed Triple just doesn't quite have the same ring to it. Here's a peek at the Bajaj Pulsar though.
No real surprise then that India's second largest motorcycle manufacturer, Bajaj Auto, is looking to buy the Triumph Motorcycle Company. Bought as an almost totally defunct company (and in fact was shut for several years while restructuring took place), the British brand is now on a par with the world's best. Their range of bikes is ever-increasing and it has a far better reputation than the original company with oil-tight, reliable bikes that are as good, if not better than the competition. In fact, they top several sales categories and feature in the top five of others in the last set of UK registration figures.
Owned outright by John Bloor, who made his name and staked his high position on the UK rich list by house building and agribusiness, it is NOT currently for sale. Despite the fact that he personally invested a small fortune in bringing Triumph back from the history books, Bloor is known as an unsentimental businessperson who may cash in his investment if the offer is right!
There are similarities in that Bajaj is a family-owned company and is very keen on employing modern technology and machines to produce a quality product. Profits are good on both sides and both export widely across the globe. Both sides are staying tight lipped and the only real fact of note is that Bajaj has already made a move on Ducati in Italy, which pushed the share prices up. But that interest has now been officially squashed on both sides, so Bajaj is definitely on the lookout for a major player in the big-bike market and Triumph does make sense.
After first appearing as a concept bike in 2004, the KTM RC8 Venom (based on the RC8 superbike above) is edging closer to becoming a production bike with an 1190cc engine providing the power.
If Bajaj succeeds, it will really be the end of the British bike industry as far as mass production motorcycles are concerned. Sure, specialized manufacturers and small-volume firms like CCM will still be around, but the British bike's last big player may have a different name on the petrol tank. Bajaj Daytona or Bajaj Bonneville has not got the same ring as Triumph!
Austria
A document intended for banking use and fund raising has been found to carry details of all new
KTM motorcycles for the next couple of years. So here is a brief rundown of what you can expect and it seems to confirm some of the rumors that we have recently mentioned here.
The RC8 Venom, which was originally shown as a concept bike way back in 2004, will be in the dealers by 2009, complete with an 1190cc engine powering it. Based closely on the RC8, the Venom will not compete with it, but with other naked bikes on the market like the Aprilia Tuono R.
A new KTM 'Duke' called the 690 will be Supermoto-styled and is said to be powered by the LC4 engine mounted in a steel trellis frame.
A new 'Duke', to be called the 690 (as opposed to the Duke III), will use the LC4 engine mounted in a steel trellis frame with a braced aluminum swingarm. WP suspension will be used for the modern, stylish Supermoto-type machine that should be ready for 2008.
For 2009, an RC4 lightweight sports bike could be ready to do battle with the proposed Cagiva Mito 500. Based loosely on the Duke 690, it is set to fill the gap in the market left by lightweight street racers like the now discontinued Aprilia RS 250.
Less radical machines mentioned in the document include an 'R' version of the 1190 RC8 that will be launched later this year as previously highlighted in this column. Expect the 'R' version to have race-oriented parts to enable the bike to take part in World Superbike racing in the future.
KTM is making good on its promise and is introducing two sport quads this year, the 525XC and the 450XC. If they perform anything like their two-wheeled off-road counterparts, we're sure they'll be screamers.
The 990SM will get fuel injection for 2008 and for 2009 the Adventure 1190 will get the (surprise!) 1190 engine. Interestingly, there could be two versions, a 'Travel' and an 'Adventure Dakar', the first being more road-orientated to take on the likes of the Triumph Tiger and the BMW R1200GS, while the latter will be for those round-the-world adventurers!
Other bikes mentioned are a 'Hard Enduro' which is probably the 'Baja 690' prototype that is currently doing well in the U.S. races at present. Lastly is the Superduke R 990, which will basically be cosmetic and minor chassis changes against the current model.
Not mentioned in the report, but two years after making an announcement regarding Quad production, KTM has now released their first two, a 525XC and 450XC. The race machines use existing bike engines mated to a new five-speed gearbox that also has a reverse gear.
Germany
We've seen a HP2 Enduro and the Megamoto (above) but look for BMW's racy HP2Sport to debut soon in Paris or Milan. What's next for the Bavarian motorrad crew - MotoGP? WSBK? Inquiring minds want to know.
We have continually mentioned the
BMW 450 Enduro bike and were under the impression that it would break cover at the up and coming Paris International Bike show at the end of the month. Now it appears that it will not make a public debut until the Milan Show in November. Maybe the Husqvarna takeover has enabled them to do some additional tuning to the chassis!
The sportiest BMW ever made is set to be released to the public at one of the aforementioned European shows. Called the HP2Sport, it is a road-going version of the Sport Boxer that has already achieved class wins at the Le Mans 24 hour race amongst others. The bike is expected to be virtually identical to the race bike, which is BMW's factory-first serious race effort for over 50 years. The engine is expected to pump out 135-140 hp, making it the most powerful Twin the factory has ever produced. Given an expected weight of 170 kg in road going condition, it should be able to match some of the current four-cylinder bikes from Japan. In a tribute to the race bikes, the new design will be launched in the red, blue and white BMW 'Motorsport' color scheme. Prices will be around the $30,000 mark!
Italy
Italian hat manufacturer Borsalino had Bimota create them a one-off motorcycle to commerate its 150th anniversary of making Fedoras and headwear.
We may have mentioned before the potential of a
Benelli V6, as the blueprints have been around for some time. Now it appears that a prototype has been seen in the factory. If so, we could see it appear at Milan to whet a few appetites and get some pre-orders in place!
'Rain stopped play' is an oft used term for cricket matches, but the same term was used at the recent Ducati world launch of the Desmosedici. Scheduled to be at the Misano circuit, not too far from the Bologna factory, torrential rain and high winds succeeded in delaying things and moved it to the Mugello circuit where conditions were far better.
Talking of Ducati, expect a 1098 engine to be gracing the frame rails of the all-new
Bimota due soon and most likely to appear at the November Milan show.
Apart from that, Bimota has just built a special machine to celebrate 150 years of hat manufacture in Italy. Yes, you did read that right. The 'Borsalino' is named after the Italian headwear company who are famous for their Fedoras and is basically a restyled DB5 in black with a few carbon fiber parts and some gold detailing. The bike will be debuted at Harrods store in London due to the classic high-class clothing link!
MotoGuzzi is said to be ready to put the Griso 8V into production with a revamped engine that will pump out more hp and torque to go along with an updated chassis.
The
Moto-Guzzi Griso 8V was first shown at the Milan Show in 2006, but until now had not been confirmed for production. In appearance, the new bike is very similar to the outgoing four-valve bike, but there are in fact 575 new engine components. In addition, the chassis has seen a few improvements as well. The well proven V-twin motor is, according to the factory, 80% new and has an extra 20 hp to give it 108 hp and 79 lb-ft of torque. This gain comes mainly from an extra 100cc and the extra two valves per cylinder. Some restyling has taken place, making it look a little sleeker than the out-going 1100. Radial four-piston Brembo brakes grip 'Braking Wave' discs. Visually the biggest change is the exhaust, with an extra chamber and exit, (larger muffler) but prices are expected to remain much the same as the existing model.
Gilera has revealed its first ever Quads. A 125 and 250 Oregon are road legal and take their power from scooter engines. This means the firm now makes two, three (Fuoco) and four-wheeled vehicles.
Italy's Gilera, traditionally known for its scooters and the three-wheeled Fuoco (above), are now producing quads. We couldn't find any pictures of its new ATVs so we took the opportunity to share a gratuitous shot of a smoking hot Euro babe.
Triumph's 2008 range has been seen out undergoing final testing prior to its launch at the Paris Show on the 28th of September. Visually the bikes appear unchanged, but it would appear that the 'carburetors' seen in the pictures are in fact fuel injectors disguised as such. A leaked document intended for dealers confirms this. Upcoming emission regulations force the change, as carbs will not allow the bikes to pass the tough new tests. The fuel pump for the system is apparently located in the tank, although the dealer information was at pains to point out it did not mean a loss of capacity. Apart from this, it appears most changes are in fact cosmetic and revolve around new color schemes.
CCM, which could end up as Britain's only bike manufacturer if the Triumph deal mentioned before goes ahead, has a brand new bike aimed at taking on the best in the world's motocross arena. This is the first machine to use an engine designed specifically for the small Lancashire-based firm, which has in the past used engines from the likes of Suzuki (DR400) to power their machines.
England's CCM is taking aim at the MX world with a new off-roader reported to have a 450 Single with a Yamaha-style five-valve head and twin cams. The picture shows a bike from its heyday, a 1980 CCM 500TE.
Originally, in their heyday, the firm used BSA singles when they closed down, but now they have a brand new 450 Single with a Yamaha-style five-valve head and twin cams developed specially for them. However, they will stick with carburetion instead of trying to start with fuel injection, especially as the bike will use E85 as fuel (85% pure alcohol with other additives), which is becoming more popular in MX thanks to having some environmental benefits. The aluminum frame will be glued together with a carbon fiber sub-frame at the rear to save weight. Suspension will come from Ohlins. Expect also to see more machines bearing the CCM tank logo in the future.
Tigcraft, a small, successful UK racing concern, is planning on using the Aprilia 550 SXV to power its hand-built racers. The engine was discounted by Aprilia for anything other than Enduro machines due to its short service intervals, which would of course not be a problem for a track machine. The bike will feature a steel trellis frame with an aluminum swingarm. Ohlin's forks and a WP rear shock with Brembo discs and calipers are amongst the many high quality items used on the machine that is similar in size to a current 125GP bike.
Former Australian 500 1987 World Champion Wayne Gardner, 47, continues his winning form in Classic bike racing. Recently in the UK for the Barry Sheene Trophy races at the Goodwood circuit, he won both on a 1966 Matchless G50 Single, a far cry from his works Hondas of the eighties!
Japan
Japanese firm Moto Corse likes to take fine Italian machines like this 2007 Bimota DB6 Delirio and make them lighter, faster, and sexier. We believe they can do the first two but question the merits of the last claim.
Japanese firm Moto Corse specializes in making Italian bikes lighter, faster and sexier, if that is possible. Recently they have just produced their own version of the Bimota DB6 which they claim is all of those things over the original. The Ducati 992cc air-cooled motor has been bored out to 1080cc and fitted with a new ECU and silencer and now gives 93 hp. New wheels, brakes etc. help reduce weight and improve handling. See
www.motocorse.jp for more details.
Malaysia
Malaysia is looking to host the biggest motorcycle show in the world. The first Asian International Motorcycle Expo will showcase the world's best machinery and recent developments in Kuala Lumpur at the city's Convention Center. The show will run from the 18th through the 21st of October and will be the first of a yearly show at the location, as if there were not enough around this time of year already!
And Finally
In Japan, 54-year-old Kazuo Osada was out riding his bike with ten other riders when he hit the central reservation. He then rode on for another 10 miles before he realized that he was missing the lower part of his right leg. Not only that, he then rode to hospital and checked himself in while his mates went and looked for his leg!
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