Euro Gossip September 2008

Despite the fact that we are less than a month away from the first of the big European shows at Cologne, new model information is slow in leaking out from the European brands compared to previous years. Hopefully, this is just due to manufacturers trying to build up expectation and spring some genuine surprises, rather than there being fewer new models than normal.

Here though is what we do know and some reasonable speculation as normal. Hopefully next month's column will be more about 'I told you so!' and be a little more normal for this time of year.

Austria

As predicted KTM is to give its top-notch 990 Supermoto even more performance with the creation of the Supermoto R, just less than a year after the launch of the 990 SM. Not too much information is available as yet, but some obvious weight saving measures like lighter wheels have been used to get the bike below 190kg. A lot of the other changes seem to be styling-based (a smaller fuel tank) and colours as the standard SM is already a class act. Expect to see the new bike at the Milan Show in November.

Meanwhile Husaberg has denied that its new horizontal cylinder off-road motor will appear in a road bike sold by its parent company KTM. The Swedish company, now owned by KTM, feels that such a move would destroy its loyal customer base, which is based on its considerable off-road success.

Italy

While the Japanese manufacturers are publishing gloomy financial figures, Ducati seems to have bucked the trend, claiming a 122.9% profit for the first six months of this year. Most of this has come from the sale of Superbikes (848 and 1098), the Hypermotard and the Desmosedici RR.

It seems we were not wrong when we suggested that another new Ducati Monster would be launched at the Milan Show in November. A production-ready model has recently been pictured undergoing tests in Italy fitted with the 1100DS motor taken from the Hypermotard. In this guise one would expect to get 90 bhp, although it is likely more may be offered thanks to some mild tuning.

The motor is mounted in a trellis frame similar to the 696, which was the first new Monster in the 14-year model history. This means that the frame stops before the swingarm and an aluminium rear subframe is bolted to the back of the engine. The test bike pictured also shows a single-side swingarm as opposed to the conventional one fitted to the 696. The styling and most other parts seem to be identical to the smaller model and there will no doubt be a whole host of accessories to alter the machine to suit individual tastes like the smaller sibling.

Also almost guaranteed to be launched at the home show is an 848S version of the basic machine. The engine is unlikely to be radically altered. It will be more high spec suspension and braking components that will set it aside from the standard bike and no doubt increase the price tag!

We have mentioned the 'Strada Aperta' (Open Road) before and it now seems likely that the BMW GS competitor will also break cover in Milan. Designed to be more orientated to the rough rather than the road like the Multistrada that it will replace, it could well be a bike that will signal the return of models like the Street Scrambler!

Ducati is considering producing a Streetfighter version of the 1098 similar to the Aprilia Tuono. At the moment it is just a thought, but given the public reaction to the question posed by the factory, it seems the idea could gather momentum as people in Europe move more toward naked bikes.

Moto Morini looks all set to have a half-faired sports bike ready for Milan, based on the Biabero Corsacorta that was first shown in 2004. The 1187cc V-Twin motor that will power it is reported to pump out 170bhp instead of the current 136bhp, putting it ahead of the Ducati 1098S. Expect to see higher specification components like suspension and brakes when it makes its public debut.

If the rumours are to be believed the Aprilia Dorsoduro Supermoto will not be launched at the Milan show in November, instead it is likely to be held over until next year. The good news is that the 1200 Shiver in both faired and naked versions will be there, along with a faired 750 version.

On the sportbike front, the RSV4 will also be present as it has recently been pictured undergoing final testing at the Mugello race track some two years after the engine was revealed at the Milan show. Since then it has regularly featured in the column in its various development guises. From the spy shots it looks as though they are close to finalizing the machine, which clearly has Ohlin's suspension, Brembo brakes, OZ wheels, suggesting a premium price tag.
No information is available on the final details on the 65-degree V-Four engine, but given BMW's recent claims, it is likely to pump out in the region of 190 bhp in road form (220bhp in WSB trim) and have a sub-200kg weight. Rumours of fly-by-wire throttle control and traction control have yet to be confirmed. (* Ian was right in his assumptions, because more info has been released by Aprilia since he contributed his article)

Ghezzi Brian, the legendary Italian tuning firm, is back after a four year break with its own version of the V11 Moto Guzzi. Changes in Italian manufacturing regulations put an end to its manufacturing side of the business back in 2004, but they now want Guzzi themselves to invest to form a Buell-Harley type relationship.

The firm started in 1995 building a racing twin which won the Italian Super Twin Championship before moving onto a variety of street machines. In 2001 they teamed up with Moto Guzzi to create the MGS-01 race bike. Now the man behind the name, Bruno Saturno, wants to get back into making complete bikes and is asking Guzzi to supply engines and back him. Until that happens he is offering custom kits that totally transform the looks and performance of standard Guzzi's. The kits are in three parts, aesthetic, chassis or motor upgrades, so riders can do as much or little as they want.

Harley-Davidson has now confirmed that it has now completed the purchase of the privately-held Italian motorcycle maker MV Agusta Group In confirming the deal, Harley's Chief Executive Officer, Jim Ziemer said that the Italian brand complemented both Harley-Davidson and Buell and the aim was to move both MV and Cagiva forward and re-establish them as major brands. At the same time, Matt Levatich, 43, was named Managing Director of MV Agusta Group. He has previously held senior positions in H-D Europe based in the UK.

United Kingdom

Triumph has applied for a massive expansion of its Chon Buri factory in Thailand. If it goes ahead, it could mean a production run of 134,000 bikes compared to the UK plant, which currently produces 40,000 machines a year.

Triumph has been producing components in Thailand since 2002 and moved to making complete bikes in 2006 following the completion of the above plant. Interestingly the application to the government mentions 54,000 500cc motorcycles to be built there, which could be a clue as to Triumph's future model plans.

Bikes manufactured in Thailand have been sold into overseas markets and not in the UK and a spokesperson was at pains to state that all research and development will continue at the Hinckley plant and not move overseas. Rumours are also circulating about a larger version of the 675, around 750cc as well as a 675 Tiger. More on these rumours here as and when!

Art seems to increase in price when the artist dies and antiques increase in value the older and rarer they are. It seems the same can now be said about motorcycles, given a recent London auction price. A Vincent-HRD Series A Rapide, owned by the recently deceased dealer and collector Brian Verrall, sold for a staggering £201,000 at a Bonham's auction of his private collection that grossed £1.3 million. Just prior to this, the record had been raised to £180,000 by a 1927 Zenith-JAP Combination, but the record was short lived.

However, if those prices are a little rich for your taste, you can still get some nostalgia with a new Egli-Vincent and Norvin Cafe racer from Hailwood Restorations for just (sic) £41,000.

Built to the original designs with all-new reproduction parts, the bikes use modern technology such as electronic ignition, starter motors, etc. to take away the hassles normally associated with classic machinery. Bikes are built to customer's specifications by the company run by David Hailwood, son of racing legend Mike 'The Bike' Hailwood.

A stay of execution for six months has been granted by the UK Government on changes to the motorcycle driving test brought about by European legislation. The changes involved extra manoeuvres that have to be completed at speeds above UK limits, meaning they have to be done off -road. This has meant new test centres have had to be built and very few are ready for the September 29 change-over date.

Thanks to intensive lobbying by the UK motorcycle industry, this has been postponed to allow more time for sufficient facilities to be made available. It was thought that if it had gone ahead as planned people would have been put off of buying bikes due to having to travel over 200 miles to a test centre to take the test. Numerous training agencies would also have been put out of business, leading to substantial job losses!
British police are now patrolling French motorways close to the channel ports to deal with speeding bikers from the UK who apparently make up 80% of the speeders. In addition, 170 mph unmarked cars are being used to catch those who decide to try and evade capture!

Rest of the World

China

Yet another brand has appeared in the rapidly-growing Chinese manufacturing market and is already expanding. Pulse Motorcycles has expanded its range with three new models. The largest is the Vijo 125, a city cruiser-scooter. It has a raised foot-well area to aid balance and lower the centre of gravity as well as accommodating an eight-litre (2.11 gal.) fuel tank. Under the seat is a storage area for a helmet.

Soon to follow is a 50cc and 125cc Rage, a motorcycle-styled scooter in the twist and go format with a modern sports look. The 'fuel tank' doubles as a helmet compartment with the actual fuel tank kept lower for better weight distribution, just like the existing Vijo. Disc brakes are used front and rear on both models and it has a general high specification, despite being very competitively priced.

India

Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd., India's mid-size car maker, is now diversifying and plans to move into the two-wheel market after having recently announced the purchase of Kinetic Motor Co in Mumbai for 1.1 billion rupees.

Kinetic is a mid-size manufacturer of scooters and motorcycles who has recently been suffering from financial difficulties. The new firm will be called Mahindra Kinetic Scooters & Motorcycles Ltd. and will continue to manufacturer scooters as its mainstay product to attract consumers whose incomes are lower than those of car users.

(Mahindra and Mahindra Ltd. used to be a niche-oriented firm focusing on jeep-type multi-purpose vehicles, but have recently entered the passenger car market through a joint venture with French carmaker Renault SA. It has also emerged as one of the candidates for purchasing the Hummer brand of large cars from General Motors Corp.)

Despite this move, Hero Honda Motors Ltd. remains the largest domestic motorcycle maker in India, followed by Bajaj Auto Ltd.

Japan

The recession is definitely hitting world-wide, as illustrated by recently published figures in the Japanese press. Domestic motorcycle sales dropped 1.4% to 740,000 units in 2007. The home motorcycle market is seen as on a downtrend due to a lack of interest among young consumers, especially for 50cc bikes.

Honda has remained at the top of the pile, while Yamaha have risen to the second spot. Interestingly, Harley-Davidson put up a good fight in the Japanese home market thanks to an aggressive marketing campaign, with sales rising for the 23rd year in a row.

However, the report claimed that manufacturing bikes that meet new emission standards boosts production costs by about 20% on average. But, it seems the overall domestic market appears to be approaching contraction, not helped by new parking regulations that have led to a drop in parking spaces for motorcycles affecting demand for PTW's.

Japanese hydraulic firm Kayaba, whose forks and suspension units are featured on many Japanese motorcycles as OE equipment, appears to be looking to China to expand its business. Kayaba recently purchased the Wuxi Top Absorber Co. and is turning it into a subsidiary of the main Japanese-based company.

Kayaba spent slightly more than 900 million yen to acquire a 70% stake in the company, which has now been renamed Wuxi KYB Top Absorber. The two firms had previously entered a partnership in 1995, which involved Kayaba providing production technologies and Wuxi cheaper labour. The latest acquisition is seen as beneficial to both sides. Kayaba did not have any production facilities for motorcycle parts in China, and has wanted to expand dealings with Japanese and European motorcycle manufacturers operating in China.

And finally!

New Zealand police estimated nearly 100,000 mainly male spectators watched a parade of 30 bikes ride through the city of Auckland. The reason was nothing to do with the bikes, more the pillions. Topless porn stars rode pillion in the 'Boobs on Bikes' event to promote the annual sex expo!

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