Wunderlich

Wunderlich’s ‘Digimoto’

“Futuristic, but still traditional, minimalistic, but still extraordinary” is how German BMW parts and accessory specialist Wunderlich describes its latest concept bike. ‘Digimoto’ is a sneak-peak into one possible version of the future. 

Conceived in collaboration with Munich based designer Christian Zanzotti, with concept and virtual reality prototyping by Gray Development, ‘Digimoto’ may never roll off a production line near you any time soon, but that’s not the point.
The point has been to demonstrate one version of a possible riding future where electronics have taken complete control of the two-wheel experience.
Unveiled at ‘INTERMOT Customized’ in October, ‘Digimoto’ is a BMW R 1200 R, but not as we know it (Jim!) – we’ll let Wunderlich tell you the story themselves. “Completely assembled in a state-of-the-art manufacturing technique, based on a radically scaled frame of the BMW Roadster, plus the Boxer engine. Traditional handcraft techniques, such as sharpening of raw aluminium, complement the whole production process.

“The sensor panel of the Digimoto-bike is a complete novelty. The panel exists of various sensors and cameras, which send information in real-time to the visor of the rider. This visualisation of all information relevant to the rider allows a complete elimination of all display elements on the bike, resulting in a unique and simple design of the motorbike.
“The sensor panel effectively replaces and eliminates the need for any kind of instrumentation. Made up of sensors and cameras that send real-time information to the helmet  visor (heads-up-display technology), the rider is able to assimilate, visualise and respond without engaging with conventional controls - in fact the bike's information, command and control systems will make all the riding decisions itself, responding instantly to the environment, traffic conditions, speed limits, dangers and opportunities.
“Wunderlich was responsible for the technical realisation of this project. The experience of more than three decades of development work allowed the Wunderlich technicians to create a futuristic and ridable motorcycle out of a revolutionary vision”.

www.wunderlich.de

Airoh

REV modular helmet

REV is a flip front thermoplastic helmet for the tourism/road segment, with a weight of 1,650g, that can be worn either as a full or open face due to a patented rotation of the protective chin guard.

“Equipped with a newly designed and patented chin guard and visor rotation system, features include a special “ACVS” - Airoh Combined Ventilation System – that guarantees maximum comfort, even on long journeys and in the most extreme conditions.
Italian specialist Locatelli, the manufacturer of the Airoh brand, say that “this revolutionary new design concept has allowed us to take touring to a new level of comfort and versatility”.

REV is available in sizes from XS to XXL and in various colourways in gloss and matt finishes, has a compact and aerodynamic profile with a wide field of view, and a sun visor that is supplied with an anti-fog treatment.

LOCATELLI S.p.A.
www.airoh.com

ShowZone 2017

UK Dealer Expo, Stockholm, Zurich, Dublin and Madrid headline a busy new year show schedule
 
The ‘majors’ may be over for another year (two years in the case of INTERMOT), but with the debut of ‘INTERMOT Customized’ showing that there is vibrancy on the biggest of stages.
However, the next three or four months now see a number of the smaller European markets and specialty events take their moment in the spotlight as we head into 2017.
The new year kicks-off with the popular UK Dealer Expo at Stoneleigh, near Coventry in England, opening its doors for the 22nd time for three days from Sunday January 15 to Tuesday 17.

With new motorcycle registrations growing quickly in the UK, the past four years are said to have seen an average of 3,800 visitors representing some 1,800 UK motorcycle industry businesses. With research showing that 89 percent of all show visitors are decision makers, with 80 percent of them going there to do business, it is no wonder that a massive 91 percent of 2016 exhibitors said they planned to return in 2017.

The UK Dealer Expo is Europe's largest Dealer specific show. It averages 3,800 visitors, representing some 1,800 businesses, 89 percent of who are said to be buying "decision makers"; at the time of going to press IDN was told that exhibit space is already sold out for 2017, with 6 weeks to go until the show opens on January 15th, 2017

The Expo is some 30 minutes away from Birmingham International Airport and at the heart of the UK motorway network 
www.motorcycle-expo.com
A week later Moto Bike Expo (MBE) will fill four halls at the Verona Expo Centre in northern Italy from Friday January 20 to Sunday 22. A combined custom and ‘mainstream’ consumer expo, “Verona” has seen attendance grow ever since its move from Padua in 2009. www.motorbikeexpo.it
At the end of January, Sweden’s annual show, MC-Massan, returns to the capital Stockholm (26 to 29 January 2017) in its biennial rotation with Gothenburg. www.mcmassan.se
Meanwhile, in the United States, the annual specialty V-Twin Expo will take place at its usual downtown exhibition centre venue in Cincinnati, Ohio (Saturday January 28 and Sunday 29. www.vtwin-expo.com
Billed as “The Only Show of its Kind”, which it is - as the only independently owned and operated dealer show for the Harley-Davidson aftermarket and custom v-twin parts and accessory industry – it is nonetheless a crowded few weeks for motorcycle dealers of all kinds in the United States with the market’s two major parts and accessory distributors holding their own dealer shows in February: Tucker Rocky/Bikers Choice are playing host to their dealers in Texas on Wednesday 8 and Thursday 9 of February, and just 10 days later Parts Unlimited/Drag Specialties set up shop at the RCA Dome, Indianapolis, Saturday 18 and Sunday 19 February.

In fact, that weekend are at least three motorcycle industry events in play that we know of, with the annual MCN Show (as it is known) taking place at the Excel Expo Centre in East London from January 17 to 19 www.mcnmotorcycleshow.com and the excellent Swiss Moto being staged at Zurich from February 16 to 19 www.swiss-moto.ch; the following weekend it is the chance for Dutch riders to join in the fun with Motorbeurs, the largest motorcycle show in The Netherlands, taking place from 23 to 25 January at Utrecht www.motorbeursutrecht.nl

Highlights in March and April include (but are not limited to!) the biennial Carole Nash Irish Motorbike & Scooter Show, taking place at Dublin, Ireland, from March 3 to 5
www.irishmotorbikeshow.com; MotoSalon, Prague, March 2 to 5 www.pvv.cz;  Moto Days, Rome, March 9 to 12 www.motodays.it; Daytona Bike Week, Florida, USA, March 10 to 19
www.officialbikeweek.com

MotoMadrid from March 24 to 26 www.salonmotomadrid.com; Tokyo Motorcycle Show, March 24 to 26 www.motorcycleshow.org; InaBike, Jakarta, Indonesia, March 29 to April 1 www.inabike.net; Motorcycle Taiwan, 20 to 23 April www.motorcycletaiwan.com.tw

Yamaha

Yamaha unit sales up in Europe and Japan for nine months to September 30th 2016

Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd. announced consolidated business results for the first nine months of its 2016 financial year that put consolidated sales at 1,132.8 billion yen, (a decrease of -93.4 billion yen or -7.6% compared with the same period of the previous fiscal year), and operating income of 88.9 billion yen (a decrease of -16.1 billion yen or -15.3%).
Developed markets experienced a decrease in sales and income compared with the same period the previous fiscal year due to the appreciating yen. In the emerging markets motorcycle business segment, while net sales decreased due to lower unit sales in Indonesia and Brazil, operating income increased compared to the previous year thanks to product mix improvements and the effects of cost reductions such as promotion of the platform transition.
Net sales of motorcycle products overall were 699.2 billion yen (a decrease of -85.0 billion yen or -10.8% compared with the same period the previous fiscal year), and operating income was 28.6 billion yen (a decrease of -4.8 billion yen or -14.3%).
For unit sales in developed markets, while Japan and Europe experienced increases, the planned reductions in distribution inventories in North America led to overall unit sales on almost a similar level as the previous year.
Unit sales in emerging markets such as India, Vietnam and the Philippines increased, but decreased in Indonesia and Brazil due to market slumps etc. These results led to an overall decrease in motorcycle business net sales.
Operating income increased in emerging markets thanks to product mix improvements and the effects of cost reductions such as promotion of the platform transition, but decreased in developed markets due to the appreciating yen, leading to a reduction in income overall.

Italian motorcycle registrations

Italian motorcycle registrations +18.30 percent for the first 10 months of 2016

The latest data released by the Italian motorcycle industry trade association (ANCMA, Milan) shows new motorcycle registrations for the first ten months of 2016 up by +18.3 percent at 69,300 units for the year-to-date. In October, the market was worth 3,859 new motorcycles, +12.7 percent.
Total PTW registrations were +11.5 percent (177,084 units) for the first 10 months of 2016; in October total PTWs were +4 percent (11,305 units).
Scooter sales were +7.5 percent for the first 10 months of the year at 107,784 units sold. The largest scooter market is for 125cc machines, which account for 39,897 of all scooter sales in Italy, +12.5 percent over the first 10 months of 2015. Next largest is the 300 – 500 cc sector, at 33,735 units, which is up by +4.8 percent. The high-value 500cc+ maxi scooter market is up by +3.7 percent at 8,028 units. The 150 to 250cc scooter market in Italy was +5.1 percent for the first 10 months of the year (26,124 units).
The top selling motorcycles in Italy so far this year are the BMW R 1200 GS, the Honda ‘Africa Twin’, Honda’s NC 750 X and Ducati’s Scrambler 800.
In unit number terms, the largest market sector in Italy in the first ten months of the year was the ‘Naked’ style bike market, which at 24,573 units was up by +21.1 percent over 2015, followed by the Enduro market (22,863 units, +27.00 percent over 2015). Supermotard models are +37.2 percent on low volumes (2,607 units); tourers are up by +3.3 percent (8,223 units).

Motorcycle registrations in Spain

Motorcycle registrations in Spain +10.39 percent January – October 2016

According to the latest data released by the motorcycle industry trade association in Spain (ANESDOR), the motorcycle market there was up by +11.42 percent in October (12,171 units).

The market in Spain is now running at +10.39 percent for the year-to-date at 126,511 units (the highest for the first 10 months of the year since before 2009).
Moped registrations in October were +16.64 percent (1,521 units) and are +6.15 percent for the first eight months of the year at 14,319 units.
Total PTW registrations were +10.02 percent in October (13,692 units) and are up for 2016 so far by +9.23 percent for the year-to-date (140,828 units in total).
For the year-to-date Honda remains market share leader in Spain, having sold 21,684 units for a 17.1 percent market share, followed by Yamaha (19,183 units, 15.2 percent share) and Kymco (16,980 units, 13.4 percent share).
Scooter sales are up by +5.2 percent so far this year and represent some 64 percent of the total PTW market (80,677 units YTD). Road-going motorcycles are +20.2 percent so far in 2016, accounting for 32 percent of the market (40,954 units), and while off-roaders are +29.9 percent YTD, they only account for 4 percent of total PTW sales (5,140 units YTD).
ANESDOR General Secretary Jose Maria Riano welcomed the continued growth, pointing to this having been the best October since 2009, but warned that with many consumers rushing to get Euro-3 compliant vehicles on the road before the law changes (all new PTWs will have to be Euro-4 compliant for January 1st 2017), it remains to be seen if the growth seen in the second half of the year will sustain into the first months of 2017.

FEMA

Autonomous cars to be tested with motorcycles

Following widespread concerns raised by some of Europe’s riders’ rights organizations, including Brussels based FEMA (the Federation of European Motorcyclists’ Associations), vehicle authorities in Europe will cooperate with motorcyclists’ organizations and conduct their own test program with different brands of semi-autonomous cars.

Arjan Everink (KNMV), Dolf Willigers (FEMA), Anton van der Heijden (RDW), Jan Sybren Boersma (RDW) and Wim Taal (FEMA) – the RDW has agreed that testing with motorcycles should be part of the test protocol for European type approval of so-called autonomous cars and those with cars with Advanced Driver Assistance Systems, including systems such as Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) and Lane Changing System (LCS). Field tests could start as early as 2017.

Those concerns center around the extent to which the testing of fully and semi-autonomous systems had been calibrated to account for the presence of motorcycles.
This is in response to lobbying of RDW – the Dutch Vehicle Authority that issued the European type approval for Tesla – by FEMA, the Motorcycle Action Group in the Netherlands, and the KNMV, the Royal Dutch motorcycle riders association.
At a meeting with the RDW, at which the motorcyclists’ worries were discussed, it transpired that despite granting type approval, the RDW shared many of the concerns raised.

As a result, the RDW proposes - in cooperation with the motorcyclists’ organizations - to conduct their own test program with different brands of cars with Advanced Driver Assistance Systems. RDW also believes, as do the riders, that testing with motorcycles should be part of the test protocol for European type approval.
Dolf Willigers, General Secretary of FEMA, said: “We are very pleased with the outcome of this first meeting with the experts of RDW. We are going to act together and we will see in the field tests to which extent the technique takes motorcyclists into account.”