ACEM, the European Association of Motorcycle Manufacturers

Manufacturers commit to developing cooperative ITS systems by 2020

"Safe Ride To The Future" - the motorcycle industry's commitment to road safety

ACEM, the European Association of Motorcycle Manufacturers, has unveiled the "Safe ride to the future", its new road safety strategy to further improve safety levels for motorcyclists in Europe.
The document was presented at the 10th International Motorcycle Conference in Köln (Germany), which brought together policy-makers, industry representatives and academia.

ACEM says that "the motorcycle industry’s forward-oriented strategy follows an integrated approach covering vehicle technology, users training and infrastructure safety.
"As part of this new strategy, the motorcycle industry has signed a Memorandum of Understanding on cooperative Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS), i.e. safety systems that allow for communication between vehicles and between vehicles and infrastructure.
"ACEM members commit to have at least one of their models available for sale with a cooperative ITS feature by 2020. Moreover the industry will also carry out research on an eCall system for motorcycles, i.e. a system that generates emergency calls from a crashed vehicle instantly after a collision has occurred".

With regard to the training of riders, ACEM and the German Road Safety Council (DVR) have joined forces to promote "high quality voluntary post-license training schemes across the EU through a DVR-ACEM Quality Seal". The aim is to help European riders to easily identify which of the training schemes are "high quality".
The European Association of Motorcycle Manufacturers will also organise a series of workshops in different European countries to "identify and promote measures to improve road safety at national, regional and local levels". These meetings will "bring together key stakeholders including public authorities and riders’ organisations. Among others, the areas to be discussed will include development of more effective safety policies, design and maintenance of road infrastructure, and promotion of compliance with traffic rules.
The "Safe ride to the future" strategy builds on previous safety initiatives. In recent years these have included ACEM members’ commitment to voluntarily fit all of their new vehicles with automatic headlamps-on; the signing of the European Road Safety Charter and the decision to fit 75% of street motorcycle models with an advanced braking systems (as options or standard fitting) by 2015, a decision taken voluntarily in advance of the respective regulatory requirements for manufacturers to do so.

ACEM Secretary General Antonio Perlot

Commenting on the publication of the "Safe ride to the future" ACEM Secretary General Antonio Perlot said: “This strategy confirms ACEM members’ desire to be a leader in road safety. It highlights our ambition to have the best possible road safety outcomes for Europe”.
“The number of road fatalities amongst powered-two wheeler users in Europe is declining. These results are encouraging but much still remains to be done. The motorcycle industry will continue to promote and support all initiatives that help to create a safer environment on Europe’s roads”.
“Road safety is not only about the vehicle. Road safety policies must look at vehicles’ safety features, users’ behaviour and the infrastructure on which they operate”.
“As the number of motorcycles and mopeds on Europe’s roads is expected to continue growing, as a reflection of citizens’ expectations, it is essential to ensure that they are adequately integrated into transport policies at all levels. We look forward to continuing our cooperation with European and national policy-makers to achieve our common goal of saving lives”.

Happy Anniversary!

Happy Anniversary!

Several aftermarket businesses are marking significant milestones at this time - congratulations are due to LSL, Kellermann, Magura, DID, and Kymco, among others.

FOUNDED in 1984 by Jochen Schmitz-Linkweiler, LSL is world-renowned as a parts manufacturer and creator of stunning special project bikes.
It all started with the "High-Heeler" in 1985, a Kawasaki KLR special that at the time was the first street-legal Supermoto bike in Germany.

Jochen Schmitz-Linkweiler

FOUNDED in 1984 by Jochen Schmitz-Linkweiler, LSL is world-renowned as a parts manufacturer and creator of stunning special project bikes.
It all started with the "High-Heeler" in 1985, a Kawasaki KLR special that at the time was the first street-legal Supermoto bike in Germany.
The company introduced its first Superbike handlebar conversion for the Kawasaki GPZ900R in 1987 and the rest, as they say, is history. 

LSL's 30th Anniversary Clubman XS 650CR special

Acquiring DIN EN ISO 9001 certification in 1997, 2009 saw readers of German motorcycle magazine "PS" vote LSL as the best accessories/conversions brand.
We ourselves here at IDN had the pleasure of joining with German trade magazine Bike und Business to recognise LSL's export achievements in 2010, and now located in a state of the art facility at Krefeld, where the company currently employs 25 people.
A particular favourite for many people was Jochen's 2005 unveiling of the Clubman programme, and the unveiling of his latest project bike is always an eagerly anticipated highlight at every INTERMOT expo

www.lsl.eu
www.clubman.de

 ——

BEST known for their hallmark 'BL 1000' bar-end indicators, introduced in 1996 and 1997, Achen, Germany based company Kellermann have been celebrating their 25th anniversary this year.

It all took off for Kellermann in the mid 1990s with the ubiquitous BL 1000 indicator

The Kellermann indicator and the micro version that they followed it up with became the industry standard lighting accessory for many years, and although often imitated, they were never bettered.
The company received the prestigious Red Dot Design Award in 2011 (and two more in 2014), and scored a remarkable third place in Motorrad magazine's 2013 Best Brand/accessories awards.

This year Kellermann won the latest of several Red Dot Design Awards for their BL 2000 indicator (seen here) and stylish advanced licence plate design

Founder Guido Kellermann has been an outspoken advocate for defence of intellectual property and said recently "we must take a stand against plagiarism to show that we have the ability to defend our own intellectual property. Without protection of ideas and the products that arise out of those ideas, our society is going to lose its innovation and progress.

Guido Kellermann is passionate about defence of intellectual property - here earlier this year his company assembled 1,900 pieces that were clearly based on his micro 1000 indicator and gave them the M48 treatment!

www.kellermann-online.com


——

ONE of, if not the longest established, hard parts businesses in the international motorcycle industry, last year saw Magura celebrating its 90th anniversary.

Their involvement in the industry started with racer and BMW senior engineer Rudolph Reich persuading Gustav Magenwirth to improve the throttle control levers that BMW was using on its early motorcycle designs.
Magura has played a significant role since then in the history of German and European made motorcycles, and can lay claim to having invented the very first German twist grip throttle, among other innovations.

www.magura.com

 —-

JAPANESE industrial giant Daido Kogyo is celebrating the 10th anniversary of the office it set up in Italy for its DID motorcycle chains and rims.

DID Europe Srl is based in Bologna, Italy, and sells through leading distributors throughout Europe, including Matthies and Langenscheidt in Germany, Ognibene and SGR in Italy, TBT and Motana in the Netherlands, Bihr and Moraco in France, Corvar and TopFunk in Spain and Duell in Sweden.

Widely regarded as one of the leading motorcycle chain brands, with multiple race and championship wins in their locker, DID added rim and wheel availability through its European office some seven years ago.
DID chain are OE fitment on a wide range of models from most leading manufacturers and number more than 40 distributors in 30 European countries in total.


www.didchain.com
 
——

ANOTHER notable recent anniversary saw Taiwanese motorcycle, scooter and ATV manufacturer Kymco (Kwang Yang Motor Co) celebrate their 50th anniversary.
The company originally made parts for Honda, and opened its first factory and built its first complete scooter in 1970.

They began marketing under the Kymco brand name in 1992, and in the 2000s became the largest scooter and motorcycle manufacturer in Taiwan and the fifth largest scooter and motorcycle manufacturer worldwide.
The company was chosen by BMW in 2008 to supply engines for the G450 X Enduro bike, and late last year Kawasaki announced that their new J300 scooter is manufactured in partnership with Kymco. The company currently employs around 3,000 people and produces more than 570,000 vehicles per year.


www.kymco.com
 
——

Congratulations are also due to the City of Cologne, and specifically to the Cologne Exhibition Centre (Koelnmesse) - this year is the ninth INTERMOT, but it is the 50th anniversary of the motorcycle industry's show at Cologne.

Originally called IFMA, and first staged in the city in 1964, this year will see an exhibition of industry landmarks and some of the notable bikes to have been launched in the city in that time, and an industry timeline, as part of a special 50th anniversary display at INTERMOT.

Meanwhile, this year will see the 72nd EICMA (the 'Milan Show'), and it too celebrates a notable landmark this year - the 100th anniversary of the first such show!

There can't be many trade shows in any industry that can trace their origins back to 1914, and it certainly makes EICMA the oldest motorcycle expo - what a witness to technological and social evolution, a true case study into the social and engineering history of the 20th century!

——

Finally, congratulations to Chris Leatt! It is 10 years since he sold the first Leatt neck brace in his native South Africa - a product that he started working on three years earlier, the weekend after his son started riding.

www.leatt-brace.com

ABM / Wunderkind

New Head of Sales at ABM/Wunderkind



ON 1st October 2014 Detlef Achterberg (44) took over as Head of Sales at ABM Fahrzeugtechnik GmbH.
"With Detlef we have acquired someone who knows the market inside out and has a lot of customer experience. He will continue to build our two brands ABM and WUNDERKIND and improve our customer service and market presence," said Christian Mehlhorn, CEO of ABM Fahrzeugtechnik GmbH.

Achterberg can look back on 20 years of distribution experience in the wholesale and retail trade. After his technical training at Daimler Benz AG followed a 10-year stint at Eurobike AG. Recently Detlef was responsible for distribution at LSL Motorradtechnik GmbH, and said "I am looking foward to the challenge. The trend to customise is still well and alive, and ABM and WUNDERKIND offer great scope for customisation of bikes from Youngtimer to sportsbike and chopper. I intend to immerse myself in sales and marketing of the qualitatively high parts and accessories with contemporary design that ABM and WUNDERKIND offer!”



ABM FAHRZEUGTECHNIK GmbH

www.ab-m.de

www.wunderkind-custom.com

Roof Helmets

ROOF helmets have new UK distributor

FRENCH helmet manufacturer ROOF remains on the recovery trail following the fire that destroyed their factory and warehouse near Nice.
The company has rebuilt its original facility and invested in their own brand new manufacturing plant, and last year celebrated their 20th anniversary.
Back in 1993 owner and designer Claude Morin launched his original 'Roadster' helmet and since then went on to manufacture the iconic and unique 'Boxer' and 'Boxer V8' helmet series.

This year saw the company introduce a new model, the 'Rover' and say that they have several exciting new projects in the pipeline for 2015.
Meanwhile the company has appointed Putoline Distribution as their UK distributor, following the demise some time ago of Thunderchild.
John Hayden, Managing Director of Putoline Distribution, said that "this is a very exciting time for our company, and we are very pleased to have added the ROOF brand to our growing product range.

"ROOF helmets are unique and occupy a place in the market that differentiates their designs from the mainstream and motivates buyers who are looking for quality and individuality".
Ilham Mahfi, the export director for ROOF International, said that "we have been supplying a number of UK dealers directly over the last few years, and their success has made it obvious that we needed to find a new partner in the UK. Putoline distribution has a full sales team and warehouse facility, and logistically they are a perfect choice for us, and together we're looking forward to further developing our brand on the UK market".

www.putoline.co.uk

SBS Friction

SBS launch 2015 MX brake pads

SBS, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of motorcycle brake pads, is a supplier of both OEM and aftermarket parts and will be displaying its new line of brake pads for 2015 motocross models at INTERMOT in Cologne, Germany. 

“We are happy to be at the INTERMOT show again,” said SBS Sales Director Christel Munk Pedersen. “It is important for us to show our commitment to our distributors and dealers from across the world. Naturally we are proud that our product and R&D people have been able to secure delivery of the best brake pads for all new off-road bikes the moment they hit the dealer showrooms.”

SBS race and product manager Allan Ostli said that "we always strive to be first with the latest fitments as well as delivering the best quality and performance. Our race involvement throughout the year helps us make sure that the street and offroad pads our dealers can offer their customers are the best that they can be".

SBS will not only be using INTERMOT to meet with business and race partners from all over the world, but also to gather data on the 2015 street and touring bikes which will be debuting at the international event.
Allan Østli, Race and Product Manager for SBS, explained: “We always strive to be first with the latest, as well as delivering the best quality and performance of any motorcycle brake pads. We test throughout the year and then often get the final data needed from checking out the new bikes launched at INTERMOT.”

SBS FRICTION
Svendborg. DENMARK
Tel: +45 63 21 15 15
sbs@sbs.dk
www.sbs.dk

TCX

TCX/JV International develop new Michelin soles

TCX has signed a major agreement for the development and production of high-performance motorcycling outsoles with JV International, a strategic partner for its innovative Michelin Tech Soles.
The company is taking on a new challenge for 2015, presenting a collection with many novel features, including Michelin brand high-performance outsoles. The R&D department at TCX, together with the Design Center in Verona and the headquarters in Como of JV International, have developed two new high-tech outsoles devised for the adventure touring market and for the increasingly demanding urban commuting market. Both outsoles blend in seamlessly with the ergonomic design of the footwear, displaying technical characteristics obtained from Michelin tyre use by trial and road riders, which are said to offer highest performance levels under all conditions.

The new adventure boot is the Infinity Evo Gore-Tex, which has been restyled as part of the TCX 2015 collection. The Michelin tech sole paired with this boot is inspired by the technology used in the famous Michelin Anakee III tyres, reproducing an ideal tread pattern to encourage the dispersion of water, mud and detritus, while also guaranteeing ultimate stability and grip under all conditions thanks to the use of a special mixture.
Another ambitious high-tech sole project is paired with the Urban Performance 2015 TCX range, and specifically the new X-Cube Evo WP and X-Square Plus footwear. This line has been designed for motorcyclists who use their bikes every day for short or medium length journeys in urban areas. The Michelin high-tech outsole features a high-impact tread pattern and technology inspired by the Michelin Pilot Road 4 and Pro Grip 4 tyres, having excellent water drainage capacity, maximum grip and a great hold, even on the most slippery surfaces and under the toughest conditions.
TCX will present the new range at both INTERMOT and EICMA this year.

TCX
Montebelluna (TV), ITALY
Tel. +39 0423 292211+39 0423 292211
info@tcxboots.com
www.tcxboots.com

Airoh

City One urban jet



THE City One urban jet thermoplastic helmet has been developed by Airoh to meet the needs of city riders who want a multi-purpose use helmet.

The helmet comes in two outer shell sizes for maximum comfort and the adjustable top air vents and rear extractors allow for efficient inside circulation. City One is equipped with a long protective visor for safety and also has a retractable sun screen visor that can easily be hand-operated.

The inner lining has been ergonomically designed to be completely removable, is washable and hypoallergenic, with moisture-managing net inserts. Closure is by quick release strap and micrometric adjustment. 



AIROH/LOCATELLI SpA

Almenno San Bartolomeo (BG), ITALY

Tel. +39 035 553101

info@airoh.com

www.airoh.com

Forcefield Body Armour

Forcefield debuts 2015 body armour Moto Collection

FORCEFIELD Body Armour will debut its 2015 Moto Collection at INTERMOT. The new range includes updates to the multi-award winning Pro Shirt, an all-new upper body protector, the EX-K Harness and the specialist Contakt riding shorts.

The updated Pro Shirt X-V now features a side zip to allow for a full CE approved chest protector and it also gains new Evo Vent Zones for added breathability. An alternative for upper body protection is the EX-K Harness, which is CE approved and has multiple adjustment points and a neck brace location point. 

Protection of the lower half of the rider’s body is taken care of by the Contakt eight-panel construction shorts that feature CE approved armour. 

Graph Limb tubes from Forcefield are lightweight CE approved compression style knee and elbow protectors with removable armour in a breathable, abrasion resistant shell.

FORCEFIELD BODY ARMOUR
Rushden, Northants, UK
Tel: +44 (0)1933 410818
info@forcefieldbodyarmour.com
www.forcefieldbodyarmour.com

Off Road Only / ORO2U

Tag-Z products

 

MADE in Great Britain, the Tag-Z programme of motorcycle and workshop accessories is the own-brand brainchild of Gavin Zembrzuski, son of company founder Andre Zembrzuski, owner of well known specialist British distributor Off Road Only - now trading as 'ORO2U'.

The range currently stands at over 60 steel products and is still growing. It includes MX stands, work benches, tyre changers, bike transport car racks, workshop tools, security products, wheel balancers, ramps, engine holders, trailers and more. The company has recently expanded their range to cover Dirt, ATV, Road, MX, Street, tools and electrical.
New this year has been a line of ‘chrome look’ powder-coated products as a less expensive but durable alternative to chrome.
The company says that it can "customise any product to your needs, include your company logo on the products and quote for your own designs. All are powder-coated, and we offer a huge range of colours to meet with your requirements and OE schemes. We offer sandblasting and refurbishment, and we weld alloy, mild steel and stainless".
The company says it can turn around orders quickly, and fabricates a range of steel products for motorcycles and ATVs, with brightly coloured jack-up paddock/workshop stands a specialty of the Tag-Z programme. Extra trade discounts are offered on orders of ten or more.
The company is currently looking to add to its European importer/distributor network and to appoint international dealers.

OFF ROAD ONLY - NOW ORO2U
Llandrindod Wells, UK
+44 (0)1597 822666
www.tag-z.co.uk
www.ORO2u.com

INTERMOT 2014

INTERMOT celebrates 50 years as part of the motorcycle industry at Cologne

This year sees the ninth biennial staging of INTERMOT following the German motorcycle industry trade associations’ decision to establish it as a new alternate expo to IFMA at Munich in 1998.

This will be the fifth time that the Cologne international exhibition centre (Koelnmesse) will have staged INTERMOT since the 2006 decision to bring the new show back to the German motorcycle industry’s spiritual home (in exhibition terms) at Cologne – the city where IFMA was first staged in 1964.

With the German motorcycle market now showing strong signs of growth (+10.45 percent for the first six months of this year – see reports elsewhere in this edition) following the market stabilisation predicted by ACEM at their INTERMOT 2012 presentation, reports suggest that exhibitor booth sales and advance visitor ticket sales are running ahead of comparative figures for this stage two years ago.
With further enhancements to the package of business-friendly initiatives for dealers and international trade visitors of all kinds (for the first time Wednesday, October 1st will be a dealer, international trade visitor and premium invited guest ‘preview’ day), expectations are of the strongest trade attendance since the recession started to seriously hit the market in 2009.
Koelnmesse’s INTERMOT Project Manager Ingo Riedeberger told IDN that “the trade visitor day offers exhibitors and visitors the unique opportunity to completely focus on trade and business for one full day.
“It enables exhibitors and trade visitors to precisely plan activities and to deploy staff effectively during the fair. It also provides a platform for more in-depth exchange with other visiting experts as well as the opportunity to fully concentrate on business”.
There will be no outside event programme on the trade visitor day – the event programme will get underway on Thursday October 2nd, the first of the four days when INTERMOT is open to all consumers.
The initiatives for dealers again include the popular ‘Dealer Card’ and the business centre and dealer lounge located between halls 4 and 5 – where exhibit space for vendors looking exclusively to make B2B contacts is also available in the adjacent Business District.

Advance contact making and trade visitor schedule planning can be enhanced by using INTERMOT’s ‘Matchmaking365’ service – a free of charge online tool that allows trade visitors to request appointments with the vendors they wish to meet.

Dealer Cards offer significant savings on the standard box office and ticket shop visitor prices and are available on a one day, two day or full show ticket basis.

The Dealer Lounge will again be the venue for IDN’s popular International Night trade visitor Meet & Greet business reception at 18:30 on Wednesday, October 1st.
Following an “Intellectual Property Memorandum” signed between Koelnmesse and Chinese business partners in 2007, INTERMOT has been at the forefront of exhibition initiatives to fight against product piracy and the preservation of intellectual property rights.

The memorandum obliges the signatories to take concrete measures to promote the protection of intellectual property at the international trade fairs at which their Chinese exhibitor customers buy booths.

This will be the fourth time that INTERMOT has offered its exhibitors access to a range of advisory and enforcement services during the show, and exhibitors can download a “No Copy! – Originals Only!” brochure from the INTERMOT website in advance of the show and will have access to the programme’s Action Centre at Koelnmesse during the show.

INTERMOT was among the first international motorcycle industry exhibitions to pioneer showcasing of alternative fuels, and in particular of environmentally friendly and sustainable transport solutions. This year sees INTERMOT continue to champion the cause of electric-driven bikes with its increasing prestigious and popular ‘e-motion: Sustainable in Motion – Electromobility live’ presentation. ‘E-motion’ will showcase “the latest trends and innovations of the industry in pedelecs and e-bikes, e-scooters and e-motorcycles” in a series of indoor exhibits and outdoor live action demonstrations and test ride opportunities.

Project Manager Ingo Riedeberger commented that “we started E-motion in 2010, and the high visitor numbers engaging with the exhibits and the outdoor e-scooter and e-bike action shows that the subject is fashionable and an increasingly important contributor to industry growth and urban mobility”.

A new feature at INTERMOT this year is the debut there of the acclaimed AMD World Championship of Custom Bike Building. Established in the United States in 2004 and hosted for many years at the annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, the AMD World Championship came to Europe for the first time last year when it was the centre piece of the first BIG BIKE EUROPE expo at Essen, Germany.

This 11th annual AMD World Championship will be the centre-piece of INTERMOT’s Hall 10 custom motorcycle industry action. The acclaimed and unique competition class structure includes the agenda-setting FreeStyle class, from which the competitor-chosen World Champion will emerge, a Street Performance class for bikes where the customisation and modification emphasis is on street-able performance, a ‘Retro-Mod’ class for older bikes of any platform, the Modified Harley-Davidson class and, for the first time, an all new Cafe Racer class.
The AMD World Championship is a unique kind of custom bike show. It is open to professional and ‘privateer’ customisers, and the peer-group-review competitor judging system delivers a genuine design and engineering showcase in which innovation and craftsmanship are honoured by the winner’s fellow customisers.
The AMD World Championship opens for Press Preview on Tuesday September 30th, Trade and Premium visitors on Wednesday October 1st, and public attendance from Thursday October 2nd with the awards ceremony closing the event at 5:00 pm on Sunday October 5th.

www.intermot-cologne.com
www.amdchampionship.com

Lauge Jensen Engineering

First EURO 4 compliant aftermarket engine

BIG news for special project builders and customisers - the availability of the first EURO 4 compliant aftermarket engine.
Lauge Jensen Engineering in Denmark have teamed up with noted American aftermarket engine and performance parts specialists S&S Cycle of Wisconsin to unveil a line of 111" fuel injected 'Sleipner' engines at INTERMOT. 

The engine is now ready to ship and available straight away for builders, customisers and volume manufacturers for the 2015 custom build season.
With testing and development work undertaken both at S&S' own facility at Viola, Wisconsin, and at TÜV Automotive in Pfungstadt, Germany, the much more stringent EURO 4 regulations involve running the engine for at least 1,000km (the efficiency of catalytic converters declines with use) and rolling road simulation of various riding situations and engine behaviors.
Uffe Lauge Jensen, who established his own custom bike building company in 2008, told us that in addition to complete bikes (bespoke and volume production), the plan was to offer the engine that he needed to develop also to custom bike builders and manufacturers in Europe for one-off and volume use.
The latest news is that his sister company, Lauge Jensen Engineering, is now ready to start marketing the engine and plans to give the programme its public debut in Europe at the AMD World Championship at INTERMOT (September 29th - October 5th), under the 'Sleipner' motor brand. Norse mythology has it that Sleipner was Odin's immensely powerful and fast eight-legged horse!

The EURO 4 regulations come into effect on January 1st 2016, and Uffe told IDN that "being the first with EURO 4 may not be a primary concern for some customers, but it will give owners the reassurance that their bike is future-proof, and ahead of the rest in terms of its low emissions output".
Lauge Jensen designed its own catalytic converter exhaust system for the project, which Uffe says was "calibrated specifically to the cat/chassis set-up. As builders and volume producers start planning already for bikes that will need to be road legal in 2016, this is the time for customisers to start planning for this next stage in Europe's regulations.
"As v-twin performance market leaders, S&S are the obvious and best manufacturer for us to have partnered with on this project, and their reputation, experience and expertise means that custom bike builders, and those planning series production, can be assured that their customers will be compliant straight away".
Speaking about their collaboration with Lauge Jensen, S&S said that they were
"uniquely positioned to support our customer and help develop a package that is not only efficient and clean, but retains the character and sound that riders want from an air-cooled v-twin".
Uffe Lauge Jensen went on to say “the new '1-eleven Squarehead' Sleipner motor is mean, lean and green!
"At first, meeting the restrictions of the EURO 4 regulations impacted drastically on the power and noise characteristics, but by careful development of the internals and fuel injection software, the package we have created restored the 'feel' and sound as well as delivering a powerful result, enjoyable riding experience, and improved fuel consumption".

www.laugejensen.dk