Central Wheel Components: For students of vendor longevity, raise a glass for Central Wheel Components of Birmingham, England. Founded in 1897, the company has celebrated 120 years of continuous operation. The company stocks more than 15,000 motorcycle wheel rims and 500,000 spokes and nipples at any one time, most manufactured in-house. Its SM Pro Platinum rim is widely recognized as the world’s strongest and lightest aftermarket MX/off-road rim. These days the company is based at Coleshill, England, near the UK’s National Motorcycle Museum;
www.central-wheel.co.uk
Touratech: Initially only being sold in Germany and Switzerland, the German Adventure Touring specialist is offering a complete motorcycle for the very first time - the Touratech World Travel Edition, a fully touring equipped BMW R 1200 GS. The bike is given the Touratech Desierto V fairing trim kit (a decal set developed by Rubber Dust) with yellow powder-coated components and powerful side-mounted auxiliary lights to emphasize its dual-purpose credentials. The original fork legs are replaced by expedition-compatible components from Touratech Suspension. All functions of the electronic suspension are fully retained, but the suspension package is said to greatly improve off-road and long distance on-road handling. The selection of vehicle-specific components is “designed to guarantee maximum functionality and practicality with an attention to detail that comes from our years of experience - such as shifting the gimbal vent to increase the wading depth or the little protectors at the throttle valves all prove our long-distance travel expertise”; www.touratech.com
Paaschburg & Wunderlich: The distributor and parts and accessory designer made the headlines earlier this year when it announced its acquisition of German parts maker and bike builder LSL Motorradtechnik GmbH from founder and former Harley dealer Jochen Schmitz-Linkweiler. Noted for top-end parts and expansive series production ‘Clubman’ and special bike building programmes, LSL warehousing and sales activities have been relocated to the P&W facility at Glinde, near Hamburg. The LSL development department, design and engineering teams have stayed at the existing LSL facility at Krefeld under the continuing leadership of Schmitz-Linkweiler. P&W existing own brands include HIGHSIDER, Shin Yo, Takkoni and Moto Professional; www.pwonline.com; www.lsl.eu
Barkbusters: The Australian handguards specialist has announced the release of its new state-of-the- art, aerodynamically designed AERO-GP lever guards - “conceived with safety in mind, but created to be beautiful when fitted to your machine,” says Robert Veljanoski, Barkbusters General Manager. “The innovative design will complement the look of today’s street bike aesthetics while providing the essential protection needed to prevent accidental activation of the brake or clutch lever during close quarters racing on the track, with street riders protected when riding in large groups, tight spaces and during lane filtering on congested urban roads. The adjustable reach means a perfect fit and they are sold with an additional aerofoil included.“ The sleek, functional aerofoil can be fitted for increased wind protection or removed in seconds for a compact sporty style; www.barkbusters.net
Sol Motors: The Stuttgart, Germany based designer says the 2018 German Design Award-winning ‘Pocket Rocket’ is not an E-bike, as it goes too fast (though it is battery powered), nor a moped, as it has no pedals, but instead is a ‘NoPed’ - “defining a new category of electric two-wheelers”, saying that it is the “perfect urban commuter vehicle”; www.sol-motors.com
D.I.D. Europe: The chain of choice for chain drive conversions, recent new technology from the Japanese specialist has included next generation “Anti-Shock Performance” chain that reduces the process of “Plastic Elongation” caused by the momentary excessive tension that causes the chain pin holes to deform over time - resistance to such deformation is said to be increased by up to 25 percent; www.dideu.it
TDR: Founded in 2000 and headed up in Europe by former Hyperpro executive Jan Belder, TDR Industries is a leading Asian motorcycle and component business with facilities spread across multiple Asian countries such as Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, China and Taiwan. The company is seeking new distribution and dealer partners, initially for a range of components for the Yamaha NMAX, XMAX and HONDA PCX models. The TDR product line is focussed on R&D, manufacturing and distribution of tuning, handling, style and maintenance products such as various sizes of ceramic cylinders, twin iridium spark plugs, camshafts, continuously variable transmissions (CVT), springs and clutch sets, roller weights, pulley sets, stainless steel air filters, gear ratios, brake pads, discs and hoses, handgrips and more. “TDR has a proven record and an exceptional reputation”, says Belder. “They deliver high quality and high performance motorcycle components in the South East Asian market, and we are pleased to announce that we are now starting to take our journey further into the European market in the coming months and years”; www.tdr-racing.com
Motoz: By reputation, the Australian tyre manufacturer offers some of the best dual-sport, Enduro or MX tyres money can buy. Listen to the “paddock chat” about their obvious quality and get some seriously top-end knobbies from the company’s new German warehouse inventory; www.motoz.com.au
