Legendary American small engine manufacturer Briggs & Stratton has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. Founded in 1908 and based near Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the small engine specialist has been acquired by New York based equity investor KPS Capital Partners in a stock and asset purchase agreement under a court-supervised voluntary reorganisation. The company has also obtained $677.5m in DIP financing, has a reported $1.8bn in revenue and is said to employ some 5,000 people.
New EU standards will include 'crash testing' with helmets having to undergo impact tests at oblique angles. Testers will use 45-degree angle impacts to measure how add-ons such as helmet-mounted Bluetooth comms and action cameras affect energy absorption and rotational protection during a crash. The new requirements will co-exist with the current ECE 22.05, replacing them completely (as ECE.06) in 2023.
Plans by Madrid based WSBK rights holder Dorna and the FIM to still be able to stage British, Dutch and Qatari WSBK rounds have been abandoned - dates had still be held in the revised schedule on a to be determined or confirmed basis. It will be the first time in WorldSBK history that there won’t be a round in the UK; the TT Circuit Assen has been a permanent fixture since 1992 - the longest continually serving venue in WorldSBK.
Ducati and MT Distribution have signed a deal for a new line of Ducati branded electric mobility vehicles to be distributed under licence by MT in 2020. Seven new products, including folding e-bikes and electric scooters, are expected - branded Ducati, Ducati Corse and Ducati Scrambler. The entire range has been developed in collaboration with the Ducati Design Centre, which has worked in conjunction with Italdesign for the e-bikes. The new range will consist of four electric scooters and three folding e-bikes - the scooters that come from the partnership between Ducati and MT have motors from 250W to 500W, while the e-bikes are equipped with 250W motors (the maximum value stipulated by law for this type of vehicle).
Founded in 2013, Belgium based Bullit Motorcycles has followed up its 50 cc Hero with the retro-inspired Bluroc range. Available as an air cooled 4-stroke 125 cc, 11.5 bhp learner version with a classic front fork and spiral oil suspension set-up with five gears and single disc CBS and in 250 cc, described as "a reliable 4-stroke, V-twin air cooled engine capable of a top speed of 78 mph", features include hydraulic conventional telescopic forks, hydraulic mono shock suspension and a five-speed manual transmission.
Sources: AMD, IDN, FT, Reuters, PSB, MPN, B&B, BDN, MCN, AP, Bloomberg, MNW. electricmotorcycles.news
