Russian motorcycle brand Ural has unveiled new engine and powertrain updates for 2023, including a new engine case, can, roller tappets, a new rubber rocker cover gasket to replace the old, time-honoured cork design in 2019 and up engines, and a new CV sidecar driveshaft to replace the old U-joint shaft. Excepting for the new gasket, the upgrades are all reverse compatible with all 750 cc air-cooled horizontally opposed flat-twin Ural engines. Founded in 1941 to provide transport for Russian troops in WWII, the war between Russia and Ukraine forced Ural to relocate assembly from its spiritual home at Irbit in Russia to Petropavlovsk in Kazakhstan. Urals are sold through an international dealer network in over 40 countries across five continents. The company is led by a small team in Redmond, WA, that coordinates worldwide distribution and works directly with the factory "to develop and refine the best adventure-ready sidecar motorcycles".
Bike and Business (Germany) reports that with a total of 195,006 newly issued two-wheeler driving licenses, 2022 has achieved the best result since the introduction of the new regulation in 2013 (IVM data). The AM driver's licence, which has been on the rise since AM was introduced nationwide at the age of 15, is particularly popular. Since the start of the pilot project to lower the minimum age for the AM driving licence from 16 to 15 years, in 2013, the number of new permits has been growing almost every year. Since the nationwide lowering of the minimum age in July 2021, the number of new permits has increased by almost +43 percent from 22,105 new permits (2021) to 31,580 new permits last year. Compared to 2012 - the year before the start of the model test - there has been an increase of over +180 percent.
Harley's new megastore for the Cologne-Bonn region in Germany has opened, plugging the gap created by Harley Europe's controversial termination of the dealer contract for K&K Holding (Georg Kierdorf) at the end of 2021. Being operated by Managing Director Max Sedacek and Workshop Manager Peter Blittersdorf, it is the fourth location in the successful group owned by Andreas Reibchen, Stephan Kaminski and Peter Eul, the Managing Directors of H-D Bielefeld, Düsseldorf and Osnabrück.
Founded in 1973 by Don Emler Sr., Southern California based aftermarket exhaust manufacturer FMF Racing (Flying Machine Factory) has marked the start of its 50th anniversary year by returning as the "Official Exhaust" of American motocross. "It's no coincidence that the beginnings of FMF Racing coincide with the infancy of the Pro Motocross Championship, as both now boast a half century of showcasing the absolute best of what American motocross has to offer," said Davey Coombs, President, MX Sports Pro Racing. "The sport blossomed out of the booming Southern California racing scene, fostering motocross' first domestic superstars and one of its most influential brands in FMF. Our roots are in support of Pro Motocross, which has made the brand synonymous with this prestigious championship."
The world's oldest surviving national newspaper has printed its final edition. Austria's Wiener Zeitung has published its final print edition almost 320 years after the first. A law change in Austria ended a legal requirement in that country for companies to publish public announcements in the print edition of the newspaper, terminating Wiener Zeitung's role as an official gazette. The change resulted in an immediate loss of an estimated € 18m of annual income and has forced the paper to cut 63 jobs, reduce the editorial staff from 55 to 20 and close its print edition. The paper is owned by the Austrian government, but is editorially independent and outlasted 12 presidents, ten kaiser and two republics. The oldest surviving print newspaper is now thought to be Germany's Hildesheimer Allgemeine Zeitung, which started in 1705.
Italian electric motorcycle manufacturer Energica rider Stefano Mesa (Columbia) and Tytlers Cycle Racing continue to impress in the Super Hooligans championship series, becoming "the first EV ever in the world to lead a race against ICE machinery", as Roland Sands pointed out in commentary breaking the e-motorcycle lap record (1:31.272 seconds) at Laguna Seca during Round 6 of the 2023 series, finishing in fifth place on the Energica Eva Ribelle RS.
Sources: AMD, IDN, FT, Reuters, PSB, MPN, BDN, MCN, AP, Bloomberg, MSNW, Electrek, electricmotorcycles.news, RideApart.com, Motor1.com, Cycle World, motorbikewriter.com
