Some 50,000 visitors - including motorcyclists, tourists and enthusiasts - took part in the second annual, ADV-heavy Italian Bike Week at Lignano Sabbiadoro (UD, north of Venice on Italy's Adriatic coast) in mid-September. IBW is a spin-off from May's Biker Fest International at the same venue - which regularly attracts more than 150,00 riders and enthusiasts. Over 1,200 free ADV and off-road model demo rides were taken during the four-day event with "many of the main motorcycle manufacturers and many of Europe's top customisers there as exhibitors and competitors".
Yamaha Motor is changing its Chinese motorcycle manufacturing Joint Venture partner. Its current collaborator, Chongqing Jianshe Mechanical and Electric Co., Ltd., is transfer its equity in the joint venture (Zhuzhou Jianshe Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd./ZJYM), to ZHEJIANG CFMOTO POWER CO., LTD. (CFMOTO). The name of the new business will be ZHUZHOU CF YAMAHA MOTOR CO., LTD. (ZCYM). Yamaha Motor has positioned China as one of its important production and sales bases and will continue to discuss the direction of the joint venture with KTM partner CFMOTO going forward, with the aim of further raising competitiveness.
MEGA ChinaMotor reports that ride-hailing multi-national UBER has launched an electric motorbike service in Kenya - its first in Africa - as the company seeks to make its global platform emissions free by 2040. Uber's new green product in Kenya, dubbed Electric Boda - in a nod to the Swahili term for motorbike taxis - will comprise 3,000 bikes within six months, or just under a fifth of its fleet. It is said drivers will see a 30-35% drop in their operating costs, and users of the platform will pay 15-20% less than they do for a regular Uber motorbike trip. Kenya generates more than 90% of its power from renewable sources and has been positioning itself as a hub to lead Africa's shift to green transport. As elsewhere, the growth of the electric vehicles market in Africa has been slowed by a lack of adequate electric charging infrastructure and associated equipment. Sensing an opportunity, local businesses have been setting up battery-swapping stations in major cities like Nairobi.
Launched amid much fanfare in 2022, the FIM World Supercross Championship (WSX) owner SX Global (Australia) has had issues with its original financial backer - with rumours that the series was in financial trouble after Abu Dhabi based Mubadala Capital (the asset management arm of the United Arab Emirates sovereign wealth fund) withdrew its support. CEO Adam Bailey has sold the business to a new investor group led by sports investors Kyril Louis-Dreyfus (5% owner of Marseilles Football Club and son of Robert Louis-Dreyfus, the former CEO of advertising giant Saatchi & Saatchi and of sportswear giant Adidas). His business partner in the acquisition of a controlling stake in SX Global is Juan Sartori - a successful Uruguayan businessman and senator. In sporting terms, the pair are best known as co-owners of English tier-2 football team Sunderland. The WSX season ambitions are in tatters. In 2022 a planned six-round series was reduced to just two rounds (UK and Australia). So far there has been a season opening round at the Villa Park football ground in Birmingham, England (July 1). With the 2023 Singaporean, German and Canadian Grands Prix cancelled, it would appear that, at best, the only two remaining rounds will be Abu Dhabi, at the Etihad Arena, Yas Island (November 4) and at the Marvel Stadium, Melbourne (November 24-25).
With three months to go before the show opens its doors, a record number of 15 powersports manufacturers have already signed on to exhibit at AIMExpo 2024 (February 6-8, 2024, at the Las Vegas Convention Center). They include Aprilia, GasGas, Husqvarna, Indian, Kawasaki, KTM, Moto Guzzi, Moto Morini, MV Agusta, Piaggio, Slingshot, Suzuki, Triumph, Vespa and Yamaha. Open only to dealers and industry professionals, AIMExpo offers an immersive experience for the powersports industry - a platform for key brands, manufacturers, dealers and distributors to learn about and discuss the important issues currently facing our industry. International visitors can register on-line at www.aimexpousa.com
Sources: AMD, IDN, FT, Reuters, PSB, MPN, BDN, MCN, AP, Bloomberg, MSNW, Electrek, electricmotorcycles.news, RideApart.com, Motor1.com, Cycle World, motorbikewriter.com
