GIVI's Maxia 5 (its top of the range top case) has won the Red Dot award for best product design. Structurally redesigned, optimising its weight to around 5.4 kg and increasing its strength, the Maxia 5 has a 50-litre capacity and can hold two modular helmets; www.givimoto.com
The MIC in USA announced that Q1 total motorcycle unit sales were -5.6% over the same period of 2023 at 118,702 units; ATV/UTV sales were -4.8% at 36,649 units for a total U.S. powersports industry unit count of 155,351 units sold in Q1 this year (-5.4%). Scooter sales were 3,312 units (-5.6%); On-Highway motorcycles were 66,290 units (up by 2.1%). After strong growth these past few years, ADV models ('Dual Sports' as they are termed in USA) were down by -6.0% at 17,586 units in Q1 2024, and following the huge explosion in demand during the Covid and immediate post-Covid years, Off-Highway motorcycles were seriously down in the first quarter of 2024 at -18.3% (31,514 units).
Women’s Circuit Racing is finally to get its own championship with an inaugural six-race 2024 FIM Women's Circuit Racing World Championship (WorldWCR) that kicked off in June at the Emilia-Romagna MWC “Marco Simoncelli” (14-16 June) before a Prosecco DOC UK Round at Donington Park (12-14 July). "As a single-make series, all participants will compete using the 687cc Yamaha YZF-R7, focusing on skill and strategy rather than differences in equipment. This inaugural 2024 season will feature 24 riders from a variety of backgrounds, all poised to leave their mark on this historic championship". The series will continue with races in Portugal (Algarve) and Hungary (Balaton Park) in August, Italy in September (Cremona) before a Prometeon Spanish Round as a finale at the Circuito de Jerez - Angel Nieto, October 18-20; www.worldsbk.com
Suzuki has invested in Glydways, Inc., a California based startup that develops on-demand Personal Rapid Transit of autonomous batteries that is to "revolutionise urban mobility core-efficient and convenient with lower infrastructure and operating costs". Suzuki and Glydways will discuss partnering on vehicle development and manufacturing.
In USA, the 2024 SEMA Market Report finds that automotive specialty-equipment market sales grew to $52.3bn in 2023, an increase of about 1% over 2022.
The SBK Commission is working on the introduction of a new entry class to the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship in 2026, "marking a significant evolution in the racing landscape". The new class will replace the FIM Supersport 300 World Championship (WorldSSP300), which has served as a feeder class since its inception in 2017.
Brembo has won a 2024 Red Dot award for its MotoGP technology-derived GP4-MotoGP brake caliper.
Michele Colaninno, Chief Executive Officer of the Piaggio Group (PIA.MI), has been elected to a second term as President of ACEM - the Brussels based international motorcycle industry trade association. He stated: "The market and urban environments are changing fast and mobility is evolving. This is a challenge for the industry, but also an opportunity not to be lost: sustainability, connectivity, safety and competitiveness are the key points of our agenda and the ACEM manifesto.”
Yamaha Motor Europe is engaged in a 'proof of concept' collaboration in Berlin with smart battery swapping and charging infrastructure provider Swobbee to test swappable batteries with NEO's in Berlin. The project started in July and will be staged in central Berlin, which is described as "the epicentre of electric mobility in Europe". Customers with a 50 cc equivalent AM license can subscribe to Swobbee’s service to receive Yamaha electric-powered scooter NEO's on a monthly basis.
Michael Dunlop beat a 24-year record to become the new 'King of the Isle of Man' - fittingly, as the record of 26 wins was held by his uncle Joey Dunlop. Michael took home his 27th TT victory when he won the Supertwins class, making him unquestionably the new king of the mountain course.
