Motor Bike Expo

Verona/MBE postponed until spring 2021

Motor Bike Expo (the 'Verona' Show) has announced the postponement of its 2021 show from the planned January dates to later in the spring of 2021.
"Aware of the difficult situation we all face, we have come up with an alternative solution. With the hope that the international situation will soon take a significant turn for the better, we are convinced that the best choice at the moment is to postpone MBE 2021 to the beginning of spring.

"At this stage it is impossible for us to guarantee the expected level of success of the event, both in terms of commercial results for exhibitors as well as offering the full, dynamic visitor experience.
"For these reasons - and above all for the protection of everyone's health and to offer an even more significant and satisfying edition of the event - postponement is the best option".
The organisers of Motor Bike Expo are looking at the positives where they can and have quite rightly pointed to one big upside of a spring timing - namely that many more visitors will be able to come to the show by motorbike.
"As with every situation which may initially seem negative, we focus on the positive implications and new opportunities that this scenario can present to us, such as the possibility for visitors to reach the event directly by motorcycle, further expansion of exhibition spaces with greater use of outdoor areas, strengthening of test ride activities and an increase in outdoor entertainment activities.
"Longer days and milder weather can be a winning combination and we look forward to being able to deliver a different kind of show when the world is in a 'better place' in terms of this health crisis".
www.motorbikeexpo.it

IMMA

IMMA appoints Bajaj's Rakesh Sharma

The International Motorcycle Manufacturers Association (IMMA) has elected Rakesh Sharma, Bajaj Auto Executive Director, as its new President for a 2-year term.
The decision was taken by IMMA General Assembly, held 'virtually' in April, and he succeeds Mr. Johannes Loman, Director of PT Astra International Tbk and Executive Vice President Director PT Astra Honda Motor (AHM) Indonesia. Loman remains President of FAMI, the Federation of Asian Motorcycle Industries and President of AISI, the Indonesian Motorcycle Industry Association.

Mr. Rakesh Sharma, SIAM, India (left), takes over as IMMA President from Mr. Johannes Loman, FAMI.

Mr. Rakesh Sharma has seen dramatic developments and evolution at Bajaj Auto since he joined as President (International Business) in October 2007 and is currently the Executive Director. He is a member of the Board of Commissioners of PT Bajaj Auto Indonesia, a subsidiary of Bajaj Auto Ltd., and the Chairman of the Exports Council of SIAM, the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers.
Mr. Sharma previously held office as Vice President at IMMA, elected in May 2019. On being elected to his new role, Mr. Sharma said: "These are very challenging times and I take up this prestigious appointment fully conscious of the role the motorcycle industry has to play - both as a key industry and as a responsible member of society.
"Whilst we are facing numerous difficulties, we can also see that in due course, new but different opportunities will emerge. The role of national, regional and global associations such as SIAM and IMMA is now more important than ever and we will work hard to ensure we play a strong and responsible role in the recovery.''Mr. Loman stated: "IMMA aims to advance the sustainable growth of the two-wheeler industry in every region of the world."

D.I.D chain

D.I.D chain wins MotoGP World Championship with Joan Mir and Team Suzuki Ecstar

Joan Mir's 2020 MotoGP World Championship win marks an exceptional achievement for technical partner D.I.D and Team Suzuki Ecstar, as well as for Suzuki itself.
Even though the Manufacturer's Championship evaded them, the Mir/Team Suzuki Ecstar win was a significant achievement for the D.I.D. chain equipped Suzuki race bike.

The win comes as Suzuki celebrates its 100th anniversary and the 60th anniversary of its Isle of Man race debut in 1960, with the legendary contribution that Ernst Degner and (East) German two-stroke technology made to Suzuki's evolution as a motorcycle manufacturer.
Suzuki's last premier class World Championship win was in 2000 with Kenny Roberts Jr., in what was then the 500 cc World Title Class and, in fact, D.I.D was there too - D.I.D chain became Suzuki's race chain of choice again in 2019.

D.I.D's 520ERV7 is the chosen chain of road racing teams in MotoGP, WSBK, MotoAmerica, and used by incredible talents such as Valentino Rossi, Andrea Dovizioso, and Alex Rins.

 

 

 

After four years of Marc Márquez and Repsol Honda domination, despite Márquez' absence for much of the second half of the (much altered) 2020 series, Joan Mir secured his maiden MotoGP title and delivered Team Suzuki Ecstar and Suzuki's first team championship since the manufacturer came back into the series in 2015. This despite the high number of wins by different riders, teams and constructors in 2020, and the Yamaha engine controversy - a 50 point deduction handed the manufacturer's title to Ducati, despite no Ducati riders finishing in the championship's top three.

Spaniard Joan Mir became the first Moto3 World Champion to graduate to a premier class series title and posted the first premier class championship series win of the "modern era" for a Suzuki rider - the last was Kenny Robert's Jr. in the 500 cc days, and D.I.D was Suzuki's "chain of choice" back then too!

In fact, Mir's championship win was the first for a Suzuki rider since 2000 when Kenny Roberts Jr. was champion and the first non-Honda or non-Yamaha rider to win the title since Ducati rider Casey Stoner in 2007 - plus, he became the first Moto3 world champion to graduate to a premier class series title. Mir won the title by 13 points ahead of Franco Morbidelli (Yamaha), and Alex Rins, also with D.I.D chain and Team Suzuki Ecstar, was third.
www.dideu.it

Fantic Motor

Motori Minarelli sold to Fantic

As part of what it says is a strategy to "reinforce a cooperation with Fantic Motor", Yamaha Motor Europe is "transferring all issued shares" in its Bologna based Motori Minarelli engine manufacturing subsidiary to Fantic Motor (Dosson di Casier, Treviso).
Yamaha began consultations with the European Works Council (EWC) in October. Founded by Mario Agrati in 1968 and manufacturer of the legendary Caballero line, Yamaha says that "Fantic has been a long-time business partner of Motori Minarelli. 

Fantic Caballero

"This transfer of issued shares is aimed at further strengthening the ties between Yamaha Motor and Fantic, and based on the consultation process with the EWC, the relevant contracts and paperwork for conducting the transfer to Fantic is scheduled to be complete within the year".
Motori Minarelli is said to produce 80,000 motorcycle engines of 50 to 400 cm3 annually, and supplies engines to MBK Industrie S.A.S. (France) - Yamaha’s European motorcycle manufacturing subsidiary - and to other motorcycle manufacturers in Europe, including Fantic since 1970. The company traces its origins back to 1951 (established as F.B.M. - Fabbrica Bolognese Motocicli - by Vittorio Minarelli and Franco Morini) as a full bike (scooter/moped) manufacturer.

The two partners split in 1956 with Vittorio starting F.B. Minarelli, changing the name to Motori Minarelli in 1967. In the 1970s average production ran to 200,000 two-wheeler and 50,000 agricultural engines. Their greatest race successes came between 1978 and 1981 when Motori Minarelli won four 125 cc manufacturer titles and two rider world championship titles.
Having started making 50 cc engines in the early 1990s, the company was selling to the likes of MBK, Yamaha Motor Espana, Aprilia, Malaguti, Beta, Rieju and others and saw production peak at 700,000 units in 1998 when it employed some 500 people.
The four-stroke 125 cc scooter engine which was added to the production of two-stroke engines had doubled its manufacturing footprint by the end of the 1990s, becoming wholly owned by Yamaha by 2002.

Yamaha

Yamaha reports sales of motorcycles in Europe for the quarter ended September 30 as being down at 145,000 units from 151,000 for the year-ago quarter, but that at 98% of the revised Q3 forecast, the company says that demand has recovered "more than expected".
Total global unit sales for the first nine months of the year were 2,707,000 units, down from 3,818,000 for the year-ago period, with sales in all markets down, but less so in 'developed markets' such as Europe (145,000 units sold YTD against 151,000 for the first nine months of 2019) and North America (39,000 sold YTD against 71,000 in 2019).
For the third quarter, unit sales recovered more than Yamaha's revised forecast had projected in Thailand, India and Brazil and are now level with or ahead of the original 2020 full year forecast in Vietnam, China and India.
Net sales revenue for Q3 in Europe is in fact slightly up compared to that seen in Q3 of 2019 at 106.8bn yen against 106.5bn yen for the year-ago quarter. In terms of all developed markets (Japan, Europe, Oceania and North America), Q3 net sales revenue was 172.3bn yen against 176.7bn yen for the year-ago period. Yamaha stated that is has an "urgent need to restore product supply" to its developed markets.
Net sales revenue in emerging markets was 425.7bn yen for Q3 this year against 577.6bn yen for the year-ago period. Yamaha says that this marks a better than expected recovery of demand in its emerging markets and that the quarter saw online product bookings start in India.

The 'Tritown' - final mile integration with mass transit systems,
and a whole bunch of fun!

For the nine months to September 30, net sales in its 'Land Mobility' division were 682,360m yen, -19.3% (from 845,441m yen), compared to the year-ago period.
In total overall corporate terms, net sales were 15.8% down for the first nine months of the year at 1,067.1bn yen.
Among the other recent news from Iwata, Japan, its electric personal mobility concept model 'Tritown' looks like a whole bunch of fun, and it would appear that the judges at the prestigious German Design Awards 2021 agree, awarding it as the "Winner" in the Excellent Product Design category.
It is described by Yamaha as a "compact, electric two-front-wheeled stand-up riding mobility style unit equipped with a LMW (Leaning Multi Wheel) mechanism".
The most dramatic news for Yamaha's MY2021 must be the end of an era with the retirement of the YZF-R6. Introduced in 1999, it was designed to be a tad more accessible (and insurance friendly) than the R1, it was more successful than its Kawasaki and Suzuki counterparts, so there is speculation that maybe it is "just resting" - pending being born again - an au revoir rather than Sayonara. 

Yamaha Tracer 9 GT

The non-homologated track days and racing-only R6 Race can be customised with options from Yamaha's GYTR performance products range.
The WR250R and iconic VMAX are also gone. While the late model VMAX hasn't built up quite the following that the legendary original has, it has proven itself as a strong brand platform.
For Europe, the Tracer 7 is the new name for the 2019 updated Tracer 700, with the MT-07 getting major upgrades for 2021, and there is a new MT-09 Hyper Naked.
The Tracer 9 and new Tracer 9 GT (formerly the Tracer 900) receive some of the upgrades unveiled on the equally new MT-09, as the theme at Yamaha, and indeed across most of the industry as manufacturers seek Euro 5 compliance, appears to be "more power, less weight and increased versatility".

New for 2021, the MT-09 SP - "The most radical Yamaha Hyper Naked". The 845 cc inline triple will meet Euro 5 with a bump to 890 cc and around 120 hp.

"Roads of Life" is the core concept behind Yamaha's Sport Touring segment, the goal being to "gather all types of riders who are all looking for the same goal. Each Yamaha Sport Touring is designed to provide an instant and accessible escape from the day-to-day world by giving everyone the chance to clear their minds and appreciate the wonders of the natural environment. Now, more than ever, we all need to be able to get outside at a moment's notice and create a new world where we can take charge of our destiny and live life to the fullest".
Promising "Ultimate Sports Versatility", the all-new Tracer 9 comes five years after the launch of the original model and Yamaha says it has created "all-new versions of the ultimate multi-role motorcycles that are designed to reaffirm the model's position as Europe's favourite Sport Touring bike and attract a new generation of riders to the category".
Highlights include the new lighter and more powerful EU5 890 cc CP3 inline three engine ('crossplane' technology);  new CF die-cast Deltabox chassis; longer high-rigidity swingarm; full 3-bag luggage capability; "class-leading" electronic rider aids (6-axis IMU - Inertial Measurement Unit - from the R1, for "ultimate controllability"); Traction Control; Slide Control System (SCS); front wheel LIFt control system (LIF); three TCS/SCS/LIF mode settings; Brake Control system (BC); APSG ride-by-wire throttle and new higher-efficiency intake and exhaust for reduced weight.
In race news, Yamaha is celebrating the success of its 2020 racing strategy as the MX2 Manufacturer of the Year "thanks to the excellence of the YZ250F and the skill and determination of riders Jago Geerts, Ben Watson and Maxime Renaux - all three of whom visited the top step of the podium over the course of the season".
This achievement marks Yamaha's third Manufacturer's crown since the class was reinvented as MX2 in 2004, with the first title coming in 2005 and the second following two years later in 2007. Yamaha also won its fifth WMX Manufacturer's title thanks to the combined efforts of Nancy van de Ven and Larissa Papenmeier.

TecMate

Winter storage done right

"So many stored motorcycles, so many batteries slowly losing charge. But who cares…until that battery is unable to crank the engine," says TecMate CEO and Chief Technical Officer Martin Human.
"Maybe you have a customer on the hook, ready to buy and ride that motorcycle right out of the showroom, and the clincher should be hearing that pulse quickening and wallet loosening rumble, but just as you hit the magic button … nothing!
"At best, the customer is left with doubt about the health of that battery and might demand a new one, at worst the customer's motivation to buy has evaporated like mist before the sun."
A pro-active dealer will have someone periodically running around the showroom checking batteries, but it takes time and quick access to the battery is required, not always easy on modern motorcycles. And these days it requires knowledge of three different battery types and their specific charged voltages and optimum charging cycles.
"That is where OptiMate rides to the rescue," says Martin. "OptiMate battery monitors are ideal for when you cannot always maintain the battery. 

"Simply put, if every showroom or stored vehicle has one of OptiMate's state of charge monitors fitted, pretty much anyone can establish if a particular battery needs charging or not really easily. The traffic light style indication is straightforward to understand - a blinking GREEN is 'Good to go', in other words, no charging required; YELLOW is 'still OK, but charge soon' and RED is 'Charge now' or else your battery will be dead soon!
"There's added value too, once the engine fires up, it tells you if the charging system is working right." 

For 12V AGM and STD lead-acid batteries there are a couple of OptiMate options, starting with the O-124 fused battery lead - now with M6-M8 (1/4"-5/16") dual ringlets that fits all powersport batteries. The O-124 is also delivered in a jar of 20, reducing the cost per unit.
The O-125 is a portable option with SAE connector. Dealers who fit the O-01 battery lead at PDI (pre-delivery inspection) can eliminate having to haul around a multi-meter to check voltage. The O-125 plugs right into the SAE connector and immediately indicates battery status.
The O-126 is another portable option - its AUTO plug fits all 12V/automotive (or cigar) size sockets.
For 12.8V/13.2V lithium (LFP/LiFePO4) batteries, the O-127 fused battery lead with M6-M8 (1/4"-5/16") dual ringlets is currently OptiMate's only option. The O-127 also warns if the vehicle's system is overcharging the battery, a necessary option for lithium. The O-127 is also delivered in a jar of 20, reducing cost per unit.

TECMATE
www.tecmate.com
www.optimate1.com

Eleveit

'Stunt WP' touring boots

The technology and feature-rich Eleveit apparel programme is the brainchild of a Treviso, Italy, manufacturer with over 30 years of experience in the boot and technical workshoe business, with "Italian authenticity" engineered into every product.
The new 'Stunt WP' ankle boot is the result of this experience, combined with constant research and development. It is designed for those who "love long journeys" and made with high quality materials. 

Comfort and safety is ensured through use of a new microfibre material with microinjection inserts, air ventilation in the malleolus area and larger air intakes, a new closure, a greater number of reinforcements for the toes and ankle, additional rear counter-reinforcement and a microinjection insert to facilitate the opening in the upper part of the foot.
Other features include E-Dry lining that is said to make the boot totally waterproof, a new two-tone sole in lightweight but resistant two-component material and a double closure system with laces and Velcro. The boot is CE-certified and available in black and black/red.

ELEVEIT SRL
www.eleveit.it