Airoh

Riot from Airoh

THE new Riot is Airoh's answer to the vintage and Cafe Racer style helmets that are now popular with urban riders.

The fibre shell with a weight of only 900g gives riders safety, but also reduces strain on the shoulders and neck. The helmet has its own sun screen visor, which is 50% tinted, and comes with some spare parts including a long visor and a removable three-snap peak.
The inner liner is removable and washable, and closure is by micrometric retention system.

LOCATELLI Spa
Almenno San Bartolomeo (BG), ITALY
Tel. +39 035 553101
info@airoh.com
www.airoh.com

Givi

Top case V47

THIS high visibility top case from Givi adopts the Monokey mounting system and has an internal space of 47 litres, can carry luggage up to a maximum weight of 10kg, is fitted with dedicated gaskets that offer a high degree of impermeability and closes and opens with a simple push and can be locked with a Security Lock.

Features include a big band that runs rear and laterally and on the main cover of the lid, painted in fluorescent yellow, a shaped central cover in PP with carbon effect plot and the Givi logo in silver satin, plus two rows of smoke-grey rear reflectors.
Intended for scooters, road bikes, touring and maxi enduros, able to hold two modular helmets.

GIVI Srl
Flero (BS), ITALY
Tel. +39 030 3580518
info@givi.it
www.givi.it

Bosch

Bosch launches connectivity control units for two-wheelers

THE new Connectivity Control Unit (CCU) from Bosch acts as a communications centre that collects operating data, sends information to rescue workers and call them to the scene of an accident with pinpoint accuracy using an emergency call system.
The automatic emergency is triggered by critical driving manoeuvre sensor information from the vehicle and rider, evaluated by a ‘crash algorithm’. 

In October last year ACEM, the Brussels based motorcycle industry trade association, announced that motorcycle manufacturers had signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperative Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) and to have at least one of their models available with ITS fitted by 2020.
In the event of a technical vehicle breakdown, the rider can send a breakdown call (bCall) to inform a service centre. Thanks to integrated GPS and GSM modules, the CCU delivers initial information on the scene of the breakdown and on the technical status as well as on any entries in the vehicle’s error memory.
The Bosch CCU features a back-up battery offers a ‘Stolen Vehicle Tracking Service’ and is V2V ready for future Vehicle-to-Vehicle Communication, systems and safety features.

ROBERT BOSCH GMBH
Gerlingen-Schillerhöhe, GERMANY
Tel: +49 (0)7 11 8 11 0
callbosch@de.bosch.com
www.bosch.de

Ducabike

Ducabike Ducati parts

DUCABIKE, an Italian business that specialises in aftermarket parts and accessories for Ducati models, has billet aluminium clutch covers for all Ducati engines with wet clutches. The cover has a clear panel that allows the clutch to be seen. The outer trim ring on the cover is available anodised silver, black, red or gold. 

Designed specifically for the Panigale1199 and 899, Ducabike has an adjustable rear link and transmission rod for the bike’s swingarm/shock mount. It is machined from aluminium billet and features three mounting options for the transmission rod, which is adjustable in millimetre increments to vary the height of the rear of the bike. 

The adjustable levers from Ducabike are for both brake and clutch applications. The five position adjustable levers are machined from aluminium and anodised, and feature a pivot point to prevent the levers from snapping in the event of the bike falling.

DUCABIKE SPECIAL MOTO PARTS
Bologna, ITALY
Tel: +39 051 328462
ducabike@ducabike.com
www.ducabike.com 

Gianni Falco

Avantour dual use boot

"Tech and Style" is the mantra for Italian boot maker Gianni Falco. Their boot range for 2015 includes the Avantour dual use certified on-road/off-road boot, featuring hydrophobic-treated full grain leather upper with "High-Tex" membrane liner.

Maximum support to the movement of the foot is provided by the "Eso-Motion 2" rear-hinge articulation system combined with D3O shock-absorbing ankle cups. Closure "Black-Alu" buckles are micro-adjustable and completely replaceable. The Enduro threaded rubber sole is reinforced with classic Goodyear stitching for longer wear-out resistance.

GIANNI FALCO Srl
Caselle di Altivole (TV), ITALY
info@giannifalco.com
www.giannifalco.com

Detlev Louis

Detlev Louis sold to Warren Buffettt

Respected German retailer and mail order parts, accessory and apparel specialist Detlev Louis Motorradvertriebs GmbH has been sold to a subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway Inc., the Omaha, Nebraska based conglomerate built and still largely owned by 84 year-old investor Warren Buffett.

Known as the "Sage of Omaha" and currently thought to be the world's fourth richest man, Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway is said to hold some $500bn in assets and has known to be on the look-out for acquisitions in Europe for some time.
Based in Hamburg, the sale was undertaken by Ute Louis, widow of founder Detlev Louis, who died in 2012. The deal is said to have been worth some €400m; the company presently operates some 70 retail stores, a mail order business that started with its first catalog in 1967, and an online operation that is estimated to account for some 20 percent of its total of around €240 in sales.

Celebrating its 75th anniversary this year, Detlev Louis originally started as a motorcycle dealership and workshop in 1938; Detlev Louis got involved in 1946 and by 1968 the company was selling Honda, BSA, BMW and Matchless motorcycles as well seeing its parts, accessory and apparel business grow.
In 1969 the company became the general importer for Germany for Kawasaki motorcycles, but has withdrawn from motorcycle sales altogether by the early 1990s. The company presently employs around 1,600 people and sells some 32,000 product lines.
This is Berkshire Hathaway's first medium sized acquisition in Europe, and the first time it is believed to have taken outright ownership of a 100 percent motorcycle business.
However it is not its first motorcycle industry investment. Its GEICO Insurance is heavily involved in motorcycle insurance in the United States, and it took a $300m position in Harley-Davidson debt in 2009 when the Milwaukee, Wisconsin based manufacturer was "short of friends".

www.louis.de

Paris to ban bikes older than 5 years

Paris to ban bikes older than 5 years

Europe's manufacturers and trade associations are looking closely at measures introduced in several major European cities in the past 24 months that seek to apply quite draconian age limits on motorcycles permitted to ride there of as little as 5 years old.
The latest is Paris, where the city government passed a wide-ranging series of regulations on February 9th aimed at reducing the number of vehicles on the Paris roads with what it considers to be outdated emissions compliance and standards.
In the case of motorcycles, Paris has legislated to prevent motorcycles of older than 5 years using the roads of a city where 150,000 motorcycles are registered, and where, in common with other major urban centres, encouraging increased PTW use has been credited with reducing pollution, congestion and parking issues in various studies conducted in the last 10 years.

French riders rights association FFMC coordinated a protest on February 8th against the Paris city plans - between 2,000 and 4,000 riders are estimated to have taken part depending on whose figures you trust.

With manufacturers heading towards EURO-4 compliance for model year 2016 motorcycles and tighter still compliance standards thereafter, the implementation of a 5 year cut off is being widely regarded as arbitrary and inappropriate.
ACEM, the Brussels-based industry trade association, told IDN today that it is "looking at this issue closely" and has attended a meeting with French officials in Paris to discuss their proposals.
ACEM says that it believes that these initiatives "should be made in a sensitive manner, address only very old vehicles - which have higher emissions - and be accompanied by measures to encourage fleet renewal.
"This could contribute more significantly to improving air quality as well as sound emissions. Moreover, restrictions must remain proportionate and should not be imposed out of peak hours".
In markets such as Spain, where motorcycles have been included in government incentives to scrap/renew older vehicles, such initiatives had a positive impact on PTW take-up. With the European parliament now insisting that the European commission undertakes research to prove that further motorcycle restrictions deliver economically efficient and technically viable contributions to emissions reduction, the move by Paris and other cities goes entirely against the current trend.