Sifam Group

Lightweight, high-power ELECTHIUM Lithium batteries

Based near Nice in southern France, the Sifam Group (founded in 1994 by Pierre Manuel) has a lithium battery range available for dealers. 

The innovative technical properties of the battery are said to make it a “very high quality product with an exceptional weight/power ratio”. SIFAM says that ELECTHIUM “delivers some 30 percent more power compared to traditional batteries”.
The ELECTHIUM lithium can replace any starter battery and fits all motorcycles, without modifying the wiring. The light weight – approximately one-third the weight of an equivalent conventional lead-acid battery – makes it ideal for sportsbike (race and street) use.
SIFAM is one of the largest France based distributors with a wide range of famous name and own brand hard parts available from its 3,900 sq m headquarters warehouse.

SIFAM
www.sifam.fr

Dot4 Distribution

‘Resurgence’ riding jeans and customisable ‘Qwart’ helmets

Dot4 Distribution is a fast growing UK based European-wide distributor of contemporary motorcycle apparel that offers a range of exclusive brands of contemporary designs for emerging new generations of consumers.
“Our objective is to introduce European bikers to new and exciting lines of motorcycle clothing which offer the highest levels of protection and comfort on and off the bike,” says CEO Stefan Barnes. “The clothing we distribute is technically innovative and offers the latest styling and technology”.

Stefan Barnes, CEO, Dot4 Distribution: “Our objective is to introduce European bikers to new and exciting lines of motorcycle clothing which offer the highest levels of protection and comfort”

Stefan’s programme includes Resurgence Gear, with the New Wave single layer protective jeans described as “the world’s first motorcycle jeans to use the revolutionary new PEKEV Ultra single layer denim fabric”.
“It has taken a lot of development and is a product completely unique within the motorcycle jeans sector,” said Stefan. At its core is the industry’s strongest abrasion resistant thread, PEKEV, developed by Resurgence Gear in 2013 and the holder of the highest rated CE EN13595 Level II abrasion resistant jeans accreditation.
The thread is sheathed in high-quality indigo-dyed cotton and then woven into denim fabric, with a little elastane for comfort and stretch. Tested to the CE EN13595 Level 1 certification, Stefan says “it recorded a staggering Level II rated abrasion resistance of 11 seconds”.

The design includes hip and knee armour pockets with height adjustment, which will take the included D3O T5 Evo X CE knee and hip pads and is “classic taper-cut - wide enough for all thigh sizes and to fit over motorcycle boots, but narrow enough to look cool and ride safe”.
Five years in design and development, the new Qwart is said to be the world’s first customisable helmet. “Adaptable and stylish, the Qwart Lab is based in south-west France, one of Europe’s most vibrant custom bike and cafe racer communities. Its founder and chief designer, Xavier Marigo, wanted to create a helmet that reflected the motorcycle lifestyle.”
Built to deliver “optimum protection, the Qwart ‘Phoenix’ is a 1,190 g full-face, certified to ECE2205. It is made in a 100 percent carbon fibre shell with suede or leather lining options and a variety of colour choices”.
It is available matt or gloss painted and in two versions – ‘Slick’ without visor and ‘Std’ with visor. The interior has a dual-density EPS lining and the chin guard is built with three-layer protection construction - carbon fibre, a shock absorbing void and soft PU material.
Qwart's modular design makes it easy to customise the helmet as the seasons change, or to reflect the rider’s changing tastes and requirements, and just like an art print, Qwart helmets are individually shipped with a certificate of authenticity dated and signed by the designer.
Additional product lines available to dealers from DOT4 Distribution include “Crave for the Ride” denim Kevlar riding shirts, “Oily Rag” retro style casual wear and legendary “Garibaldi” leather and wax cotton jackets.
www.dot4distribution.com

R&G

R&G damage protection

British damage protection product and accessory specialist R&G showcased new and established bestselling products at INTERMOT.

Alongside popular products such as Aero crash protectors, engine case covers, tail tidies and adventure bars, R&G will also be presenting new ranges such as branded radiator guards, dashboard screen protectors, track waterproofs and indicator extenders. 

The company offers full collections for many of the most recent current production models including the Honda CB1000R, BMW G310 and Suzuki SV650X. R&G continues to have a strong presence in racing paddocks across the globe, including the Bennetts British Superbike Championship as an official supplier to the series.
R&G provides key crash protection items to the California Superbike School, is the exclusive crash protection supplier to Silverstone Track Days and presenting sponsor to the No Limits Racing National Endurance Championship Series in the UK.

R&G
www.rg-racing.com

Rieju

Rieju to debut Cafe style 125

Spanish manufacturer Rieju, the small capacity specialist, is exhibiting at INTERMOT and EICMA this year with several new model updates for 2019.

Among them will be custom versions of the Cafe Racer style Century 125, a new Marathon 125AC and the first glimpse of the new Tango series that will be available in multiple engine capacity versions.
In additional news, the company’s new Bosch powered NUUK electric two-wheel moto range is now finalised and in mass production, offering a wide range of zero exhaust emission machines for low emission conscious fleet and consumer buyers.

RIEJU SA
www.rieju.es

Touratech

Touratech - the one-stop shop for a fully “loaded” GS

Initially only being sold in Germany and Switzerland, German Adventure Touring specialist Touratech is offering a complete motorcycle for the very first time - the Touratech World Travel Edition, a fully touring-equipped BMW R 1200 GS.

“The Touratech World Travel Edition is built on a brand-new BMW R 1200 GS (LC) with “full technical equipment” and full BMW warranty

The bike has the Touratech Desierto V fairing trim kit (a decal set developed by Rubber Dust) with yellow powder-coated components and powerful side-mounted auxiliary. The original fork legs are replaced by expedition-compatible components from Touratech Suspension. All functions of the electronic suspension are fully retained, but the suspension package is said to greatly improve off-road and long distance on-road handling.
“With its comprehensive protector equipment, the World Travel Edition is prepared for even toughest use,” says Touratech. “Starting with the robust crash bar and the extended rally engine guard to the cylinder protection, headlamp grid and numerous other protectors, all components are fully protected against off-road challenges.

“Due to their foldable design, which prevents breaking, the ergonomic foot levers are individually adjustable (and hand controls are fully adjustable)”; the one-piece comfort seat with the heat-reflecting ‘Fresh Touch’ technology provides the “best riding comfort”, and the Desierto V fairing, with its adjustable windshield, is said to ensure best weather protection and riding comfort.
The luggage can be stored in the two anodised Zega Pro2 aluminium panniers that are mounted to the “tried and tested” stainless steel Touratech racks. A Remus ‘Black Hawk’ exhaust silencer is said to combine a low weight with a “sporty sound”.
The selection of vehicle-specific components is “designed to guarantee maximum functionality and practicality with an attention to detail that comes from our years of experience - such as shifting the gimbal vent to increase the wading depth or the little protectors at the throttle valves, all proving our long-distance travel expertise”. The purchase price includes two days of extensive training.
www.touratech.com

Spanish motorcycle registrations

Spain: motorcycles +16.10 percent to August

The latest data from ANESDOR, the motorcycle industry trade association in Spain, shows motorcycle registrations +13.36 percent for August (12,013 units), having been +13.37 percent (17,408 units) for July. They are +16.10 percent for the eight months to August (108,649 units) - the best first eight-month market performance in Spain since before 2009.

Moped registrations are still soft at -24.97 percent YTD (9,591 units), leaving YTD total PTW registrations at +11.17 percent (118,240 units).
Honda is market share leader with 21,844 units sold for a 20.1% market share. Yamaha is second (17,710 units/16.3% share); Kymco third (10,928 units/10.1% share), followed by Piaggio, Sym, BMW, Kawasaki, Suzuki and KTM.

Comment by Editor, Robin Bradley

IDN forecasts “+7.0 percent motorcycle growth” for 2018
 
The October/November edition of IDN includes the most recent ACEM EU new motorcycle registrations data (January to June 2018) and the latest national statistics from most of the market’s primary trade associations (January to August 2018).
Apart from registration anomalies such as the Euro 3 panic that gripped the industry at the end of 2016, generally, by August each year, some 80 percent of the annual sales of new motorcycles, mopeds and scooters have taken place, so the speculation about annual market performance starts to look a lot more reliable.
My ‘guesstimate’ in the last edition, made before the half year ACEM data had been released, that growth in registrations for the period January to June 2018 would be greater than +5.5 percent (IDN June/July) has proven to be correct. Indeed, I was on the low side, I was conservative in my forecasting.
As reported in this month’s front cover story, ACEM data shows that 564,851 motorcycles were sold in the EU in January to June 2018, growth of +7.2 percent compared to the 526,889 sold in the first six months of 2017.
Based on the available data to August (extrapolated ACEM/June data for France), it now looks like we can make a quite accurate forecast for 2018. IDN forecasts that 2018 will see a minimum +6.0 percent growth for the full 12 months of 2018, which equates to approximately 54,800 extra motorcycles sold in the (currently!) 28 member countries of the EU for a 968,500 annual total.
In fact, if some of the present trend data continues, growth could well be as high as 8.5 percent for the full year 2018 - an extra 77,500 motorcycles compared to 2017.
However, in all likelihood the eventual outcome will be somewhere between the low and the high forecasts - at around 6.5 to 7.5 percent. Based on what we are seeing in the detail of the data we have access to (which is by no means as current or as complete as would be needed for a super accurate forecast), I am prepared to go with 7.0 percent growth for the 2018 full year - an extra 63,900 motorcycles compared to ACEM’s 2017 figure, for a 2018 full year forecast of 977,600 new motorcycle registrations.
To fully understand what this growth means though, we need to go back to where this most recent cycle started - in 2013, with ACEM data showing that after the years of decline the market bottomed out that year at 748,529 EU motorcycle registrations.
The following year (2014) saw a return to growth (+7.29 percent, 803,122 units), followed by a further +10.99 percent growth in 2015 (891,369 units). Then came the statistical anomalies. The Euro 3 pre-registrations fuelled a spike of +13.27 percent apparent “growth” to 1,009,678 units for 2016.
In fact, somewhere between 50,000 and 100,000 of those motorcycles never actually went anywhere, least of all into the hands of an enthusiastic buyer and onto the roads of Europe.
 
 ‘fifth year of growth?’


That theoretical 2016 figure subsequently saw an equally theoretical decline of -9.53 percent in 2017, with new registrations recorded at 913,445 units - up on the 2015 figure, but woefully short of the 2016 number.
Based on the exclusive research we published earlier this year (IDN February/March), a “real” figure for 2016 was more likely to be in the region of 949,600 registrations for a +6.54 percent growth over 2015 - a result that confirmed that the rate of growth had started to slow down. That slowdown in growth rate continued through 2017 at +2.50 percent for registrations of around 973,500 units by the end of last year, when the figures are adjusted for the Euro 3 inventory that was sold in early 2017, but which fell outside the scope of that year’s registration data.
If we were close to being right in our calculations (a plus or minus two percent statistical error would still have resulted in a slowing of the rate of growth), then the +7.0 percent forecast (+63,900 units) we are making on the ACEM data would still be valid in the ACEM data context, but rather than growth to 977,600 units by the end of 2018, we could be looking at in the region of only 4,000 or so additional units over the real 2017 performance after all.
Rather than a recovery from a 2017 decline, instead we’d be looking at a fifth straight year of growth, but by such a small percentage compared to the “real world” 2.5 percent growth seen in 2017 that the market this year would, essentially, be flat - no growth at all worth celebrating.
Either way, it would take a massive leap forward in consumer demand for new motorcycles for us to see a genuine figure of over 1m sales for the year and a best EU market performance since before 2010. If we are right about the 2018 outcome, then such a moment could still be some time off and we may, in fact, be about to see a genuine (no statistical) decline in new motorcycle registrations in 2019 - and who knows, maybe beyond that too.
For now, though, we can at least hope that the prospects for the upcoming INTERMOT, EICMA and other shows, and for the year ahead, are better than at any time in the past decade - they should be, but it is clearly is misleading to try to put a number on the feelgood factor.