TecMate

OptiMate PRO-4 DUO multi-station/ bank charger

TecMate is replacing its OptiMate PRO-4S professional multi-station charger, a 4 x 4 amp independent charging station design that is well liked by dealers with an updated model, the OptiMate PRO-4 DUO. 

TecMate has focused on power efficiency to beat the strict global power draw regulations mandated by various countries, yet it delivers 20% more charging power per station, and it all helps the dealer where it counts - in the pocket. 

The OptiMate PRO-4 DUO draws only 1.5 amps @ 240V (2.9A @ 120V) when it delivers 5 amp through each of its four independent charging stations - for a total of 20 amp (4 x 5 amp).  It is delivered with a removable power cord and is certified to CE, UL/CSA, PSE, SAA and UKCA. The four stations each deliver charge through a 182 cm (6 ft) charge extender and set of fused battery clips.

OptiMate PRO-4 DUO offers three selections per station, selection #1 is labelled Pb (lead) for all 12V lead-acid batteries, including standard flooded and sealed (valve-regulating lead-acid) AGM and GEL batteries, selection #2 is labelled LFP for all 12.8V 4-cell-in-series Lithium Ferrous Phosphate (LiFePO4/LiFe) and the #3 selection is labelled 60' (sixty minutes) for quick activation of any powersport battery. 

The 60' mode is a more advanced version of the popular 1-hour activation charge mode that was introduced on the original PRO-4S. That was meant for speedy activation of 'dry' charged AGM or to bring factory-activated AGM back to full charge before being fitted to a vehicle.

The new 60' mode can also bring a partially charged LFP battery - namely one delivered at below 30% charge level as mandated for shipping - to a higher level of charge before fitment.  

Each station's Pb or LFP mode allows recovery of any type of dead flat powersport battery from as low as 0.5 volt and then tests and displays the battery's voltage retention ability - a good indication of the battery's state of health. 

LFP mode includes a manually activated BMS reset to bring new smart lithium batteries out of sleep mode or to reset the deep discharge protection of a smart lithium battery, so it can receive charge again.  

Any size battery can be connected as OptiMate's proprietary Ampmatic algorithm continuously adjusts charge current to match the battery's size and charge acceptance. 

Martin Human, CEO/CTO of TecMate, says: "The OptiMate PRO-4 DUO is our most advanced multi-station/bank battery saver, charger and tester for powersport dealers, and it remains easy to use. Connect the battery, select the mode that matches battery chemistry, or select 60' for a quick activation charge and the OptiMate does the rest, safely and very well."

TECMATE 

www.tecmate.com

EICMA 2023 review part 5

MOTOZ: An internationally respected Australian off-road tyre brand, Motoz' new Terrapactor MX range has been optimised to "excel across a wide range of terrains" - recognised as "being at the forefront of design and technology to meet the ever-increasing needs of serious off-road riders". The new MX Terrapactor competition range comprises the Terrapactor MXS (MX Soft), Terrapactor MXI (MX Intermediate) and Terrapactor MXX (MX Xtreme). Years in development, Terrapactors are built with a lightweight carcass and all-new MX compound for improved performance across multiple types of terrain. Sales Manager Jackson Collins told IDN: "The design features cutting edge tread flex zones within the carcass and knobs for enhanced flexibility and grip. The flex zones in the carcass provide improved drive stability and cornering grip that adapts and flexes according to the terrain and the tyre - to give greater control and confidence while riding. The flexzones in all tread rows improve the feel and grip of cornering and accelerating"; www.motoz.com.au

Barkbusters: Distributed by Parts Europe, the Australian handguards specialist continues to add new model application kits to its range. The SABRE is a minimalist, slimline design single-point mount guard for MX and Enduro; the JET is a two-point mount, full wrap-around aluminium handguard for ADV ('Dual-Sport'), Enduro and Trail bike applications; on the market for more than 20 years, the EGO is a proven, compact, full wrap-around aluminium handguard, now with a brand new integrated and replaceable plastic guard for Enduro, Trail and Mini Bikes; VPS (Variable Protection System) is a two-point mount designed for Enduro, Supermoto, ATV, Street and Adventure bikes; STORM is a maximum protection two-point mount design for Street, Cruiser, Naked, Adventure bikes and Scooters; the BBZ is a large fabric guard designed for the most weather protection in the range and can be fitted with most handguards from the range. Finally, the aerodynamic AERO GP lever protector features functional aerofoils for Street and Track bikes; www.barkbusters.net

Oxford Products: The leading British distributor and brand owner has been embarked on an ambitious and wide-ranging programme of environmental renewal in order to build a foundation that will allow it to move to carbon net zero in the future. Initiatives so far have already included a move to as much green renewable energy as possible, starting with the installation of a 40 kWh solar system which allows Oxford Products to offset approx. 8.46 tonnes of carbon emissions per year. This is the equivalent of planting 100 trees per year. For 2024, the company has committed to an additional £100,000 investment in solar panels capable of producing approximately 130 kWh of energy. This will save an additional 27 tonnes of carbon emissions per year. Additionally, 50% of its company vehicle fleet has been converted to hybrid technology and pure electric where possible, thereby reducing harmful emissions by 40%. "Our objective is to be 100% hybrid or fully electric by the end of 2025. The company is also working to remove as much plastic from its products and packaging as possible as it moves towards a 'Circular Economy' production and consumption model that ensures sustainable growth over time. At EICMA, Oxford Products showcased its 2024 new product line-up, a "record haul of new products across clothing, luggage, electronics, styling, workshop and rider accessories"; www.oxprod.com

Regina Chain: Founded in 1919, Regina started motorcycle chain production in 1939, with advanced developments and results and successes at global level - both in world competitions - and generally in all road and off-road applications, ever since. Working in close partnership with the top international motorcycle manufacturers, the Regina R&D team is closely involved with OEM partners in model-specific product development from the earliest stages of its design processes. Regina products have been used in world competitions since 1949 and nowadays equip the bikes of several world-famous riders in most of the main series - from MotoGP, Moto2 and Moto3 to MXGP, MX2, Superbike, Supersport, Superstock, Enduro1 and 2 and Trials. To date, Regina won more than 340 world championships; www.reginachain.net

Polini: The Italian scooter specialist has announced a new and complete braking system. The system includes an 11 mm right and 13 mm left side pump, four-piston brake caliper, brake line, M8x1 connection screw, adapter and a radial support for Piaggio Zip SP. The four-piston caliper is machined from billet and made of hard anodised aerodynamic aluminium. "The development of the brake calipers from two to four pistons has many advantages," says Polini. "It gives 30% additional friction surface on the brake pads, reducing the temperature peaks for improved reliability and durability." The 24 mm pistons increase the braking force, and the caliper design has been engineered to maximise stiffness and reduce volume. It can be installed both on the right and left side by just inverting the connection and bleeding the front and rear side. The 8 mm radial connection has an 84 mm centre holes distance. It comes with high-quality sintered pads, but carbon-ceramic mixture pads are separately available. By using Polini's application-specific support bracket, the caliper can be installed with the Piaggio Zip SP fork; www.polini.com

Galfer

Galfer at the Dakar Rally 2024 with new 'Disc Wave' FLSX

Spanish braking component specialist Galfer has developed new 300 mm front 'Disc Wave' FLSX (Floating Extra Oversize) brake discs - which will be used at Dakar 2024 by Lorenzo Santolino and Rui Gonçalves of the Sherco TVS Racing team. 

These new discs join Galfer’s range of brake products, which now include the 'Disc Wave' FLSX for rally raid motorcycles. There are two new 300 mm floating front discs for KTM, Husqvarna, GasGas, Sherco and Yamaha rally raid motorcycle models. 

To complement the new front brake discs, Galfer is offering two sintered metal brake pad compounds, G1396 (Sinter Standard) and G1396R (Sinter Racing). 

For the rear axle, Galfer offers a selection of fixed discs with different features for different conditions: 

- Disc Wave W: increased braking power with a lighter weight;

- Disc Wavesolid WLL: specifically for extreme muddy conditions;

- Disc Wave grooved RW: greater braking power and versatility for all conditions (wet and dry); 

- Disc Shark HW: better cooling, ideal for dry conditions with high temperatures;

In 2023, Galfer and the Sherco TVS Racing Factory team signed an agreement allowing their riders to use the Spanish brand’s new brake products. 

In 2023, Lorenzo Santolino, Rui Gonçalves and Harith Noah used Galfer’s brake products for their 450 cc Sherco in demanding races such as the Morocco Desert Challenge, the TransAnatolia and the Rally du Maroc.  

The Dakar Rally is the next and biggest challenge, being held in Saudi Arabia from 5th to 19th January 2024. The 46th edition of the Dakar Rally covers a route of 7,891 km -  including 4,727 km of timed specials - divided into 13 stages.  

The team will consist of 11 people in total, with four vans 4x4, and their goal is to be inside the Top 5 in the stages and inside the Top 10 in the overall classification. 

www.galfer.eu

Ducati

Ducati joins the singles scene: Hypermotard 698 Mono By Ben Purvis

Ducati's longstanding obsession with 90-degree V-twins took a huge hit with the introduction of the Panigale V4 and the growing range of four-cylinder models that followed it - and now the company is heading in the other direction as well, by introducing its first mass-produced single cylinder for half a century.

Debuting in the new Hypermotard 698 Mono, we see the latest creation of Ducati's engine department, the Superquadro Mono. A 659 cc, DOHC, liquid-cooled single, its design is based on that of the 1299's Superquadro V-twin, which lends its 116 mm bore and combustion chamber design. In the new Superquadro Mono it's paired with a 62.4 mm stroke to create a high-revving, oversquare design that claims to be the most powerful single-cylinder ever to grace a production street bike.

The peak is 57 kW (76 hp) at 9,750 rpm, enough to beat KTM's larger-capacity, 693 cc '690' single-cylinder engine, and the Ducati engine redlines at an impressive 10,250 rpm, reflecting its unusually high-revving design. Max torque is 63 Nm and doesn't arrive until 8,050 rpm.

While Ducati's 1990s Supermono single is fondly remembered, it was a race-only machine made in limited numbers - fewer than 70 were made - and the company hasn't made a road-going, showroom single-cylinder model since the demise of the bevel drive, desmo singles in 1974.

'New 659 cc single and upcoming 450 motocrosser show the V-twin-only era is long gone'

The new Hypermotard 698 Mono is the first home for the Superquadro Mono engine, but probably won't be its only application. It's a lightweight supermoto-style machine, along the lines of the existing V-twin Hypermotard 950, but with less weight and an even more focused appeal. Built around Ducati's usual recipe of a steel trellis frame, the Hypermotard 698 Mono weighs in at just 151 kg without fuel. 

Like the company's other bikes, electronics are a strong part of the Hypermotard single package. There's cornering traction control and ABS, of course, but also launch control, three power modes, four riding modes, wheelie control, launch control and engine brake control as part of a suite of electronics that far exceeds most single-cylinder bikes. There's even an optional wheelie-assist system that helps keep the front wheel in the air if that's what you want to achieve. 

The suspension comprises 45 mm Marzocchi USD forks and a Sachs rear monoshock, offering long travel - 215 mm at the front and 240 mm at the rear - a hint that the Hypermotard 698 Mono could result in an off-road-oriented derivative in the future. As usual, the brakes are Brembos with a single M4.32 four-piston front caliper gripping an oversized 330 mm disc. Those brakes are fitted with an advanced cornering ABS system that not only has multiple sensitivity settings, but also allows a 'slide by brake' function that allows the back wheel to be drifted into corners in some modes.

A higher-spec 'RVE' version of the bike is also offered, with more eye-catching graphics and a standard-fit up/down quickshifter.

Ducati will also offer a restricted 43.5 hp version of the bike to suit A2 licence rules in Europe, with its peak power arriving much lower at only 6,250 rpm. Meanwhile, a track-only Termignoni exhaust will take power higher still, adding an extra 7 hp to the standard bike at the expense of road legal emissions and noise levels.

Ducati's single-cylinder revolution will continue into 2024 with the planned launch of the company's first modern motocross bike and a works entry into the Italian Motocross Championship. Ducati has already signed nine-times world champion Antonio Cairoli as test rider for the project.

Claudio Domenicali, Ducati CEO, said: "I am proud to announce Ducati's entry into motocross. A totally new world for Ducati in which we want to bring our talent in designing lightweight motorcycles with excellent components and high performance."

Honda

Honda's new three-motor drive technology By Ben Purvis

Honda's tradition of pushing radical new ideas in motorcycling is being upheld with a new development project for a future three-motor electric bike and with the E-Clutch system that reaches showrooms in 2024.

Patent applications have emerged showing a development of the radical Riding Assist-e electric concept bike, (which debuted in 2017 with computer-controlled steering and a variable steering head angle to change the wheelbase), allowing it to balance itself even without a rider aboard. The new development of the idea takes the concept of rider assistance a step further by adopting as many as three electric motors - two powering the rear wheel and a third driving the front - to create an unprecedented level of computer assistance while leaving the rider in control.

On the face of it, having two motors powering the rear wheel, with one chain final drive on each side, seems illogical. After all, the wheel is going to turn at the same speed as it would with one motor and chain driving it. But Honda isn't thinking about the drive that the motors provide - the focus here is on the influence that they have on the bike's balance. Both motors are mounted longitudinally but turn in opposite directions. Anyone who's ridden a boxer BMW, a Gold Wing or a V-twin Moto Guzzi will know that the torque reaction of a longitudinal engine will try to tilt the bike as you rev it, and that's exactly the effect that Honda is using here. 

In normal use, both rear motors work together and because they counter-rotate, they cancel out each other's torque reaction. However, Honda envisages using that torque reaction, modulating the torque from the two motors to help the bike tip into corners faster and to stand it back up again on the way out of them. The left motor, turning clockwise, will tug the bike over to the left if used on its own. The torque from the right motor, turning counter-clockwise, tilts the bike to the right. So, by juggling the torque from both, the electronics can influence the bike's lean angle.

'E-clutch reaches production'

The third motor, mounted in the front wheel hub, uses the same phenomenon. With both wheels on the ground, it helps spread the total power output across the two tyres, making the most of their potential traction, but Honda also believes it will be useful under hard acceleration when the front wheel lifts. 

With the wheel in the air, reverse torque is used on the front motor, creating a reaction that tries to bring the nose back down again, allowing the bike to accelerate faster without flipping over backwards. 

While that piece of drivetrain technology is clearly still years away, Honda's E-Clutch - introduced on the 2024 CB650R and CBR650R but likely to be adopted across many more bikes in years to come - will be available by the middle of next year. 

It's perhaps the simplest and cleverest attempt yet to make a semi-automatic transmission, using a computer-controlled servo motor to operate a completely standard clutch while retaining the normal bar-mounted lever and cable operation, allowing it to be overridden at any time or switched off entirely if you'd prefer conventional clutch operation.

Adding just 2 kg to a bike's weight, the E-Clutch features two small electric motors and a set of reduction gears, all mounted inside the clutch cover and attached to the conventional clutch linkage, allowing a normal cable or hydraulic clutch system to be retained. Pulling the bar-mounted lever overrides the electronics, leaving the rider in ultimate control, and gears are still shifted using the normal, mechanical left foot lever.

When active, the E-Clutch is controlled by its own ECU, taking information from the bike's speed, revs, throttle position and gear position. A quickshifter-style load sensor on the gear linkage tells the system when you want to change ratios, and there are three settings - hard, medium and soft - to change how much pressure is needed on the manual gear shift before the clutch operates. Come to a halt and the clutch automatically dips to ensure the engine doesn't stall, and when the system is active pulling away from a standstill, it is simply a case of engaging first gear and opening the throttle. The E-Clutch does the rest, ensuring a smooth getaway and preventing any chance of a stall.

Since the system is also tied into the engine's ride-by-wire throttles, the injection and the ignition, it promises to make up- and down-shifts faster and smoother, and an on-dash display will show if you're in too high a gear and should change down.

Simpler, lighter and cheaper than Honda's DCT semi-auto gearbox, and able to be fitted to virtually any bike without major changes to the existing transmission and clutch, there's every chance that the E-Clutch will be offered across a huge part of Honda's range in years to come.

KTM

KTM - Race. Rest. Repeat.

KTM has launched what it describes as a "brand-new 'Academy of Speed' track scheme for 2024.

Only a small minority get to feel the full power of a sport bike’s potential around highly modern motorsport circuits. But there is nothing to stop the rest of us from dreaming, right? 

Well, KTM now wants to pull riders firmly into reality, and the KTM 'Academy of Speed' is a brand-new initiative launching in 2024 that will bring orange passion, service and pulse-quickening emotions to the customer track experience.

"Across three events at three world class circuits in June, July and September 2024, the KTM 'Academy of Speed' will invite riders old and new to the brand (and to the racetrack) to sample high-pace, high-quality guidance and high adrenaline with a premium edge."

There will be 72 places per day, each day, at the Salzburgring and Red Bull Ring (both in Austria) and the Automotodróm Slovakia Ring, with riders separated between three groups: Rookie, ambitious Amateur and Pro. There will be instructors and KTM ambassadors catering to every level. 

"Furthermore, help and coaching from the likes of MotoGP stars and former GP racer and MotoGP Team Manager Mike Leitner will happen both on and off the track.  ‘Pro’ riders (those with extensive trackday mileage and seeking to trim lap-times further) can bask in the full two-day schedule with enhanced technical support, and a pitbox setup with a seating and gear area. 

"An evening dinner and entertainment programme for all will foster a community spirit: the KTM 'Academy of Speed' wants to provide first-rate tuition and create unforgettable moments, both when the visor is clicked shut and when the leathers are packed away, and the stories are flowing."

The brainchild of ex-Grand Prix riders and a result of KTM’s own passion for the asphalt, in 2023 Red Bull KTM Factory Racing seized two MotoGP Sprint wins and appeared on the podium nine times - finishing 4th in the championship with Brad Binder and 2nd in the constructors' standings. 

The confirmed dates are:

Salzburgring, Austria: 20-21 June 2024

Red Bull Ring, Austria: 17-18 July 2024

Slovakia Ring, Slovakia: 4-5 September 2024

"The scheme is exclusive for what it offers, but welcoming riders of all skills. The KTM 'Academy of Speed' has been created to appeal to motorcycle racing enthusiasts, KTM owners and fans of the brand, and then riders curious about their ability and who want to explore the next steps or limits."

www.ktm.com

Barnett Clutches & Cables

Barnett performance street/sport clutch kits

Ventura, California based clutch and cable specialist Barnett Clutches & Cables' complete clutch kits for street and sport applications feature its race-proven carbon or Kevlar friction plates, tempered steel drive plates and a set of heavy-duty springs. 

The 'segmented' friction plate design increases oil flow through the clutch for smoother, more consistent performance and longer clutch life. The tempered steel plates are put through a deburring process that removes all sharp edges, resulting in a superior finished product. 

Barnett heavy-duty springs are made from chrome silicon, then shot-peened and heat-treated. All complete clutch kits are pre-measured for exact stack height prior to packaging for optimal performance. 

Celebrating its 75th anniversary recently, all Barnett clutch and cables have been made in-house in USA since 1948.

BARNETT CLUTCHES & CABLES

www.barnettclutches.com