Cleveland motorcycles shutdown India operations


by Satya from https://www.rushlane.com

Cleveland is the 2nd American motorcycle brand, after UM, to leave India in recent time.

Amidst persistent downturn in auto sector and a slowing economy, Cleveland Cyclewerks has discontinued India operations. While an official confirmation is yet to be provided, a report from Express Drives said that the company’s assembly plant in Pune has not been operational for last eight months.

Several factors seem to be responsible for Cleveland Cyclewerks’ exit from Indian market. Primary among them include the relatively high cost of its motorcycles and the company’s inability to comply with new safety norms such as mandatory ABS. The company was also not able to deal with negative perceptions related to its use of Chinese parts.

Unlike other brands in this segment such as Royal Enfield, which have a rich history dating back to several decades, Cleveland Cyclewerks was a relatively unknown brand in the Indian market. The company was launched in 2009 in United States and its business model is quite simple. Most of its motorcycles use chassis from other motorcycle makers and low cost components from Taiwan and China. The choice of engine is usually Honda.

Cleveland Cyclewerks had made its debut in India at 2018 Auto Expo and had subsequently launched two motorcycles, Ace and Misfit. While Ace was positioned as a retro-modern scrambler, Misfit derived inspiration from a cafe racer. Both these bikes were imported in India as CKDs and assembled at the company’s facility in Pune.

Both bikes utilized a 229 cc, air-cooled engine that generated max power of 15.4 hp and max torque of 16 Nm. This was less than even lower capacity motorcycles. Ace and Misfit were launched at a starting price of 2.23 lakh. This is more expensive than Royal Enfield Classic 350, their main rival.

These factors worked against the company and sales of Ace and Misfit never really took off. The company had opened its first dealership in Mumbai and had plans to open 100 more dealerships by 2019. However, with meagre sales, the plans failed to materialize. The report says that employees of the company were asked to resign at short notice.

If you own an Ace or Misfit, it would be difficult to say how you will get your bike serviced. You will probably have to rely on the expertise of your local mechanic or branded garage shops.

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2020 Ducati Streetfighter V4 packs 208 hp in a 400-lb package

by Ronan Glon from https://www.autoblog.com/

It’s an evolution of the world’s best-selling superbike

Over a thousand attendees wildly cheered as Ducati boss Claudio Domenicali unveiled the 2020 Streetfighter V4, a racing-inspired motorcycle that weighs less than a Chevrolet big-block engine yet packs more power than a Subaru BRZ. It’s revving proof that jaw-dropping horsepower and eye-catching design are still the guiding lights in the motorcycle industry.

The Streetfighter V4 is a Panigale V4 (the world’s best-selling superbike) stripped down to the bare essentials. In car terms, it’s like if Audi dropped the powertrain from the R8 LMS into a purer, simpler variant of the car. While that sounds relatively simple, Domenicali explained striking the right balance between performance, usability, and design was much more difficult than anyone anticipated. The company’s engineers put the Streetfighter through its paces all over the world — even at Pikes Peak.

“We test prototypes once a month. About one year ago, we were in Sardinia and we were very unhappy [with this bike]. We were worried, but we totally changed the situation. It has taken one year of hard work, but in the last tests we’ve carried out, you can really feel the difference,” he explained.

Andrea Ferraresi, Ducati’s lead designer, instructed his team to draw inspiration from the Joker; yes, that Joker. The Streetfighter’s face was extremely important during the development process, because it’s a model without any side fairing. The drivetrain is fully exposed, hence why this type of motorcycle is called naked. The front end consequently has to convey the bike’s identity on its own, yet it still needs to house the headlights, plus a growing list of electronics.

Stylists bent the rules to add biplane wings near the front. Domenicali conceded it was a contentious decision, but the winglets ultimately stayed because they add nearly 62 pounds of downforce at 170 mph. An unexpected wheelie is the last thing you want if you’re traveling at that speed.

The Streetfighter V4 can get there, too, and it will make it look easy. Its specs are bewildering, especially if you’re used to seeing horsepower and torque curves in the automotive world. The 1,103cc V4 engine screams its heart out until it produces 208 horsepower at 12,500 rpm and 90 pound-feet of torque at 11,500 rpm. Riders who want more can order a racing-spec Akrapovič exhaust that bumps the four’s output to 220 horses, which is eight less than the 2019 Volkswagen GTI. And yet, the Streetfighter weighs 392 pounds in its lightest configuration.

While Ducati developed the Streetfighter V4 with performance and style in mind, it couldn’t build it without a generous serving of technology; Domenicali underlined the importance of safety. It consequently features a six-axis inertial measurement platform that monitors its pitch, roll, and yaw angles and does its best to step in if something looks amiss. The suite of electronic riding aids also includes a power launch function, traction control, and cornering ABS. These life-saving features are slowly but surely seeping into motorcycles from the car world, and riders are accepting them.

“For a while, ABS was very special for riders. We’d hear it all the time. Customers would say ‘oh, I have it in my fingers, I have it in my hands.’ No way. ABS is very important,” Domenicali stressed.

Ducati will offer the Streetfighter V4 in two variants when it releases the model in early 2020. The more hardcore V4 S version gains an upgraded Öhlins suspension and weight-saving forged rims provided by Marchesini. Pricing start at about 16,000 euros, a sum that converts to nearly $18,000, but full information about the American version will be released in early 2020.

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