2020

Suzuki Katana is the stuff that teenage biker dreams were made of

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by Dries van der Walt from https://www.wheels24.co.za/ Let’s take a step back in time to 1981 when Suzuki caused a sensation with the most outrageous bike the world had seen up to then: the revolutionary GSX1100S Katana. When the Katana was launched, it changed street motorcycle trends in one fell stroke. In fact, the Katana’s influence is still evident in motorcycle designs 38 years down the line. Tickling the fancy Design by German design legend Hans Muth (who turned the ungainly-looking BMW ‘/5’ series bikes into classic beauties), the Katana was the stuff that my teenage dreams were made of, and when the new iteration came around I wasn’t going to allow the opportunity to test its modern iteration, so I added my name to a lengthy waiting list for the opportunity to review one. The new Katana, launched earlier this year but classified as a 2020 model, was also penned by an independent designer, Rodolfo Frascoli, who was also responsible for Triumph’s Speed Triple and Tiger 1050. Frascoli’s 2017 design concept tickled Suzuki’s fancy, and they greenlighted the GSX-S1000-based concept for production with very little revision to the underlying platform. Hitting the sweet spot Design-wise the new Katana is a worthy successor to the original. The lines that were so radically different in 1981 have aged well, and several younger onlookers who had never seen the original remarked positively on the bike’s looks. One unintended compliment that summarised how well the bike has captured its predecessor’s appearance came from a young hipster, who said: “I love it, except for the headlamp – it looks so… eighties!”Like the GSX-S1000, the Katana is a practical everyday sportbike. The seating position hits the sweet spot between sporty and neutral so that you only need to lower your upper body to transition from […]

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Does Indian Motorcycle Have a Harley-Davidson Problem?

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by Rich Duprey from https://www.fool.com/ Sales remained aloft longer than its rival, but now even its sales are falling. As much as falling motorcycle sales at Harley-Davidson (NYSE:HOG) have been attributed to its core customer aging out of the market while the next generation of riders seems uninterested in buying the big bikes it produces, Indian Motorcycle sidestepped most of the same pitfalls even though it produces many of the same kinds of motorcycles as Harley does. Since being resurrected from bankruptcy by Polaris Industries (NYSE:PII) and returned to the market in 2014, Indian has been a steady performer with retail sales often rising in the double-digit percentages. That has allowed it to steal market share from Harley, whose sales often contracted at similar percentages. Yet with Polaris’ third-quarter earnings report released last month, investors may have to accept that Indian Motorcycle now has its own Harley-Davidson problem. A worsening sales decline Polaris Industries is not transparent at all when it comes to telling you how its motorcycle business is performing. Where Harley breaks down sales and shipments by geographic region and type of motorcycle, Polaris provides vague percentage increases or declines, maybe calling out a model once in a while, but never giving investors any real insight into how Indian’s various motorcycles are performing. What we do know is that despite double- and even triple-digit sales growth early on, Indian Motorcycle sales are now quickly spiraling down. Even as Polaris obscures the actual numbers, a mid-teen-percentage decline in retail sales that far eclipses the contraction of the broader motorcycle market suggests that this is becoming a big problem for the bike maker. Worse, the downdraft is accelerating. In the second quarter, Polaris said Indian retail sales were down by almost 10%, while in the first quarter they were down

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Piaggio Group unveils products for 2020

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from https://timesofmalta.com The Piaggio Group has presented a number of exceptional new motorcycles and scooters from its exclusive brands. The highly anticipated new Aprilia, Moto Guzzi, Vespa and Piaggio models were unveiled in preparation for next year. It’s a new era for Aprilia. Created around a totally new technical base, defined by the 660 parallel twin, comes a new generation of lightweight, high-performance bikes that are sophisticated in design. A return to the mid-sized engine, supported by the electronics and technology of the Aprilia Racing department, to rediscover the pleasure and joy of everyday riding. The first born in this brand-new generation is RS 660 – premium technical content and advanced but unvarnished performance to rediscover the pleasure of dynamic riding on the road. A sportbike to suit all motorcyclists and that requires no particular experience level or ability. The innovative concept behind the RS 660 project can be summed up by its excellent weight/power ratio that makes for enjoyable riding, whether relaxed or more sports-orientated: 169 kg plus 100hp is the perfect formula for enjoyment on the road. The Tuono 660 Concept best expresses the new concept of sports versatility introduced by Aprilia with the new family of motorcycles designed around the new 660 cc twin-cylinder that, with the Tuono 660 Concept, is able to deliver 95hp. Thanks to highly sophisticated semi-active suspension, the fastest, most powerful and lightweight RSV4 becomes even more efficient on track and enjoyable on the road. The control unit that governs the Öhlins Smart EC 2.0 suspension has access to all the bike’s electronic systems, meaning it is able to recognise all riding phases and therefore adapt calibration of the fork, shock absorber and steering damper hydraulics thanks to the development of an algorithm, the fruit of collaboration between Öhlins and Aprilia. Tuono V4

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Harley-Davidson has three models of electric bike going on sale next year

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by Robin-Leigh Chetty from https://www.htxt.co.za/ While Harley-Davidson is not the first name that springs to mind when it comes to electric vehicles, every time we’ve written about the company, it’s had to do with one of its EVs. This time around is no different, as the company offered up the first looks at its new trio of pedal-assisted electric bikes at 2019 EICMA Motorcycle Show in Milan earlier this week. Electrek was on hand to take a closer look at the bikes, and you can check out a full gallery of images on its site. https://www.harley-davidson.com/us/en/motorcycles/future-vehicles/e-bicycles.html With the trio of electric bikes yet to have official names, we’re more interested in what Harley-Davidson’s plans are moving forward, and luckily the firm has offered up some insight in that regard. An unnamed spokesperson has noted that Harley-Davidson will be gauging the interest and demand for pedal-assisted electric bikes in coming months, with a view to launch them some time in 2020. Based on the concept models shown in Milan, it looks the company is targeting a more premium customer, with The Verge believing that a price tag around the $1000 mark is not out of the question. This makes sense considering the electric LiveWire motorbike goes for a cool $30 000 on pre-order. These bikes are not the only EVs that Harley-Davidson is working on, with the company also revealing an interesting looking e-bike concept last year, but sadly no word on whether that will go into production. It’s also unclear which regions outside of the US the firm plans to launch these upcoming electric bikes, or indeed its LiveWire. With a number of dealerships locally, there is certainly a demand for the brand, and perhaps some of its future EVs too.

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Introducing the new Challenger Line-up

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The Ultimate combination of Performance, Comfort and Technology. Dominating passing power from our all-new, liquid-cooled PowerPlus V-twin engine. All-day comfort from a chassis-mounted fairing and power adjustable windscreen. Next-level riding experience with Smart Lean Technology™ and new Ride Command system with real-time traffic and weather overlays. Explore this line-up https://www.indianmotorcycle.com/en-us/baggers/ Challenge everything you know about American motorcycles with best-in-class performance, comfort, and technology all wrapped in distinctive, aggressive styling. Take Your Indian Challenger to the next level by adding Authentic Accessories from the new Rogue and Tour Collections. Pack up. Ride out. Get the room you need without sacrificing the style you want. Any Indian Motorcycle bagger is a great choice for wherever the day takes you. Indian Motorcycle unveils its new Challenger to Harley heavyweight by David Schuyler from https://www.bizjournals.com Indian Motorcycle has revealed its newest model for 2020 — the Indian Challenger – and it’s likely to look very familiar to many Harley-Davidson riders. The Indian Challenger comes in three variants, the Challenger, Challenger Dark Horse and Challenger Limited, with base prices of $21,999, $27,499 and $27,999, respectively. Indian, the vintage motorcycle brand that Medina, Minnesota-based parent company Polaris Inc. has positioned as an alternative to the heavyweights from Harley-Davidson Inc. (NYSE: HOG), teased the new motorcycle last week when it released details on the new PowerPlus engine that’s at the heart of the Challenger. With its big liquid-cooled, 108-cubic-inch V-twin power plant, Indian’s newest model is perhaps the brand’s deepest incursion yet into Harley-Davidson’s market. And there’s one big reason to look at it that way, Even before Tuesday’s official roll-out, more than one motorsports industry writer compared some earlier leaked images of the Challenger to Harley-Davidson’s Road Glide, a big touring bike that represented a sizable portion of the sales mix for Milwaukee-based Harley-Davidson Inc. back

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

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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

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Kawasaki Ninja 650: More comfortable and connected than ever

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TOKYO, Oct 9 — Japanese manufacturer Kawasaki has announced an updated version of its Ninja 650 for 2020. For 2020, the medium-weight sportbike has a new TFT color display on which the fuel gauge, gear position indicator, speedometer, “Economical Riding Indicator,” even a connection status with a smartphone via Bluetooth are shown digitally. The screen’s brightness varies according to surrounding light conditions. Among the motorcycle’s other new features are a passenger seat designed for more comfort, new LED headlights both in front and back of the bike, and standard Dunlop Sportmax Roadsport 2 tyres. For the rest, the frame hasn’t changed, keeping a manoeuvrability that works for everyone from beginners to the most experienced riders. There are new colours, however: Lime Green/Ebony, Metallic Spark Black and Pearl Blizzard White. The starting price for the new Kawasaki Ninja is US$7,399 (RM31,000). — AFP-Relaxnews

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Harley-Davidson Acquires Company That Makes Electric Bikes for Kids

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Harley-Davidson is trying to attract a new generation of riders at a very young age. The iconic motorcycle company announced Tuesday that it was buying StaCyc, which makes two-wheel electric bikes for kids. StaCyc has two models — the 12eDrive and 16eDrive — that the company describes as “the perfect choice for little rippers” between the ages of 3 and 7. The bikes have a top speed of about 10 miles per hour and sell for a range of $649 to $699. Harley-Davidson said in a statement that Harley-Davidson branded versions of StaCyc’s two models will be available at select Harley-Davidson dealers in the United States in the third quarter of 2019. “The StaCyc team shares the same vision we have for building the next generation of riders globally and we believe that together, we will have a significant impact in bringing the fun and enjoyment of riding to kids everywhere,” said Heather Malenshek, Harley-Davidson senior vice president of marketing and brand, in the statement. Harley-Davidson is increasing its bets on electric vehicles as sales of traditional bikes slow. The company has already announced plans to launch the LiveWire premium electric motorcycle this fall. It is also developing other electric bikes that it plans to start selling in 2021. Harley-Davidson needs new growth opportunities as the company struggles to deal with tariffs from the Trump administration that have hurt earnings. Sales and profits are expected to fall this year and revenue is only expected to rebound slightly in 2020. Shares of Harley-Davidson have rallied this year with the rest of the market, rising 10% so far in 2019. But the stock is trading nearly 20% below its 52-week high.

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