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Twin Power Launches Expanded Line of Crankshaft Position Sensors

By General Posts

Twin Power Launches Expanded Line of Crankshaft Position Sensors for Harley-Davidson Motorcycles

Fort Worth TX — May 17, 2022 – TwinPower today announced a new line of Crankshaft Position Sensors (CPS) including seven-part numbers with fitments for Harley-Davidson models dating from the 1999 model year through current models using the Milwaukee 8 engine. TwinPower was the first aftermarket company to create a line of these OEM-quality sensors and today’s launch is a significant expansion of the company’s CPS offering.

The Crankshaft Position Sensor is a critical part of a Harley’s engine management system. It delivers crankshaft position data to the bike’s electronic control module, which in turn determines engine timing and fuel delivery. A motorcycle with a faulty Crankshaft Position Sensor will typically have inconsistent performance and difficulty starting.

“When a crankshaft position sensor goes bad, your bike isn’t going anywhere,” said James Simonelli, Brand Manager for Twin Power. “We’ve created these products to be an affordable solution to a common problem. That’s why they are in such high demand from DIY motorcycle owners and motorcycle repair shops seeking a replacement part that will generate profits for their business.”

Twin Power’s new lineup is 100% tested in the U.S. to meet OEM specifications and has been endurance tested to 60,000 miles to ensure sensor longevity. The units use OEM-style connectors for an exact fit and are designed using encapsulated circuitry, along with vibration and heat resistant polymers to stand up to the harsh operating environment of a motorcycle’s engine.

The line includes nine-part numbers, each with a different fitment covering the million+ Harley-Davidson motorcycles made between 1999 and today.

Part number and fitment information is available at TwinPower-USA.com. All of the TwinPower CPS models retail for $52.95.

About Twin Power: Since 1982, Twin Power has been designing and producing quality parts and accessories for the American V-Twin enthusiast. Driven by the same passion that fuels the American V-Twin scene, Twin Power is relentless in its pursuit of quality, functionality, and value. The Twin Power team will not offer a Twin Power product to its customers unless they are proud to sport it on one of their own rides. More information can be found at twinpower-usa.com.

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Energy Clarity: Our need for cheap, plentiful, reliable energy

By General Posts

By Alex Epstein From Center for Industrial Progress

When making energy choices, there are three major criteria that need to be considered:

1. Is it cheap? Simply put, if you can’t afford energy, then you don’t have energy.

2. Is it plentiful? If energy is scarce, then many people will have little to no energy.

3. Is it reliable? If energy is unreliable, then you won’t have it when you need it.

In other words, energy is only valuable to the extent that it is cheap, plentiful, and reliable.
And to make it that way, we have to discover cheap, plentiful, reliable processes for generating energy.

Energy is a process

Energy is a process. Whether it’s coal, oil, gas, solar, wind, we describe them as materials, but they’re really processes. The materials are just one part of the process, but the whole process can include things like mining, refining, manufacturing, transportation, operation, maintenance, and disposal.

And then you have to look at how the whole process adds up. When we see something in the marketplace being cheaper or more expensive that reflects the whole process.

The general reason why certain forms of energy are not adopted is because the process to produce them is too expensive or it’s not reliable.

Let’s look at some examples of this.

Jimmy Fallon’s irrefutable case against “renewables”

For this first example, I’m going to let comedian Jimmy Fallon do the talking.

“New Scientist Magazine reported on Wednesday that in the future, cars can be powered by hazelnuts. That’s encouraging considering an eight ounce jar of hazelnuts costs about nine dollars. Yeah, I got an idea for a car that runs on bald eagle heads and Faberge eggs.”

So you may be thinking, “Isn’t hazelnut energy renewable? Doesn’t it come from the sun? Isn’t the sun free and forever? What’s going on here?” It’s all about the process.

While we don’t have to pay the sun, we do have to pay for the land, the labor, and many other inputs necessary to make hazelnut energy. And with hazelnuts, the process to produce them is very costly. The same turns out to be true for many alternatives.

Piaggio, KTM, Honda and Yamaha set up swappable batteries consortium

By General Posts

by Reuters from https://www.investing.com

MILAN (Reuters) – Italian scooter maker Piaggio said on Monday it had set up a consortium with Honda Motor Co., KTM AG and Yamaha Motor Co. to encourage the use of swappable batteries for electric motorcycles and light electric vehicles.

The Swappable Batteries Motorcycle Consortium (SBMC) aims to broaden the use of light electric vehicles, such as scooters, mopeds and motorcycles, and support a more sustainable management of their batteries, a joint statement said.

It will focus on issues such as battery life, recharging times, infrastructure and costs and will work on defining international standard technical specifications for swappable batteries.

The companies in the consortium said they welcomed others joining them to extend standards to as many companies as possible.

“Urban mobility is going through a delicate transition moment towards electrification. Thanks to this consortium, motorbikes will keep their key role,” Piaggio Chief of Strategy and Product Michele Colaninno said.

Honda’s Motorcycle Operations Chief Officer Yoshishige Nomura said the consortium’s objectives aimed to make electric motorbikes more convenient for clients, as their “use on large scale can substantially contribute to the creation of a more sustainable society”.

Piaggio Group owns iconic two-wheeler brands such as Vespa, Aprilia, Moto Guzzi, among others.

E-bikes that look like motorcycles take another hit in Canada

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by Maryse Zeidler from https://www.cbc.ca

Appellant’s lawyer says his client relied on Motorino XMr for affordable transportation

The British Columbia Court of Appeal has upheld a B.C. Supreme Court ruling that e-bikes designed to look and function more like mopeds or scooters do not meet the province’s definition of a motor-assisted cycle and therefore require a driver’s licence, registration and insurance.

The case was brought forward by Ali Ghadban, who was issued a ticket in Surrey, B.C., in 2018 for riding his Motorino XMr without a driver’s licence and insurance. He said he wasn’t able to obtain them from the provincial insurer, ICBC.

Two of the three Appeal Court justices assigned to the case agreed with the B.C. Supreme Court judge’s decision from May 2020 that found although the Motorino XMr is outfitted with pedals, limited power and a maximum speed of 32 km/h, it doesn’t qualify as a motor-assisted cycle because it’s not designed to be operated primarily by human power.

At the heart of the issue are the XMr’s small pedals, which Court of Appeal Justice Harvey M. Groberman agreed would do little to propel the nearly 115-kilogram bike. Groberman said the XMr is designed to almost exclusively operate as a low-powered electric motorcycle, or as “a very heavy, impractical bicycle.”

Although the XMr meets many of the technical requirements of a motor-assisted cycle as defined in B.C.’s Motor Vehicle Act, Groberman wrote, it doesn’t do so in practice.

“If a piece of legislation defines ‘cat’ as ‘a small four-legged furry mammal that purrs,’ we would not expect that definition to include a dog fitted with a loudspeaker that plays a purring sound,” he said.

Affordable, environmentally friendly

Lawyer Dan Griffiths, who represented Ghadban in the case, said his client is a man of modest financial means who relied on the bike to get around.

“He was excited to find a transportation option which was affordable and which also had the added benefit of being environmentally friendly as well,” Griffiths said.

Ghadban, 35, does building maintenance for homeless shelters on the Downtown Eastside, Griffiths said, and has never had a driver’s licence. His client intends to take the case to the Supreme Court of Canada.

But Erin O’Mellin, executive director of cycling advocacy group HUB, said the decision is a step in the right direction.

O’Mellin said there’s a lot more danger associated with electric scooters than actual bicycles, regular or electric — especially if they’re sharing infrastructure such as bike lanes.

“[Electric scooters] are much heavier and they move at a much faster speed, so the consequence of a collision with this kind of scooter and someone on a regular bicycle would be much more dramatic,” she said.

Outdated laws

B.C.’s Motor Vehicle Act hasn’t been updated in 50 years, O’Mellin said, and it doesn’t deal with all of the the new electric mobility devices that have come onto the consumer market in that time, including electric standup scooters and skateboards.

She said it’s important that devices such as e-scooters be included so that drivers are aware of their responsibilities.

“If you have a larger, faster-moving vehicle, there’s more onus on you to have training to make sure that those roads are safe for all users,” O’Mellin said.

In a written statement, the Ministry of Public Safety said the province and the provincial insurer, ICBC, “are examining impacts with respect to products now confirmed by the courts to be non-compliant to operate on public highways, such as the Motorino XMr.”

After the B.C. Supreme Court decision in May, ICBC made a few subtle changes to its webpage on motor-assisted cycles.

The latest version no longer includes an image of what looks like an electric scooter alongside an e-bike under the subheadings “electric bikes” and “motor assisted cycles.”

Thousands of customers

Steve Miloshev, owner of the Motorino store in Vancouver, said the decision is disappointing because so many of his clients rely on e-scooters for transportation — especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, when many people want to avoid public transit.

“I am upset for the thousands of our customers who have invested thousands of dollars in their clean transportation,” he said in an email to CBC News.

Miloshev said he believes his scooters and the customers who use them have been unfairly targeted, compared with devices such as electric standup scooters.

However, those scooters were never legal on B.C. roads.

Miloshev said he intends to focus his business on the “countless” new technologies that are available.

“As a company that pioneered light electric transportation in Canada, we are very optimistic in the evolution of environmental and practical solutions for transportation,” he said.

Harley-Davidson 338R spied undisguised

By General Posts

by Pradeep Shah from https://www.financialexpress.com

Harley-Davidson 338R which will be the American bike maker’s most affordable motorcycle has been snapped very recently. However, the same may or may not be launched in India for a number of reasons. Read to know!

Harley-Davidson’s highly-awaited bike that will be its most affordable offering might soon be a reality. A spy image of the said motorcycle has recently emerged on the web, image courtesy Bennetts. According to the picture, the said model will be called the Harley-Davidson 338R. The upcoming Haley-Davidson 338R will be based on the Benelli platform and is being made by Qianjiang (QJ). If you remember the sketches of the most affordable Harley-Davidson that flooded the internet in 2019, well, if you look closely, you will find many similarities with that design. The said Harley-Davidson 338R will share most of its cycle parts including brakes, frame, suspension and wheels with the 302S.

Coming to the powertrain, the engine on the HD 338R will be sourced from Benelli with a larger bore and stroke. The power output and specs of this motorcycle are currently a mystery, however, we believe that the power should be in the region of 40hp. The said model is meant to go on sale in China and some of the Asian markets but India launch remains uncertain for a number of reasons. With the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, the American bike maker announced a new strategy called ‘Rewire’ under which job cuts and reducing the number of future products by 30 percent are being implemented.

That said, it is not clear at the moment if the said most affordable Harley-Davidson 338R will be able to see the light of the day or not! Moreover, there have been rumours about Harley-Davidson shutting down its production facility in India and hence, its products will now might arrive through the CBU route. That said, if the 338R comes here via the same route, it might lose its price benefit to a certain extent. If such a situation arises in the future, the company might very well axe the HD 338R launch plans. More details on the upcoming Harley-Davidson 338R expected to reveal soon, so keep watching this space for all the action!

Indian Motorcycle Introduces All-New 2020 Scout Bobber Sixty

By General Posts

America’s First Motorcycle Company continues to move the industry forward by providing riders with a wide range of options of which to choose from.  Today, Indian Motorcycle introduced the 2020 Indian Scout Bobber Sixty, a more attainable and lightweight option for riders who expect the same premium quality and craftsmanship they’ve come to expect from Indian, combined with a stripped-down aesthetic.

Starting at $8,999, the Scout Bobber Sixty is powered by a 78-horsepower engine and comes packed with performance features that appeal to all riders seeking mean, old school styling at a competitive price point.  In addition, staying true to their commitment to self-expression, Indian Motorcycle will also offer an array of over 140 accessories for the Bobber Sixty.

INDIAN MOTORCYCLE’S NEW SCOUT BOBBER SIXTY MAKES MEAN, OLD-SCHOOL STYLING MORE ACCESSIBLE AND AFFORDABLE THAN EVER 

Minimalistic & Raw – the Lightweight Indian Scout Bobber Sixty Features Stripped-Down, Blacked-Out Styling, and a 60 Cubic-Inch, Liquid-Cooled Engine

Minneapolis (March 5, 2020) – Indian Motorcycle, America’s First Motorcycle Company, today introduced the 2020 Indian Scout Bobber Sixty – a 999cc version of its popular Scout Bobber, that is 24 pounds lighter. Starting at $8,999, the Scout Bobber Sixty is a more attainable option for riders seeking Indian Motorcycle’s premium quality and craftsmanship combined with a stripped-down aesthetic.

Powered by the same 78-horsepower engine as the Scout Sixty, the Scout Bobber Sixty’s light weight, nimble handling, and low center of gravity will appeal to all riders seeking mean, old school styling at a competitive price point.

“Bringing a stripped down, old-school Bobber priced at $8,999 is something we’re very excited about.  We’re proud to provide such a dynamic offering at a price point that makes owning an Indian motorcycle extremely attainable to an even wider range of riders,” said Reid Wilson, Vice President of Indian Motorcycle.

The Scout Bobber Sixty maintains the stripped-down styling of the Scout Bobber, including chopped fenders and a confident riding position, while adding several cues that give the model a look of its own.  The Scout Bobber Sixty features a blacked-out engine, a modern tank badge, perch mount mirrors, stripped down headlight, an all-black seat, and all new five-spoke all black wheels.

Riders looking to customize their Scout Bobber Sixty can do so by selecting from more than 140 authentic Indian Motorcycle accessories. Riders looking to venture outside city limits can enjoy a comfortable ride with Indian Motorcycle’s an all-new color matched comfort seat and passenger seat options.

Shipping to U.S. and Canadian dealers now, the Scout Bobber Sixty is available in Thunder Black and Thunder Black Smoke paint with ABS and non-ABS versions. Scout Bobber Sixty pricing starts at $8,999 with financing options as low as $111 a month.

Learn more about Indian Motorcycle and the Scout Bobber Sixty by visiting IndianMotorcycle.com and following along on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Bajaj Triumph motorcycle launch in 2022

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Bajaj and Triumph will introduce new affordable motorcycles in India and abroad under a new partnership.

Bajaj Auto and Triumph Motorcycles have formally announced their new partnership to produce a range of mid-size motorcycles and platforms for the Indian and global markets. The decision was initially announced back in 2017, but the formal agreement was signed only now. The partnership will see a positive impact in either brand’s future business in India as well as abroad.

The long-term partnership agreement follows a non-equity approach under which both brands retain their intellectual property rights. Beyond the operational side of the business, motorcycle enthusiasts have been eagerly looking forward to seeing what the partnership would introduce in our market in due course.

Apparently, Triumph will introduce ‘big bike experience’ while Bajaj continues its expertise at making smaller-capacity motorcycles. Both brands will collaborate on the R&D of each motorcycle and platform, but manufacturing will be done solely at Bajaj’s Chakan facility for all global markets. Eventually, Bajaj will take over Triumph India and introduce the iconic British motorcycle brand to newer markets.

This move will also make Triumph motorcycles much more accessible in the country and have an edge over other premium two-wheeler brands. The first-of-the-line products under the partnership will debut in the Indian market sometime in 2022. There is no news of a bigger-capacity multi-cylinder Bajaj motorcycle yet, but there’s no harm in expecting something of that sort.

With the help of Bajaj, Triumph aims to penetrate further into major Asian markets that are currently dominated by the likes of Japanese motorcycles. In markets where Bajaj does not operate, Triumph Motorcycles will sell the upcoming mid-size products alongside its regular portfolio.

Hence, Bajaj will open doors to a new market in major European nations where Triumph Motorcycles leads. On the other hand, the British motorcycle maker will reap an untapped potential present in the lower, affordable, mass-volume segment. More information regarding the upcoming Bajaj-Triumph products will be shared in the coming months and as the launch timelines close in. The products’ naming will be borrowed from the roots of Triumph’s strong heritage.

While it is too early to confirm the exact specifications and output of the upcoming Triumph-Bajaj motorcycles, the partnership aims to make them “aspirational and affordable” with a targeted ex-showroom price tag starting from under Rs 2 lakh. Currently, the Royal Enfield 650 Twins are the most desirable mid-size motorcycles available in foreign markets that offer superior value for money.

With the introduction of the new range of products under the alliance, major rival brands such as Royal Enfield, Harley-Davidson, etc., might have to worry a bit. Harley-Davidson has already anticipated such a scenario and is working on a 338cc motorcycle for the affordable segments in the Asian market.

Enfield to glam up, slim down bikes for women, GenX

By General Posts

New bikes from Royal Enfield are likely to be the most affordable ones.

Royal Enfield is slimming down to conquer. It plans to make far lighter bikes, offering lower and more comfortable seating positions, to draw youngsters and women to a brand that has hitherto been associated with men who had truly arrived. And these will likely be the most affordable bikes as well from the maker of the iconic Bullet.

These bikes will weigh significantly less than the Bullet and be seated lower, styled after the roadster. Due for launch in the first quarter of 2020, these are internally codenamed J1C, and may sell under the Explorer brand.

The model has been developed after taking critical feedback from women and youngsters to offer them a bike with comfortable ingress/egress and steer away from the traditional perception of Royal Enfield ‘bulk’, said several industry executives aware of the plans.

“While we cannot comment about future product line-ups, we can confirm that at Royal Enfield, we assign huge focus on keeping our motorcycles accessible and approachable to all, in an endeavour to bring more people to experience pure leisure motorcycling,” a spokesperson told ET.

The company declined to discuss its product pipeline, features and pricing strategies.

Royal Enfield was losing a significant chunk of upgraders to competition as rivals launched several sports bikes. The Explorer is an attempt to wrest back the initiative, industry experts believe.

The launch of J1C is part of a new product onslaught, and the plan envisages launching at least one new product every quarter from 2020. After J1C, the company will be launching the new generation Thunderbird, which may be re-christened as Meteor, before the BS-VI versions of Classic and Bullet hit the road in 2020.

Royal Enfield has upgraded the existing UCE or Unit Construction Engine for BS VI emission norms to ensure adequate availability.

Struggling to arrest volume declines, Royal Enfield has undertaken a series of accessibility measures that include product enhancements, geographic expansions, and establishment of small-format retail stores.

To be sure, the total number of driving licences issued in India is 161.1 million, of which about a tenth is issued to women drivers. Women buyers account for about 7-8% of the existing Royal Enfield volumes. Although the numbers are still small, more women are buying bikes such as the Himalayan or Thunderbird X.

The new platform for women motorbike enthusiasts would open a vast opportunity for the company, which has seen untapped potential in Goa, Chandigarh, Maharashtra, Kerala and Karnataka.

Goa has the highest proportion of women drivers, with 23% of the total number of licences issued to women. For Chandigarh and Maharashtra, the comparable figures are 18.47% and 18.28%, according to the Road Transport Year book of 2016.

In the second quarter of FY20, sales volumes from Maharashtra, Kerala and Karnataka accounted for a quarter of the total at Royal Enfield.

The monthly run-rate of Royal Enfield dropped 15% to 60,334 in the first eight months of the current fiscal year. The Street expects sales volume of 7.25-7.30 lakh units in the current fiscal year, which implies a decline of about 12%, the first in at least a decade.

Electric vehicles won’t be mainstream, says Honda CEO

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from https://auto.economictimes.indiatimes.com

Commenting about Honda’s electrification strategy, Honda CEO said the brand will focus on petrol-electric hybrids, not BEVs, through 2030.

Electric vehicles won’t be mainstream, despite the push from the governments and the auto manufacturers across the world towards e-mobility, claims a media report quoting Honda CEO Takahiro Hachigo.

The report further quotes Hachigo saying, “The hurdles to battery electric vehicles and complete autonomous driving are still quite high.”

Commenting about Honda’s electrification strategy, he said the brand will focus on petrol-electric hybrids, not BEVs, through 2030. Also, he said Honda will prioritize incremental advances that offer real-world safety at affordable prices, instead of fancy functions and pricy lidar systems, claims the report.

Honda aims to be more realistic instead of competing with rivals brands when it comes to electric vehicles and autonomous driving technology.

Hachigo further said, “I do not believe there will be a dramatic increase in demand for battery vehicles, and I believe this situation is true globally. There are issues with infrastructure and hardware.”

He also added, “There are different regulations in different countries, and we have to abide by them. So, it’s a must to continue R&D. But I don’t believe it will become mainstream anytime soon.”

Is ELIO for real?

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We make an in-depth exploration of Elio Motors trike
by Wayfarer@bikernet.com

Founder Paul Elio wanted to fight the increasing prices of both consumer vehicles and fuel. At the same time he wanted a practical and reliable vehicle that would be very affordable and give lots of miles per gallon. His dream didn’t end there.

This magical vehicle had to be ALL-AMERICAN. It had to be completely made in America, employing Americans as an American revolution in travel and automotive industry. The design, the manufacturing, the marketing – the people will be Americans and the target market is America.

CLICK HERE to read about the concept called Elio Motors.