future

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

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from https://auto.economictimes.indiatimes.com The consortium will define the standardised technical specifications of the swappable battery system for vehicles belonging to the L-category, mopeds, motorcycles, tricycles and quadricycles. Piaggio Group on Monday said it has signed a letter of intent with KTM AG, Honda Motor and Yamaha Motor to set up a Swappable Batteries Consortium for motorcycles and light electric vehicles. The consortium will define the standardised technical specifications of the swappable battery system for vehicles belonging to the L-category: mopeds, motorcycles, tricycles and quadricycles. The companies will be working closely with interested stakeholders and national, European and international standardisation bodies. The founding members of the consortium will be involved in the creation of international technical standards. The Consortium will start its activities in May 2021. In the context of the Paris Climate Agreement and the transition to electromobility, the founding members of the consortium believe that the availability of a standardised swappable battery system would both promote the widespread use of light electric vehicles and contribute to a more sustainable life-cycle management of batteries used in the transport sector, the companies said in a joint statement. Also, by extending the range, shortening the charging time and lowering vehicle and infrastructure costs, the manufacturers will try to answer customers’ main concerns regarding the future of electromobility. Michele Colaninno, Piaggio Group chief of strategy and product, commented, “With the signing of this letter of intent, the signatories show their proactiveness vis-à-vis the major concerns of their customers and the political priorities as regards the electrification of vehicles.” An international standard for the swappable batteries system will make this technology efficient and at the disposal of the consumers, added Michele Colaninno.

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Harley Davidson’s plan to take iconic motorcycle brand into transportation’s future

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by Joe D’Allegro from https://www.cnbc.com Harley-Davidson unveiled a new 2021 lineup featuring several advances in engineering, electronics and styling, and its first rival to BMW and Honda “adventure” bikes. Hog motorcycle sales peaked 15 years ago and have dropped 40% since. But as it cuts costs, total number of models and geographies under a new CEO, and looks to electric motorcycles and e-bikes, Harley could be in for a smoother stock market ride. As a tradition-minded 118-year-old motorcycle manufacturer, Harley-Davidson may not seem ideally situated to prosper in a rapidly changing world where vehicles are increasingly electrified, self-driving, and shared. But the iconic company could be better positioned than many stock market investors betting on transportation suspect. The company’s U.S. bike sales peaked at more than 260,000 way back in 2006, and have since dropped about 40%. Demographics are part of the story, and it is a well-charted one, in the stock price and broader narrative about Harley’s consumer market. In 1985, the year before Harley went public, the median motorcycle owner was only 27, according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics. By 2018, the median age had risen to 50. But the iconic “HOG” brand is turning itself around under the leadership of president and CEO Jochen Zeitz, who took the helm last year after drawing praise for a turnaround engineered at European consumer brand Puma. Zeitz, and other new executives pushed the “Rewire” initiative, which has driven the manufacturer to exit international markets with low potential to focus on 36 high-growth-potential areas in North America, Europe and Asia. The company also laid off 700 employees to trim costs. It closed out 2020 by entering into a distribution agreement with Indian motorcycle maker Hero and spinning off its electric bicycle operations to a new firm where it holds a

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Harley Virtually Confirms Custom 1250 On Company Website

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by Dustin Wheelen from https://www.rideapart.com The Harley website’s Future Models section has been a revolving door since the brand announced its ambitious plans in July 2018. Since that momentous Annual Dealer Meeting, the Motor Company intermittently teased the Pan America, Bronx, and Custom 1250, keeping customers curious as they further developed the platforms. With Jochen Zeits taking the reins from Matt Levatich in 2020, many believed the Bar and Shield would scrap its future models and fully return to cruiser-style motorcycles. Like most speculation, half was true (Harley shelved the Bronx indefinitely) and half wasn’t (the Pan America is moving forward). Most recently, the brand added its Custom 1250 prototype back to the Future Models page, paving the way for the concept to finally become a production model. While Harley officially labels the bike as its Future High-Performance Custom Model, most believe the custom could fill the Sportster’s slot in the company’s lineup. With the long-in-the-tooth model failing to meet Euro5 emissions standards, the MoCo isn’t able to serve a sizeable portion of its customer base. Though the Sportster’s throwback style contributes to its popularity, performance-oriented models like the Indian Scout, Yamaha Bolt, and the new Honda Rebel 1100 are pushing the segment forward. To meet its competitors, the Custom 1250 would share the same 1250cc 60-degree Revolution Max V-twin powering the new Pan America. Whether the cruiser-styled model will also achieve the Pan America’s claimed 145 horsepower and 90 lb-ft of torque is yet to be confirmed. What looks more certain, however, is that the Sportster’s broad customization possibilities will make it to the new platform. Of course, the website adds a caveat in fine print: All future models shown may not be available in all markets. Thanks to Harley’s new distribution deal with Hero MotoCorp, we doubt the

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Triple-Engined Trident Is How the Future of Triumph Motorcycles Looks Like

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by Daniel Patrascu from https://www.autoevolution.com When it comes to the number of modifications made to models year-over-year, the motorcycle industry is by far more dynamic than the auto one. Almost every bike model of any maker suffers changes year-on-year, and that means that regardless of the size and scope of these changes, motorcycles always look fresh. On the other side of the spectrum, the number of new models born into the industry is far lower compared to their four-wheeled counterparts. New bikes come to be at a much slower pace, and that means excitement is very high when they do. Last week the Brits from Triumph got us all hyped as they previewed the future Trident, (a model wearing this name started being made by Triumph back in the 1990s), one that should usher in the new design era over in Hinckley. Show in a pure-white design prototype form at the London Design Museum, the new Trident is supposed to be according to the bike maker “an all new contemporary take on Triumph style & attitude,” featuring a minimalistic form over a proven triple engine, a type of powerplant that powers, among others, the Street Triple. What you see in the gallery above is just a prototype, completed at the end of four years of hard work. The actual production version Trident will surface in early 2021. For now, the bike maker did not go into the technical specifics of the motorcycle, leaving us guessing as to what exactly it will be all about. But even with this complete lack of information (all that’s been said on the Trident can be found in the press release section below), we’re guessing the engineers working in the Japanese motorcycle industry are pretty troubled by this. ‘’The Trident design prototype marks the beginning

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Honda Reveals CB-F Concept as the Future of Six Decades Old Series

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by Daniel Patrascu from https://www.autoevolution.com In Honda’s lineup, the CB Series is one of the most extensive. Born a little over six decades ago, the line includes everything from road to racing motorcycles. That means the family will still be around for many years to come, and a glimpse of what’s around the corner was just revealed by the Japanese. Two major motorcycle shows were planned in Japan in the coming months, in Osaka and Tokyo, but because they were canceled on account of the coronavirus pandemic, Honda and others were left with finding alternate means of revealing their newest products. Honda planned to show no less than 29 motorcycles at the said events, and decided to slowly unveil them online, starting Friday, March 27. The CB-F concept was the one chosen to spearhead the avalanche of models. Developed as a preview of future CBs, the concept is said to also be a homage to past generations, including the CB900F, one of the oldest of the family. Built on a lightweight chassis with high-tensile steel mono-backbone structure, it comes with an inverted front fork suspension and an aluminum single-sided Pro-Arm at the rear. Both should make the bike ideal for use on both urban and winding roads. Powering the bike along is a 998cc water-cooled inline 4-cylinder DOHC engine, linked to a six-speed transmission. The specs for it were not released, but the Japanese say it “eases through its rev-range and provides ample torque.” “The CB-F Concept is the result of revisiting the CB series’ history, which reached its sixth decade last year, and thoroughly exploring what to preserve, and what to evolve with the company’s flagship sports bike,” the bike maker said in a statement. “The CB-F Concept is an ambitious fusion of cutting edge technology with a design

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Is a flying motorcycle the future of riding?

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by Chris Best from https://www.wkrg.com The future of riding, may not be riding at all, but flying. That’s if you can afford it. French auto-maker “Lazarus” is showing off its new “motorcycle” that is more about wings than wheels. It’s called “La Moto Volante”…sounds fancy right? But it just translates to “flying motorcycle.” Four turbines boost the bike from the ground to the sky…talk about getting in the wind. Downside is it will only fly for about 10 minutes at a time…oh and there’s the price tag. The company will only be making five of them…and they are $560 thousand dollars each. So although the dream of flying motorcycles may be coming true…It will remain a dream for virtually everyone on the planet.

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Going electric could help revive the motorcycle industry

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by Peter Valdes-Dapena from https://edition.cnn.com/ Motorcycle sales, particularly in the United States, have been struggling ever since the Great Recession. As older riders lose interest, or simply become unable to ride any longer, the younger generation hasn’t been showing the same kind of enthusiasm. But the industry is hoping that electric motorcycles — with a quieter, simpler experience — might be the key to attracting new riders. For one thing, electric motorcycles are easier to ride. With an electric motor, there’s no need to shift gears. To experienced riders, that’s no big deal, but most Americans today have become accustomed to automatic transmissions and don’t know how to shift gears. “It’s just a lot easier learning curve,” said Susan Carpenter, a writer and radio host specializing in motorcycles. “You just hop on and twist the throttle. If you can balance, you can go.” Another benefit is that electric motorcycles are much less noisy than gasoline-powered motorcycles. To many veteran riders, the roar of the engine is part of the excitement. But a lot of other people would prefer to enjoy their surroundings much more peacefully. The bikes also don’t have hot engines and exhaust pipes that can become burn hazards, especially when parked around kids. Electric motorcycles also qualify for federal and state tax credits, similar to those for electric cars, although in smaller amounts. There are tradeoffs, of course. Electric motorcycles have the same disadvantages as electric cars, namely cost and range. Motorcycles can only accommodate small batteries so they have a lot less range than gas-powered bikes. And that range diminishes greatly during high-speed highway riding because the bike’s electric motor has to compensate for increased wind resistance pressing against the rider’s not-so-aerodynamic body. Hoping to get the attention of a new generation of riders, Harley-Davidson introduced the

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

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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

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E-bikes to rule the US EV market in next decade

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In the last couple of years, e-bike sales have been growing steadily in the US, but they still represent a small part of the overall segment in the country. Electric vehicle market in the US in the next decade will be dominated by e-bikes, claims a media report. It forecasts a total of 113 million e-bikes will be sold in the country between 2020-2023. Sales of the electric bikes in the US have grown more than eight-fold since 2014, claims the report further. In the last couple of years, sales of e-bikes have been growing steadily in the US, but they still represent a small part of the overall bike segment in the country. As the report claims, e-bike sales jumped by an incredible 91 per cent from 2016 to 2017. Also, it grew 72 per cent from 2017 to 2018 to reach $143.4 million, as revealed by market research firm NPD Group. Between 2006 and 2012, e-bikes represented less than 1 per cent of total annual bike sales. In 2013, US customers bought 1.85 lakh e-bikes, while across all of Europe, 1.8 million units were retailed. The media report quotes Jeff Loucks, executive director of Deloitte’s Technology, Media, and Telecommunications centre, who said that e-bike sales will not increase evenly across the US. He forecasts cities, in particular, will see the biggest adoption rates. As he said, “We’re seeing more people move into the urban core of cities throughout the United States. And it’s just going to put a huge load on the roadways and on public transportation systems if some of that isn’t taking place by bike.” from https://auto.economictimes.indiatimes.com/

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Perfect Bikernet Weekly News for July 18th, 2019

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What an interesting week. We are scrambling with the Salt Torpedo. I trying to outfit the new Bikernet Salt Flats Van for the trip to Bonneville. I’ve been in touch with various Easyriders contributors and now ex-staff members regarding the future. A few of us have been super-lucky to make a living in the motorcycle industry. Even tougher, I’ve been having a blast in the Chopper industry most of my life. It’s not about the money, obviously, it’s about sex. What could be sexier than to bang around choppers, metalflake paint, sultry art and girls all your life. What could be better. Otherwise, this week has been amazingly positive with cool resources surfacing for the Torpedo. We’ve about got the body handled. Jane came by and took shots of my ’72 Ford F250 and the Shovelhead in the back. She thinks she can move it and the Shovelhead. Not sure I can sell the 1928 Shovelhead. CLICK HERE TO READ THE NEWS IN THE CANTINA – SUBSCRIBE TODAY for $24

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