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The Husqvarna Norden 901 Adventure Bike Is Heading To Production

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by Sabrina Giacomini from https://www.rideapart.com After Husqvarna unveiled the Norden 901 concept at EICMA in November 2019, we were pretty very vocal about how much we hoped the model wouldn’t stay a concept for too long. You guys were really excited about it when it was unveiled, it made our top 10 of the coolest bikes showed at EICMA, and it even found a spot in director Jason’s top 5 bikes he’s most excited to see in 2020. Now, we learn that Husqvarna is moving ahead and will make the model a reality. In a press release published on Monday, Husqvarna confirmed that the Norden 901 will become a full-time member of its lineup. This will become the brand’s first adventure motorcycle—a welcome addition if you ask me. The brand’s main focus was motocross and dirtbikes for a long time. It only very recently made the jump to street bikes with the introduction of the Vitpilen and Svartpilen 401 in 2018, then the 701 in 2019. The Norden 901 will strengthen the manufacturer’s presence in the road bike segment and will become the biggest engine currently offered in the Swedish lineup. The Norden will run on an 890cc parallel-twin engine, use WP suspension components, and run on 21 and 17-inch wheels. That’s pretty much all the numbers we get for now. We don’t even get a release date. The company promises a lightweight adventure bike—”class-leading lightness”—that will also be comfortable and versatile. Nothing we haven’t heard before. If the 701 twins are any indication, the Norden 901 has the potential to also be a lot of fun. “Breaking cover for the first time during the International Motorcycle show in Italy, the NORDEN 901 received high levels of interest from the hundreds of thousands of attending motorcycle fans as well as […]

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Royal Enfield may pull 500cc motorcycles out of production by 1 April next year

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from https://www.financialexpress.com According to the report, upgrading Royal Enfield’s 500cc engine to BS-VI compliance will make the production of these motorcycles ‘unviable for the domestic market’. As the deadline for India’s BS-VI transition closes in, Royal Enfield may be in the process of taking a drastic decision regarding its 500cc engine. According to a LiveMint report, Royal Enfield plans to discontinue its 500cc range of motorcycles from 1 April next year when BS-VI emission norms become a mandate in the country. The report further states that upgrading RE’s 500cc engine to BS-VI compliance will make the production of these motorcycles ‘unviable for the domestic market’. The sources close to the development also told LiveMint that the 500cc motorcycles would not be produced for international markets either. The pushrod architecture of the existing 350cc and 500cc engines do not meet the stringent emission norms. As a result, the existing model lineup will be phased out… Royal Enfield plans to restore the 350cc segment with an all-new powertrain as that accounts for the bulk of sales. Meanwhile, it would quit the 500cc displacement – the report quotes the source. The report goes on to quote the source that said that the Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 and Continental GT 650 were primarily developed for international markets and refresh the manufacturer’s rider followership in the domestic market as well. “As the 500cc line-up will be discontinued, the 650cc Twins will become the company’s export volume drivers.” Royal Enfield has registered a drop in year-on-year sales in India over the past 11 months. However, exports have been going strong with the Interceptor 650 becoming a best-selling naked roadster in the UK recently. As was speculated, Royal Enfield did not showcase new products at the EICMA motorcycle show this year and instead lined up its existing

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Hero MotoCorp surpasses 25 million units landmark in cumulative production at Haridwar facility

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from https://www.equitybulls.com Hero MotoCorp, the world’s largest manufacturer of motorcycles and scooters, has crossed yet another milestone in its illustrious journey, with its manufacturing facility at Haridwar, in the northern Indian hill state of Uttarakhand achieving the unique distinction of surpassing 25 million units in cumulative production. The manufacturing facility, commissioned in April 2008, has achieved the milestone in just over 11 years of operation – an industry record. The Haridwar facility of Hero MotoCorp is also the world’s largest two-wheeler manufacturing plant with an installed capacity to produce 9500 vehicles per day. Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Vikram Kasbekar, Executive Director (Operations) and Chief Technology Officer, Hero MotoCorp said, “This is a significant milestone for not just our Haridwar manufacturing plant, but also the entire organization. The manufacturing practices that we follow at Hero MotoCorp have always set new benchmarks in the industry. The production of 25 million two-wheelers at our Haridwar plant in such a short period of time since its commencement of operation bears testimony to the dedication and competency of the team. We are grateful to all our valued customers, partners, investors, the state government of Uttarakhand and all other stakeholders for their continued support and faith in us..” Keeping Hero MotoCorp’s focus on sustainability, the Haridwar manufacturing facility has the world’s largest green-roof, spread over 4500 sq. mtr. The plant produces 1.95 MW of solar power, has zero liquid discharge and a lake for rain water harvesting. The plant produces Hero MotoCorp’s popular motorcycles – HF Deluxe, Splendor+, Splendor iSmart 110, Passion Pro and Passion 110. With a robust supply chain, it sources 75% (in value) of the parts from industries within Uttarakhand. Hero MotoCorp currently has seven globally benchmarked manufacturing facilities, including five in India and one each in Bangladesh and Colombia. The plants

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Harley-Davidson Resumes LiveWire Production, Says Charging Problem Was Confined To Just One Bike

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by Bill Roberson from https://www.forbes.com Harley-Davidson has resumed production of the LiveWire electric motorcycle after assembly was stopped earlier this week when a charging issue cropped up and was spotted during quality checks. A Harley-Davidson Motor Company representative told Forbes Friday morning that production was temporarily suspended “to confirm that the non-standard condition identified on one motorcycle was a singular occurrence. We take pride in our rigorous quality assurance measures and our drive to deliver the world’s best motorcycles.” They added that customers who already had the bikes could resume charging “through all methods,” including using the 120-volt (Level 1) on-board chargers that essentially let users plug the bikes into a wall outlet. Following the production halt, Harley had advised riders to only use the high-speed Level III Fast DC chargers at dealerships until the issue with the 120-volt charger was resolved. “Our quality assurances are working as they were designed, and we’ve reaffirmed the strength of the LiveWire product design, no product changes are needed and we’re moving forward,” the spokesperson told Forbes. The issue marked a hiccup in Harley-Davidson’s rollout of the LiveWire motorcycles, which are a radical departure from the Motor Company’s usual slate of iconic gas-powered V-Twin machines. Harley is betting that the future of transportation – including motorcycles – will include more electric vehicles and they are the first major legacy motorcycle maker to put an all-electric bike into serial production. The LiveWire features a 105-horsepower electric motor, 15.5kWh battery pack and can go zero to 60mph in three seconds. Harley has said more electric models – including possibly electric bicycles – are on the way following the rollout of the $29,700 LiveWire. Indeed, there are Harley electric balance bikes for kids on sale at this time.

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From Lawnmower to Rocket Engines, Here’s What Else Harley-Davidson Used to Make

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by Daniel Patrascu from https://www.autoevolution.com For decades, one of the heavyweights of the motorcycle industry has been Harley-Davidson. The behemoth established itself as one of the leaders in motorcycling manufacturing, and is now planning an expansion more ambitious than ever before. Over the years though, it tried its luck in other industries as well. Established in 1903, the company fought to make a name for itself including in areas like commercial transportation and military hardware. Most of these attempts are now long-dead, but this week Harley decided its time for a brief history lesson into five of the products few still know it used to make. In its second decade, from 1913 to 1915, Harley went for the commercial delivery sector with a vehicle called Forecar. Powered by a twin-cylinder chain drive motorcycle engine, the vehicle was a three-wheeler that featured a delivery box over two front wheels. It was capable of carrying a load weighing up to 600 pounds, mostly mail and groceries. From 1929, people began mowing their lawns with Worthington machines powered by Harley engines. This collaboration went bust too soon after the Great Depression. At the beginning of the 1960s, Harley bought Tomahawk Boats because it needed access to the company’s fiberglass manufacturing capability. For a short time, it also made boats, then decided to shut this side business down. In 1969, a three-wheeled vehicle named Utilicar was introduced to act as support for manufacturing processes in factories. It was made with two powertrains, one electric and one running on gasoline, that were to be used inside and outside factory buildings, respectively. By far the most exciting product made decades ago by Harley is a small rocket engine that was deployed by the U.S. Army on target drones. These drones were used to simulate incoming intercontinental

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Harley Davidson: The Road Only Goes Downhill

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Harley-Davidson delays its first $30,000 electric motorcycle after unexpected findings during final quality checks The company delayed the motorcycle after ‘non-standard conditions’ were discvoered during final quality checks Dealers had begun selling pre-orders of the bike in January Harley-Davidson had forecast shipping 1,600 bikes Harley-Davidson has delayed production on its first electric motorcycle, called LiveWire. In an email sent to dealers last week, the company announced it had found a ‘non-standard condition’ in its final quality checks but didn’t elaborate further. The LiveWire was officially announced for commercial release last fall with a planned price of $29,799. ‘We recently discovered a non-standard condition during a final quality check; stopped production and deliveries; and began additional testing and analysis, which is progressing well,’ the company said in a statement. The Wall Street Journal reported that the decision came after a problem with the vehicle’s battery charging was discovered. The manufacturer did not say when they planned to resume production. The company had already begun delivering models of LiveWire to dealers in September. The company had expected to ship around 1,600 bikes, or an estimated 1 percent of the company’s total big shipments. The LiveWire is said to go from 0-60 mph in three seconds and reach top speeds of 110 mph. Harley-Davidson recommends users go to dealers to charge the vehicle rather than trying to use standard electrical outlets in their homes. It is powered by a 15.5 kWh battery and has a 105 horsepower magnetic engine and a range of 146 miles city driving on a single charge. Harley-Davidson had told potential customers to charge the bike only at registered dealers and not in their homes. The bike was first shown in The Avengers: Age of Ultron as a sleek prototype ridden by Scarlett Johansson’s Black Widow character. The LiveWire

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Harley-Davidson halts electric motorcycle production

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Oct 14 (Reuters) – Harley-Davidson Inc said on Monday it has stopped production of its first electric motorcycle after discovering a glitch in the final quality checks. The motorcycle maker said it does not have a timeline as to when the production will resume. Harley-Davidson’s stock turns down after WSJ report halting production of electric motorcycle Shares of Harley-Davidson Inc. HOG, +0.31% swung to a loss Monday, after The Wall Street Journal reported that the company had to halt production and delivery of its first electric motorcycle after finding a problem related to charging equipment. The stock was down 1.1% in afternoon trading, after being up as much as 0.7% earlier in the session. The electric motorcycle, the LiveWire, was part of the company’s plan to inspire the next generation of riders. The company is scheduled to report third-quarter results on Oct. 22 before the opening bell. Harley’s stock has lost 5.2% over the past three months, while the S&P 500 SPX, -0.14% has slipped 1.6%.

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Yamaha Expects India to Become its Largest Production Base in 5 yrs

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Markets in Indonesia, Vietnam saturating; India priority No. 1, says top executive. Japanese auto major Yamaha Motor Company (YMC) expects India to overtake Indonesia to emerge as its largest base in terms of production output in the next five years. “India sells more than 20 million two-wheelers annually and the numbers are growing. Our company’s market share is in single digits. We want to improve this. There is a lot of opportunity,” says Yamaha India Chairman Shitara. Two-wheeler sales in India increased 6.95% to 19,740,727 units till February this fiscal. In the same period, India Yamaha Motor’s sales remained largely flat at around 732,006 units. The company additionally exported 226,010 units. Yamaha Motor India’s group chairman Motofumi Shitara was speaking on the sidelines of the launch of MT-15 priced at ₹1.36 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi). “India is priority number one for us worldwide. We aim to have production volume of 2.5 million units in India in the next five years,” he said. Going ahead, Shitara said the company would steer clear of the mass segment and focus on launching premium motorcycles in the domestic market. The company has also commenced a study on introducing electric two-wheelers in India. Shitara is currently defining the mid-term roadmap for the company till 2025 to lay the foundation on how the brand Yamaha takes shape the country. Apart from growing volumes, Shitara said a focus area for him is to project a strong image for the Yamaha brand in the local market. Yamaha MT-15 was launched on Friday – a 155cc bike with liquid-cooled four-stroke engine mated to a six-speed transmission. MT-15 is priced at Rs 1.36 lakh ex-showroom. It has ABS and fuel injected variable valve actuation (VBA). On the idea of electric motorcycles, the Yamaha Chairman says – “Three points are important, one

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