Before you ride ’em, you gotta buy ’em.
Don’t let the media tell you what to buy, allow me!
An extreme and absurd view for the heck of it
by Ujjwal Dey with illustrations by Wayfarer & friends
CYBER MONDAY!!
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Honda CB350 launched at ₹2,00,000, will take on Royal Enfield 350. This is an even better retro-styled motorcycle from Honda than their previous 350 efforts in India and offers a lot of modern features that Enfield never has– at a price that can win customers over to their stable.
Those who want an Enfield will listen to no reason nor rhyme to change their mind about their purchase.
While it is primarily aimed at dethroning the King –Royal Enfield Classic 350 in sales pie-charts, it seems by co-incidence it will compete effectively with customers divided between Hero-made Harley-Davidson 440 and Bajaj-made Triumph Speed 400.
Meanwhile, Enfield is sending Meteor to USA (well the motorcycle model, relax!) and Honda H’ness 350 which was first designed and launched in India was soon released in Japan as well. So will America see a Honda 350.
It would be interesting if Honda and Kawasaki (Z650RS) brought the retro-styled motorcycles they presented in India to USA– because surely Harley-Davidson and Triumph won’t be bringing their 440cc and 400cc bikes over to ruin their American Dream of selling big bikes.
Clearly, sales volumes in India, a more dynamic and responsive market than China, seems to tempt brands to change their strategies in their primary / major markets as well.
All said, Honda still has a ‘big’ drawback with its sales and servicing of mid-weight bikes. Only Honda Big Wing brand of authorised dealers can sell and service these 350cc motorcycles apart from their other big engine bikes such as Fireblade, Africa Twin or Goldwing. This is silly because a 350cc engine is a common sight in all cities in India–thanks to Royal Enfield’s success at marketing and branding them.
So, unless Honda leverages its vast number of dealers who sell 100cc to 150cc commuter motorcycles and scooters, I don’t see a large dip in sales of Enfield Classic anytime soon. Ever since it was launched Royal Enfield Classic 350 has been the highest selling model not just in Enfield’s range but also in the industry segment it created, namely, middle-weight motorcycles.
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TVS overtakes Yamaha’s Market capitalisation to become third-largest two-wheeler maker in the world.
The market capitalisation (Mcap) of Chennai-based (India) TVS Motor has surged 37% to $9.2 billion over the past six months, as per Bloomberg’s data. In contrast, Yamaha Motor saw an Mcap erosion of $1.6 billion from its August highs.
Only seventeen months ago, TVS Motor Company was less than half the size of Yamaha Motor Co. Now, it has overtaken the Japanese two-wheeler giant in terms of market valuation. Investors continue to bet on a revival in both domestic and export markets, and TVS seemed the horse of choice, symbolic of its logo.
BTW, Indian two-wheeler manufacturers make up four of the top five companies in the world.
Bajaj Auto tops the list with a Mcap of $19 billion, followed by Eicher Motors with an $11.5 billion Mcap. Hero MotoCorp ranks fifth with a market valuation close to $8 billion.
Additionally, TVS Motors has gained dominant position in EV scooters, and has managed to gain market share in every segment over the last few years. TVS makes the 310cc BMW engines and motorcycles sold in India. TVS also owns the Norton brand.
US-based Harley-Davidson ranked seventh with an Mcap of $4.3 billion, three Chinese manufacturers are featured among the top ten two-wheeler makers in the world.
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by Ujjwal Dey with images & illustrations by Wayfarer
In Harley-Davidson’s desperate search for volume sales, Will there be a smaller Harley-Davidson X210 in India?
X440 is already the smallest engine – perhaps too small of an engine – to be considered a ‘real’ Harley for those who can actually afford to buy it. A rumoured Harley X210 may share the same design elements as the current X440.
The smaller H-D is rumoured to be powered by the same 210cc single-cylinder engine found in the Hero Karizma XMR.
Have a look at this editorial story giving you the background and the ground zero of Harley-Davidson’s new speculated adventure.
Click Here to read this article, only on Bikernet.com
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Tucker Dealer Update – August 14, 2023
Dear Tucker Powersports Dealer,
Today we are announcing that Tucker Powersports will be acquired by Turn 14 Distribution, one of the largest automotive aftermarket distributors in the United States. The purchase includes certain assets of Tucker and all of its private label brands, which include well known brands.
We know that this will have a positive impact on you and all of our customers.
Turn 14 Distribution is a sixteen-year-old national B2B-only distributor based outside of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They have operations in four states, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Texas, and Nevada, and have over five hundred employees across three distribution centers and two office locations.
The purchase of Tucker Powersports is Turn 14 Distribution’s entry into the powersports market, and with that comes more stability and growth for the market. They will apply many of the principles their company is founded on, including strong relationships with partners and employees, and leveraging its strengths in efficiency, focus, and excellence in serving all types of dealers.
For you, the customer, this means:
- Better access to more inventory.
- Reduced operating costs through better efficiency.
- Increased transparency.
- More tools to help you plan and operate your business.
- More customer service representatives.
- Optimized logistics.
Turn 14 Distribution has a well-earned reputation for listening to its customers and partners. They are known as the distributor who has embraced technology to ensure efficiency while maintaining a human-facing, customer-first mentality that comes from the core value, “our customers are royalty.”
In the short-term, your Tucker.com orders will be fulfilled by both Tucker and Turn 14 Distribution and in time you will be transitioned to the Turn 14 Distribution B2B website and provided with new login information. Please remember that this acquisition is a work in progress involving several moving parts.
Please be patient as our respective teams sort through the details.
To learn more about Turn 14 Distribution, please visit http://turn14.com/about.
For those of you that have been with us on Tucker Powersport’s fifty-six-year journey, we want to thank you all for your continued support and business. While this is a significant change, I am confident that we are leaving you and the industry we love, in good hands.
Sincerely,
Marc McAllister
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U.S. House Committee Passes Bill to Stop California’s ICE Vehicle Ban
Encourage support from lawmakers on this proposal:
The U.S. House Energy & Commerce Committee passed the SAN-supported Preserving Choice in Vehicle Purchases Act” (H.R. 1435). This bill seeks to preserve vehicle choice for consumers and prevent the federal government and the State of California from choosing only one form of technology (such as electric vehicles) over the many others to achieve their emission reduction goals.
The “Preserving Choice in Vehicle Purchases Act” prohibits the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from issuing a waiver to California for regulations that would ban the sale or use of new motor vehicles with ICE in the state by 2035. The bill is essential to stopping California’s plan to ban of new ICE vehicles. Send a letter to your Congress members asking them to support the bill.
H.R. 1435 awaits consideration by the U.S. House of Representatives.
Lawmakers Must Hear from You Right Away!
Use the following website link for an overview and lawmaker contact.
ACT NOW BY CLICKING HERE
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Industry & Legislative Motorcycle News from USA and the world
Compiled & Edited by Bill Bish
This week in the news:
- U.S. HOUSE COMMITTEE PASSES BILL PROTECTING ‘MULTIPLE-USE’ LAND
- NATIONAL FUNDING FOR OUTDOOR RECREATION
- VERMONT CLOSES “BASKET CASE” REGISTRATION LOOPHOLE
- MIC WARNS OF BILLS THAT “WILL HINDER THE POWERSPORTS INDUSTRY”
- HELP TO PRESERVE VEHICLE CHOICE
- FIGHT FOR YOUR “RIGHT TO REPAIR”
- and lots more
Click Here to read this month’s NCOM Newsbytes on Bikernet.com
ABOUT AIM / NCOM: The National Coalition of Motorcyclists (NCOM) is a nationwide motorcyclists rights organization serving over 2,000 NCOM Member Groups throughout the United States, with all services fully-funded through Aid to Injured Motorcyclist (AIM) Attorneys available in each state who donate a portion of their legal fees from motorcycle accidents back into the NCOM Network of Biker Services (www.ON-A-BIKE.com / 800-ON-A-BIKE).
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Compiled & Edited by Bill Bish
Industry & Legislative Motorcycle News from USA and the world
THIS MONTH IN THE NCOM NEWSBYTES:
- CORNHUSKERS REMOVE LID LAW
- WASHINGTON STATE TO PROTECT VULNERABLE ROAD USERS
- EUROPEAN MOTORCYCLE MARKET EXPERIENCING DOUBLE-DIGIT GROWTH
- FIRST-EVER WOMEN’S RACING CHAMPIONSHIPS COMING
- DUCATI HONORED BY ITALIAN POSTAGE STAMP
- RIDER SETS DISTANCE RECORD
- NEW RECORD SET FOR MOST COUNTRIES VISITED IN A DAY BY MOTORCYCLE
- ELECTRIC MOTORCYCLE PARITY ACT
- BIPARTISAN CALL TO RE-ESTABLISH MAC (Motorcyclist Advisory Committee) AS REQUIRED BY LAW
Click Here To Read this Month’s NCOM Newsbytes on Bikernet.com
National Coalition of Motorcyclists (NCOM) News provides updates on motorcycle industry, market, legislation, rights of bikers, motorcyclists in USA, and motorcycle news from around the world.
The National Coalition of Motorcyclists (NCOM) is a nationwide motorcyclists rights organization serving over 2,000 NCOM Member Groups throughout the United States, with all services fully-funded through Aid to Injured Motorcyclist (AIM) Attorneys available in each state who donate a portion of their legal fees from motorcycle accidents back into the NCOM Network of Biker Services (www.ON-A-BIKE.com / 800-ON-A-BIKE).
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Volume Sales, Fuel-efficiency, On-road manoeuvrability
A decade ago, almost all manufacturers released fairly uninspired, derivative lightweight motorcycles that fit the commuter model, and sold like hot cakes irrespective of lacking common features in American bikes. Not to mention they were fugly like Satan’s spawn.
They would make the mid-weight class look like a run-of-the-mill hack job, with the primary focus on cutting costs wherever possible.
Thankfully, Royal Enfield changed all of that and stepped up its game with each new model release.
Click here to read this global report on emerging motorcycle market.
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