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

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.

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BMW Vision AMBY showcases excellence against H-D Serial 1 e-bikes

SOURCE: https://www.autoevolution.com/ SOURCE: https://www.financialexpress.com/ BMW unveils Vision AMBY electric bikes: 300+ km range, 60 km/h top speed! BMW Motorrad Vision AMBY Breaks the Norm With Striking Design and Advanced Tech Of BMW’s 2021 IAA display, a very interesting one is the BMW i Vision AMBY, a peddle electric bicycle that boasts three speed ratings – 25 km/h for cycle tracks, 45 km/h for the city and 60 km/h for multi-lane roads (although, higher speeds would require a licence as well). The i Vision AMBY also gets the rest of fancy EV features like geofencing which can be used for automatically adjusting its speed. It is one of five different concept vehicles with which the BMW Group is presenting at the IAA Mobility event. While users of the BMW i Vision AMBY have to constantly pedal in order to benefit from the assistance of the electric drive system, BMW Motorrad Vision AMBY accelerates via a throttle grip One of the five concept vehicles showcased by BMW at IAA Mobility 2021 is truly innovative – neither a bike or a motorcycle, the BMW Motorrad Vision AMBY blends the best of each category with advanced connectivity and geofencing technology. BMW unveiled two electric vehicles with two wheels under the “Adaptive Mobility” (AMBY) concept. Both of them come with three speed levels for different types of road, and require an adequate driving license, insurance license plates, and a helmet for riding at maximum speed. Compared to the BMW i Vision AMBY that requires constant pedaling, the Motorrad Vision uses the throttle grip and features footrests instead of pedals, like a motorcycle. According to BMW, while it resembles a bicycle, the new Motorrad Vision flaunts the features of a powerful motorbike, including an 830 mm-tall (32.6”) seat, a large bicycle fork, a small headlight with

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Petersen Museum Overland Exhibit

I know many of you can’t make it out to the Petersen Museum every time they post a motorcycle exhibit, especially with the Covid plague. But is this case one of our longtime contributing photographers lives around the corner. Marcus Cuff has been a world class tech, feature, antique motorcycle and event photographer for Bikernet and Easyriders, American Iron, Tattoo Magazine and Cycle Source for over three decades. With Marcus’s help we were able to bring the new Petersen Museum Overland Motoring Exhibit directly to you. Click Here to see this Photo Feature Article only on Bikernet.com Join the Cantina for more – Subscribe Today. https://www.bikernet.com/pages/custom/subscription.aspx

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New Zealand Hoar Run 2021

by Graeme Lowen My fears of there being ice over the pass were unfounded and the road was dry. It was the stop at Tarras that provide us with chilly clues. I got talking to a lady who drove from Tekapo in the morning. She told us that the first club group ran into dense hoar frost and thick fog all the way from Tekapo to the Ohau turnoff. The guys who left 20 minutes later missed most of it. Click Here to Read this Photo Feature Travelogue only on Bikernet.com Join the Cantina for more – Subscribe Today. https://www.bikernet.com/pages/custom/subscription.aspx

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How to Get an Upgraded 2021 Yamaha Ténéré 700 for $25

by Cristina Mircea from https://www.autoevolution.com This Is How You Can Get an Upgraded 2021 Yamaha Ténéré 700 for $25 in Seattle. The Yamaha Ténéré 700 is a powerful adventure bike that combines performance with reliability, in that specific Japanese manner we all appreciate so much. And now you can win a Special Edition 2021 model for a financial investment of just $25. We are talking about a special BDR (Backcountry Discovery Routes) edition which received some really cool, $10,000 worth of upgrades from brands like Touratech, Wolfman, Revzilla, Cyclops, and other big names in the industry. For those of you who don’t know, BDR is a U.S.- based non-profit organization founded in 2010, which creates off-highway routes for adventure motorcycle riding, aiming to preserve backcountry motorcycle tourism. The organization offers valuable resources for the motorcycle community, including premium, waterproof maps. BDR has created eight cross-state routes so far. Back to our special 2021 Ténéré, it was created as a prize in the organization’s latest Motorcycle Sweepstakes Fundraiser, for people willing to donate money to the BDR. The bike has been modified and set up specifically for riding their routes and it is fully equipped and accessorized. Among the top-shelf upgrades of the Ténéré we can mention the full Touratech suspension upgrade, the Cyclops Aurora Auxiliary lighting kit, and Scotts steering stabilizer. It is also equipped with Touratech’s protection package and luggage system and Akrapovic slip-on exhaust. BDR also throws in the complete collection of its Butler maps. In order to get a shot at this adventure bike from Yamaha, you have to make a donation to BDR of at least $25. This donation will help the organization continue its mission to create off-highway riding opportunities for dual-sport and bikers eager for adventure. Click To Donate At https://ridebdr.tapkat.org/yamahatenere700 However, you should

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Motorcycle Luggage for a Vikings Crusade

Koz Mraz takes the Large Sissy Bar Luggage on the road. Ideal for weeks of serious two-up touring. I was looking for really large sissy bar luggage for weeks of serious two-up crusading in the northern U.S. These Vikings will be riding long stretches of open highways through desolate landscapes. There’s a wide variety of options, some I liked, some I didn’t. I didn’t want a top loading bag that made us dig to the bottom every time we needed a sweater. I wanted handy exterior compartments that could be easily accessed at stops and I needed space, lots of space for lots of stuff. I found Viking Bags. Photos and Review by Koz Mraz. Click Here to Read this Road Test Review on Bikernet.com Join the Cantina for more – Subscribe Today. https://www.bikernet.com/pages/custom/subscription.aspx

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Traveling but can’t bring your motorcycle? Here are a few solutions

from https://www.traveldailynews.com One of the primary reasons why people travel is to get away from their day-to-day hard-knock lives and relax on an island away from all the noise. Although leaving the noisy city to a remote location brings a high level of calmness and serenity, many people still like to be very active while on vacation. One major group of people in this category are bikers. Whether they are in Cancun or Fiji Islands, bikers love to have their motorcycles with them and don’t like to go too long without riding. If you are in this category of vacationers, then not being able to travel with your motorcycle must be such a bummer. The good news is that there are many solutions that bikers can try to ensure they can ride when they travel. Ranging from shipping your motorcycle to your location to renting a different motorcycle, these tips will surely help you do what you love, even in a different location. So, here are a few solutions that will keep you active when you cannot take your motorcycle along on trips. 1. Renting a motorcycle Renting service has been the most thought-after solution when going on traveling. Since you can’t travel with your motorcycle in tow, being able to rent it at your destination should be the next solution in mind. You might be worried about whether or not you will find a motorcycle rental service in your destination country, especially if you are going to a remote island. You should note that some brands allow tourists to rent a motorcycle from any part of the globe, and they can see the available countries in this URL or BRANDED website. This way, you can be sure a motorcycle will be waiting for you when you arrive. Also, ensure

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Self-Driving Vehicles – Available Soon? Part 2

From https://www.motorists.org By Gary Witzenburg, Automotive Senior Writer and Contributing Editor, President of the North American Car, Truck, and Utility of the Year, and NMA Member. Editor’s Note: HOUR Detroit Magazine has graciously permitted the NMA to publish this piece, which initially appeared in a slightly different version on its pages. Please Click Here to Read Part 1. Missions and Issues “Automated vehicles’ potential to save lives and reduce injuries is rooted in one critical and tragic fact: 94 percent of serious crashes are due to human error,” contends the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). “Automated vehicles have the potential to remove human error from the crash equation, which will help protect drivers and passengers as well as bicyclists and pedestrians.” Another mission will be to provide much-needed mobility for the aged and disabled, though ride-hailing services such as Uber and Lyft are already serving many Americans. “Roads filled with automated vehicles could also cooperate to smooth traffic flow and reduce traffic congestion,” NHTSA continues. “With automated vehicles, the time and money spent commuting could be put to better use. In many places across the country, employment or independent living rests on the ability to drive. Automated vehicles could extend that kind of freedom to millions more.” But major hurdles lie ahead. To be as safe as envisioned, AVs will need to see, understand, analyze, and react to everything around them through a complex system of sensors, radar, LiDAR (radar-like, using laser light), and visual and thermal cameras. All that will add a lot of cost. And how effective will those systems be in darkness and nasty weather? When dirt covers their lenses? When snow blankets lane markers and road edges? “Inclement weather is a challenge,” says GM engineer Jason Fischer, “We are working with suppliers on advanced cleaning

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Self-Driving Vehicles – Available Soon? Part 1

From https://www.motorists.org By Gary Witzenburg, Automotive Senior Writer and Contributing Editor, President of the North American Car, Truck, and Utility of the Year, and NMA Member. Editor’s Note: HOUR Detroit Magazine has graciously permitted the NMA to publish this piece, which initially appeared in a slightly different version on its pages. Part 2 will be presented in next week’s newsletter. Ready for your family outing, to the mall, then dinner. You call your car. It backs out of the garage and waits in your drive. You pile in and sit wherever you want since no one will drive. You face front, your spouse and kids swing their seats around to face each other. You’ve told the car where to go, so it chooses the quickest route, obeying all stops and speed limits, keenly aware of what is happening around it. Someone steps off the curb ahead, and it slows, ready to stop if necessary. It warily eyes an errant dog cavorting to one side. You’re catching up on emails, your spouse is texting, the kids are enjoying video games. It lets you out at the mall, then zips off to park. Shopping done, you call it to pick you up. Then it’s off to your favorite restaurant. After dinner, you catch a quick nap on your way home. That is the scenario most envision when they think of self-driving vehicles. But how far off is that scenario? Assuming that autonomous vehicles (AVs) will be wonderful for ride-sharing, ride-hailing, and deliveries (which will put a lot of drivers out of work) and that folks will happily embrace them for personal use whenever they become available and affordable, automakers and others have been investing billions of dollars in developing them. But not everyone wants to give up driving. Some of us still

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