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UK Motorcycle sales see post-pandemic bounce back

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by Felicity Donohoe from https://www.pressandjournal.co.uk UK motorcycle sales have shown a healthy post-pandemic recovery with figures revealing a fresh enthusiasm for purchasing new machines – including EVs. Recent data from the Motor Cycle Industry Association shows that 13,398 units were sold in May 2021, an increase of 148.4% compared with May 2020, with sales topping 43,242 for the first five months of this year and across all segments. Adventure Sport and Naked categories were up 242% and 197% in sales (2,449 and 4,567 respectively) in May but EVs have found a place in the revived market, seeing 509 sales in May 2021 compared to 119 sales last May. The sales reflect the interest in alternatives to cars and public transport solutions, along with the financial, environmental and practical benefits that riding offers. Tony Campbell, CEO of MCIA said: “May’s figures are against a time in 2020 when the first wave of the pandemic had hit. We forecast a positive summer for the sale of PTWs (powered two wheelers) and associated products as restrictions ease, and the backlog of those awaiting CBT and testing reduces. “As life returns to normal and people return to their leisure pursuits we’ll be ensuring our close links with Government consider PTWs at every opportunity.” Top 10 motorcycle sales May 2021 Honda: 2,392 Yamaha: 1,717 Triumph: 1,133 BMW: 1,009 Kawasaki: 810 KTM: 652 Lexmoto: 418 Harley-Davidson: 404 Royal Enfield: 397 Ducati: 388

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Ride To Work Day gets encouragement from Georgia Motorcycle Safety Program

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by Georgia Department of Driver Services from https://www.northwestgeorgianews.com Monday, June 21, is the 30th International Motorcycle and Scooter Ride To Work Day. The Department of Driver Services (DDS) Georgia Motorcycle Safety Program (GMSP) encourages all motorcyclists and scooter riders to help show support and raise motorcycle safety awareness with their commute to work. “Riding a motorcycle to work is a great commute option for those who are properly licensed and capable of safely handling a motorcycle,” said DDS Commissioner Spencer R. Moore. “If you are not properly licensed, please, consider a GMSP training class to ensure you are sharing the road safely.” June marks the official start of summer, and as the weather temperature rises, so will the number of motorcycles and scooters on the road. Motorists paying attention and sharing the road with two-wheel and three-wheel riders are imperative to the safety of motorcyclists and can help lower the rate of two-vehicle motorcycle-related traffic collisions. “Motorcyclists already know how much fun it is to ride and how easy motorcycles and scooters are to maneuver in traffic and to park,” said Holly Hegyesi, GSMP program manager and avid motorcyclist. “Ride To Work Day helps call attention to the benefits of riding a motorcycle and gives us a chance to share our enthusiasm with non-riders.” Ride To Work Day is celebrated on the third Monday in June and is a call for riders from all walks of life to come together to show how motorcycles and scooters are an economical form of transportation. A motorcycle work commute can be more fuel-efficient and take up less space compared to passenger cars. Although motorcycle riding is fun and brings many riders joy, it also comes with risks that support the mission behind GMSP to improve the safety of motorcyclists on Georgia’s streets and

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Nick Picks the Classics

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Twisted Road offers choice of classic motorcycles from popular brands by Nick Marietta from www.twistedroad.com Vintage motorcycles that have stood the test of time. While the mechanics of motorcycles have changed through the years, riders’ love of the open road has not — and you can rent one of these classic beauties on Twisted Road now to go explore. These two-wheeled collector items never go out of style and, for that, we are grateful. There are more of these timeless beauties to be found on Twisted Road so take a trip down memory lane (literally, rent a bike and take a road trip) with these ever classic motorcycles — rent them while you can. Click here to read this Photo Feature Article on Bikernet. Join the Cantina for more – Subscribe Today. https://www.bikernet.com/pages/custom/subscription.aspx

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How The Pandemic Has Kick-Started a Motorcycle Boom

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by Emila Smith It is hard to think about silver linings amidst a devastating pandemic. However, despite the crumbling health systems and faltering businesses, many people have found ways to keep their heads up. They are taking this as an opportunity to enjoy a COVID-triggered breath of fresh air. The pandemic has kick-started a global motorcycle boom. More people are turning to their two-wheelers to break away from the stress and fears, enjoy the outdoors, and ease movement. According to a Bloomberg report, motorcycle industry leaders are optimistic. Eric Pritchard of the Motorcycle Industry Council looked forward to the best run since 2016. Like tech-based companies, motorcycle companies look forward to explosive growth during this COVID-19 season. But what are the reasons behind this motorcycle boom? As the experts at McKinsey would say, “The pandemic reshaped what consumers buy and how they go about getting it.” Previously, motorcycle sales were low because people considered it a risky affair. Bike riders had a disproportionately high number of accidents, and people were grey concerning handling injury and claims. But it looks like the tide is turning. The pandemic has somehow caused a shift in how people perceive motorcycling. It is no longer a stressful, hair-raising activity, but one pursued its health benefits. Read on and learn how wellness-craving buyers are causing a motorcycle boom. A COVID-Triggered Breath of Life Before the pandemic, dark clouds were hanging over the motorcycle industry in the US. There were not enough new buyers to replace those who were giving up their two-wheelers. According to  Statista.com, sales peaked in 2015 when industry sales stood at about 500,000 units. But the figures plummeted in subsequent years. Motorcycle companies like Harley Davidson were on the deathbed for a long time. But then COVID-19 happened. Lockdowns, social distancing, and other

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Women’s Motorcycle Tours Celebrates 10 Years

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Women’s Motorcycle Tours Celebrates 10 Years of Life Changing Experiences For Ladies Who Ride Motorcycles Alisa Clickenger, owner of Women’s Motorcycle Tours, has been empowering women and building confidence for women through motorcycling since 2011. Women’s Motorcycle Tours (WMT) was the first motorcycle tour and event company that specializes exclusively for women motorcycle riders. There is nothing more rewarding than crafting unique and engaging experiences to bring women motorcyclists and women together who are interested in the motorcycle lifestyle. Whether women want to join in for a day ride, a weekend retreat, a weeklong tour, or a coast to coast event, there are numerous ways to join Women’s Motorcycle Tours and experience the sisterhood of the motorcycling community and the freedom of the open road. For the last 10 years it has been the mission of Alisa Clickenger, Women’s Motorcycle Tours owner, to reinvent the way women motorcycle riders come together. It has always been her goal to give a voice to all women riders on all brands of bikes and from all disciplines of riding. Women’s Motorcycle Tours features programming curated exclusively by women riders and for female riders and those women interested in the motorcycling lifestyle. Fun Facts About Women’s Motorcycle Tours WMT currently has an online community of over 40,000 members that are actively engaged with WMT’s brand on a weekly basis. WMT website traffic averages 32K+ new visitors per month and 44K+ returning visitors per month. WMT engages 250 news outlets and 700+ industry-specific contacts every week. The WMT brand is recognized globally across 62 countries with 81% of them in North America. “I started Women’s Motorcycle Tours with one tour – the Women’s Empowerment Motorcycle Tour. Ten years ago there weren’t nearly as many female riders and we were an anomaly.” said Clickenger. “After chancing

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Why shortages of a $1 chip sparked crisis in the global economy

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by Bloomberg from https://auto.economictimes.indiatimes.com The chip crunch was born out of an understandable miscalculation as the coronavirus pandemic hit last year. When Covid-19 began spreading from China to the rest of the world, many companies anticipated people would cut back as times got tough. To understand why the $450 billion semiconductor industry has lurched into crisis, a helpful place to start is a one-dollar part called a display driver. Hundreds of different kinds of chips make up the global silicon industry, with the flashiest ones from Qualcomm Inc. and Intel Corp. going for $100 apiece to more than $1,000. Those run powerful computers or the shiny smartphone in your pocket. A display driver is mundane by contrast: Its sole purpose is to convey basic instructions for illuminating the screen on your phone, monitor or navigation system. The trouble for the chip industry — and increasingly companies beyond tech, like automakers — is that there aren’t enough display drivers to go around. Firms that make them can’t keep up with surging demand so prices are spiking. That’s contributing to short supplies and increasing costs for liquid crystal display panels, essential components for making televisions and laptops, as well as cars, airplanes and high-end refrigerators. “It’s not like you can just make do. If you have everything else, but you don’t have a display driver, then you can’t build your product,” says Stacy Rasgon, who covers the semiconductor industry for Sanford C. Bernstein. Now the crunch in a handful of such seemingly insignificant parts — power management chips are also in short supply, for example — is cascading through the global economy. Automakers like Ford Motor Co., Nissan Motor Co. and Volkswagen AG have already scaled back production, leading to estimates for more than $60 billion in lost revenue for the industry

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Car and Motorcycle Companies Now Making Electric Bikes

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by Roy Furchgott from https://www.nytimes.com They see branding opportunities as the pandemic and a desire by cities to curb traffic propel e-bike sales to new heights. The transportation industry has seen the future, and the future is 1895. That was the year Ogden Bolton Jr. of Canton, Ohio, was awarded U.S. Patent 552,271 for an “electrical bicycle.” A century and change later, electric bikes have gained new currency as car and motorcycle companies like Ducati, Harley-Davidson, Jeep, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche and Yamaha have horned into the market with their own designs. While the pandemic has accelerated bike sales, the overriding attraction is that cities worldwide are beginning to restrict motor traffic. These companies are betting that e-bikes are the urban vehicles of tomorrow — or at least vehicles for good publicity today. “In the past 12 to 18 months, you have seen a lot of new brands come into the market,” said Andrew Engelmann, an e-bike sales and marketing manager at Yamaha, which has been in the electric bike business since 1993 and claims sales of two million worldwide. “We in the U.S. have not seen this new energy toward cycling since Lance Armstrong won the Tour de France.” Credit the coronavirus pandemic, which has ignited bike sales of all stripes, but none so much as e-bikes. While retail unit sales of bicycles from January to October last year were up 46 percent from a year earlier, electric bikes were up 140 percent. Measured in dollars, regular bikes were up 67 percent and e-bikes 158 percent — so don’t expect a discount. Those numbers, from the market researchers at NPD, do not include online-only retailers such as Rad Power Bikes, so sales may actually be higher still. Ogden Bolton aside, there is a historical connection between bicycles and motorcycles. Many early

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Advisor Uses Motorcycle Trips To Inspire Herself And Clients

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by Karen DeMasters from https://www.fa-mag.com Financial advisor Rachel Sloan uses her cross-country trips on her BMW motorcycle—one of them alone—to help her live in the moment. She then tries to transfer that spark to her clients. Sloan, who spent a decade working on Wall Street, has changed her life more than once to get as much fulfillment out of her circumstances as possible. She wants her clients to plan for the future, but also not miss the joy of the present. “Sometimes we get sparks in our lives,” Sloan said in a recent interview. “I was talking to a friend on day who said she had wanted to try hot yoga for six years but had not done it. That made me look at my life to see what I wanted to do that I hadn’t done, and it was learn to ride a motorcycle.” That initial inspiration led Sloan to ride across the United States, from her home in Glens Falls, N.Y., twice, once to the West Coast and once to the Midwest. “I always wanted a BMW and within a few days of making that decision, I was at the dealer and bought a motorcycle,” Sloan remembers. “I had them deliver the motorcycle to my house because I did not feel comfortable taking it for a test drive. I learned to ride and a whole new world of people and places opened up to me.” She joined the BMW Riders Association and learned the group was holding a rally in Portland, Ore. “I thought that would be perfect. That was in 2013. A 70-year-old friend joined me,” she said. Sloan and her friend rode across the United States, camping along the way. She took 30 days off from work for the trip and wrote about her experience in

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Five tips that you must know to prepare for an amazing motorcycle road trip

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from https://www.traveldailynews.com Be it your first or hundredth road trip; preparation is a must thing. It is essential to consider all the aspects before you hit the road. The right preparation leads to a comfortable and worry-free ride. Being on a motorcycle road trip is one of the best experiences. Nothing is as impressive as being on a long motorcycle ride all alone; there’s just your thoughts and solitude to accompany you. If you are looking for a bit of fun this summer with some added adrenaline rush, rent a motorcycle in San Francisco or get your own one and hit the road for some of the best rides of the country. With that being said, before you set out for your long-distance motorbike ride, our frequent bikers bring you some useful tips that sure can make your two-wheel voyage much better. Be it your first or hundredth road trip; preparation is a must thing. It is essential to consider all the aspects before you hit the road. The right preparation leads to a comfortable and worry-free ride. So without a further ado, let’s dive right into the 5 most important tips you should never miss. Choose the best bike for you and reduce your baggage A road trip on an uncomfortable bike can get you in the worst place, and that’s not the experience one would want to go through. If you are on the move for a lively and adventurous motorcycle ride, choose your ride wisely. Ensure it suits your body and will function the same in the long run. If you have your own bike, you can modify it to improve the comfort level. However, if you are renting one, do your research and consult with the party you are dealing with to get the best. Choose

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End of the World Run

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Dodging Asteroids, JFK Jr., C19 & Route 666 Photos and text by Koz Mraz Armageddon and apocalyptic end times are all the rage! Between conspiracy theories, the November 2nd asteroid, Nov 3rd elections and the pandemic it’s definitely time to take an “End of the World” motorcycle ride. I suggest avoiding toxic zombies in metropolitan areas and, the petrified people of Covid suburbs. Get Out! as fast as you can to high country. I picked up my Harley-Davidson Road Glide at Sedona EagleRider and headed to Meteor Crater, the Petrified Forest and Rt. 666, the Devil’s Highway all the way to Mexico in my EOTW ride. Most people don’t realize that Arizona has some serious mountains with Humphreys Peak topping out at 12,633 feet! Flagstaff also has the perfect underground hideaway from the impending cataclysm. Click Here to read this Travel Photo Feature at Bikernet Join the Cantina – Subscribe Today https://www.bikernet.com/pages/custom/subscription.aspx

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