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The Norton Motorcycles brand has gone through the wringer this past year, with the company’s financial scandal culminating in  India’s TVS Motor Company purchasing the beleaguered British marque.

Much was said about what the future of Norton would look like under TVS ownership, but it seems clear now that the new regime is set on righting the ship.

In addition to its product lineup commitments, TVS has invested heavily in Norton’s long-term future. The latest evidence of this is the creation of a new headquarters for the iconic motorcycle brand in Solihull, in the West Midlands of England.

Those two-wheeled smut peddlers in Bologna are at it again, bringing you more NSFW content that will have you diving for the power switch should anyone walk by your workstation.

Releasing a video today that shows extensively the build process that goes into making a Superleggera V4 superbike, Ducati is promoting the fact that the carbon-fiber-everything machine has started production.

We also get word that Asphalt & Rubber will be swinging a leg over this bike in about a month’s time, and putting the Ducati Superleggera V4 through its paces at the Laguna Seca circuit in California.

Until that time, we can enjoy this not-so-short video that Ducati has produced.

Interesting news today from the Honda Motor Company, as the Japanese manufacturer has stated that its global operations have been affected by a cyber attack on its computer systems.

Honda isn’t saying too much about the situation right now, other than it is affecting email and internal systems. But, Honda is also reporting that the cyber attack has impacted production outside of Japan.

Starting this week, the Ducati factory in Borgo Panigale will once again rev to life, as the Italian brand returns to production work in Bologna, Italy.

While the production lines will continue, Ducati will not be continuing with business as usual. This is because the Italian motorcycle maker will only be recalling the minimal number of employees to restart the production and research operations.

Working together with the union (RSU), Ducati has created a new safety protocol, which includes everyone wearing masks, regardless of distancing.

To be honest, it was a bit of surprise when last week MV Agusta announced that it was going to keep its factory open in Varese.

Situated in the hard-hit Lombardy region of Italy, the move seemed counter-intuitive to what was happening to the region because of the coronavirus.

Now, we get word that MV Agusta is going to close its factory, after the Italian Prime Minister announced on Sunday night more restrictive measures for prevention and containment of the COVID-19 pandemic.

It was perhaps only a matter of time before Harley-Davidson would have to halt the production lines at its US factories, but that time is now, and it comes after the Bar & Shield brand discovered yesterday that a worker tested positive for COVID-19.

The employee worked at the Pilgrim Road Powertrain Operations facility, and tested positive Wednesday afternoon for the coronavirus. As a result, Harley-Davidson is halting production at this factory, as well as suspending operations at its York and Tomahawk facilities.

Harley-Davidson says that it will close these factories until March 29th, in order to help “support employee health and further bolster coronavirus containment efforts.”

As the spread of the coronavirus continues, motorcycle manufacturers in Europe (especially in Italy) are having to continuously adjust their plans and expectations.

Accordingly, we get news that Ducati Motor Holding will continue to suspend and augment its factory activities through March 25th, pushing back its reopen date as the situation in Italy continues to worsen.

For the Italian brand, the move isn’t a total disruption, as the factory was already slated for closure between March 13th and today, March 18th.

While much of the talk in the motorcycle industry right now is what factories are closing, and how to recover from the devastation the coronavirus is having on the world economy, one motorcycle brand is taking a different tack.

MV Agusta has announced today that it has decided to keep its factory open in Varese, despite the Lombardy region being one of the hardest hit by the coronavirus outbreak in Italy.

The Italian brand says it has come to this decision in agreement with its workers’ representatives, and that the factory will operate in full compliance with Italian restrictions and quarantines concerning the health epidemic.

One of the more overlooked announcements this week is perhaps one of the bigger ones we have seen in a while, as Suzuki Motor Corp has announced the creation of a new manufacturing plant in Hamamatsu, Japan.

The new factory combines engineering, development, engine production, and vehicle assembly into one location, which will streamline operations, increase efficiency, and reduce production costs on Suzuki’s Japanese-made motorcycle models.

Over 40 acres in size, the new factory is massive, and it sits in the Miyakoda district of Hamamatsu. Part of a five-year consolidation plan, the new factory replaces an engineering and development facility in Ryuyo; an engine production plant in Takatsuka; and a motorcycle assembly line in Toyokawa.

Two labor unions have ended a partnership agreement with Harley-Davidson, citing differences with how the Bar & Shield brand handles staffing issues at its factories (Harley has been accused of replacing hourly union workers with temporary seasonal workers).

The move comes after a meeting on Monday, which saw leaders from the International Association of Machinists & Aerospace Workers (IAM), United Steelworkers (USW), and Harley-Davidson President & CEO Matt Levatich unable to agree on how to handle staffing issues going forward.

While the disagreement ends an accord that has existed between the unions and Harley-Davidson for the past two decades, it does not affect the collective bargaining agreement that the unions have with Harley-Davidson, which has been incorrectly reported elsewhere.