The brand that seems to polarize motorcyclists worldwide but is inextricably tied to the image of “the biker”, did quite well in 2013. Hot off the presses of Harley-Davidson’s Accounting and Finance department in Milwaukee is the 2013 sales report detailing their growth in worldwide new motorcycle sales.
For 2013, H-D sold 5.7% more bikes in the fourth quarter and 4.4% over the full-year compared to the previous year. Full year net income was $734 million on consolidated revenue of $5.9 billion. Compared to 2012 when the net income was $623.9 million on consolidated revenue of $5.58 billion.
It must be hard to be a legitimate motorcycle manufacturer, because the market seems to be flooded with ripoff artists in every corner. Every year at the EICMA show, we see the Italy’s Guardia di Finanza haul out scooters and motorcycles that the trade regulator deems are too close to those of Italian brands.
Now granted, we suspect there is more to that story than meets the eye (if you were an Italian OEM, wouldn’t you want to keep out the budget-priced scooters from your market?), and some of these confiscated designs truly don’t seem infringing to my eye, but I digress.
With the case of the Terra Motors Kiwami though, what it seems we have here is that the Japanese brand has repurposed a Zero S electric street bike from California’s Zero Motorcycles for its own purposes.
We had a couple people in the industry email us about this gem of a story, wondering if Zero had licensed its design, or even sold an excess of inventory. to the Japanese company, which plans on selling the Kiwami in the Indian market. However, before we could do some digging though, our good colleague Domenick Yoney at AutoBlog Greengot the scoop on what is up.
The 2014 MV Agusta Brutale 800 Dragster finally broke cover today, if you haven’t already seen the bevy of photos we published earlier. We won’t belabor the fact that the Dragster borrows heavily from the established Brutale 800 platform, and differs primarily in aesthetic and purpose.
So down to brass tacks it is, the key technical specifications of the 2014 MV Agusta Brutale 800 Dragster are the following:
You may have heard of Jake Holden, AMA Pro Racer, and Pikes Peak International Hill Climb summitter — if you haven’t watched the video series on the latter, we have a Friday treat for you. Jake is a dirt tracker by origin though, so it should come as no surprise that the 30-year-old feels right at home on a supermoto bike.
A genre of motorcycling that is best known for its rear-wheel sliding, Jake gives you newbs a quick run down on how to back it into a corner with the following video. Downshift a couple gears, load the front, apply some rear brake, and turn…it’s just that easy, right? The answer you are looking for is a definite no.
However, if you decide to do some homework on Jake’s lesson plan, please take it to the track, wear all your safety gear, carry health insurance, and send us the video. We’ll make a 1980’s montage out of it, or something.
It’s been a long tease with the MV Agusta Dragster, with Giovanni Castiglioni hinting at the machine’s debut as far back as the 2013 EICMA show. We still expect the machine to debut any day now, but MV Agusta has dropped some more details by adding scenes to its “Metallica” promotional video.
A few official studio photos have also leaked out of Varese, which if nothing else confirm the lines we have been seeing these past few weeks.
Borrowing heavily from the Brutale 800 platform, the Dragster 800 defines itself really with a lower seat height, a chopped tail section, and it 200 width rear tire. Will those differences be enough to distinguish the Dragster from the Brutale? We don’t think so.
As fanciful as the turbo rumor was, it at least created a reason for the Dragster to exist alongside the Brutale. It’s an attractive motorcycle, like all MV Agustas, but we suspect that it will serve only to cannibalize sales from the Brutale line.
The addition of the EVO category to the World Superbike class has had the hoped-for effect on the grid. From a modest entry list of 19 riders last year, the grid is up to a healthy 27 entries for 2014.
The number of manufacturers has increased as well, up to 9, with MV Agusta, EBR (Erik Buell’s latest venture), and Bimota all taking part, racing this year under the EVO banner. Bimota’s entry is still provisional, subject to homologation of the BMW-based BB3 being approved.
The gamble of introducing a cheaper, lower-spec form of racing appears to have paid off, with 12 riders entered in the EVO category. Like the CRT class in MotoGP, the EVO category makes competing cheaper, with tuning restrictions closer to Superstock levels on engines, while chassis regulations remain the same as for the full SBK class entries.
With a shot across the bow of former-partner Honda, Hero recently unveiled its flagship HXR 250R small-displacement sports bike this week.
Aimed at young enthusiasts in developing markets and newer riders in general, the claimed power of 31 hp, coupled with the svelte 306 lbs curb weight, make it both more powerful and lighter than the current Honda CBR250R and putting in more in line with the CBR300R.
We are told that the Erik Buell Racing (EBR) had a hand in helping design and develop the bike but it is unclear what specifically EBR contributed towards the design.
Coming from left field but hitting it squarely in the “awesome” section, Hero recently unveiled a 150cc diesel engine powered motorcycle called the “RNT”. The oil burner, with its square lines, flat surfaces and 1980’s Sci-fi aesthetics looks fantastically practical and more like a scooter than a motorcycle.
The RNT concept weighs about 300 lbs, has a top speed of 44mph, and a tank capacity of 1.5 gallons. At that weight, the Hero RNT 150 is quite pudgy compared to your typical 150cc scooter but the potential benefits of the increased efficiency and range of the Diesel might make up for that.
To top it all off, the concept features two wheel drive. It’ll be interesting to see if and how Hero goes forward with this concept.
The original premise behind supermoto was to create a sport that could be a melting pot and meeting ground for the hot racers from the off-road and on-road worlds.
Essentially dirt bikes with street tires, the class is the mixed martial arts of motorcycle racing, and it requires riders to have both good street and dirt skills at their disposal. If you haven’t given it a try, we highly recommend it.
It is a little surprising then that supermoto wasn’t more than just a fad here in the US – the racing is spectacular, in the literal sense of the word. Helping prove that point is this short video by Chrome Capes, which follows SoCal’s resident supermoto fast guy, Tim Weig. We think you will enjoy it. Thanks for the tip Jason!
We are back on track with the eight-part “TT Legends” documentary, which follows the racing shenanigans of the Honda TT Legends road and endurance racing squad. After finishing with the Bol d’Or endurance race in Episode Two, Episode Three finds the Honda riders at the North West 200, one of the great Irish road racing events.
Like the Isle of Man TT, the North West 200 is held on public roads, but unlike the TT, this is not a time trial format. Instead, NW200 riders leave the starting line together, and swap paint and positions throughout the course. One of the fastest road races, riders reach well over 200 mph on their machines at the Irish road race.
As part of the triumphant return of Keith Amor to road racing, the Scotsman has announced that he will be competing in both of the Monster Energy Supersport races in the 2014 Isle of Man TT.
Amor has already announced that he will be returning as a member of Ryan Farquhar’s KMR Kawasaki team for the Lightweight TT, but he will also be riding the Site Sealants B&W Racing Honda CBR600RR.
A fan favorite, Amor has carved out a name for himself by racking up several impressive victories and setting lap records along the way.
