Australian Motorcycle News Vol 68 Issue 16

NO, I’M NOT sure how this happened, either. There I was, moving along in life outside of the Green Horror, when an opportunity to return to this grand beast a third time appeared, my second foray as editor, and here I am. I just couldn’t help it. I was last editor in 2013, and things have certainly changed since then. New motorcycle sales are weak, the political landscape is much different and we are allowed to lane filter now (most of Australia is, anyway) – so it’s not all bad! In fact, there’s plenty that’s good. New bikes continue to make it very difficult to complain about anything – I can usually find something, mind you. The price of a really, really good bike has come down, but people also won’t sneeze at…

AMERICAN POLLUTION LAWS are set to stifle Ducati’s new flagship Panigale V4 R. Newly-published figures from the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) show the stock American market version of the bike is homologated to 153kW, rather than its 162kW capability. Peak power comes in 2000rpm earlier than the Australian-spec model’s maximum at just 13,250rpm. Sadly, it means Americans get a V4 R that is less powerful than the 1103cc base version. It’s not the first time American-spec bikes have been gagged. Kawasaki’s ZX-10R has peak power of 138kW at 11,500rpm in the US, compared to 149.3kW at 13,500rpm elsewhere. Of course, the vast majority of Panigale V4 R buyers will order a dedicated race kit that ups power to 174kW. Ducati’s US website advises the kit “unleashes the V4 R’s full performance”.…

AMCN HAS SPRUNG Triumph’s testbed for a future Daytona 765, using the latest 765cc three-cylinder engine from the Street Triple 765 rather than the old 675cc motor. But while the bike looks like it’s ready to roll out of a showroom, this is likely to be a toe-in-the-water prototype rather than a preproduction prototype. Because, other than the engine covers, the addition of a megaphone-style silencer bolted to the standard Daytona 675’s front exhaust section (which mimicks the end can of the Moto2 development bike), virtually every other respect the spied prototype is identical to the old Daytona 675R. The frame, the Öhlins suspension – NIX30 forks and TTX36 rear shock – the bodywork, subframe and swingarm are all straight from the old bike. It’s all good stuff, but it’s unlikely Triumph, which…

WE’VE GOT AN early entry for the “weirdest name of 2019” award with the launch of the Cake Kalk& – a road-legal version of the Swedish-made Cake Kalk electric off-roader. Launched at the recent Outdoor Retailer Snow Show in Denver, Colorado, the Kalk& (apparently you just call it ‘Kalk And’) is basically the same as the existing Kalk launched a year ago, but with additional parts to make it legal for road use. Inspired by mountain bikes rather than normal motorcycles, the original Kalk isn’t a competition machine but instead is intended to be used purely for fun. Adding a veneer of road legality certainly makes it easier for many potential buyers to both use the bike and to justify the A$20,000-plus purchase price. For that you get a top speed of around 75km/h,…

CAUGHT IN THE crossfire of Donald Trump’s trade wars, Harley-Davidson has seen costs rising and has been at the receiving end of presidential criticism for plans to move production to avoid those costs. Meanwhile, it’s facing declining sales in its vital US market with an ageing buying demographic. Now 2019 has started with a financial report showing disappointing earnings in the fourth quarter of last year and forecasting another sales drop this year. Harley is responding by boldly expanding into new fields, a push that is being led by Matt Levatich. The 53-year-old has been with H-D for over 15 years and CEO since 2015, and is typical of a younger generation of executives at the forefront of the Milwaukee-based company. This year will see the electric LiveWire reaching production – albeit at…

Australian sales HARLEY-DAVIDSON TIED on roadbike sales with Honda in Australia last year. In a motorcycle market that contracted 8.7 percent, H-D’s sales fell 21.2 percent against Honda’s nine percent in roadbike sales. H-D’s Street 500 model was fourth in this class despite dropping 20.1 percent. Just behind was H-D’s Breakout, which experienced a 291.1 percent sales increase (it was only released in late 2017). These two models also led the Cruiser segment, with other H-D models coming in seventh to 10th. H-D also led the Touring segment, followed by another six of its models in the top 10. In overall sales figures, H-D came in seventh, just behind KTM. H-D’s total sales of 7019 were more than BMW (2922) and Triumph (2122) combined. HC Worldwide battle of the brands Harley-Davidson In 2018, Harley’s worldwide sales…