Posts Tagged ‘Motorcycle news’

upshift downshift

DOWNSIFHT: Norton Motorcycles May Not Last Much Longer – Norton has gone into norton“administration” which from an American view appears to be like bankruptcy. They have a £300,000 tax bill to the Queen; orders they can’t fill and internet rumors that they were taking parts off bikes in for service to put on the production line.
There was a lot of high hope for Norton Motorcycles recently with the introduction of Atlas and Ranger 650 parallel twins as well as a new V4. But the new plant for the 650s is not finished and may never be completed now.
MY TAKE: Is this yet another sign of the decline of the motorcycle industry? Sells are down even where the economies are good. Norton has been struggling but unless something starts a turn round, I think we will start seeing other manufactures closing shop as well.

*****

dakarUPSHIFT: An American Wins the Dakar Motorcycle Rally – Riding a Honda CRF 450 Ricky Barbec finished the 11-day, 5000-mile rally in 40 hours and 2 minutes! The rally was held within the boards of Saudi Arabria this year. Starting in Jeddah, Barbec took the lead in stage 3 and never gave it up.

MY TAKE: WOW and I never heard or saw it on TV or in the news. Sad

recall

Be aware that this motorcycle recall list is for the United States, there is no way I could cover the entire world. But in the world of global manufacturing, if a motorcycle is being recalled in one country there is a good chance it is under recall in others. Also, this should not be considered a definitive list, check for yourself if you have any questions.

If you are US based use the NHTSA website http://www.safercar.gov. Enter your VIN number to see if your motorcycle is affected by the recall.

If you are based in outside the USA use the appropriate website to locate recalls that may impact you.

*****

Manufacturer Arcimoto Inc

NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V032000

Components STEERING, SERVICE BRAKES

Potential Number of Units Affected 50

Summary: Arcimoto Inc. (Arcimoto) is recalling certain 2019 FUV motorcycles. During full right steering lock, the brake line may contact the steering main-link.

Remedy: Arcimoto will notify owners, and dealers will inspect for proper clearance between the hard brake line and the steering main-link, correcting as necessary, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin in January 2020. Owners may contact Arcimoto customer service at 1-541-683-6293.

 *****

Manufacturer Arcimoto Inc

NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V031000

Components ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Potential Number of Units Affected 50

Summary: Arcimoto Inc. (Arcimoto) is recalling certain 2019 FUV motorcycles. Due to electrical interference within the electrical harnesses and modules, the instrument cluster display may intermittently go blank. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 123, “Motorcycle Controls and Displays.”

Remedy: Arcimoto will notify owners, and dealers will install a flyback/damping-diode to the exterior of the wiper motor to block a power surge, add filter and surge protection to display backer board or inline to upgrade display’s ability to block electrical noise, and install Check RAM Corruption (CRC) software. All services will be performed free of charge. The recall is expected to begin in January 2020. Owners may contact Arcimoto customer service at 1-541-683-6293.

 *****

Manufacturer Triumph Motorcycles America, LTD

NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V015000

Components STRUCTURE

Potential Number of Units Affected 3,244

Summary: Triumph Motorcycles America, LTD (Triumph) is recalling certain 2016-2018 Thruxton, 2016-2019 Thruxton R and 2020 Thruxton TFC motorcycles. The side stand spring may fracture, possibly allowing the side stand switch to activate and shut off the engine.

Remedy: Triumph will notify owners, and dealers will replace the side stand spring, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin February 10, 2020. Owners may contact Triumph customer service at 1-678-854-2010. Triumph’s number for this recall is SRAN 570.

 

Manufacturer Triumph Motorcycles America, LTD

NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V014000

Components POWER TRAIN

Potential Number of Units Affected 1,304

Summary: Triumph Motorcycles America, LTD (Triumph) is recalling certain 2019-2020 Speed Twin motorcycles. The gear shift lever linkage may separate from shifter ball joint, resulting in an inability to change gears.

Remedy: Triumph will notify owners, and dealers will secure the attachment with a different thread locking compound, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin January 27, 2020. Owners may contact Triumph customer service at 1-678-854-2010. Triumph’s number for this recall is SRAN 569.

 *****

Manufacturer Genuine Scooters, LLC

NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V010000

Components SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC

Potential Number of Units Affected 148

Summary: Genuine Scooters, LLC. (Genuine Scooters) is recalling certain 2020 Royal Alloy GT150 scooters. The front brake rotor may become uncentered within the front brake caliper allowing the inner brake pad to dislodge from the top of the brake caliper.

Remedy: Genuine Scooters will notify owners, and dealers will reposition the brake rotors with spacers to prevent the brake pads from dislodging, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin in January 2020. Note: Genuine Scooters requests owners to not drive their scooters. Please have the scooter towed to a dealer for repairs. Roadside assistance coverage has been provided along with owner’s warranty so the tow will be free of charge. Owners may contact Genuine Scooters customer service at 1-773-433-1311.

IMG_20191216_162424392

I have started a new type of post to replace the “5 Things That Caught My Eye” articles. I am going to “Up Shift” and quickly discuss motorcycle news articles that I thought was cool or good and “Down Shift” on those that are not. So bear with me as this evolves over the next few months. Feel free to comment or even suggest news articles for discussion.

*****

Upshift: Royal Enfield “Build Train Race” – Royal Enfield has challenged four women to Build Train and Race Flat Track motorcycles based on their new Interceptor 650.

The participants are: Melissa Paris, professional road racer, Lana McNaughton founder of the Women’s Moto BuildTrainRace_WHT-300x271Exhibit, Motorcycle enthusiast Jillian Deschenes and DIY shop owner Andrea Lothorp. Each has already received their Royal Enfield Interceptor motorcycles and are building their bikes now.

After some training they will race their Royal Enfield Flat Trackers during this year’s Milwaukee Mama Tried event. Check out the Royal Enfield Build Train Race website.

My take: I think this is great for a first year and hope it is not a one off!  In fact, while American Flat Track is a co-ed racing series, it might make sense for Royal Enfield to work with AFT on an amateur “spec” series for women. Run it on the same weekend with the Flat Track races. The pro series might just become even more co-ed in a few years.

*****

Downshift: Yamaha & Suzuki Leave MotoAmerica – Looks like the old racing statement of “Win on Sunday Sell on Monday” is no longer true. Sales at both Yamaha and Suzuki motorcycles are down and the companies are just not willing to spend the money on factory road racing in America.

motoamerica-logoBoth manufacturers are keeping their fingers in MotoAmerica supporting, for Yamaha, Estenson Racing and Team Hammer getting Suzuki support. But that does not lessen the sting of no direct factory teams in America’s premier motorcycle racing league.

My take: This news really hurts after the 2019 racing season. MotoAmerica was the best racing in the world with any of six teams capable of winning.  On top of that bad news, we know that a MotoAmerica fan favorite JD Beach has moved to American Flat Track (he ran both last year). We still have not heard what is going to happen with Josh Herrin or Tony Elias.

It is going to be interesting to see how things play out this MotoAmerica season maybe some fresh blood will rise to the top.

IMG_20191216_162424392

I am starting a new type of post to replace the “5 Things That Caught My Eye” articles. I am going to “Up Shift” and quickly discuss motorcycle news articles that I thought was cool or good and “Down Shift” on those that are not.  So bear with me as this post evolves over the next few months. Feel free to comment or even suggest news articles for discussion.

*****

n3Up Shift:  Guy Martin’s Great Escape – A LONG time ago an actor, considered a man’s man, and motorcycle advocate Steve McQueen was in a move called the Great Escape. He played a prisoner of war who attempts to escape into Switzerland by jumping German border fences on a motorcycle.

Guy Martin is attempting to do so in a recreation of that iconic motorcycle stunt He is using modern equipment and thus is trying to jump both fences where McQueen’s stuntman only did one. This article is from MotorBikeWriter which has a trailer for the stunt.

I like Guy and all the things he does for motorcycling but I have a bit of a problem with stunts like this.  It is not just Guy but, for example, folks recreating Evel Knievel failed jumps on modern motorcycle.  Is it really the same jump or stunt?

*****

n2Hitting Neutral:  Harley Davison making small motorcycles – Looks like Harley Davidson is going to be producing and selling small “350cc” motorcycle for Asia. They teamed with Chinese company Qianjiang, which owns the brand Benelli, to produce the new bike. It appears that the HD350 will be aimed at only China, India and Thailand.

I am neutral on this because Harley Davidson, while I think that this is needed to compete in Asia, the motorcycle they are basing this on is not well known. Will the Qianjiang/Benelli be of the expected Harley quality? How is it going to be priced? To many other questions to be anything but coasting in neutral.

*****

n4Down Shift:  BSA, Jawa and Yezdi are “product failures” – The CEO of Mahindra Anand Mahindra has recently said “We knew our dream well and we had the right things, but how to win is where we went wrong. We should have never gone to the commuter bike side.” So it is not me calling them failures.

Wow, for a CEO to call out a large section of his business like that is rare. But if you only sold 4000 motorcycle for all of fiscal year 2019 you should get called out. This is the company that bought the rights to the old BSA brand in 2017 and have done nothing with that brand.

Mr. Mahindra, pick one (BSA would be best), focus on building a good motorcycle aimed at the middle class. Build a “spec” racing series just for your news BSA bikes and tour the country, Thailand and Malaysia .   Then worry about getting Jawa and Yezdi out the door.  Just my 2 cents.

5

 

Shaving While Riding – Well it is Florida and we are always tight for time in this modern world. But shaving your legs (and other parts??) while a passenger on a scooter or motorcycle?  Make sure you SCROLL down to see the video on the linked page.

American Byways –    I have written about the American Byways (here) and how we have rode our motorcycle on a few of them (here, for example).  The following is from the American Motorcycle Association.

Please urge your senators to support S. 349. This bill would direct the Secretary of Transportation to reopen nominations for the National Scenic Byways Program, which has been closed for six years. Just yesterday the House of Representatives passed their version of this bill, now it’s time for the Senate to act!   Take Action

Kalashnikov Motorcycle?  – From the minds that brought your the AK-47 and other Russian military equipment comes a new motorcycle.  Looks like Robo-cop would fit right in on this bike.  Make sure you watch the video.

One dad refused to teach is son how to ride as motorcycle – But it is not for the reason you may think.

Stealing a fish tank –  In Ohio 2 men attempt a get away on a small motorcycle while carrying a large fish tank.

ijustwant2ride.com

The DawgHouse Motorcycle Radio…The #1 Motorcycle Show in the US

Flat track racing from the Buffalo Chip in Sturgis!

MotoGP at Bruno…. what the hell happened to Ducati? Did they eat Wheaties?

OMG BEIN Network is in even less American homes… sigh
The rant! What just happened to road racing in America?!?!?!?!?!?

Click here to listen to the show!!

ijustwant2ride.com top 200

Well I opened up the old email a few days ago and low and behold I had an email from FEEDSPOT.COM.   Turns out that IJustWant2Ride.com is #105 out of the top 200 FEEDSPOT Motorcycle Blogs!

So what is FEEDSPOT?  It is a “Modern RSS Reader. If you’re trying to keep up with news and content on multiple web sites, you’re faced with the never ending task of visiting those sites to check for new content. Feedspot allows you to put all of your reading in one location.”   In other words you can use FEEDSPOT to bring all your blog reading into a single “feed” so you don’t have to jump from site to site.

As I have said before I blog about motorcycles because I enjoy it…. but the recognition is nice!

Thanks guys for making this happen!!!

ijustwant2ride.com

E15 can kill your motorcycle

If you listen to the DawgHouse Motorcycle Radio podcast you know that I have some strong views on motorcycles and the EPA. Most recently it has been the forced use of E15 fuel in the face of facts.  E15 will destroy your small engine devices (i.e. lawn mowers, golf carts, weed whackers, etc.) and the engine on your motorcycle.

This is a proven fact, do a little research and you will see for yourself that our motorcycles could be intentionally damaged in the fight against global warming.  The destruction of internal combustion engines are but a small sacrifice, fodder if you will, in the noble war.

If you think that “I have a new motorcycle, it is under warranty, no problem.” think again.  Most. if not all, companies specifically exempt damage from ethanol from the warranty.  “No problem” you say, I will be careful not to use anything above E10!  Well not so fast buddy, the EPA has, intentionally I believe, approved the use of “blender pumps”.

Blender pumps are those that use a single hose/nozzle to dispense all the fuel sold at that pump.  With blender pumps it is possible to have a quart or more of whatever the person before you purchased in the hose.  If that person bought E15 or, worst yet, pure ethanol for their flex fuel car or truck you get that bonus too.  So if you have topping off your 4 gallon tank before a big ride…… you just might be invalidating your warranty and damaging your engine.

So what is driving tonight’s rant?  One of my local gas stations just installed new pumps and now sells E15 and pure ethanol.  Lucky for me it is not a blended pump (I hope) and each type of fuel has it own hose BUT the fact it is there is a danger.

So what can you do… Join the AMA, they do not win all the time but they are our best hope to influence what is going on.

 

 

ijustwant2ride.com

The DawgHouse Motorcycle Radio…The #1 Motorcycle Show in the USf

This week on DawgHouse Motorcycle News Rants & Racing show #383

10 Awesome roads to ride from around the world!  These are not the normal rehashed and rehashed set of roads (well mostly).  The #4 road on the list is the Iroha-Zaka in Japan which looks just unbelievable. Check out this map view of the road….d1

In an earlier show (DawgHouse 373) I discussed the possibility that motorcycles may not be allowed on the road as to dangerous to the riders. The framework that is working in Europe now is called “Vision Zero”, the Zero is for zero deaths.

Ken now has to admit I might be right!  Recently the US government has introduced a discussion of a version of Vision Zero and guess what was left out of that discussion…. MOTORCYCLES!  The AMA is worried that the reason the Federal Government left out motorcycles from it future planning is that they want to ban motorcycles.

In racing news…. MotoAmerica’s 2017 season schedule is out and there are some new tracks!!!! They have added Pittsburgh International Race Complex and Sonoma Raceway (and Ken again has to admit Warren was right). AND… Phil likes the change!!!!

This week on the DawgHouse Motorcycle News, Rants & Racing show #382

Phil has a minor rant about … Ghost Rider?!/!?!  Yes he does, Marvel Agents of SHEILD has twisted is nipple becasuse  it is GHOST RIDER not Ghost Driver!  IMHO they hired an actor and then found out he could not ride a motorcycle! It might not be real motorcycle news but it is fun.

Mondial Motorcycles makes a comeback with a scrambler! Ken’s motorcycle news story is about Mondial Motorcycles coming back from the grave.  Neither Phil or I recall ever really hearing about Mondial.  Of course when Ken was riding wheels were still made of stone.

Riding the Isle of Mann TT Course on one wheel. 37 miles on one wheel, gusts up to 40 miles an hour and the course was not closed for the stunt.  This is what Dougie Lampkin had to overcome to do something no one had done before.

AMA Pro Flat Track makes some big changes. Starting with re-branding as American Flat Track.

ijustwant2ride.com

The DawgHouse Motorcycle Radio…The #1 Motorcycle Show in the US

World Superbike from Magny-Cours