The news just gets worse and worse for riders who enjoy a fruity exhaust note as the noise crackdown intensifies across Europe.
We recently reported on Germany’s crackdown with special noise cameras, no-go areas and an 80dB limit on motorcycle exhausts that could make all BMW motorcycles quieter.
Now Austria will ban specific motorcycles with exhaust noise over 95dB on a popular 100km motorcycle route through the Tyrol mountains after receiving complaints from residents.
Bikes that will be barred from this road include the Aprilia Tuono, Aprilia RSV4, BMW S 1000 RR, Ducati Hypermotard, Ducati Multistrada 1260, Ducati Diavel, Kawasaki Z900 and KTM 890 Duke.
Police will do spot checks on motorcycles and can hand out €220 (about $A350) on-the-spot fines.
Crackdown intensifies
We could appreciate a crackdown on exceedingly loud aftermarket exhausts, but these bikes are all legally allowed to have more than 95dB under European regulations.
Somehow Austria thinks this area is exempt from European laws.
And what is worse is that the ban only applies to motorcycles, not cars or trucks or buses! That’s discrimination, pure and simple.
Like the German example, this is a sobering precedent that could be picked up by safety and noise pollution Nazis across the world.
It follows moves by several other European countries to close roads to motorcycles because of noise and banning them from certain areas over weekends and public holidays.
Quieter roads
Police conduct roadside noise test at Mt Tamborine
It may seem heavy handed, discriminatory and ignoring the perceived safety benefits of “loud pipes save lives”, but it’s nothing compared with Indian police methods.
Winglets have been used on MotoGP bikes for a few years now to improved high-speed handling, but are they just a gimmick on street-registered motorcycles?
It’s not just MotoGP bikes that have them, but also Ducati’s Panigale V4, Aprilia’s RSV4 and their upcoming RS660 (pictured).
These all have fixed winglets, but not it seems there is a move to active winglets that automatically deploy at certain speeds like the rear spoilers on some exotic cars that deploy at certain speeds.
“You will already feel the drag effect on your body at 60km/h when upright so you can imagine using some of that energy to produce downforce is possible,” he says.
“It’s a small effect at lower speeds but can be quite powerful.
“By having it active you could have a very aggressive winglet that flakes off at higher speed so you can get a benefit at lower speeds.”
So maybe it’s not a gimmick after all, although we don’t see Piaggio using it on a scooter!
But we’re not sure the extra weight of the servo motors and cabling would cancel out the added efficiency of the winglets.
Aprilia has applied for a patent for a system that prevents the front forks diving under heavy braking and losing the ability to absorb bumps.
The drawings show it being used on Aprilia’s RS-GP MotoGP bike.
However, preventing brake dive is more important on normal roads where there are more bumps that can unsettle a motorcycle.
Inventive forks
There have been many inventions that promise anti-dive over the years.
In 2015, Brisbane company Motoinno invented the Triangulated Steering and Suspension System which allows the rider to totally dial out brake dive, or even dial in front lift under braking.
Motoinno TS3 with centre steering
Similarly, the Aprilia system allows the selection of how much the forks dive.
However, their patent features standard cartridge upside-down forks, but with the brake callipers attached by a linkage.
So when you hit the brakes, the callipers rotate and a spring pushes them back when you let the brakes go.
Engineers can probably work out how it functions from the drawings.
For the rest of us, we can see a system that is fairly simple and therefore not adding too much in weight and expense.
The advantages for riders would be the ability to brake later into a corner on a track day and, on bumpy roads, it would be a handy safety feature.
We believe the feature was destined to be been tested in this season’s MotoGP, but that is now on hold indefinitely during the pandemic.
That might mean a further delay in when this safety feature appears on street bikes.
Aprilia entered the World Championships in 1976 in the 125cc Motocross class and continued until 1981 without much success.
Valentino Rossi’s 1997 Aprilia R125 R
Valentino Rossi’s 1997 Aprilia R125 R
They then decided to switch to the Grand Prix side of things, commencing with the 250cc class, for 1985. You could say it was an excellent decision!
Valentino Rossi’s 1997 Aprilia R125 R
It wasn’t until 1985 that their first 125cc GP bike appeared and they gradually became more competitive over the years, with Fausto Gresini finishing fifth in the ’89 season.
Valentino Rossi’s 1997 Aprilia R125 R
Alessandro Gramigni went on to score their first race win in 1991 and their first title the following year. The company went on to win a total of 10 125cc titles and nine 250cc titles!
Valentino Rossi’s 1997 Aprilia R125 R
This is one of Valentino Rossi’s 1997 R125 R’s (the company’s 125s were referred to by a variety of names over the years) that he used to win his first World Championship, and was photographed in the Phillip Island Circuit Museum in 2018.
Valentino Rossi’s 1997 Aprilia R125 R
Valentino Rossi’s 1997 Aprilia R125 R
Valentino Rossi’s 1997 Aprilia R125 R
Valentino Rossi’s 1997 Aprilia R125 R
Valentino Rossi’s 1997 Aprilia R125 R Source: MCNews.com.au
While the pandemic is closing some motorcycle factories in Europe, MV Agusta in Lombardy, the epicentre of the Italian coronavirus contagion, continues production.
KTM, Husqvarna and GasGas will close their Austrian factories at the end of the month for two weeks and Moto Morini in Italy has already temporarily closed.
The Piaggio Group – owner of Aprilia, Moto Guzzi and Vespa – closed its factories over the weekend for a “deep clean” and plan to return to production this week.
There is no word from the Ducati factory in Bologna.
MV Agusta continues
MV Agusta has released a statement this morning (16 March 2020) to say it has reached an agreement with workers’ representatives to continue manufacture at their factory on the shores of Lake Varese, near Milan.
Despite a reduced workforce, they “guarantee production continuity”.
Production continues in “full compliance with the urgent provisions contained in the Prime Minister’s 11/03 decree and with the guidelines issued by Confindustria Lombardia”.
MV Agusta factory
A company statement says measures to reduce the presence of staff within the premises have immediately been adopted, such as the closure of non-essential departments, ‘smart working’, unused holiday allowances and Cassa Integrazione (redundancy fund) once the official decision will be announced.
“For those employees who will continue coming to work, the company has introduced a number of measures to prevent and contain the spreading of the Covid-19 epidemic, such as the supply of face masks, gloves, sanitising gel and detergents for the sanitation of work spaces and surfaces in addition to limiting access to common areas,” the statement says.
“Precise rules of conduct, by which every employee is required to abide, have been posted in every department (Covid-19 information circular on ‘rules of conduct and safety provisions’).
“Safety distances between workers are being respected in all areas of the plant, also thanks to the temporary reduction of the number of personnel on site.
“Up to the present moment, the company has no evidence of employees with symptoms connected to Covid-19.
“Normal production activity will therefore continue, yet with all due precautions, except for new Government provisions.”
Timur Sardarov
CEO Timur Sardarov says it is their “duty not to give up in this crisis situation, so that the economy of this community can recover once the emergency is over”.
“We took this decision with a great sense of responsibility, towards our employees in the first place, but also towards our local community, which cannot afford a breakdown of its production capability, and towards all the related industries on which so many workers and their families depend,” he says.
“The company has implemented all the information, prevention and containment measures required by the circumstances. We are determined to continue doing our best to support this community, fully respecting the rules and with maximum safety.”
Speed week
The latest motorsport to be impacted is the Dry Lakes Racers Australia 30th Anniversary Speed Week and World Speed Trials Australia #2 at Lake Gairdner in South Australia.
It has been postponed to a date yet to be confirmed.
Originally the DLRA had planned for three doctors to be in place for the two events, but as of today they only have one and there is no guarantee that even he will be available by the end of the week.
The South Australian Country Fire Service is also calling on its members to reduce their extra curricular volunteer activities as they are forced to replace members who have been inflicted with the virus.
“We could no longer guarantee the appropriate medical and fire services that are required for such and event,” the DLRA says.
“Now that the coronavirus has been officially identified as a pandemic, most public liability insurance policies consider any episodes to be exempt which would leave the DLRA open to financial ruin.
“Even with the concerted efforts that the DLRA were prepared to put into place through its mitigation plan would not be enough to ensure a safe risk free environment.”
As panic buying sets in over the coronavirus, bans are placed on large gatherings and northern Italy goes into lockdown, motorcycling looks set to be one of the victims.
Despite all the doom and gloom, there is no need for riders to panic and stay at home.
After all, we wear a face mask of sorts, protective gloves and riding a bike puts us in a type of isolation.
We also usually ride out in the country where there is less chance of big group gatherings.
If you are concerned, use your credit card instead of cash when buying fuel and food and make sure to wash your hands thoroughly. And maybe pack your own toilet paper!
The first two rounds of the MotoGP in Qatar and Thailand have been abandoned and now the third round in Austin, Texas, on 3-5 April 2020 is under threat as the city moves to prevent crowds of more than 2500.
World Superbikes also cancelled their first round this weekend in Qatar and even the Isle of Man TT, from 30 May to 12 June, could be under threat.
Some of these events may still go ahead for TV only, with no on-site crowds as F1 is considering.
Meanwhile, the Daytona Bike Week festivities are going ahead in Florida as planned.
Bike production
Ducati factory
The spreading contagion in Italy — now the worst affected country outside China — also looks likely to affect production of Aprilia, Moto Guzzi and MV Agusta motorcycles and many motorcycle components.
Their factories are near Milan which is an epicentre of the virus in the Lombardi region which is in virtual shutdown.
There are also factories in the region that make automotive components.
Ducati is in Bologna which is just outside the northern contagion regions of Lombardy and Veneto.
Ducati, Moto Guzzi and Vespa have already closed their museum and factory tours.
While the affects of these shutdowns won’t be felt here for some time, we expect there could be some shortage of parts in coming months.
But that doesn’t mean you panic and start clearing the shelves of oil filters!
Ducati and Piaggio (Aprilia, Vespa, Moto Guzzi) have closed their museums due to the outbreak of the Covid-19 virus (coronavirus) in Italy, but their factories are still operating.
Chinese motorcycle factories were closed for a prolonged period over the Chinese Lunar New Year, but many, including Honda and CFMoto, have now restarted.
In the case of CFMoto, the factory is at around 80% due to workers still returning from extended new year celebrations with 100% production capacity expected over the next two weeks.
CFMoto factory
Supply chain
However, many component factories that supply automakers around the world have not reopened.
And now the virus has moved from a Chinese emergency to one that involves South Korea, Japan and Italy, three major manufacturers of motorcycles, cars and automotive parts.
The impact on motorcycle manufacture and supply of components could now be affected with Fiat-Chrysler the first to warn it could halt production at a European plant in weeks.
Data and analytics company GlobalData automotive editor David Leggett says this is an “inevitable consequence” on the automotive supply chain.
“Many factories in the Wuhan and Hubei province have been on lockdown since the start of the Chinese New Year holidays,” he says.
“The emerging problems for FCA outside of China are likely to be mirrored by other vehicle manufacturers and reflect both the long-run internationalisation of parts supply-chains and the predominance of ‘just-in-time’ lean manufacturing processes that keep inventory low.
“The next few weeks will be critical for automakers. The typical car is made up of 20,000 parts, and there is an elongated supply-chain of parts and sub-assemblies put together in complex sequence to create the finished vehicle.
“Korean manufacturers were the first to show up as impacted by China supply-chain disruption reflecting shorter shipment distances between China and Korea, but the FCA news indicates that impacts across the world are now coming over the horizon on shipment transit schedules.”
Museums close
Moto Guzzi museum’s big red doors will remain closed
As of yesterday, Italy had 374 confirmed cases of Covid-19 and 12 deaths.
The epicentres of Covid-19 contagion in Italy are in Lombardy and Veneto regions where most of the auto factories are located.
Ducati’s factory in Bologna is just outside these central regions.
Public institutions and venues in these regions have been closed and mass meetings cancelled, including Ducati and Piaggio museum and factory tours.
The companies have notified the public that they have closed their museums for several weeks, but both confirm their factories are still operating.
We have not heard from MV Agusta which is near Milan in Lombardy, but their Facebook page has no reference to any closures.
Meanwhile, the organisers of the Geneva Motor Show, one of Europe’s premier motoring events, have confirmed the event is still due to take place as scheduled next week despite the first case of coronavirus in Switzerland.
An entirely redesigned RS-GP optimised in every aspect, beginning with the refined aerodynamics, which combine with a new 90-degree V4 engine.
2020 Aprilia RS-GP
The package is completed by the exclusive seamless gearbox, developed in-house, and a double rail frame in aluminium, the same material used for the swingarm.
The electronics department also received great attention, supported by an in-house Aprilia Racing in-house organisation that was strengthened throughout last season.
2020 Aprilia RS-GP
Massimo Rivola – Aprilia Racing CEO
“This has been the longest winter of recent years for Aprilia Racing. The guys and girls in the racing department put forth a truly incredible effort. Arriving in Sepang with two prototypes was already a small victory for us. In the first test, the new RS-GP showed good signs, so we need to pick up from there to build our new season. I said it before, and I’ll confirm it again: we cannot expect a clear path. We will most likely have a complicated early part of the season with an bike that is very much still wet behind the ears, but I am certain that from mid-season, we will be able to see the true value of the hard work done in Noale. Hopefully Andrea we’ll have Andrea with us soon and be able to complete, along with Aleix and Bradley, our trio of riders.”
2020 Aprilia RS-GP
The structure of the team, with the exception of a few new additions, remains substantially unchanged. Working alongside Aprilia Racing CEO Massimo Rivola will be Technical Director Romano Albesiano and Team Manager Fausto Gresini.
2020 Aprilia RS-GP
The two sides of the garage will be managed by Antonio Jimenez and Pietro Caprara, seasoned crew chiefs in the MotoGP paddock.
Is this the closest Iannone is going to get to riding the Aprilia RS-GP in 2020…? That depends on the outcome of his appeal against his ban for the presence of illegal substances
Romano Albesiano – Aprilia Racing Technical Director
“For Aprilia Racing, the 2020 RS-GP represents and unique technical challenge. The new bike was created by taking the cardinal concepts of the racing department and reworking them in light of the experience accumulated in recent seasons. It is an innovative prototype in many aspects, beginning with the clearly visible ones, and this confirms the attitude of Aprilia Racing, which boasts technological innovation as its primary value. As with any redesign, it will take a period of refinement. We have had an extremely heavy workload over the last few months, but I am absolutely satisfied with the result achieved. This is a satisfaction that I am pleased to share with the Noale work group.”
2020 Aprilia RS-GP
Fausto Gresini – Aprilia Team Manager
“Hearing that the riders liked the new bike straight away in the Malaysian tests was the first bit of good news for our 2020 season. Aprilia Racing’s efforts were incredible and are a demonstration of desire and dedication for this championship. The beginning will not be simple. The bike is very young and obviously needs to be developed. But, I believe that the strength of a team can be seen precisely in times like these, when we need to close ranks and all set our sights on the same objective. After the enthusiasm over a good début, we’ll wait to see the response of other tracks, beginning precisely with Qatar. We all need to stay focused on a single ambition: taking this project as high as possible.”
Some big news broke last week with Peter Stevens announcing the sale of its famous Elizabeth Street premises to a Chinese backed developer for $31.5 million.
While businesses regularly change premises for various reasons, few have the history behind them that the Peter Stevens motorcycle precinct situated at the top of the Melbourne CBD enjoys and thus the move signifies the end of an era for motorcycle retailing in Melbourne.
Even those of us that do not hail from Victoria, but have simply visited Melbourne over the years, have marvelled at the motorcycles on the footpath outside the Elizabeth Street string of motorcycle shops. The first of those stores came under Peter Stevens stewardship some 44-years ago and were followed in time by also bringing the neighbouring two sites into the P.S. portfolio.
Peter Stevens sell Elizabeth street premises
For me the history angle of the sale holds just as much interest as the financial reasons behind the deal. I would not be on my Pat Malone on that score.
My own first visit to window shop and ogle shiny new motorcycles on Elizabeth Street was as a fresh faced Western Australian 16-year-old navy recruit visiting Melbourne for the first time. My first ever weekend leave from recruit school had me heading into the big smoke after catching the train into the CBD from Crib Point down near HMAS Cerberus. As a motorcycle mad kid it was only natural I would gravitate towards this shiny row of motorcycles on the footpath as I trod my way around Melbourne for the first time.
The Elizabeth Street motorcycle precinct though dates back to even before Peter Stevens, as motorcycles have been retailed on Elizabeth Street for over 100 years. Motorcycle meets were staged on Elizabeth Street from the 1890s and the Milledge Brothers opened the first motorcycle shop on the street in 1903.It would not be out of order to suggest that more than a million motorcycles have hit the streets from those stores in that time.
Elizabeth Street Motorcycle sales precinct celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2003
One would imagine a fair percentage of people working across many facets of the motorcycle industry across Australia would have spent at least some of their time working in those shops.
Hundreds if not thousands of apprentices would have learned their trade as motorcycle mechanics in these stores.
A major fire in the Harley Heaven store in late 2002 caused extensive damage to the building and saw the store gutted. Major refurbishment works were required before the doors could be opened again.
The reasons for the sale are, no doubt, many, including the never ending and problematic tunnel works for new train lines and the increasing focus towards making the Melbourne CBD a much more pedestrian, tram and cyclist only space. Traffic congestion and space constraints has already seen the service departments of the Elizabeth Street stores moved out to Peter Steven’s Kensington Street complex.
Peter Stevens sell Elizabeth street premises
Peter Stevens Group Managing Director Paul Chiodo is the second generation of the Chiodo family of brothers that originally started the Peter Stevens Motorcycles operation some 50 years ago.
The 44-year history of the Elizabeth Street stores is deeply entwined with his own family history, a lineage that started in Australia when his grandfather Anthony emigrated from Italy early last century and started one of Melbourne’s first specialist Italian grocery stores.
No matter how much sense the sale undoubtedly makes from a business angle, it still must have been a major wrench for the Chiodo family, on a personal level, to sign off on a significant part of their history.
Paul Chiodo – “There are two aspects that have driven us to sell the property, they are equal to each other really. The complexities of retailing in the CBD, we are the last ones there with Yamaha City, for good reason. There are not really any motorcycle shops in the CBD of major cities. The council does everything they can to make things difficult for us, I am not sure whether that is intentional or not intentional, but the city is changing. The huge number of apartments and the changing nature of the area, we are some of the last retail stores in that precinct which has now largely been overtaken with the service industry and cafes etc. rather than a retail environment.
“Tonight at council there is going to be a vote whether to prevent motorcycles from being able to park on the pavements in the CBD. I am not sure whether that will go through but it likely will. We have always parked motorcycles out the front of the stores, used bikes, so that might no longer be an option after tonight.
“We retail hundreds of motorcycles out of there each month. Those bikes need to be dropped off by trucks, the distance from where they once were dropped off to where they now must be dropped off is now quite a distance away from the stores. Staff then must push those motorcycles through the CBD in order to get them to the store. It just adds yet more complexity to doing business in Elizabeth Street.
“Then we get to the rates and land tax on those premises. Since it has been revalued we are paying near on a million dollars a year. And next year word is that it might be in excess of a million dollars. And that is before you pay any other expenses it is truly a ridiculous amount of money. That means the viability from that perspective has become very difficult as the value of the property has gone up.”
Despite credit having never been cheaper, it seems these are very difficult times for every single area of retail in Australia. How is the current drop in motorcycle sales affecting your short and long term business planning at Peter Stevens?
Paul Chiodo – “We have been adjusting to the market in many ways over the past three years as the industry has suffered a decline. We are a dynamic business and continue to adapt and change the emphasis to different aspects of our business. Used bike sales and our workshops are growing rapidly.”
It must almost put coal-face staffing issues in an almost constant state of flux. The balance between the bottom line, and the need to retain the vital experience and knowledge of quality staff must be an almost impossible task?
Paul Chiodo – “We have got a huge number of people that are in our ten year club, and we have a ten year dinner that gets bigger and bigger every year and we have a number of people that are in our thirty-year club so there is a massive amount of retained experience in the business, and we celebrate that.”
Peter Stevens took over the distributorship of the Moto Guzzi and Aprilia brands not that long ago, what is happening in that space this year?
Paul Chiodo – “The new 660 from Aprilia has been announced and it is a significant anniversary for Moto Guzzi coming up shortly and the horizon looks bright for both of those brands.”
Aprilia RS 660
Triumph seems to be going greatand is the success story of your suite of brands?
Paul Chiodo – “We have had some good growth in January compared to the same period 12 months ago. The new Tiger 900 lands arrives this month.
2020 Triumph Tiger 900 GT arrives in Australia shortly
“The new Rocket III has had an incredible response and is sold out for the next few months at least. The Bajaj joint venture that was announced will see Triumph move into some new categories of the market and that is all really exciting and we recently re-signed a new long term contract with Triumph.”
The new Rocket III is sold out until the middle of the year
There is some encouraging growth on the scooter front with that segment of the market bouncing back well after a few years of pain. To be fair it was the bottom end of the scooter market that had fell apart predominantly, while the more premium brands you retail did not suffer such a marked drop, are Piaggio and Vespa still doing quite well?
Paul Chiodo – “The delivery market has been a strong growth area with Uber style delivery bikes and Vespa continues to be a very strong brand.
Vespa GTS Super Tech 300 HPE
“It will be interesting to the see the influence of electric bikes on the motorcycle industry in the coming years. The Harley-Davidson LiveWire arrives in September which of course we will be retailing through our Harley Heaven stores. There are also a number of new products from different suppliers that will enter the Australian market.”
Harley-Davidson’s LiveWire lands in Australia this September
Thanks for the time out of your busy schedule Paul.
Aprilia plan to introduce a lower-powered version of its upcoming RS 660 lightweight sports bike so it can be ridden by learners and novices under the European A2 motorcycle licence.
The announcement came in a quirky Instagram post that says “A2 driving license? Aprilia RS 660 95hp version confirmed! Keep updated!”
The A2 licence is a similar system to the Australian and New Zealand Learner Approved Motorcycle System, so there could be scope to also make a LAMS version alongside the fuel-powered version.
This has been done with several other bikes on the market, notably the Yamaha MT-07LA which has reduced capacity (from 689cc to 655cc) and restricted power (from 55kW to 38kW) via 25% throttler restriction, different cams and pistons.
Yamaha MT-07LA
The lithe Aprilia RS 660 weighs in at 169kg dry and fits in the 660cc or below capacity limits of LAMS.
However, they would have to do a fair bit more power restriction on the 95hp (70kW) bike to fit the scheme which also has a power-to-weight formula of 150 kilowatts per tonne or less.
Tyrol mountains are popular among riders (Image: www.touring-italy.net)
Police conduct roadside noise test at Mt Tamborine
Active winglets patent
Winglets on a Piaggio MP3 three-wheeled scooter
Timur Sardarov
Moto Guzzi museum’s big red doors will remain closed
Yamaha MT-07LA
Aprilia RS 660
2021 Aprilia Tuono 660 concept