Recently, I noted Royal Enfield’s rise and its goals for the future. As a part of that, the company wants to attract customers through racing. It started with Flat Track Racing. Now it’s on to road racing.
Professional road racer and current BTR flat track participant Melissa Paris will be a mentor for the company’s new road racing program. With help from Royal Enfield Americas’ Head of Marketing Breeann Poland, and racer/journalist Anne Roberts, Paris will select the company’s first BTR road race participant roster.
“Building upon the success of the initial BUILD TRAIN RACE program, we decided to carry the momentum into the road racing segment,” said Poland. “This is a unique opportunity for women interested in getting into road racing and to make a name for themselves in a national racing program. Working with a world-class racer like Melissa Paris is not an opportunity that comes along often. The ladies will also be some of the first people to road race the Continental GT 650 platform, so the motorcycling world will be watching.”
Royal Enfield will select only four women for the roster. Here’s the video questionnaire. the entry period opened on October 14, 2020, and runs through December 1.
Keanu Reeves is in a new video game called Cyberpunk 2077, and so is his motorcycle company Arch Motorcycle. Recently, a video surfaced of Reeves and co-founder Gard Hollinger doing some audio recordings for the video game.
In the video, the guys talk a bit about how Cyberpunk 2077 and Arch Motorcycles got connected up. They say the game developers Projekt Red were very interested in getting Arch’s motorcycles into the game.
The company’s motorcycle Method 143 is one of the bikes that definitely influenced the game. While the game doesn’t have an exact replica of Arch’s models, there is something that Hollinger calls “143-ish.”
Reeves said that the guys behind the game were fans of Arch and wanted a kind of Cyberpunk 2077 versions of the bikes. “I thought that was a very fun idea,” said Reeves.
It sounds like Projekt Red wanted to get the details right, too, which is why they had Reeves and Hollinger out there helping get the sound for the motorcycles right. This is a detail that’s often overlooked, and one that I’m happy to see the game developers paying attention to.
UberMoto is just what you’d expect; Uber for motorcycles. You open your app, set your destination, and within no time your driver (or in this case, rider) will show up just in the knick of time so you aren’t late for your appointment at the Ducati dealership to pick up the bike they’ve been wrenching on for you.
Why pick an Uber motorcycle instead of a regular car? European and Asian countries have benefited greatly from lane filtering and sharing laws that allow riders to split lanes to speed up overall traffic for everyone; meaning you can get to your destination faster than if you decided to take a taxi or traditional form of rideshare transportation.
You may find it strange or unsafe to hop on the back of a stranger’s motorcycle in prime-time traffic, but luckily Uber ensures the drivers must provide ample protective gear – helmet, jacket gloves – to keep you safe on your expedited journey.
When using a ride share service, you’re going to pay more the quicker you get to your destination. With bikes being able to split lanes and cut down commute times by a sizable chunk you can expect that the pricing for this service is going to be higher. It is also smart to take into account that Uber as a brand is going to be paying a lot more money on insurance for passengers in the event of a collision – which on a motorcycle is often far more dangerous.
Currently Uber is only testing the motorcycle ride-share service in Paris, but if they are successful you can expect them to bring this service to many crowded European hot-spots down the line.
Norway is removing wire rope barriers from a six-kilometre stretch of road near the capital of Oslo in a win for motorcyclist safety.
Riders have long regarded the roadside barriers as a danger.
The auditor’s report found there was no evidence to support the claimed safety benefits for motorcyclists and scooter riders.
It also found Victoria’s WRB rollout was almost $100m over budget, over time and under-maintained.
Australian rider groups have long called for the rollout of wire rope barriers to be halted.
In the wake of the Norwegian move, Motorcycle Riders Association of Australia spokesman Damien Codognotto has written to Victorian MPs calling for the barriers to be removed.
He says wire rope barriers are a deadly threat to bicycle, scooter and motorcycle riders.
“They say there’s no evidence to suggest wire rope barriers are more hazardous than other roadside, or centre-of-road treatments, which is why they are used all over the world, he says.
“Victorians road users know wire rope barriers are very dangerous. Victorians who ride overseas know that no country uses as much wire rope barrier as Victoria. Some countries have banned it. Some are pulling it out. Some are not replacing it.”
He disputes claims that wire rope barrier saves lives in the majority of car crash incidents.
The MRAA has called for a search of video and photo sources including Youtube, dashcam.com and media libraries for images of crashes involving wire rope barriers to see how many perform as promoted by Road Safety Victoria, formerly VicRoads.
No sooner has Apple announced their new iPhone 12 than motorcycle mounting specialists Quadlock have announced they are taking orders for the cases.
The new iPhone 12 comes in four models: iPhone 12 mini, iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Pro and 12 Pro Max.
Australian-designed Quadlock iPhone 12 cases will cost $US29.95 and begin shipping later this month.
The case mounts directly to their clever and secure Quadlock system which you can now get with an attachment to power the phone via a cable or with a wireless charger.
Of all the touchscreen gloves we have used, these are the best, although they are not armoured for rider protection, but they do plan to introduce motorcycle-specific gloves soon.
Mujjo say their craftsman-made leather cases will match the flat, angular edges of the new phone.
They are made with full-grain vegetable tanned leather that “ages beautifully, acquiring a unique patina truly personal to your character”.
The leather bezel rises 1mm above the edge of the screen for protection against screen breakage.
Mujjo cases are lined with Japanese microfibre and are available with a leather card pocket designed to hold up to three bank, ID or commuter cards.
They come in black, tan, blue and slate green and cost from $US44.90 to $US54.90.
MV Agusta has announced a partnership with Hertz Ride to offer some of their touring bikes for hire in Italy and France.
The company also operates in Portugal, Spain, Austria, Slovenia, and the United States, but so far the deal only involves the motorcycle manufacturer’s home country of Italy and France.
MV Agusta Turismo Veloce 800 Lusso SCS and Dragster Rosso will available for rent initially in those two countries, followed by Portugal and Spain early in the 2021 riding season and then the USA.
It seems a strange time to be launching the motorcycle hire strategy in the middle of a second wave of the coronavirus pandemic.
However, MV Agusta has shown its intentions before of branching out into the travel industry.
They extended that with the launch of their “Emotion Road” program, hiring out their Turismo Veloce 800 for tours throughout Italy.
The program was developed with travel company Novara Pop Srl and the support of the Italian tourism industry.
Now they are branching out even further.
And the addition of the Turismo Veloce 800 Lusso SCS makes sport touring even more practical as it allows the rider to use a conventional clutch to change gears or ride in semi-automatic mode, thanks to the Rekluse clutch.
Let’s just hope the borders start opening soon and we can take advntage of this offer!
You might have read about the MyDucati app I did an overview of a few months back. I’m not entirely sure if KTM is playing a joke on the Ducati PR team, or what could possibly be going on here but they just announced their own sparring partner for the MyDucati app and aptly named it the “myKTM App’.
Luckily for KTM, this app indeed provides what Ducati’s app failed to deliver on. The MyDucati app was just a news hub to add to your ever-growing list of daily news and social apps for you to check on lunch break, with the biggest feature being the fact that you can save your Ducati Card in it so you don’t need to bring a physical copy when you visit the dealership for any kind of work.
KTM just smashed that entire idea to pieces with the myKTM app allowing for full adjustment of some of the technical features on your motorcycle.
From here, you have full control of your suspension and engine. The app comes with both Suspension and Sag Assistant menus allowing for a wild amount of customization to the settings of your bike depending on the conditions you may be riding in.
Fancy some more aggressive engine braking? Whip out your iPhone and get playing around in the settings. Launch control, TC settings, and throttle response setting are all here for you to control at your heart’s desire.
The app requires their proprietary ‘Connectivity Unit’. In 2020, the only motorcycle that sold with it bundled in was the Troy Lee Designs edition SX-F, but with 2021’s models arriving the Connectivity Unit will be coming stock on every single SX-F bike sold. If your SX-F doesn’t have one, it’s still easy enough to pick up from a dealer separately and throw on yourself as it’s home is right under the handlebars.
Here’s what KTM’s SR offroad product manager, Joachin Sauer, has to say about it: “We’re happy with the versatility of the app and how alterations made with a smartphone can have such an interesting and immediate effect once out on the track. The work continues for us, and for the foreseeable future, we look at expanding the use and scope of myKTM to many more models from the KTM Offroad range.”
The company Milestone has a new Ride 4 motorcycle video game. The much-loved franchise’s new game has been highly anticipated, and now it’s officially here.
The game is available for PlayStation®4, Xbox One, and Windows PC/STEAM. Our friends over at Australian Motorcycle News have a deal going right now, where you’re entered to win a copy of the game if you sign up for the publication’s newsletter.
The game isn’t just for the existing gaming systems. It will be updated to work with the upcoming systems in January. This will help ensure everyone that wants to play it will have a chance to no matter what system you have, the current ones, or the upcoming ones.
If you purchase a version of the game for an old system you should be able to upgrade easily. PlayStation, for example, is offering a free game to those who upgrade their system to the PS5. Xbox users can also get the updated version of the game for the new console at no additional costs.
The gameplay and the visuals in the game should be absolutely stunning. All of the bikes in the game have been created from the ground up to be as realistic as possible, using CAD and 3D to get the details right. There’s also a new Career mode that will give players new challenges all over the world, which culminates in a championship race.
For more info about the game and to get specifics about gameplay and the bikes you can ride in the game, check out the Ride 4 website.
Royal Enfield’s rise is one that’s fairly well documented. Siddhartha Lal brought back the company in a big way and part of the way it was done was to bring younger riders into the fold with cool and affordable motorcycles. Now that the Indian market is going well for Royal Enfield, the company is focusing on global expansion.
The focus for Royal Enfield will be on Western countries, like the U.S., Europe, Australia, and others. Lal told Bloomberg that he wants to be a big brand outside of India and the other markets Royal Enfield is currently thriving in.
“I could be great in India and Brazil and Thailand and Africa,” he says. “But if I’m not in Europe and America, then I’m not a global brand.”
Lal went through school and rode a Royal Enfield while studying. His father owned Eicher Motors, which owns Royal Enfield. At one point, when he was in his late 20s, Royal Enfield was on the brink of being shut down, and he convinced his father to let him run it. It turned out the be the right choice.
“All of this was entirely and only because I was the promoter’s son,” he said to Bloomberg’s Ari Altsteader, using an Indian term to refer to an owner-operator. “A random bloke at 27 wouldn’t have got this job.”
Some of Lal’s first moves were his best. He focused on dealer relationships, pricing of motorcycles, and manufacturing. This helped with the reliability and the perception of the bikes. These moves, plus adding more models and focusing on smart marketing tactics among other things, have helped Royal Enfield become a powerhouse again.
According to Bloomberg, the company sold 824,000 bikes globally the year before the pandemic hit. Harley sold 218,000.
Now the focus is on Western countries. Lal told Bloomberg that the company’s success in Western countries could help make his motorcycles an aspirational product in India and some other markets. The company has already started its onslaught, with a focus on flat track racing and trying to set speed records with Cayla Rivas (a motorcycle racer). More initiatives like this will come in the future I’m sure.
The company is focusing on building enthusiasm around the brand and trying to get a cult following similar to what it has crafted in India and what Harley-Davidson has built in the U.S. It will be a long haul, but at the moment, it looks like Royal Enfield’s making the right moves.
There’s still a lot to do, but the reception of Royal Enfield’s latest models has been good, and it will be interesting to see what the future holds. Royal Enfield has a long way to go to beat out Harley in terms of brand recognition (especially in the U.S.), but it’s making moves in the right direction.
Victoria will join other states next year with a rule requiring motorists to give cyclists room when passing, potentially putting the lives of motorcyclists in jeopardy.
The bicycle overtaking/passing law had been proposed for Victoria before, but was rejected.
This is despite the fact that driving a car too close to a cyclist is already covered by dangerous driving laws which are enforceable.
The laws have been opposed in the past by a variety of motorcycle rider groups.
Motorcycle Riders Association of Australia spokesman Damien Codognotto says the proposed law may not be enforceable.
“Measuring the distance between a moving car and a bicycle is near impossible,” he says.
“Police would need a clear line of site to both the car and the bicycle and present measuring evidence reliable enough to be accepted by a court.
“This happens when a city-centric law makers make statewide decisions. “
He has called for statistics on car/bicycle crashes in states with the laws and the number fines issued.
“On roads with speeds over 60km/h the bicycle passing law generates deadly situations,” Damien says.
“To avoid fines, drivers swing wide crossing to the wrong side of the road. On the Great Ocean Road, and others like it, this law will contribute to the road toll not reduce it.”
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