BACKROADS • AUGUST 2022
INDUSTRY INFOBITES VINTAGE JAPANESE MOTORCYCLE CLUB HOLDS NATIONAL RALLY The Vintage Japanese Motorcycle Club of America (VJMC) recently celebrated its annual national motorcycle rally in Eureka Springs, Arkansas. This year’s event, which took place June 23-25, featured a special celebration, as it marked the club’s 45th anniversary. One hundred sixty members enjoyed three days of riding, bike shows and camaraderie with their vintage Japanese motorcycles. VJMC is the premier worldwide club dedicated to the preservation, restoration, and enjoyment of vintage Japanese motorcycles (20 years or older) and the promotion of the sport of motorcycling. For more information visit www.vjmc.org or call (763) 420-7829.
JAPANESE BIG FOUR CUTTING MODELS COMPLY WITH EMISSIONS REGULATIONS
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It has been revealed that Honda, Yamaha, Suzuki, and Kawasaki will discontinue approximately 20 models by the end of this year, representing roughly 10 per cent of the 190 models offered by the four manufacturers. Nikkei reports that Honda is scrapping approximately 10 of its 80 current models in response to strict emissions standards that will be introduced across Japan in the fall. Among the models going the way of the
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News from the Inside dodo include the CB400 Super Four, the Benly scooter, and the full-size Gold Wing series. Japan’s new emissions standards are modeled after the Euro 5 laws in effect across the European Union and have applied to all new models from the end of 2020 and will impact all existing models in November. Complying with the new regulations will necessitate bike manufacturers installing upgraded catalytic converters or redesigning engines. The costs involved in making some models comply are simply too high to justify for Honda, Yamaha , Suzuki, and Kawasaki.
FTC TAKES ACTION AGAINST HARLEY-DAVIDSON AND WESTINGHOUSE The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is taking action against motorcycle manufacturer Harley-Davidson Motor Co. Group LLC and Westinghouse outdoor generator maker MWE Investments LLC for illegally restricting customers’ right to repair their purchased products. The FTC’s complaints charge that the companies’ warranties included terms that conveyed that the warranty is void if customers use independent dealers for parts or repairs. The FTC is ordering Harley-Davidson and Westinghouse to fix warranties by removing illegal terms and recognizing the right to repair, come clean with customers and ensure that dealers compete fairly with independent third-parties.
AMERICADE ANNOUNCES NEW DATES FOR 2023 Americade 2023 will take place one week earlier than normal, May 30-June 3, starting the Tuesday after Memorial Day. Americade 2023 will celebrate a historic milestone, its 40th event, featuring a number of special additional live music, entertainment and motorcycle attractions. “Laconia will be celebrating a big milestone too, their 100th, next year,” said Christian Dutcher, Americade’s Director, “and having two major events overlapping during special years doesn’t make any sense.