Indian opens London store

Business news

Indian opens London store

American manufacturer Indian Motorcycle announced the arrival of its official Brand Experience Centre in west London earlier this year, and the official opening was held last month, over th e same weekend as the Bike Shed motorcycle show.

More than 70 guests celebrated the new showroom’s opening at a premium location on Kensington High Street, which used to be the home of the Bristol Car Company. It is part of the Hilton Olympia Hotel site, and is big enough to display the entire Indian range of bikes, clothing and kit.

“We’re extremely proud to be able to officially launch a Brand Experience Centre here in the UK, especially in such an iconic location”, said Indian Motorcycle national sales manager Andy Simpson. “Thanks to fantastic support from the team at Krazy Horse we’ve been able to make this project not just a reality, but a place that our customers the world over will choose as a destination to visit when in London.”

Kickback custom bike show goes behind bars

Johnny Cash’s Folsom Prison gig is probably the most famous performance to take place behind bars. But now the Gloucester-based Kickback custom bike show is following in the Man in Black’s footsteps by taking place in Gloucester Prison.

Sadly (or luckily), HMP Gloucester is now closed as a jail, but it still retains the cells, bars and canteen, all of which will be filled with slick café racers, bobbers, scramblers and cutting-edge restomod builds. There will also be the usual range of trade stalls, food and drink trucks, and a licensed bar. It all kicks off at 10am on Sunday 18 September. More info: www.kickbackshow.com.

NGK Plugs rebrands

THE NGK SPARK PLUG COMPANY is one of the genuine stalwart brands of the bike and car world. But the big bosses reckon the parent corporation needs a new name, and have rebranded it as Niterra. That’s because the firm now produces a much wider range of products, including electronic sensors, technical ceramics and much more. And with the internal combustion engine looking like an endangered species over the next few decades, calling your entire company after a defunct component might hold you back.

Luckily, the Niterra firm will continue to brand its spark plugs as NGK components for the foreseeable future.

“Niterra is a key milestone in the transformation which we are undergoing,” says Damien Germès, president and CEO of NGK Spark Plug Europe, regional president EMEA and corporate officer of the global headquarters in Japan. “In the coming generations, it will be necessary to think even more about sustainability and what is good for the Earth. With our new name, we have taken one more step on our journey to become a company that not only is successful, but also provides new value to the world.”

Damien Germès

Cardo unveils new sound lab

THE MARKET FOR HELMET-MOUNTED wireless communication devices continues to expand and leading firm Cardo Systems has opened a brand new European R&D centre, aimed at developing the next generation of gadgets.

Based in Straubing, Germany, the new 600m2 facility will concentrate on acoustics, speech processing and other technologies, aimed at improving intercoms, Bluetooth headsets and noise-cancelling systems. It’s staffed by a veteran team of scientists with more than 150 years of experience in audio research between them, and includes an anechoic chamber, prototyping labs, NVH (noise vibration and harshness) labs and fullyfurnished sound labs.

Alon Lumbroso, CEO of Cardo Systems, said: “For many years, Cardo has identified in-helmet audio and acoustics as one of the key factors in today’s riding experience. In 2018, we were the first to bring premium sound by JBL, and now, with the addition of the new Cardo Sound Labs, we aim to increase the audio gap even further.”