British Dealer News Dec 2022

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MBO at Redline Motorcycles

One of the country’s longest-running KTM dealerships, Redline Motorcycles in Loughborough, Leicestershire, is now under new management. Founder, Tim Walker has sold the business after more than three decades, with former employee Nathan Preston, the new owner with Walker assisting for the next 12 months during the handover.

Walker opened Redline in November 1989 – exactly 33 years ago – after an early career as a bike racer. “I was racing bikes through the 1980s, road racing and short circuit racing, but finished at the end of 1988 because I knew it wasn’t going anywhere! I started Redline in 1989, in a tiny high street shop in the nearby village of Sileby.”

Walker started off with what was then a rather niche brand in the early 1990s. “We took KTM on in 1991. It was just off-road then, and we’ve grown with it over the years. Later we took on Honda, Yamaha and Beta, but our core business has always been KTM.”

Redline has much more of a road focus now. “Obviously, we were focussed on off-road in earlier years. KTM’s road bikes really took off with the launch of the 950 Adventure and the 950 SMT, brilliant bikes and good for sales.

“Now we do more road bikes than off-road; I think that’s normal with all KTM dealers. We do a little bit of trials with Beta, and Beta enduro has also been good over the past year. Honda and Yamaha are smaller parts of the business, but still really good.”

So what’s convinced Tim Walker to hang up his bike dealing boots? “I’ve reached the point in my life where I’m just a bit sort of worn out! Nathan has worked for me for quite a few years. He’s a good man and has always shown an interest in the business. We did a deal for a management buyout, and that went through in October.”

Worn out or not, Walker will still be lending a hand, though. “I will be here two days a week, certainly for the next year, then for as long as he needs me. The ‘office’ side of it is where he needs help, not selling bikes. He’s good at that!”

Nathan Preston has been in the bike trade since he left school and joined Redline three and a half years ago. “Before joining Redline I worked for five years at what was originally Ducati Wolverhampton, which then became MV Agusta West Midlands, and I actually ran the MV Agusta UK press fleet there.”

Owning his own bike shop is a dream come true, as Nathan puts it. “Ever since I worked as

Staniforth snaps up Silkolene

STANIFORTH MOTORCYCLE WHOLESALE, THE Sheffield based national wholesaler, has added the Silkolene range of lubricants to its growing range of products.

John Sheldon, director of Staniforth, said: “We are incredibly proud to add the Silkolene brand to the company’s existing portfolio of top branded products. Since taking over from Peter Staniforth six years ago, we have added several leading brands, including EBC, Rock Oil, Optimate and now Silkolene. Adding such big names to our existing brands, which are well respected in the motorcycle industry, puts us in a strong position to supply

an apprentice technician back in the day, I’d look at things and think ‘I’d do it this way, not that way’. I’ve gone from technician to parts to workshop to sales, and always done fairly well, so I have a fairly good grounding to keep pushing in the right direction.”

How did the buyout come about? “It came from a fairly candid conversation, Tim had looked at possibly selling up. He’d spoken to a couple of people, and had tried to strike a deal but couldn’t get there. I said to him, ‘It’s always been my ambition to own my own shop, but I don’t think I’ll be able to raise the capital for it.’ Then he said, ‘Well what if you could?’ And it sort of snowballed from there. I spoke to a company who helped me out and we went from there. It’s been coming for about 12 months, and has been quite an arduous drawn-out process, as you can imagine.”

What plans does Nathan have for the future of Redline? “In the short term, there’s nothing I really want to change, we don’t need to reinvent the wheel. What’s here works, so I don’t need to fix it. It just comes down to experience. Tim’s here for the next 12 months to give me a steer in the right direction, and we’ll move on to good things.”

the whole of the UK. All of our products are available the following day before 12 noon, if ordered before 4pm.”

Joost Van Genderen of Silkolene added: “With an everchanging UK distributor market, ensuring all our dealers can access Silkolene products through their preferred distributor or supplier has never been more important. Adding Staniforth to our UK-wide network of distributors is part of our ongoing focus to improve UK dealer product availability and service.”

Staniforth Motorcycle Wholesale 0114 2462027 sales@staniforths.co.uk

Staniforth directors John Sheldon (left) and Neil Ashmore

West Coast Triumph Glasgow opens

There’s a pleasing symmetry about the opening of the new West Coast Triumph Glasgow dealership. Because the dealer principal, Don Rutherford, was the original Hinckley Triumph dealer in Glasgow back in 1992, when his Scotbike store became one of the relaunched brand’s first outlets.

Fast forward thirty years – another neat coincidence – and Rutherford is the executive director at his firm West Coast, the HarleyDavidson and now Triumph dealer in Hillington, to the west of Glasgow.

West Coast had just finished its launch weekend when BDN spoke to Rutherford, and managing director David Hackshall, about the background to the new opening and how it had all gone. “The people from Triumph were gobsmacked! They’d never seen anything like it; the idea of a pipe band opening a dealership worked really well, and everyone loved it,” said Rutherford.

“We welcomed a lot of invited guests, including anyone who had already bought a

Triumph had been absent in Glasgow since early 2021, when the previous dealer, Triumph Glasgow (which was literally a stone’s throw from West Coast Harley-Davidson), went into administration. West Coast agreed a deal with Triumph early in 2022 to take on the franchise, and the team has been hard at work ever since.

“We signed the contract back at the beginning of the year,” said Hackshall. “Planning permission took forever. Our original plan was to open around April/May, but the planning took twice as long as we thought.”

Staff recruitment is as big a job as new premises, of course – but West Coast had an amazing response. “We had a recruitment drive in Dec 2021 and had a fantastic response; 120 people applied, and 83 turned up for interview, and most of the vacancies were filled on the day.”

It meant that the firm had an agreement to sell bikes, and new staff ready to go – but no premises. An innovative solution was called

bike from us. We also had the Triumph people up, and Rory Skinner, the [Moto2/Triumph]

racer,” added Hackshall.

Celebrities, a Moto2 racer, loyal customers – and the Paisley and District RBL pipe band – celebrate the return of Hinckley’s bikes to the west of Scotland

From left: Michael Moses, dealer development manager at Triumph GB, with David Hackshall, managing director, and Don Rutherford, executive director, at West Coast

for, and it came in the form of a temporary office parked up outside the HarleyDavidson store. “Starting in May, the new recruits were integrated into the Harley showroom to show them how West Coast operates. Then we purchased a portable cabin and put it at the back of the Harley site. Our Triumph service manager, parts guy and three salesmen were in there by June and all systems were go,” added Hackshall.

An unconventional start then – but now the firm is up and running in premises just a few hundred yards from the HarleyDavidson base. Of course, the firm has some central shared services, with finance, admin and marketing covering both parts of the business, and the heads of sales and aftersales looking after both brands too. It’s the staff who are key to the business, though, says Rutherford. “The business is all about people, you can have a successful business in any location, but it’s all about people. We brought them in early to ‘fatten them up’ on the West Coast ethos,

so they understood how we operate, then transposed that over to the Triumph business. That’s been paramount.”

Both Rutherford and Hackshall agree that the brands work together, too. “They’re both charismatic brands, but each has its own space in the market, and from that point of view they complement each other very well.”

After the grand opening late in November, you’d maybe expect West Coast Triumph to be hibernating a little bit until springtime, but not a bit of it. “We’re not hunkering down at all,” said Hackshall. “West Coast doesn’t do winter! We’re continuing with our events calendar and keeping customers engaged with what we’re doing.”

Don Rutherford agrees. “It’s customer engagement, and that’s what we need to do all through the winter – keep our customers engaged and make sure they keep thinking of us. Then when the time comes to buy a new bike, they’ll think of us and not go anywhere else.”

Norton burnishing luxury brand credentials

IF IT WASN’T COMPLETELY CLEAR WHICH direction Norton Motorcycles is heading, the name of a recent event at the firm’s Solihull HQ last month gives a clue. Titled ‘Unlocking Modern Luxury’, the meeting brought together senior creatives from firms such as Land Rover and Sotheby’s for an “immersive event”, discussing the future of “modern luxury brands”.

Hume, TV/screenwriter and fashion journalist; Min Lee, VP at Sotheby’s auction house; Paulo De Tarso, restaurateur and founder of Margot Restaurant; as well as representatives from marketing and talent agency Wasserman, Tom Lovegrove and Lenah Ueltzen-Gabell.

“Norton Motorcycles is at the start of a journey,” said Gladwell. “We have invested in this immersive event and invited our esteemed guests – all leaders in their industries – to show our intention and to pave our way forward. As a company, we have a vision for the future and this vision requires us to deliver a unique and unparalleled experience to those wanting to engage with the Norton brand. Our goal is to be the most desirable motorcycle brand, producing the most desirable motorbikes using the very highest quality materials and design processes, and we have a strategy in place to make that happen.

“By incorporating the advice and guidance from those that have already set out on that journey, we will truly establish Norton Motorcycles not only as iconic, but also visionary.”

Norton Motorcycles chief commercial officer Christian Gladwell welcomed keynote speaker Professor Gerry McGovern, chief creative officer at Jaguar Land Rover, with Lisa Gregg, founder of LivingxLG, hosting proceedings that promised a line-up of expert speakers. They included Marion

New deal links KTM and MV

The Pierer Mobility Group already owns three premium European bike marques: KTM, Husqvarna and GasGas, as well as the WP suspension brand. It has strong partnerships with Indian motorcycle giant Bajaj and Chinese firm CFMoto. And now the firm has taken a 25.1% stake in Italian firm MV Agusta, following the signing of a distribution deal to sell the exotic machinery in North America. Meanwhile, KTM Europe has taken over CFMoto motorcycle imports in the UK and Ireland, replacing former distributor Quadzilla (see panel).

The MV Agusta “strategic cooperation” deal was announced by the Varese firm in November. According to an official announcement, “KTM AG, a company of Pierer Mobility, will provide MV Agusta with supply chain support and take over the purchasing. Furthermore, in the course of this cooperation, MV Agusta will partly distribute its product range via Pierer Mobility’s worldwide distribution network. In November 2022, KTM AG will acquire a 25.1% stake in MV Agusta Motor SpA, based in Varese (Italy), by way of a capital increase.”

That announcement followed an earlier one, which detailed a new multiyear distribution deal for MV Agusta machinery in Canada, the United States and Mexico. The agreement covers distribution and promotion as well as customer service and, according to MV, will combine the relative strengths of the two organisations. “On one hand there’s the strength of the brand and the exclusivity of its motorcycles, a symbol of Italy’s design and engineering excellence, and on the other hand, KTM AG’s extensive and solid commercial organisation which will support the growth of MV Agusta in the North American region.”

As part of MV’s strategic plan, KTM

is set to launch a US-based legal entity in charge of all MV activity across North America, and the Italian bikes are also set to be put on sale next to the Austrian brand in KTM dealerships, as well as MV Agusta’s own stores.

Speaking about the US deal, Timur Sardarov, MV Agusta CEO said: “I am thrilled by this agreement between two historic European motorcycle manufacturers. I am confident that KTM’s extensive and professional sales organisation, paired with the strong appeal of our brand in the region, will bring great benefits to both companies. Thanks to our co-operation we will create synergies that will enable us to accelerate our growth strategy in North America.”

Meanwhile, board member at KTM AG Hubert Trunkenpolz said: “We are extremely excited to start a new partnership with such a historic motorcycle brand. Our brands are going from strength to strength everywhere in the world, particularly in North America, where we will exceed 100,000-unit sales in 2022 with the KTM, Husqvarna and GasGas motorcycle brands. Taking on the distribution of the MV Agusta brand will complement our extensive premium motorcycle range. With the addition of the most iconic Italian luxury motorcycle brand to our KTM North America operations, we are able to ensure support to all North American motorcycle enthusiasts as well as bringing exciting new business opportunities to existing and new dealers.”

The deal looks to make a lot of sense on the face of it. MV machinery is complementary to the Pierer Group’s existing brands, with little crossover, especially on the sportsbike front. Whether there’s more to come, in terms of KTM eventually taking on a larger portion of MV Agusta, remains to be seen.

CFMoto moves to KTM network in UK and Ireland

ON A MORE LOCAL FRONT, KTM EUROPE HAS taken on the distribution of CFMoto motorcycles in the UK and Ireland. Former distributor Quadzilla will, as its name suggests, concentrate on its main focus: sales and distribution of CFMoto’s ATV and SUV ranges. The move follows a long-term global relationship between KTM and CFMoto, which has been operating since 2013 and suggests even closer working between the firms.

Quadzilla’s Paul Miller said, “We have had the pleasure of supporting CFMoto with the growth of its motorcycle division for ten years. We have not only raised the profile of the brand in the motorcycle market within the UK, but also had race success at the Isle of Man TT and No Limits twins classes. Considering the rapid growth of the ATV and UTV sectors in our market, Quadzilla Ltd has decided that now is the right time to relinquish the distribution of CFMoto motorcycles within the UK and Ireland in order to focus on CFMoto ATV, UTV and SSV products. We will continue to support our dealer network, as well as KTM Europe in Austria, with the transition and are looking forward to seeing the continued growth of CFMoto motorcycles.”

Quadzilla will continue to honour the warranty of registered motorcycles during the transition process and has confirmed that any sold machine under warranty will be covered for the remainder of the period with the new distributor. CFMoto bikes remain available through the existing network at present, and Quadzilla is also set to supply spare parts for CFMoto motorcycles for the foreseeable future.

Global operation of KTM parent group expands again, with wideranging MV Agusta deal and CFMoto UK distribution agreement

TimurSardarov , MVAgustaCEO

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A shining performance

Triumph unveiled some smart new chrome-plated specials last month. The firm’s head of brand management, Miles Perkins, took Alan Dowds through the latest models and gave some insight into what makes the Hinckley firm tick these days

It’s always a good night out at the Bike Shed Motorcycle Club in east London. The surroundings are pleasant, the beer is cold, and there’s always someone interesting to chat bikes with. But tonight is even more special; I’m here for the launch of Triumph’s latest limited edition specials. The Chrome Collection is a series of modern classics and Rocket 3 cruisers, all with chrome-plated fuel tanks. The launch event is styled like a fashion show, complete with runway, spotlights, smooth compare and lots of attractive young things gawping at the bikes, Budvar in hand.

The bikes look great, but we’re also here to chat more with Triumph’s head of brand management, Miles Perkins. He’s been at Triumph for almost a decade and is the smiling face of the firm at press launches and new model unveilings. We grab a beer, retire to a quiet corner of the Bike Shed, and I start off by asking why the Chrome Collection is so important to Triumph. They’ve spent a lot of cash on this launch event for what is, effectively, a series of slightly posh versions of existing bikes.

Perkins smiles at my direct question. “Modern classics and Rocket make up a very big part of Triumph’s world, and they’re way over 50% of our sales. And with the Rockets and Bonnevilles, power, torque, tech and handling are dead central, but you’re not just chasing another horsepower.

People love the look of them and the style of them.

“So last year, the

team thought to do two things: answer people’s pleas for more colourful bikes, handin-hand with some more beautiful touches. We brought out hand-painted gold lines three years ago, which sold really well, and the dealers said, ‘wow, we wish you could do that with more of these bikes’. We got a great reaction from the media, dealers and customers. And the thought was, because of dealers’ reaction, how can we follow this up?”

And chrome plating seemed like an obvious next step?

“Triumph’s been chroming things for 30 years; Meriden, of course, was chroming things for the preceding 90. But we hadn’t done chrome tanks before, and the whole time I’ve been at Triumph, almost ten years, the conversation has been going on in design and engineering about ‘we’d like a chrome tank!’ There’s history there, the 1937 Speed Twins, the Triton era. We’ve done PR chrome bikes, and there was an Ewan McGregor chromed bike. But the challenge has always been getting the quality of something you’re prepared to warranty and know that it will last. Chrome is completely transparent. You put

a nickel layer down, then the chrome, and if there’s a flaw in it at the start, it stays there all through the process, it has to go in the bin, or start again. Each one of these tanks is five hours of individual work done by hand.”

Is the tank chroming done in-house by Triumph then?

“It’s done in Thailand, the design and concept process is worked out at Hinckley, but Thailand basically created a dedicated chrome facility. They’ve been chroming stuff for ever, but they put together a particular team for this. We did have the facility inspected by consultants and they said the quality of it was white glove, ‘jewellery’ level. Polishing is the thing: polish, process, polish, process…

“We think they’ll be successful – and they’re very keenly priced. The 900 is £350 more than the standard bike. With the 1200s, Scrambler, Bobber, and Thruxton, it’s £800 more for a full chrome tank, and it’s £900 for the Rockets. You couldn’t go to a customiser and get a tank for that. We’ve priced them keenly to give a new story, to bring people to look at the bikes.”

Did Triumph do much research into the demand for the chromed tanks then?

“Always. Bike shows, focus groups, dealers asking customers, and those special customers with whom dealers have closer relationships. There have been other chrome

Miles Perkins (left) chats with Alan Dowds

Scrambler 1200E Chrome

Bonneville Bobber Chrome

tanks from competitors over the years, it’s a beautiful thing to do to a motorbike, and we wanted to do it to them all.”

The Triumph dealer network plays a big part in these processes then, it seems. “The UK just had its dealer conference, where we showed these bikes. The plan always with dealers is to give them as much warning as possible so they have time to get under the skin of the story of a bike. They also got to see the new Street Triple, and the reaction was awesome.”

Perkins goes on to underline the importance of the dealer-factory relationship. “To have a good network, it’s a partnership. The dealer principals, their whole team, it’s a long game. Triumph are out seeing the dealers all the time, in conversation with them and we’re in partnership. That means we are doing our level best to inform, equip, promote, and support.

“And over the nine years I’ve been with Triumph, what have we done? What we call Triumph World Black, which is the dealer environment, signage, display, graphics, and everything that goes with that, has been rolling out, and on a global perspective, we’re at almost 100%. It costs money, it takes time and effort but delivers to the customers a cohesive experience. For customers, they look at our website and see the bikes, but when it comes to who’s going to talk about them, where are you going to see them? Where can you sit on them? The dealers are key.”

Perkins also reckons Hinckley is reaping the rewards from this. “We’ve broken every record the brand has ever had. That’s what our dealers have done. And that means they’re profitable, and if they’re profitable, they can hire good people, they can invest in their businesses, they can grow, that’s what matters.”

On a more prosaic level, how have the recent problems with supply affected Triumph?

“Over the last few years, it’s been challenging,” says Perkins ruefully. “We had the component problems, and we had Covid, we had a shipping crisis, then a component crisis. Everyone suffered; every customer of every brand who wanted a new bike, there was a good chance they had to wait. And for customers who waited for a Triumph – god love them!”

Uniquely, of course, Triumph is in a position to do something concrete about UK bike supply problems – by returning more production to Hinckley.

“The ramping up of manufacturing in the UK is part of ‘how do we build in flexibility’. We’re about to re-open the new line there. Having opened one 18 months ago, we closed it, reconfigured and are about to restart again. It’s a mixture of agility in terms of building to demand, but it’s also adding more flexibility to the distribution model.”

And it seems like Triumph has more to come in terms of new products and expansion. “For the past six years, we’ve launched nine bikes each year, it’s been so prolific. And now we’re on the verge of another one of those massive spurts. We have motocross and enduro coming, and through the partnership with Bajaj, singles are coming in a smaller capacity. So how do you bring younger riders to the brand, and how do you reach new customers? Make things they want, make them beautiful and make them things that are relevant to them.” ■

Rocket 3 GT Chrome

Museum restoration of oldest exhibit

IT CAN BE HARD ENOUGH getting the parts to restore a bike that’s 25 years old. So spare a thought for the folks at the Sammy Miller Museum, who’ve been beavering away to spruce up a bike that’s just turning 125 years old ...

The British 1898 Quadrant features a French Le Brutus engine, putting out a heady 1.5hp, and is a fantastic example of the very earliest pioneer machines used at the beginning of the last century. With an automatic inlet valve and mechanical exhaust valve, two-speed transmission and copper petrol and oil tanks, it seems completely alien to modern eyes. But as part of the British bike industry heritage, it’s priceless.

Starting is via bicycle-type pedals, there’s a unique shaft final drive system with roller sprockets, and there are four main controls for the engine – a compression release, plus throttle, mixture and ignition adjustments. Sounds almost as complicated as turning off the wheelie control on a modern KTM!

The Quadrant is the oldest bike on show at Sammy Miller’s Museum in Hampshire – which is well worth a visit for any bike fan. More info at: sammymiller.co.uk

New Suzuki sales incentives

Suzuki dealers will no doubt be cock-a-hoop after the firm launched a series of new models at the Milan show. But while dealers wait for supplies of the GSX-8S, V-Strom 800 DE and three new 125 scooters, the firm has launched two new deals to help get more business through the doors.

First up is the latest finance deal; interest rate hikes have seen an end to most 0% finance products, but Suzuki is offering a four-year fix on loan interest rates, with a 4.9% deal on HP and PCP agreements, and no deposit needed. The deal covers the Hayabusa, SV650 and V-Strom 650 models only at the moment.

Suzuki GB head of motorcycles, Jonathan Martin, said, “We’re acutely aware of the fact that there are challenges being faced at the moment, so, to help our customers, we’re providing the opportunity to fix their interest rate for up to four years. The result is a known monthly repayment that’s not going to change, providing certainty and stability. And at 4.9% APR it helps keep those repayments low and manageable and means they can put a new Suzuki in the garage for less.”

The other initiative is a new accident claims management programme, which is a service that has become popular in the aftermarket in recent years. It’s a first for a manufacturer, though, and looks to be a useful tool for dealers as well as customers.

The Suzuki Accident Aftercare Programme is a free service, available to Suzuki riders with any age of bike, and aims to make managing the aftermath of

a crash easier. It provides a single point of contact at a Suzuki First call centre for managing liaison with insurers, machine recovery, repair at an official dealer with genuine parts, claims management and any legal issues.

The programme obviously aims to increase business for official dealers instead of other third parties, and Suzuki is offering help in a variety of ways, from assisting with machine storage, recovery and return logistics, parts price support and market rates for labour.

Jacob Lewis, Suzuki GB’s customer retention manager said, “We pride ourselves on our level of aftersales care at Suzuki, and I think our customers and dealers will agree we put a great deal of effort into things like our Suzuki Service Promise and our Vintage Parts Programme. And we’re really pleased to be able to further demonstrate our commitment to our customers and Suzuki owners with the Suzuki Accident Aftercare programme. Managing the fallout from an accident is stressful, but we aim to make this process as easy as it can be, by handling everything on the owner’s behalf. Best of all it is entirely free of charge.

“The programme is also an opportunity for our dealers to increase their profit by taking on repair jobs that would previously go to third parties assigned by the insurance company without the customer’s involvement. We are able to support in a variety of ways so dealerships can maximise their returns.”

MAG wants input into self-driving laws

THEY MIGHT BE TAKING LONGER to arrive than many have predicted, but self-driving, or autonomous, vehicles seem to be just around the corner, with the UK government planning to have them on the road by 2025, with trials on motorways beginning just next year.

There’s clearly a massive amount of work to be done on preparing society for the changes, and as the latest government consultation ended last month, the Motorcycle Action Group (MAG) issued a statement asking for a more influential role for motorcycling in the safety debate and criticising the consultation’s proposal that self-driving vehicles will need to be as safe as a ‘competent and careful’ human driver.

MAG’s director of campaigns, Colin Brown, said, “Given the level of technological and scientific rigour needed to develop selfdriving vehicles, it is incongruous to then set a subjective safety target. You wouldn’t send a rocket to the moon saying ‘Hopefully it will end up somewhere in the vicinity of the moon’. Motorcyclists face being the first vulnerable road user group that will interact with self-driving vehicles. It is clear that there are many concerns which are entirely valid. Motorcyclists will play a role in the debate, and it must be influential. Self-driving technology should be developed to benefit humanity; we see no sense in forcing humanity to adapt to fit in with any of its shortcomings. If these vehicles cannot safely interact with us as human riders, then they have no place being rolled out.”

MAG’s statement reiterates the importance of the leisure side to biking, too. MAG’s response asks policymakers: “To note that not all road use is purely for utility purposes. Use of the road as a form of leisure is a legitimate use of the nation’s road infrastructure, therefore, riding a motorcycle for pleasure needs to be protected.”

MAG’s full response to the consultation is available on its website: www.mag-uk.org

Don’t bank on it

As life has moved inexorably towards online, so banks have been forced to re-evaluate their commercial operations. The result is a not just a raft or a spate of bank branch closures, but a decimation to the point that some towns have no branch at all with customers forced to drive for miles to find an open counter.

Most recently, NatWest announced in mid-October another 43 branch closures that will complete by March 2023.

According to the Consumer’s Association publication, Which?, in a report updated in October 2022, Bank branch closures: is your local bank closing?, since 2015 banks and building societies have closed some 5233 branches – an average rate of 54 a month. Worst affected are those under the NatWest banner – NatWest, RBS, and Ulster Bank –which will have lost 1234 branches by the end of 2023.

Lloyds Banking Group – Lloyds, Halifax, and Bank of Scotland –will have shut 924 by the end of 2023. Barclays will have closed (or scheduled to be closed) 962 branches by the end of 2022.

Of course, spending is very much digital now, whether via online purchases, smartphone/ smartwatch or by card.

But that doesn’t mean that cash is dead.

An August 2022 House of Commons research briefing, The future of local banking services and access to cash, noted that cash accounted for 45% of all payments in 2015. But five years later it is used in only 17% of transactions in

the UK. The pandemic reinforced this transition. However, the report found that cash still has a role to play in society. Specifically, it noted that “older people, those on a lower income, and people with certain physical and mental health problems are particularly likely to be affected if society went cashless.”

And while many firms are now cashless, a good number still

So, where does that leave businesses needing to bank cash when nearby branches have closed?

If banking involves minimal cash, then it’s perfectly possible to move from one of the big four high street (!) brands to one of the challenger banks. Starling is a good example, but there are others.

Although cheques are dying out, it is possible to bank them to a certain value electronically by submitting an image of the front and rear – but only if the bank supports this. Again, the challenger banks excel here.

accept it. This leaves those on cash only diets frequenting those firms that take cash.

Interestingly, the Bank of England’s third-quarter bulletin, Knocked down during lockdown: the return of cash, reported in midOctober that since coming out of lockdown, “there has been a sustained, if partial, recovery in cash use … this reflects people – up to 60% of the population – holding more cash as a store of value, which is a fundamental role of money.” And this will no doubt rise as the cost-of-living crisis grows as physical cash is easier to manage –a point noted in the Guardian, in an October story, ‘Cash use rises amid bank closures and cost of living crisis, says Post Office’.

Another option is to see if the bank is moving to a hub-type model where a single location shares banking services with staff from each bank working different days on rotation. According to the Evening Standard in September 2022, an additional 13 hubs are being planned to bring the current number up to 25. More are planned.

Alternatively, it is possible to use the Post Office network to undertake basic banking services – the deposit of cash and cheques. Anything else will necessitate a visit to the nearest physical branch.

Ultimately, over the long-term cash usage is expected to become increasingly rare. UK Finance, which represents the banking industry, thinks that by 2031 cash will account for only 6% of all payments. Regardless, a combination of decline in branch networks and long-term fall in cash usage means that banking is going to become more remote.

Banks and building societies have closed some 5233 branches –an average rate of 54 a month

Intercom plug and play deal

Industry standards are usually great for consumers: being able to plug your phone into any standard USB socket makes life easier all round, and things such as the Bluetooth standard make things simpler for the non-tech savvy. But it’s not so straightforward for manufacturers, who often want to make their own innovations and compete for sales.

So it’s good to see three key motorcycle intercom brands launching two new technical standards, which should help more riders connect to their friends’ chat devices, without worrying about which model or make they have, and also improve choice between brands and helmet fitments.

Cardo Systems, Midland and UCLEAR Digital unveiled the new Open Bluetooth Intercom (OPI) and the Universal Communications Solution standards earlier this year but presented them again at the Milan show last month. The two standards allow for seamless cross-brand Bluetooth intercom connection and easier helmet headset connectivity fitments respectively. The UCS has been compared with the car stereo DIN standards, because it defines the size and shape of helmet communication devices,

so helmet makers can provide one integrated fitting location for all intercoms and still comply with ECE 22.06 standards.

S.K. Hui of UCLEAR Digital, said: “UCLEAR has supported the concept of an open Bluetooth intercom standard for many years because it’s what our customers want, and what they deserve. OBI allows seamless intercom interoperability between brands and improves overall performance and reliability. Customers will enjoy more choice and less frustration.”

ASIAN EXPANSION

CARDO SYSTEMS HAS ANNOUNCED AN EXPANSION of its Asia-Pacific team, with the appointment of Vincent Peña as sales director. Peña said: “I am very happy to join the Cardo Systems team at such an exciting time for the business in APAC. I’m looking forward to working towards more riders understanding the joy of communication and building the already strong Cardo community. I look forward to working with the team and meeting our sales associates.”

SHORT CUTS

CHARITY GOLF DAY

STERLING INSURANCE, WHICH underwrites the Bikesure insurance brand, raised £12,000 for cancer charities at the recent Sterling Cup golf tournament. More than 65 golfers played at the Hertfordshire Manor of Groves course, raising cash for a range of UK-based cancer organisations. Funds will also go towards specialist treatment for six-year-old Archie Wilks,

SMART LIDS FROM DOWN UNDER AUSTRALIAN

has finally launched in the UK, with an introductory discount for early buyers of its MK1S lid. Forcite has developed its own bike helmet design, which incorporates an array of add-on electronics – action camera, speakers, microphones and a Bluetooth link – together with a ‘heads-up’ display that conveys information to the rider. The 1080p camera and HarmanKardon audio system connect to a smartphone app which also controls the LED display, which shows warnings about speed cameras, traffic conditions and navigation. The ECE 22.05/DOTapproved MK1S charges in about 90 minutes and lasts up to seven hours in use. SRP is £929, with the first 500 UK buyers offered a discount to £799. www.forcitehelmets.com/en-gb

whose father, Simon, works for the firm.

SMART HELMET MAKER FORCITE

From left: Alon Lumbroso, chief executive officer of Cardo Systems, Gabriele Torreggiani, vice president of Midland, and Wolfgang Hantz, UCLEAR Digital contact for Europe, the Middle East and Africa

International news

With financial editor Roger Willis

Against all odds

BMW MOTORRAD: THIN DATA

Traditionally, BMW Group provides the most meagre amount of information it can get away with in quarterly statements regarding BMW Motorrad operations. Nine-monthly and Q3 2022 numbers were no exception.

For the three quarters of this year so far, total revenue from the brand’s biker sideline has risen by 9.9% to £2.153bn. Operating profit fell very slightly by 0.3% to £279m and operating margin declined to 13% from 14.3%, while pre-tax profit was 0.6% up to £282m. Net profit grew by 6% to £229m.

Worldwide retail sales volume posted a marginal 1.7% increase to 159,333 motorcycles, maxiscooters and ePTWs. Ongoing semiconductor supply shortages were held largely responsible for such weak growth.

Within the period, July-September performance was considerably brighter versus a tough Q3 in 2021. Revenue climbed 28.2% higher, to £716m. Operating profit rose by 123.1% to £75m. Operating margin improved dramatically to 10.6% from 6.1%. Net profit was 159.3% up to £61m. Retail bike sales increased by 5.7% to 51,778.

As for anything approaching a fullyear forecast, BMW Group opined that its motorcycle segment deliveries to customers are still expected to increase slightly. The segment’s operating margin is predicted to

finish within a range between 8% and 10%, and return on capital within a range of 19% and 24%.

€-£ currency translation at forex rates applicable on 3 November

DUCATI: CUSTOMER LOYALTY PAYS

Admitting that a “challenging supply-chain environment” has delayed deliveries to customers, Ducati nevertheless filled its coffers admirably in the first three quarters of 2022 to date. Such success has mainly been due to “a strong price position” and focusing production on particularly in-demand models.

Although nine-monthly global retail sales volume for the brand grew by only 0.3% to 49,873 motorcycles, revenue was 21.1% up to

£751m. Resultant operating profit surged by 62.7% to £94m. Operating margin improved substantially to 12.5%, against 9.4% in the equivalent period last year, and is currently exceeding a long-term annual target of 8-10% by a considerable degree.

Wholesale shipments to dealers worldwide from plants in Italy, Brazil and Thailand increased by 19.1% to 56,196. European customers accounted for 54% of all retail, rising from 53% year-on-year. US dealers sold 13%, down from 15%. China was up to 8% from 7%. Other regions shifted 24%, falling from 25%.

Ducati’s Dual/Hyper segment spanning Hypermotard, Multistrada and Desert X products led the field at both wholesale and retail levels. Shipments climbed by 30.8% to 19,365 and retail sales were 13.2% higher at 16,881. Multistrada adventure variants were outright best-sellers for the brand, with 11,691 ridden out of showrooms.

The Naked/Cruiser segment, comprising Diavel, Monster and Streetfighter models, was in hot pursuit. Some 18,509 bikes were despatched to dealers, increasing by 27.9%. Their customers bought 16,467 of them, standing as relatively modest growth of 5.7%.

Scramblers proved to be the Ducati dunce, presumably because limited supply-chain resources were more profitably diverted elsewhere. Only 8545 were made and shipped,

With inflation, economic chaos and the disruption of a full-scale war in Europe, it’s nothing short of remarkable how well leading motorcycle manufacturers have performed over the first nine months of the year.

Financial editor Roger Willis analysis their results

a marginal 1.4% rise, and retail sales fell by 25.4% to 7109.

The Sport segment, Ducati’s premiumpriced headline act of glamorous supersport and superbike machinery, was also weak to some extent. Shipments grew by just 3.2% to 9777 and deliveries to customers suffered a 2.9% decline to 9416.

€-£ currency translation at forex rates applicable on 31 October

HARLEY-DAVIDSON: RESTRUCTURING BENEFITS

At first glance, Harley-Davidson figures for the nine months of 2022 to date suggested a steady pattern of reasonable growth. But they actually masked firm recovery from a temporary production halt in the latter weeks of Q2 and rapid acceleration out of wholesale inventory shipment glitches in Q3.

Total revenue for the three quarters to the end of September increased by 6.6% to £4.012bn. Within that, turnover from motorcycles and related products was 7.6% up to £3.485bn, even though wholesale bike shipments to dealers worldwide had virtually flatlined, just 0.4% higher at 160,072 units. However, YTD operating profit put on 9% to £788m and net profit grew by 11.3% to £608.8m.

The secret of fast-tracking organisational shifts, changing model mixes to overcome supply-chain issues and speeding up dealer inventory replenishment came to fruition in Q3. Overall quarterly revenue climbed by

20.9% to £1.432bn. The contribution from motorcycles and related products came in 23.8% up to £1.248bn, as shipments stacked on 19% to 57,061. The pay-off was a 65.9% boost for operating profit to £294.4m and net profit 60.3% higher to £227m.

are lowering our estimates for Q4 and 2023, though, to reflect management’s prudent decision to tightly manage the dealer channel, given the current macro-economic backdrop. We still remain quite confident in an ongoing turnaround.”

Nevertheless, Harley’s domestic and retail bike sales are still clearly constrained by Johnson’s aforementioned macro-economic backdrop, and specifically shortfalls of model availability owing to component scarcity.

Global deliveries to customers for the year to date were 9.4% down to 145,208 motorcycles. North American retail declined by 14.4% to 98,344. The EMEA region (predominantly Europe) fell marginally by 2% to 24,095. Latin America was 9.3% lower at just 2365. Only Asia Pacific prospered, 11.7% up 20,404.

Naturally, Harley chairman and chief executive Jochen Zeitz credited this Q3 production and supply bounce-back to his own strategic initiatives. But he was also supported by well-respected Wall Street analyst Gerrick Johnson, previously often a source of criticism.

“Harley-Davidson surpassed expectations behind much better than expected margin, robust shipments and stronger pricing, once again illustrating the significant improvement in operations and execution accruing from restructuring actions taken over the past two years,” said Johnson in a research note. “We

The Q3 portion proved to be a bit more promising. Total numbers sank by just 2.2% to 49,604. North American dealers sold 5% fewer bikes, on 32,154. EMEA retreated by 3.6% to 9054. Asia Pacific provided some light relief, gaining 17.7% at 7631. But Latin America plunged by 27% to a mere 765.

$-£ currency translation at forex rates applicable on 2 November

PIAGGIO:

STAR PERFORMANCE

Claiming to be unaffected by what Piaggio Group chief executive Roberto Colaninno described as an “extremely complex macro-economic situation”, his company finished the nine months of 2022 to date with its best results ever. 

Jochen Zeitz, Harley-Davidson

Overall revenue soared by 23.3% to £1.397bn, the highest turnover ever achieved by Piaggio within this timeframe. The contribution from powered two-wheelers plus related spares and accessories was 20.6% up to £1.151bn. Operating profit grew by 38.4% to £116.2m. And a record nine-monthly net profit added 37.4% to £61m. Net debt stood at £318.4m, 2.8% down from the beginning of this year.

Global unit sales volume in the period increased by 12% to 410,000 scooters and motorcycles. Turnover from PTWs was strongest in the Asia Pacific region, climbing by 55.1%, followed by the Americas putting on 44.4%. EMEA markets – principally European countries – rose by 7.7%. India managed only a 1% increase. Piaggio’s Asia-Pacific scooter manufacturing presence in Vietnam will shortly by joined by a new plant in Indonesia, scheduled to be in production before the year-end.

European scooter market share reached 23.5%, a 0.4% improvement. And the company further strengthened its positioning on the North American scooter market, with its dominant share also rising by 0.4% to 34.9%. Worldwide, scooters saw double-digit percentage growth in sales volumes, driven by record numbers for the Vespa brand. The Aprilia and Moto Guzzi motorcycle brands both apparently registered record sales too.

€-£ currency translation at forex rates applicable on 1 November

POLARIS: IN RECOVERY MODE

Although its 2022 year-to-date bottom line is still pretty awful, US off-road vehicle (ORV) and motorcycle manufacturing giant Polaris Industries enjoyed a much stronger third quarter as supply-chain bottlenecks were gradually eliminated.

For the nine months to the end of September, total revenue has risen by 11.6% to £5.346bn. Associated operating profit almost reached parity with the same period in 2021, just 0.8% down at £473.1m. But net profit nevertheless plunged by 38.2% to £217.6m. A considerable

rocketed, 31.7% up to £2.018bn. Operating profit surged by 60.7% to £219.1m. Net profit was 62.6% higher at £160.7m.

As usual, the large proportion of quarterly turnover from ORVs – including quadbikes and snowmobiles – was a key factor, soaring by 32.6% by £1.509bn. Principal driving force was accelerated production and wholesale shipments, thanks to a concerted effort to tackle supply-chain woes. Higher prices chasing the US inflationary spiral also played a significant role.

record quarterly sales. Looking forward, our diverse portfolio, commitment to innovation and strong financial position give me incredible confidence in our ability to deliver long-term profitable growth and shareholder value.”

$-£ currency translation at forex rates applicable on 26 October

YAMAHA: POINTED PRICES

Nine months into 2022, Yamaha boasted record net sales, due to continued leisure demand in developed countries and recovery in emerging economies. And it said profit, certainly at operating level, had increased thanks to cost reductions and “cost pass-through effects” –which sounds like weasel words for gratuitous wholesale and retail price inflation.

Total revenue grew by 23.1% to £9.998bn. Operating profit was 12.7% up to £1.038bn. But operating margin declined from 11.3% to 10.4%. And net profit fell by 2.8% to £792m.

Speetzen, Polaris Industries

However, the company admitted that its North American ORV retail sales in Q3 were about 10% down (a “high single-digit percentage” in secretive Polaris corporate gibberish). Inevitably, those inflation-proofed price increases had softened demand as they fed through from dealers to consumers.

The smaller on-road segment, encompassing Indian motorcycle and Slingshot trike brands, did better overall. Revenue rose by 29.5% to £288.9m, bolstered by “sequential improvement in component availability” increasing wholesale shipments, against a background of stable demand – in this case apparently despite higher prices. Q3 retail sales of Indian motorcycles in North America actually grew by around 10%, even though unit sales of comparable domestic market products in total fell by a “low single-

However, the company has lifted its full-year forecasts. Annual turnover is now predicted to rise by 25.2%, reaching £13.519bn. Operating profit should finish 20.7% higher at £1.309bn. The bottom line will hopefully increase by 4.8% to £970m.

Yamaha’s main Land Mobility division, dominated by motorcycles, has delivered a 23% growth in turnover to £6.462bn across the three quarters of this year to date. Associated operating profit was 9.6% up £394m.

Revenue specifically from motorcycles rose by 24.8% to £5.726bn. But worldwide unit sales volume posted only a modest 3.7% gain to 3.588 million bikes. Within that, emerging Asian countries were 25.1% up to £3.472bn in monetary terms, while volume added just 4.2% to 2.879 million. Volume spread over various other regions improved by 5.1% to 431,000, as related turnover hit a 37.4% surge to £853m. In every instance, prices were clearly racing ahead of available inventory.

The same phenomenon was evident in the developed markets of Europe, North America and Japan, where revenue climbed by 17.6% to £1.401bn, as combined volume suffered a 2.8%

Mike

HONDA: SHARP AS EVER

At the mid-point of its current fiscal year, the world’s biggest motorcycle manufacturer was easily thrashing competitors on almost every parameter.

Revenue for this AprilSeptember period stacked on a muscular 38% to £8.47bn. Operating profit went ballistic, 51.7% up to £1.347bn. Operating margin improved to 15.9%, from 14.5% in the equivalent six months of 2021. To put such an achievement in context, motorcycle business profitability exceeded the combined operating profit of Honda’s car manufacturing and automotive finance businesses by 6.3%.

Global wholesale bike shipments were 12.6% higher at 9.202 million. Asian markets took the biggest slice, 14.2% up to 7.9 million. Within that, India led the field, rising by 36.1% to 2.31 million. Vietnam put on 25.3% to 1.147 million. Thailand was 44.9% up to 702,000. But Indonesia

Pakistan and China were also lower, the former affected by large-scale flooding and the latter by ongoing Covid lockdowns.

Other emerging regions increased by 12.3% to 824,000. Among them, Brazil was by far the biggest player, 12.2% up to 567,000.

Developed markets weren’t so enthralling. Europe was worst performer, 21.7% down to 144,000. Japanese domestic sales fell by 9.5% to 114,000. North America grew by a thin 2.8% to 220,000.

Honda said that continuing semi-conductor supply shortages have been overcome to a great extent by utilising alternative parts and replacing some models

complex electronics. The brand has also made a commitment to introducing more than ten electric models globally by 2025 and is aiming for annual electric motorcycle sales of approximately 3.5 million by 2030.

For the full 12 months to March 2023, Honda has made some revisions to sales volume forecasts. The total number of bikes shipped to dealers is now expected to rise by 8.2% to 18.43 million, 130,000 fewer than originally envisaged. Europe’s allocation has been cut by 20,000 to 335,000. But North America will get an additional 5000 to reach 445,000.

¥-£ currency translation at forex rates applicable on 10

KAWASAKI: MISSED A TRICK

Despite admitting a failure to supply adequate inventory for its European network, the motorcycle division of Kawasaki Heavy Industries still hit a high note on global revenue and profits.

Total turnover for the half-year period rose by 28.3% to £1.621bn. Operating profit was 46.6% up to £172m. Operating margin improved to 10.5% from 9.2%. Worldwide wholesale motorcycle shipments expanded by 16% to 254,000 units.

Revenue from bikes shipped to developed markets increased by 14.5% to £548m. But it could have been better without stumbling shipment shortages for Europe, where volume suffered a 24.2% decline to 25,000 – 8000 fewer machines. North America didn’t share the same problem. The US and Canada flaunted a 24.4% rise to 51,000. Overall developedworld numbers were just 1.1% up to 96,000.

The trio of Japanese bike brands still resolutely resisting adoption of modern

years have nevertheless churned out some splendid old-school profitability. BDN financial editor Roger Willis reports

countries recovered by 27.4% to 158,000. Related turnover was 22% up to £338m. Volumetric star turn was the Philippines, adding 58.5% to 103,000. Indonesia put on 9.5% to 23,000. China and Thailand lost ground and Brazil flatlined.

Utility vehicles, ATVs and personal watercraft contributed a 49.3% revenue gain to £441m, with unit sales rising by 11.4% to 39,000. General-purpose petrol engines were responsible for the rest.

Enhanced fullyear divisional forecasts to March 2023 now predict revenue 22.8% up to £3.354bn and operating profit growth of 49.3% to £341m.

¥-£ currency translation at forex rates applicable on 11 November

SUZUKI: DIFFERENT DIRECTION

Having comprehensively abandoned motorcycle sports participation at a corporate level, from MotoGP downwards, and consigned the last apparition of its iconic GSX-R1000 superbike to the dustbin of history, Suzuki Motor Corporation is now destined to becoming a very different sort of company, we are told. How different is yet to be discerned.

Results to the end of September offer just a few small clues. Suzuki’s motorcycle business did rather well, considering a plethora of economic challenges. For the six months in question, total revenue jumped by 47.8% to £1.056bn. Operating profit from bikes went ballistic, 121.7% up to £92m.

The biggest chunk of turnover, though, was a 50.3% rise to £514m from Asian countries. North America slightly more than doubled its input to £161m. Europe contributed just £124m, 29.4% up. The message surely was mobility and lifestyle products are digging the company out of pandemic purgatory, rather than sporting fodder.

Production and sales volume support this thesis. In the first half, Suzuki made and shipped 969,000 bikes, a 12.9% increase. Global sales recovered by 22.9% to 960,000. Some 787,000 of them were sold in Asia, improving by 27.5%.

Biggest market was India, rising by 35.7% to 350,000. China added 10.2% at 245,000. The Philippines were 37.2% higher on 99,000. North America grew by 16.7% to a relatively modest 19,000. European sales, meanwhile, were 0.4% down to 18,000.

Pertinently, the results presentation page upon which volume data appeared, also hailed the world premiere of a new luxury Burgman Street 125EX scooter, to join new Address and Avenis 125 scooters in Europe next spring (see page 49). No mention appeared for new GSX-8S and V-Strom 800 DE prospects, sharing all-new 776cc parallel twin motors and launched for European consumption next year too. Obviously less important.

¥-£ currency translation at forex rates applicable on 9 November

Suzuki’s motorcycle business did rather well, considering a plethora of current economic challenges

Business

New CEO for MCE

There’s been a reshuffle amongst senior management at leading bike insurance firm MCE. Julian Edwards, the current CEO, is moving to become executive chair, and Alan Atkins comes in as the new CEO.

Atkins has been working in the insurance and finance sectors for more than three decades, and has worked at firms including PremFina, RBS, Bank of America, Premium Credit, Castle Trust and NIG.

Outgoing CEO and new executive chair Julian Edwards said, “On behalf of MCE Insurance, I am delighted to welcome Alan, who I have known personally for 28 years, to the senior management team. Alan has an impressive leadership track record and a reputation for innovation and driving growth. We look forward to working with Alan as the Group focuses on further market opportunities and delivering excellent products and services to customers”.

New CEO Atkins said, “MCE Insurance is a great company and one that I have dealings with since joining the industry 30 years ago. It is an impressive leader in

motorcycle insurance with fantastic people and I am absolutely honoured to be given the opportunity to help shape its future. The key objective will be to continue being the leader in our industry and the first choice for our customers. My focus will be on achieving that for the benefit of all our stakeholders and staff. I will be working closely with the Julian and Exco Team over the coming months so that we can look at all our strategic opportunities, and at pace. I have been on the MCE Insurance board since May 2022 and have a good understanding of where the business has its strengths and what actions we should take across our portfolio.”

OBE for Rea

IT’S BEEN A disappointing year in WSBK for Kawasaki factory rider Jonathan Rea, with hopes of another title slipping away. But the sixtime world champion was honoured last month for his services to motorcycle sport with an OBE presented at Buckingham Palace by Princess Anne. The OBE follows the MBE he was awarded in 2017.

Speaking about the award, Rea said, “I am truly humbled and honoured to be recognised yet again at this level for my achievements and contribution to motorcycling. It seems like only yesterday I was collecting my MBE from Prince William at the Palace, but to receive an OBE from The Princess Royal and be amongst so many amazing names and legends who have also received one, is beyond anything I could have imagined. It really is such a privilege for me to have been made an OBE in the late Queen Elizabeth II’s New Year’s Honours and to collect this honour not just for myself, but on behalf of my family, the wider Kawasaki Racing Team, and my fans in Northern Ireland and across the world.”

www.britishdealernews.co.uk

Alan Atkins becomes CEO of MCE Insurance (centre rear with BSB riders Jason O’Halloran left, Tom Sykes front centre and Peter Hickman right)

1. AREA SALES MANAGER FOR SCOTLAND

Competitive basic salary + uncapped bonus structure + car + benefits

Positions have become available in Scotland, managing the sales of an extensive portfolio of products and brands to an established and loyal customer base.

The successful candidate will of course have relevant sales experience. They will also be able to demonstrate a history of sales success, excellent interpersonal and organisational skills, as well as self-discipline, self-motivation and a determination to succeed.

2. BRAND AMBASSADOR: MERCHANDISING & TRAINING KEY ACCOUNTS (NATIONAL)

Competitive basic salary + bonus + benefits + expensed liveried vehicle

Oxford has a large field sales operation, designed to ensure the widespread distribution of our entire range of products by supporting retailers in all corners of the UK and Ireland. Our Brand Ambassadors perform an essential function within this team, supporting customers to ensure that our products are displayed to maximum effect in-store and shop staff are armed with the information they need to sell them.

Entirely field based and covering a large geographical area, the role is necessarily structured, yet highly autonomous. Brand Ambassadors are encouraged to use their initiative to achieve the best results; as a result, the work is varied and interesting. This specific role will operate nationally within our key accounts and therefore requires regular stays away from home and significant flexibility with working hours. The ideal candidate would therefore benefit from a relatively central location and/or one with good road links.

3. EXPORT BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER (EBDM)

Competitive basic salary + bonus structure + car + benefits

OXFORD’s vast range of motorcycle and bicycle products is distributed globally by a network of partners, who have helped the brand to achieve extraordinary growth in recent years. To support this growth, the company is looking to expand their export team by recruiting a dynamic EBDM. This highly autonomous role requires previous experience of account management and new business development into wholesale and/or national accounts; international sales experience would also be a significant advantage. Reporting directly to the Export Director, the EBDM will provide continued improvement of service levels to the company’s worldwide network of distributors and seek new routes to market, both within and without our core two-wheel industries. The aim is to maximise sales and market penetration in all countries; the primary strategy is to work with national distributors in as many countries as possible, but regional differences can require other approaches. This is a home-based role which will require regular overseas travel to support the distributor network.

Electric news

Team Greener

Two new models for Yadea

YADEA KEENESS SOUNDS MORE like a TikTok influencer than anything else. But it is in fact a brand new 125-class electric bike from the Chinese firm. Boasting a healthy 13.4hp peak power output and dual removable 2.3kWh rechargeable batteries, the Keeness (above) claims a range up to 80 miles, and has a practical naked design. The ‘fuel tank’ hides a 16-litre storage area, lighting is full LED and with USD forks and sharp design, it’s a goodlooking piece of kit.

Yadea also unveiled a new electric commuter scooter, the Voltguard VFV Pro, with a claimed 125 mile range and 7.3bhp peak power output. It has the same removable dual battery setup as the Keeness, with a pair of 2kWh units, under seat storage space, keyless ignition and

It’s been making ‘green’ bikes in the literal sense for a long time, but now Kawasaki has unveiled its plans to become green in the eco sense, with a path away from purely hydrocarbon-powered machinery.

At a presentation in Milan last month, Kawasaki Motors president Hiroshi Ito shared details on a range of new products, including hybrid petrol/battery powertrains, hydrogen-powered combustion engines and battery-powered 125cc-class bikes. There was a pair of production-ready A1 commuter bikes – a Z-style naked bike and a Ninja-style faired bike, both with a dual battery power setup and 3kWh capacity. They’re set to go on sale next year in Europe, with the more advanced hybrid design slated for 2024. The hybrid uses both an internal combustion engine and electric powertrain and can swap between them seamlessly as needed. This is common on cars, of course, but it remains to be seen how it can be incorporated into smaller, lighter motorbike designs.

Some of the more conceptual machines on show included an electric tricycle called “Noslisu” plus an

experimental hydrogen-powered supercharged Ninja H2 engine, using direct injection and compressed gaseous hydrogen. These seem to be a way off still, but Kawasaki reckons they show how committed the firm is to internal combustion engines and research into future fuel types, as well as conventional carbonneutral tech. Expect more – and more production ready stuff – as the slated 2030/2035 ban on petrol engines comes closer.

Voltguard VFV Pro

Super Soco adds trio to its 2023 line-up

Stash

It’s the most popular electric bike brand in the UK, and now Super Soco has unveiled another three new models for next season. Released at the EICMA Milan show, the Stash, ON-R/OFF-R and the F01 cover a wide range of needs, from simple urban mobility to dirt riding and ‘proper’ motorcycling.

The Stash is a production version of the prototype shown last year, and the name refers to the storage space in the ‘petrol tank’ which can hold a full-face helmet. It’s a lively piece of kit, with 15kW (20hp) peak power output, and top speed of 75mph when using the boost function for overtaking. It charges in around 3.5 hours from a

domestic 13A socket.

The ON-R/OFF-R is the same bike in two forms: with road or dirt tyres respectively, to suit the customer’s needs. Super-light at just 84kg, it can be homologated as a 30mph moped (L1) or 125cc (L3) license category with a 53mph top speed.

ON-R/OFF-R

Finally, the F01 is a commuter spec scooter formerly only available to fleet customers. It’s also doubly homologated as a moped or 125 class machine. www.supersoco.co.uk

F01

Lloyds turns electric with Maeving

LIKE MOST BIG FIRMS, MAJOR banks are keen to burnish their green credentials these days. So it was probably a no-brainer for Lloyds Banking Group to get behind up-and-coming electric bike maker Maeving in a new finance partnership. The deal will see the British-built battery bikes backed up by the Black Horse brand’s range of financial product, helping it get customers onto its £7k retro-styled electric roadsters.

Nick Williams, transport MD at Lloyds Banking Group said, “As the UK’s market leader in automotive funding and leasing, we’ve made supporting the transition towards a zeroemission future central to our vision, helping motorists and companies make the move to electric. Our partnership with Maeving is a really exciting development for us. It’ll help more people go electric, and our shared ethos and ambition mean we can help each other on our respective journeys to net zero.”

Will Stirrup, co-founder at Maeving, added, “As a new UK manufacturer, Maeving is delighted to be working with the UK market leader for vehicle asset finance. Through a deep and constructive partnership, we were able to integrate a Blackhorse finance quote to a customer’s journey directly through our website. To our knowledge this is a first for an EV motorcycle manufacturer.”

In October, battery-electric bike registrations once again fell at a much faster pace than the market as a whole – 32.8% down to only 415 machines – as the big price difference versus ICE equivalents was clearly scuppering demand while money got tighter. However, the year-to-date picture remains stronger, 13.7% up to 5782 units over ten months. And YTD market share held station at 5.6% of all new PTWs for a second consecutive month.

MCIA statisticians have now done a splendid job of aligning the relevant kilowattage power bands with rider licence categories, which makes them easier to understand. Sadly, the information contained therein for October was thoroughly bad news.

The up-to-4kW band (AM licence) fell by 28.5% to 211,

with 23 units of the 2.8kW Horwin EK1 moped scooter claiming highest-registered status. The 4-11kW band (A1 licence) was 35.3% down to 178. Vmoto’s best-seller 4.8kW Super Soco CPx scooter dominated, on 40 units registered.

The 11-35kW band (A2 licence) was virtually moribund, flatlining on just four units, three of which were 15kW-rated BMW CE 04 scooters. 35kW-plus machines requiring a full A licence weren’t much better, plunging by 73.1% to a mere seven units. None of them gained a highest-registered accolade.

A new unspecified “exempt” category slumped by 54.5%, from eleven to five bikes. Three of these were Electric Motion Escape R offroaders. A further ten unidentified bikes, up from seven, completed the overall tally.

Will Stirrup, co-founder at Maeving

Off-road news

With off-road correspondent Rick Kemp

Off-road shock as TMX closes

As some of you will know, the 27 October issue of Trials and Motocross News (TMX) was the last edition of the weekly off-road tabloid. Title owner, National World Publishing, let it be known that the brand has sunk without trace, so there will be no more website, blog or even a memorial publication.

The decision to knock TMX on the head is rather puzzling, given the buoyant state of the off-road sport nationally and globally. Sadly, no one from the publishers was available for comment at the time of going to press. Dwindling advertising revenue and increased paper and distribution costs have hit the print industry particularly hard this year which may have been a contributory factor in the title’s demise.

The publication had a reputation as the world’s leading off-road weekly, and had been in continuous production for the last 45 years. For the trade, it used to be the go-to outlet for advertising products and services within the off-road world.

BIRTH OF A LEGEND

The birth of Trials and Motocross News coincided with the beginnings of this correspondent’s own career in motorcycle journalism, and I can recall taking part in a rather interesting coast-to-coast off-road trip back in the day from Morecambe to Whitby led by TMX’s Mike Sweeney. In fact, it was that trip that kindled my burgeoning interest in trail riding.

“It was a complete shock when we received confirmation from National World Publishing that issue 2323 would be the last edition of

TMX to be printed,” admitted TMX editor of eight years, Anthony Sutton. “The truth is that we were retaining great reader numbers, and our audience is, without doubt, the most engaged in the UK – people who live, breathe and bleed off-road motorcycle sport. The same can be said of the advertisers who have backed us to what has sadly proved to be the end.

“It’s very disappointing to be put in a position where we are unable to continue doing what we do. The team here puts in 100% effort on a weekly basis, and quite often

section, purchased products from countless advertisers and entered a plethora of events featured in the Regs Available pages. I also read the hallowed pages to follow the trials and tribulations of countless heroes in a multitude of sports. Heck, I even featured in the results myself once or twice! As a reader, I think everyone would agree that TMX has been invaluable.

goes above and beyond, to ensure that the newspaper arrives in the hands of its readers 51 weeks of the year.

“In addition to the newspaper, www.tmxnews.co.uk has been a regular port of call for online users around the globe 24/7 for well over a decade, offering a slightly different spin on things than the printed product. While the website will stay online, it will no longer be updated.

“On a personal level, I’m devastated as TMX has always been a massive part of my life. As soon as I could read, I pored over the pages, bought and sold bikes in the classifieds

“To eventually work on the product as the editor and to lead the team that carries the mantle for something that is way bigger than any of us, or anything else in the off-road universe for that matter, has been a complete privilege.

“It’s incredibly sad that this is the end for TMX – for the British off-road community as a whole. Thanks to every reader, advertiser, contributor, editor and team member who has played a part in TMX’s success – your input and support have meant everything.”

Subscribers have been assured that any outstanding credit will be refunded in full. Contact 0330 403 0066; subscriptions@ nationalworld.com, or text 07723 350848.

It’s incredibly sad that this is the end for TMX – for the British off-road community as a whole

New junior ATV from CFMoto

With the news that KTM has taken over distribution of CFMoto’s motorcycle range (see page 8), distributor Quadzilla now has more capacity to concentrate on the brand’s core market of ATV and SSV vehicles.

The first new model arriving under the new regime is the CForce 110, a new junior sports ATV suitable for riders aged from 10-years upwards and it’s available this month (December). The distributor claims it offers excellent value at £2099 SRP, as well as superb performance and a whole suite of built-in safety features, making it the ideal first sports ATV for young riders.

On the safety side, the CForce 110 is equipped with a magnetic tether, adjustable speed limiter, LED lights and a flag. Further specifications include a 3.5-inch LCD display which sets a new benchmark for junior ATV models, front and rear disc brakes, and a 110cc single-cylinder fuel-injected engine providing a top speed of 42km/h. The 6.7-litre fuel tank offers a decent range too. The double A-arm independent front suspension and mono mid-placed rear shock absorber do a great job at tackling rough terrain with up to 157mm suspension travel.

Available in blue or red, the CForce 110 comes with a two-year parts and labour warranty.

Updated Husqvarna 701 models for 2023

Husqvarna has announced the 2023 versions of its 701 Enduro and 701 Supermoto machines are available now in striking new colour schemes. These machines feature advanced technology and the latest electronic rider aids to boost the riding experience both on and off-road.

The two models are equipped with an intelligentlydesigned LCD dashboard which includes a USB port for charging navigational devices and an RPM display and gear selection indicator are visible at a glance. Riders can personalise their machine by selecting from two ride modes and by activating, or deactivating lean-angle-sensitive traction control. The 701 Supermoto has a Brembo Monoblock four-piston front brake caliper and 320mm brake disc to ensure superior stopping power on the Tarmac. Common features include a ride-by-wire throttle and a power assist slipper clutch. Both models have the same specification 74hp, single-cylinder motor, with prices to be announced this month.

All-electric Corvus hits the showrooms

Launched at this year’s Game Fair on the Ragley Hall Estate, Warwickshire, the all-electric Corvus Terrain EX4 is now available to dealers. This is an electric 4x4 capable of tackling the toughest of tasks thanks to its off-road capabilities. The engine is a 13kW 48V motor capable of hauling a payload of 620kg and the EX4 has a towing capacity of 755kg in low and 479kg in high. The steel cargo box has a 300kg load capacity and there is a front storage boot and convenient under-seat area to keep the essentials handy.

The EX4 has a top speed of 25mph and is equipped with a dual-power selector for ‘Range’ and ‘Power’ and its 15kW lithium-ion battery is designed for quick and convenient charging. It offers 309mm of ground clearance and the choice of two or four-wheel drive. There are three versions of the Terrain EX4, with a cab and other accessories available. Prices start at £25,499 for the Base EPS model, £26,499 for the Pro EPS and £28,499 for the CAB EPS in a choice of white, orange or green.

UK Corvus distributor Boss ORV has announced a new partnership with dealership Godstone All Terrain. Established in 2020, Godstone has already built a wide customer base in the South East covering the broad area of Surrey, Sussex and Kent with a showroom in South Godstone, Surrey. It offers an extensive range of quad bikes and utility vehicles for farm and off-road use, and now, with the Corvus Terrain UTVs, road-legal 2wd and 4x4 utility vehicles. These are approved to EU T1a standards and equipped with automotive safety windshield glass, three-point belts, indicators, headlamps and brake lights, horn, mirrors and windshield wipers. The Terrain EX4 is similarly approved and includes these features.

Boss Off-road Vehicles 01597 810188 sales@bossorv.co.uk

Can-Am grows its Irish presence

Bombardier Recreational Products (BRP) has appointed Cowan Bros in Northern Ireland and Pro Trailers & Machinery in the Republic of Ireland in an effort to grow Can-Am’s share of the Irish utility vehicle market.

Cowan Bros is a family-run business with more than 50 years’ experience in the construction and agricultural sectors. It will be adding the Can-Am off-road line-up to the products sold at its two depots based at Mallusk, Co.Antrim and Eglinton, Londonderry.

Pro Trailers & Machinery is a specialist agricultural equipment dealer which will be expanding its premium products with the addition of the Can-Am off-road line-up. The agreement forms part of its ongoing business strategy to continue strengthening its product offering with vehicles that are suitable for use in a variety of industries.

Mike Loach, BRP commercial manager UK & Ireland, says, “The Irish market is continuing to grow, so we are delighted to be adding both businesses to our growing dealer network. Bringing on these two knowledgeable and experienced dealers will enable customers to benefit from the wide range of versatile workhorse ATVs and SSVs that are available in the Can-Am off-road line-up.”

Desert race fifth place for charity

THE AFRICA ECO RACE IS ONE OF THE TOUGHEST DESERT RALLIES IN the world, stretching over 15 days through the most extreme terrain in north Africa. British charity Two Wheels for Life is an official charity partner for the event, and it teamed up with the official Yamaha Factory Racing team for the 2022 race last month. Two Wheels for Life supports healthcare delivery in Africa by supplying low cost motorcycle transport for health workers, amongst other projects – so it’s a fairly appropriate event to work with.

The Ténéré 700s of Pol Tarres and Alessandro Botturi took part alongside cars, bikes and trucks, and finished with Tarres in fifth place and Botturi in 24th. Two Wheels for Life supporters also had the chance to win a rallyspec Ténéré 700 as raced by Tarres and Botturi in a prize draw, along with off-road training days from the two racers for the runners-up.

More info and draw entry at www.twowheelsforlife.org

KYMCO GETS SERIOUS

BIG PUSH

ALAN DOWDS REPORTS

It’s one of the biggest names in twowheeled commuters across Europe. It’s worked with Honda, Kawasaki and BMW on high-profile joint projects. And it’s on the verge of launching a whole new range of high-tech machinery, including electric bikes, three-wheeled leaning trikes and futuristic urban mobility products.

KYMCO RANGE

KYMCO PRIDES ITSELF ON its high-tech, premium machines, and reckons that it’s closer to high-end Japanese and European brands than cheaper Chinese-made bikes and scooters. Its range focuses on scooters, from entry-level mopeds and 125s, up to the flagship AK550 twin. The firm is also developing into new sectors, like the three-wheeled CV3 which BDN rode at the press event, and new electric urban mobility machinery. Finally, it makes a range of quality ATVs, and has a division that sells premium e-bikes in Europe too. Our man Dowds had a spin on the Kymco range at a recent press launch.

But, unlike in the rest of Europe, the Kymco brand isn’t a common sight on the streets of the UK. Indeed, you’re more likely to see its products trundling along pavements or through shopping malls at walking pace –Kymco’s healthcare division is the market leader in the UK, and its electric mobility scooters are the top sellers in the premium sector of that burgeoning market.

But there’s a new team in charge at the top of the Kymco UK scooter and bike operation; and it has big plans to grow the brand’s petrol-powered products here. That team has been in place for several years now, after Kymco’s previous importer, Masco, collapsed suddenly into liquidation in July 2017. The

Taiwanese firm needed a solution – fast. Luckily, though it had just the man on the spot. MD of Kymco UK, Mark Hermolle is a keen motorcyclist, and had been running the healthcare side of the business since 2008. But, as he told BDN, he’d been watching Kymco’s two-wheeled division for a long time. “I was always interested in getting involved in the bike side,” he said. “I’ve been involved with Kymco since 1999 through the other ventures in mobility – we designed the ranges of mobility scooters together and worked extensively with the R&D team in Bologna. We founded the mobility company in 2008, and on the mobility side, we’ve been number one in the market for 12 years now, probably longer.”

VSR 125

The VSR 125 is a ‘proper’ geared 125cc motorbike, and while it’s a step below premium Japanese machines like the Yamaha MT125 and Honda CB125R, it’s a decent enough performer, and good value at £2750. The air-cooled engine will just about hit 70mph with me on the back on a long run, and the styling is spot-on for the sector. There’s even an echo of the old Honda NSR125 logo on the tail unit.

DTX360 320

The £5559 DTX360 is Kymco’s take on the ‘adventure scooter’ concept, and it’s a solid performer. The 320 single cylinder engine is strong enough to hit an indicated 80mph and while the off-road potential is probably minimal, it’s a handsome beastie. It comes with a traction control system – a definite boon in this sector – but the small-ish underseat storage space struggles to take a normal full-face helmet.

AGILITY CITY 125

The Agility is the top-selling 125 scooter in several European markets according to Mark Hermolle. It’s a simple, basic commuting tool, with few thrills, but solid value for just under £3k.

A

FROM THE TAIWANESE FIRM AIMS TO RAISE ITS BRITISH PROFILE AND EXPAND THE DEALER NETWORK.

From left to right: Jeff Wu (vice chairman), Mark Hermolle (managing director), Neil Keeble (sales manager), and Thomas Bradford (marketing manager)

Having the UK healthcare firm take on the bike, scooter and ATV business made a lot of sense then. But Hermolle had a massive job on his hands when Masco collapsed. “It was a really difficult time, we had a long history with Masco, and unfortunately that happened, so it was quite tricky to get it all going. We had to transfer a lot of things down to Bridgend [Kymco’s HQ] from Masco in Shrewsbury.”

Then, of course, Covid-19 appeared in early 2020, and put everything on hold. “Just as we started to get the ball rolling, recruiting staff, getting to know the dealers, Covid hit us. It was a challenge,” the affable MD told us.

Now though, with the pandemic in the rearview mirror, Hermolle has got Kymco UK back on track. The firm has taken on a new national sales manager, Neil Keeble, formerly of Honda UK, and keen young marketing man Thomas Bradford. It’s appointed the Motocom PR firm to help look after its press and PR functions. And it’s launching a campaign to polish the Kymco brand image in the UK, while also revamping its dealer network.

“We’re positioning ourselves in the premium space in the petrol business – both ATVs and bikes. That’s the aim, thanks to our history and heritage and the kind of companies we’ve partnered with over the years; premium firms like BMW, Honda and Kawasaki. We’re quite proud of those associations, and want to continue that and to carve out a position in the UK.”

Keeble outlined the moves Kymco is making on the dealer relations front, in order to grow and improve the network, where needed. “We have a dealer recruitment programme, and our whole mantra is we all believe the right direction is working as partners with dealers. It isn’t a dictatorial mandate, we want to succeed with them, because we have a relationship, and they are working with our product. We want it to be a two-way business partnership, genuinely”

Hermolle agreed. “It’s very much a winwin scenario: when the dealer wins, we win together. It’s a partnership.”

AK550

Kymco is competing in some tough territory here: the likes of Yamaha’s T-Max and the (discontinued) Suzuki Burgman 650 set high standards in the full-bore maxi-scooter sector. The AK550 acquits itself well: the 52hp parallel twin engine is strong and willing, and the chassis has a definite sporty edge, with Brembo performance brake calipers and sticky Pirelli tyres. There’s decent levels of hightech, with heated grips, keyless ignition, LCD dash and Bluetooth phone connection, plus there’s a GT version coming out next year that will feature a cornering ABS setup. It’s not cheap at £9899, but that’s around £2500 less than a T-Max.

One other concrete area that the firm is working on right now is having the right finance deals – both for dealers and customers. “On dealer finance, we already partner with DF Capital and are very happy there. The biggest single thing we need to get in place is a partnership with a renowned retail finance company, and those meetings are currently underway. We would hope that a partner will be announced around NEC time.”

In terms of product, one major development area for Kymco is electric. It’s a founder member of the swappable batteries initiative and has a wide range of Ionex electric scooters in production, with more on the way, as Hermolle told us. “On electric, there are other products coming, including some products which are very successful in Taiwan. The Super7 and Super9 are extremely popular in the 125 space. But there are also things that we’ve shown in the past: the SuperNex superbike concept, and in development now at the Bologna R&D centre is the RevoNex which is very relevant in the UK. It’s a naked, performance, 700cc class machine, with a six-speed gearbox, slipper clutch – a ‘spirited rider’ type vehicle rather than a twist and go bike. So, we’re very excited, as you can imagine.

“It’s not here right now and not going to be a short-term thing but when it’s fully developed by the design team in Bologna it’s going to be exciting times for us.”

Kymco is aware that not all dealers are ready for electric though. “We

KYMCO HISTORY

KYMCO WAS ORIGINALLY FOUNDED IN partnership with Honda back in 1964. Taiwanese businessman Guang-Shu Ko was friends with Soichiro Honda and signed a deal for technology transfers from Honda to Kymco. Over the next 20 years, Honda invested in Kymco as a strategic overseas production partner and the Japanese giant became a major shareholder.

By the early 1990s, Kymco was producing vehicles under its own brand name, and in 2003, it bought back its shareholdings from Honda, making it an independent company again. Earlier this year, in January 2022, Kymco signed a deal with Harley-Davidson, taking on 4% of the LiveWire electric bike maker, and agreeing to become a strategic engineering, design and production partner.

With eleven overseas subsidiaries across the world, six production centres outside Taiwan and a home production base covering two million square feet, it’s a serious company.

don’t want to foist the electric product on dealers who don’t want it, don’t understand the tech or don’t understand the customer base,” said Keeble. “If any dealers are used to selling in that market, are happy to get involved and have the drive to push electric sales, then we are more than happy to work with them – it would be a fantastic top-off to the rest of their Kymco franchise. We’re also very much open to developing relationships with electric-only specialists as well.” 

Kymco UK 01656 645755 www.kymco.co.uk

CV3

BDN rode a prototype version of this machine (pictured above), which uses the AK550 engine in a leaning three-wheeled trike chassis, eligible for car drivers to use. It’s a bit weird at first, but once you adapt to the slightly quirky steering mechanism, it’s a fun, solid piece of kit. The 550 motor makes it quite lively off the mark, and it comes with decent equipment levels again. It will be on sale in Q1 2023, at an SRP of £11,999.

The I-ONE, part of the Ionex range

DOUBLE DEALER HONOURS

At the back end of last month, East Sussex dealer JS Gedge had a double celebration: 125 years of being in business and 60 years a Honda dealer. Rick Kemp witnessed the occasion

If it’s heritage you’re after, then you need look no further than JS Gedge. The original shop in Silchester Road, St Leonards-on-Sea, is still in existence and is now a Triumph dealership. The business expanded in the 1970s to nearby Pevensey Bay, which eventually became the Honda showroom.

The company is still owned and run by the Gedge family, and as the celebration was, in part, down to Honda, the venue was the Pevensey Bay showroom. The main attraction on the day was John McGuinness and his Honda race bike.

The day’s itinerary included guided demo rides, McGuinness talking the audience through a

filmed lap of the TT followed by a Q&A session, free raffle tickets and giveaways. McGuinness was kept busy with customers taking selfies of themselves with

thank you to our customers.”

The demo rides were led by Andrew’s father, Trevor Gedge, who also plays an active part in the company’s rider training

Gedge-supplied Hondas on the road. In fact, Andrew says that in the local catchment area, a third of all the motorcycles are Hondas supplied by JS Gedge. The repeat business is impressive, as are personal recommendations, which reduces the advertising necessity, another bonus of having been in the area for such a long time.

“We get a lot of repeat business – once people have dealt with us, they rarely go elsewhere. That is down to customer service. If everyone is selling the same product, the only thing that is going to stand out is either the price or customer service, and these days prices are tightly controlled by the franchise terms.”

the TT ace. According to group sales manager Andrew Gedge, the event attracted around 250 customers, all of whom were fed and watered throughout the day.

“It was a celebration for the staff as well as an opportunity to say

programme, which gets potential customers through their CBT.

Honda models are used for rider training, and the programme is partially subsidised to make the whole process more attractive, with the end result being more

Andrew is still happy with the range that Honda can offer. “They’ve got a sports bike, obviously, the Fireblade, but they know that’s not the main focus these days. There are a lot of people using scooters for work, Deliveroo drivers for example, and they all want to be on a Honda. We’ve had a bumper year with Gold Wings, of which we’ve sold more than ever this year. Honda knows its market very well and it can adapt quickly when needed.”

As you would imagine for a company that’s been in business for 125 years, the back story is quite involved. It was originally

We get a lot of repeat business –once people have dealt with us, they rarely go elsewhere. That is down to customer service

From left, Andrew Gedge, Mick Willsher (valeter), Connor Burchell (apprentice technician), Shaun Penfold (after sales manager), Trevor Gedge and John McGuinness

established in 1897 by John Surtees Gedge, as a manufacturer of the Royal Hampton cycle and an agent for Rudge Witworth cycles. The company sales ledger indicates that the average retail price for a cycle in those days, in today’s money, would have been about two grand – Halfords eat your heart out.

The next generation took over the bicycle business after the Second World War. David Gedge took the company from bicycles to motorcycles via the Cycle Master, ironically a German invention, being a bicycle with a motorised rear wheel. This was followed by the moped boom with models like the NSU Quickly, Norman Nippy, Puch Maxi and many other step-thrus. This led inevitably to oriental offerings and in 1961 David made JS Gedge the first Honda dealer in the UK as well as anticipating the mod movement and the scooter boom with Lambretta.

A further succession took place when the current managing director, Trevor Gedge, took charge in 1969. Franchises for

JS GEDGE TIMELINE

Suzuki and Yamaha soon followed and the latter is still retained.

Vespa was also added to the list of available machinery keeping pace with the expanding scooter market. The Pevensey Bay branch was opened in 1975 and was initially home to the Kawasaki and BMW brands.

Following more brand growth at the two main sites, the Hastings Honda Centre was opened. When, in 1998, Triumph was taken on at the original St Leonards shop, some brand consolidation was necessary and today Triumph and Honda are the mainstay of the business.

As Andrew is keen to point

1897 John Surtees Gedge establishes JS Gedge, manufacturing and selling bicycles in St Leonards-on-Sea

1947 David Gedge takes over, selling Cycle Master followed by NSU, Norman, Garelli and Puch

1961 David starts importing Hondas directly from Japan

1962 Takes on Honda franchise

1969 Trevor Gedge takes over and gets Suzuki franchise

1971 Yamaha and Vespa franchises are added

1975 Pevensey Bay shop opens with BMW and Kawasaki franchises

1986 Hastings Honda Centre opens

1998 St Leonards gets Triumph along with Kawasaki, Suzuki, Yamaha, Vespa, Derbi and Piaggio

2004 Andrew Gedge starts at Pevensey Bay with Yamaha solus

2007 Triumph solus moves to Pevensey Bay

2012 Honda solus goes to Pevensey Bay and Triumph solus moves back to St Leonards-on-Sea

2022 JS Gedge celebrates 125 years in business and 60 years as a Honda dealer

That’s what heritage does for you, you can’t buy that or attend a course on it. It’s got to be in the genes. Speaking of which, Andrew has a choice of four daughters to hand the business on to. 

JS Gedge’s original St Leonards shop is now home to the company’s Triumph store

HOW A HOLDING COMPANY WORKS

Most are familiar with the idea of incorporating a business to create a separate trading entity that, among other things, will protect business owners and their personal assets should the company fail.

But beyond the ‘standard’ company, there also is the concept of a holding company – an entity whose primary business is to hold a controlling interest in other companies.

DEFINING A HOLDING COMPANY

As Rory Smith, a corporate and business tax manager at accountants Mercer & Hole, outlines, a holding company is usually a company limited by shares. He says that “often it does not provide goods or services

to customers, though it can. Rather, holding companies hold the controlling shares in other companies which carry on the business.”

These other companies are generally referred to as subsidiaries and have a definition in law. The Companies Act 2006 says that “a company is a ‘subsidiary’ of another company, its ‘holding company’, if that other company holds the majority of the voting rights in it, or is a member (shareholder) of it and has the right to appoint or remove a majority of its board of directors, or is a member of it and controls alone, under an agreement with other members, a majority of the voting rights in that company.”

THE POINT OF A HOLDING COMPANY

For Stephen Allender, a senior tax manager at Shorts, there are several practical reasons why holding companies are created.

The first he says is to reduce risk: “If a company undertakes multiple trades, or has separate investments such as property, then stripping these out into separate subsidiary companies under the common control of a holding company should be considered.” This is because under a group structure, the risk to the trade of the subsidiaries would be minimised should one part of the overall group perform poorly or become insolvent.

To this Smith adds another perspective – that “where a subsidiary becomes insolvent, creditors cannot usually target the holding company, unless it has provided guarantee in support of its trading subsidiary which is often the case in finance documents and lease agreements.”

The use of a holding company can help a firm control risk across various business interests

Another allied benefit of a holding company is pointed out by Smith – if an operating company fails, and the intellectual property or real estate is held by its holding company, “a layer of protection for the holding company shareholders is provided as a potentially valuable asset is often beyond the reach of the creditors of the operating subsidiary.”

But as Allender comments, this protection can also be applied to “other assets such as trading or investment property, plant and machinery and excess cash to allow for investments.” Operating this way means that subsidiaries take on the daily operations of the business and its trading responsibilities, but assets can be leased to subsidiaries and are protected from creditors and general inherent risks that are associated with trading companies.

THE MATTER OF TAX

Those running a company will be aware of the potential for tax planning with a corporate entity. A similar potential applies to holding companies. Here, Smith highlights the benefit of group relief where losses can be transferred between companies in the same group. But he says that for this to apply, “one company must be at least a 75% owned subsidiary of the other, or they must both be at least 75% owned subsidiaries of another company in the same group.”

Where the holding company trades, then it will have corporation tax obligations like any other company. Furthermore, Allender says that quarterly instalment payments are payable by companies that have taxable profits in excess of £1.5m during an accounting period. And if a company has any related 51% group companies –where it is 51% owned by, say, a holding company – the £1.5m threshold is reduced by dividing the annual rate by the number of related group companies. “This,” says Allender, “needs to be considered as it could accelerate the corporation tax payable by the trading company.”

Moving on to dividends, Allender points out that they “can pass between subsidiary companies and the holding company without incurring tax charges.” Even better, he tells how tax exemptions available mean that where a company owns more than 10% of the shares in another company, and sells those shares, there will usually be no tax to pay on any gains arising.

SEEK ADVICE

But what if there is an existing company – how does the process of forming a holding company work? Smith says that “it would be usual to incorporate the holding company and for it then to acquire the existing company by way of a share for share exchange.” This, he adds, requires bespoke tax advice and usually advance tax clearances from HMRC. In most instances with planning, it can be carried out without a tax charge.

For both Allender and Smith the main reason for undertaking clearance is to protect shareholders against claims from HMRC that the transaction was set up to avoid tax. As such, HMRC will be looking at the motive for the transaction to determine that it is being undertaken for bona fide commercial reasons.

But when it comes to transferring land and property, Smith says that it may be possible to transfer real estate between group companies without triggering an immediate Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) charge as there is stamp duty relief for intra-group transfers. He warns, however, that “for SDLT purposes the definition of a group is more restricted and there is significant anti-avoidance legislation.”

There’s also the matter of VAT. Here Smith says “it is possible to form a VAT group where the companies are in a holding company and subsidiary relationship and thus supplies of services between each company in the VAT group does not attract VAT.” But there is a downside of this arrangement – all members of the same VAT group will be jointly liable for any debt due to HMRC which can defeat one of the objects of creating a holding company in the first place.

As for the risks of not seeking clearance, Allender highlights the chance that HMRC can deny relief under the share for share rules, “which would effectively create a capital gains tax charge on the shareholders based on the value of the shares held. Furthermore, there is a risk that HMRC could make a counteraction that the transaction falls within the transaction in security rules, which can effectively give rise to an income tax charge to the shareholders on the value of the shares.”

SUMMARY

Holding companies aren’t just for multinational firms, they are perfectly at home in the world of SMEs. However, the reasons for setting one up must be clear and good advice is necessary if one is to be set up – if only to keep HMRC happy.

A layer of protection for the holding company shareholders is provided as a potentially valuable asset is often beyond the reach of the creditors of the operating subsidiary

Rory Smith, a corporate and business tax manager at Mercer & Hole

Stephen Allender, a senior tax manager at Shorts

Marketing Matters MATTERS MARKETING

Expert advice to improve how you promote and sell yourproducts or services

TOP MARKS IN MILAN

It’s been three years since I visited the EICMA exhibition in Milan and over that time I’d forgotten quite how big it is. Six cavernous halls filled with stands representing more than 1300 brands from 45 different nations and a 38% increase in visitors made for packed aisles.

There is a lot to take in when you only have a day to spare, so preparation is key; I’d listed everyone I needed to see and worked out the best route to follow around the show, so I wouldn’t waste time retracing my steps or wandering around in a bewildered daze. Up early, with my Doc Martens firmly laced, I strode through the turnstiles and into the throng.

And that’s when it struck me. Not only is this an occasion to see the latest bikes, clothing and accessories presented for the first time, it’s also a marvellous opportunity to get some marketing inspiration with an international flavour.

With so much on offer, it’s not easy to make your products stand out. While power walking along the aisles between meetings, I couldn’t help but notice the sheer number of young women in skimpy lycra outfits sitting astride motorcycles. Not for the obvious reason, but because I really thought we’d moved on from this sort of thing. F1 abolished the practice of hiring grid girls back in 2018, so not only does their continued use look dated, it is also off-putting to prospective women customers. They’ve turned into a distraction, rather than an attraction. So full marks to Moto Guzzi, who came up with a modern twist, with young male and female models wearing cool

adventures on two wheels. Getting noticed for all the right reasons.

Two other stands stopped me in my tracks as I strode past on my bouncing soles. First was a KTM dirt bike that had been dismantled and then suspended on fishing lines in a frame, rather like a 3D exploded diagram. It was the work of Italian magazine Dueruote, who were launching their new online parts marketplace. Clever stuff and relatively inexpensive to create too.

Then there was the clothing brand Holy Freedom, literally going for gold, with a golden custom flat-tracker and matching leather jacket glittering under the lights. When you’re competing with some of the biggest names in motorcycle apparel, you need to do something

being overshadowed and this definitely caught the eye.

And finally, Peugeot Scooters should get mentioned in despatches for the life-sized statue of a lion in the style of their logo –I really wanted to take a selfie sitting on it, but I chickened out at the last minute!

All of these ideas could be translated to work in a window display, on a showroom floor or even on a website and I’m already looking forward to returning next year to see what bright ideas are on show.

NEXT MONTH

DAN SAGER FOUNDED THE FAB-BIKER PR AGENCY IN 1996 AND HAS been advising businesses in the motorcycle industry on marketing matters ever since.

Dan Sager takes a break from thinking about marketing on a budget and travels to Milan, looking for inspiration at the international EICMA motorcycle show

It’s a marvellous opportunity to get some marketing inspiration

It’s back to the business of marketing on a budget, asking what can your suppliers do to help?

The latest news and views in the world of business

Hazards and pitfalls of incorporation

Selecting the appropriate business structure is an important decision and it is not uncommon for a business to start as either a sole trader, owned and operated by one person, or a partnership where there are two or more people, before incorporating into a company. Incorporation involves the creation of a new legal entity to which an existing business can be transferred. So where do owners go wrong?

SEPARATE ENTITY

Being a separate legal entity, the company needs its own bank account and the funds in that account belong to the company. A company is owned by the shareholders and run by directors although in a small business these are often the same people; the assets of a company belong to the company, and the director-shareholder can’t use the company account as their personal piggy bank, even if they own 100% of the shares.

If the director wants access to cash held by the company, then they will need to pay themselves a salary or vote dividends, both of which will have personal tax consequences for the individual.

TRANSFER OF ASSETS

On incorporation, a decision must be taken regarding what assets of any existing business are to be transferred to the new company. The transfer of assets such as property, plant and machinery can all have tax consequences. There are reliefs available to mitigate the tax costs of incorporation, but certain conditions will need to be met.

which is taxable on them. It is often simpler and more cost effective for a director to keep their car and recover business mileage at the approved mileage rates, although this does require them to keep records of their business mileage.

Whether or not to transfer property such as trading premises into the company is also a big decision with a lot of competing factors to consider.

Particular care needs to be taken with assets which are used both in the business and personally, and also with land and property.

Consider a director’s car. If a director transfers their vehicle to the company as part of the incorporation or gets the company to buy a car which they can use privately, then a benefit in kind will arise

If the decision is taken to transfer, then there will be upfront costs including fees for transferring any mortgage to the company, and taxes such as Stamp Duty Land Tax (or LBTT/LTT in Scotland and Wales) and Capital Gains Tax. The property will also form part of the company’s assets in the event of a claim against the company. But if the property is kept out of the company – which may allow for the charging of rent and help to protect it from claims against the company as well as being simpler – that could reduce the availability of Business Property Relief (BPR) in the future and claims for tax reliefs on future sales could be affected. BPR is a

The transfer of assets such as property, plant and

can all have tax consequences

Essentials

with Adam Bernstein www.abfeatures.com

acting to promote the success of the business and exercising reasonable skill and care as well as avoiding or managing conflicts of interest between what is for the benefit of the company and what would benefit the director personally. Failure to do this can result in serious legal consequences for the director who might be held liable personally for any failures to uphold their duties.

COMPANIES HOUSE AND COMPANY ACCOUNTS

Company accounts are more formal than partnership accounts and need to be prepared in accordance with specific reporting standards and filed with Companies House where they are then made publicly available.

very valuable relief which can exempt up to 100% of the value of qualifying assets from Inheritance Tax.

OVERDRAWN DIRECTORS’ LOAN ACCOUNT

One consequence of failing to keep company and personal expenditure separate can be an overdrawn directors’ loan account. If this is not spotted early there will be interest and penalties to pay.

If the director has put money or assets into the company then the company owes the director and it can, when there are funds available, repay the director. The problem arises where a director draws more money out of the company than the company owes them, which is effectively treated as a loan to the director. If this loan is not repaid within nine months of the company’s year end, the company must pay what is effectively a penalty charge of 32.5% of the amount overdrawn at the year end to HMRC. Either the director will need to transfer money (or assets) back to the company or vote themselves more dividends or salary – which will have a personal tax consequence – to give

them the funds to repay the loan.

If the director is overdrawn by more than £10,000 at any time during the year, they must also pay interest to the company at a minimum rate set by HMRC or be assessed as a benefit in kind.

INFORMING CUSTOMERS AND SUPPLIERS

It is important to inform customers and suppliers that the business has incorporated as they need to know they are now dealing with a different legal entity. In addition, all websites, email signatures, letterheads, stationery, invoices, order book etc all need to be updated to show the company’s name, where it was registered (England & Wales, Northern Ireland, Scotland or Wales), the registered number and the address of the registered office. A company that does not disclose all the details required risks fines for both the company and the directors.

STATUTORY DUTIES

A company director must fulfil, by law, certain responsibilities to the company. These include

Although, particularly for small companies, the amount of accounting information which is provided to Companies House is not great, there will be some loss of privacy, and personal details about the directors and controlling shareholders will also be publicly available. Directors need to ensure details held by Companies House are kept up to date.

Further, there other Companies House filings required by law such as the annual confirmation statement.

TAX COMPLEXITY

In addition to preparing the company accounts, the company will need its own Corporation Tax return while it is very likely that the directors will continue to need to complete and file personal tax returns via self-assessment to report salary, interest or dividends paid by the company.

IN SUMMARY

It’s very easy for a business owner to misunderstand the law in relation to companies. Good advice is essential.

HELEN THORNLEY

Helen Thornley is a technical officer at the Association of Taxation Technicians.

Zero’s sales surge

Everyone knows that there is a legislative drive to end production and sales of new internal combustion engined vehicles from 2030, with a complete ban on the sale of new petrol powered bikes expected in just over 11 years’ time. Already we’re seeing the legacy manufacturers teasing prototypes and concept vehicles, but there’s one American company which already has 16 years of experience building high performance all-electric motorcycles.

Zero Motorcycles are deadly serious market leaders in the sector. Like Tesla, their Californian neighbours, they’ve ploughed the electric furrow while others laughed, and now they’re ready to reap the rewards of their efforts. The company recently announced a $107m round of investment, with backers including automotive giants Polaris and Hero Corp, while the new DSR/X adventure sports machine has received near universal acclaim following its launch a few months ago. To all intents and purposes Zero is a brand which really is going places.

Having grown from a mere three dealers five years ago to more than 20 today, the continued growth in the market means

that Zero is looking to further expand its network in 2023 – filling its last remaining open points in the UK and Ireland. Country manager Dale Robinson, a former operations director at Magic Group, has been the driving force behind the brand in that time and he told BDN that the company now has a structure in place to put Zero in pole position for the electric revolution.

He said: “It’s been quite a journey. The past few years have been about putting the building blocks in place to support the dealer network and the end customer, which we didn’t necessarily have when we sold a handful of bikes back then.

“We’re working with some of the best companies in the industry. DF Capital are providing our dealers with wholesale funding, while Moto Novo have created a range of special finance deals for Zeros. I’ve also been working

closely with insurance companies to help them better understand our range of bikes and customers. That allows them to offer competitive quotes in line with traditional petrol engine bikes, and that combines to give us a much easier product to sell.”

Robinson says that the dealer support has improved significantly in recent years with

Electric motorcycles are the future, but for American EV specialists Zero Motorcycles they’re very much right here, right now

The Zero SR/S – MCN Electric Bike of the Year 2022

Zero’s 2022 ‘Experience Electric Tour’ generated over 2000 leads and contributed 23 verified sales

Scooterised in North London, the UK’s first solus Zero dealership

team, Cees Lengers joining as UK marketing manager and Marcus Fouracres as our UK field service engineer. They’re both working very closely with the dealer network, in Cees’ case supporting sales incentives, point of sale materials and marketing, while Marcus has allowed us to provide technical training and support locally, instead of from the Netherlands as was the case before. This has been a really important appointment and gives a lot of support to workshops as they make the transition from petrol to electric.”

And while not all British bikers are sold on the idea of going electric, Dale says that the tide has definitely turned.

“The product is good,” he says. “We’ve spent a lot of time educating the public and we’ve done that through a comprehensive test ride programme, called the Experience Electric Tour. I’m a petrol head and was probably as cynical as anyone before I first rode a Zero, but immediately when I felt all that torque, I knew there was something in it. I can give numerous examples of situations where I’ve met with potential new dealers who have felt the same, grudgingly having a go to get me out of their hair and then coming back saying ‘where do I sign!’

“They are a product that needs to be ridden to be experienced. I could spend the next hour talking to you about all the features and benefits, or you could take one out and in ten seconds flat you start to understand what they are all about. Customers want to compare electric vehicles against what they are used to, which is understandable, but the reality is the way they make their power means they are incomparable and have to be experienced to be believed. That’s why we ask all dealers to run two demo bikes, on special terms, and why Experience Electric has been so important to us. We can’t expect customers to make the change without trying them first and the tour has generated thousands of leads, which in turn have resulted in verified sales. And even if they aren’t yet in a position to purchase, the tour allows us to change perceptions by offering a no stress environment in which to learn more about electric. This has been good for addressing the prejudices held by some bikers and so often at shows we’ll be approached by people whose mates have ridden one of our bikes and told them how much they enjoyed it. That word of mouth is so important for breaking down the stereotypes.”

Zero’s sales growth has coincided with a large investment in product development. All development and production remains in the USA, with models like the latest SR/S, MCN’s Electric Bike of the Year, and the new DSR/X being the result of a new platform. They offer an increase of almost 40% more range than the comparable models from five years ago, with the latest SR/S offering more than 180 miles of range in the city, with a genuine 110+ available on open roads. Charging times have been reduced, with recharge times of less than an hour now possible.

“Customers are now a lot more electric savvy than they were,” Dale continues. “There

ZERO LOOKING FOR NEW HEROES

ZERO’S AMBITIOUS PLANS FOR 2023 sees it looking to appoint new dealers across the British Isles, with open points in Northern Ireland, Newcastle, Leeds, North Wales, Oxford, South London, Brighton, Luton and Southampton. Open points are:

• Luton

• Oxford

• South London

• Southampton

• Brighton

• Leeds

• Newcastle

• North Wales

• Northern Ireland

If you’re interested in adding a premium electric line-up to your portfolio, email Dale Robinson at dale. robinson@zeromotorcycles.com to express an interest and for more information.

are a lot of electric cars on the road now, so the terminology and way of approaching EVs are not new to them. Fear of the unknown is much less of a thing than it once was and it is something we notice when working at shows and events. People know that home charging usually gives them all the range they need and they understand that automotive grade batteries are durable and won’t need to be thrown away in a few years’ time.”

advantage of the opportunities presented by the fleet market. We’re also seeing the emergence of a second hand market for electric bikes and are working on programmes which will help our network sell these with confidence.

That said, Zero is still taking a belt and braces approach when it comes to warranty – offering an industry leading five year, unlimited mileage warranty on the battery pack to instil consumer confidence.

“We’re doing everything we can to make Zero a good and sustainable business partner,” Robinson continues. “There’s some serious investment in Zero and the UK is an important market, the third biggest in Europe. I’ve been a dealer principal myself and I understand the challenges in the marketplace. Zero is a premium product and we’re offering good margins and pay standard labour rates for warranty work. In addition to the team here in the UK, dealers can rely on support from the European headquarters in the Netherlands, which is also the distribution hub for motorcycles and parts. We’ve also got a long-term PR agency in Potski Media, who provide local communications and social media support, while there is also specialist support for dealers looking to take

“I think that everyone in the industry recognises that electric motorcycles have an important part to play in the future of motorcycling, and we offer dealers something new to help them future proof their portfolio. Our best dealers are the ones who really embrace electrification and who understand that the bikes and customers need to be approached in a slightly different way. Small things, like getting a dedicated EV charging point so that customers can see how easy and quickly the bikes can be charged can make a big difference when it comes to converting sales, and having staff actually using the bikes on a regular basis really helps them to understand what Zeros are all about, and to help them confidently answer questions customers may have about charging and range with first hand examples.”

Zero are looking to appoint up to ten new dealers in 2023, with a number of open points in the south, as well as Northern Ireland, North Wales and Leeds. 

dale.robinson@zeromotorcycles.com

There’s some serious investment in Zero and the UK is an important market

The

latest products for your showroom Products

Rizoma E-pop

RIZOMA IS WELL KNOWN FOR ZHUZHING UP MUNDANE machinery with a pinch of Italian style and a splash of colour. The company’s new E-pop bar-end mirrors meets those expectations by combining CNC machined aluminium mounting arms with lightly textured technopolymer mirror backs in a selection of vibrant shades. The mirrors are E-marked for compliance with homologation standards and can be fitted above or below the bars depending on preference. They come in a choice of Ciano (blue), Lime (green/yellow), Magenta (pink) or Neutral (white).

Rizoma; +49 714 2918 9623; info@rizoma.com

Monteira Drystar XF 45

THE MULTI-SEASON ALPINESTARS

Monteira Drystar XF is an adventure-style jacket designed to ensure that riders are protected and comfortable in all climates and weather conditions.

Made from a breathable two-layer laminated waterproof fabric with a water repellent coating for additional wet-weather performance, the Monteira comes with plenty of zippered vents to provide cooling ventilation and a collar that can be fastened open for hotter days. It is Tech-Air (Alpinestars’ airbag system) ready and is fitted with CE level 2 Nucleon Flex Pro armour at the shoulders and elbows. It comes in men’s sizes S-4XL in three colours – black with red trim, grey with red trim, or black/grey with blue trim for an SRP of £499.95. Alpinestars; 0039 0423 5286; sales@alpinestars.com

WK Bikes MXI 125

WK BIKES HAS LAUNCHED A NEW maxi scooter, the MXI 125. Aimed at commuters, new riders and the burgeoning delivery market, the MXI 125 has a large underseat storage area and a fuel-injected motor. Up front there is a digital dash with a USB charging port, a tall windscreen and LED lighting, plus discs front and rear connected by a combined braking system. The MXI 125 comes in blue or grey for an SRP of £2599 plus OTR charges, including a two year warranty.

Quadzilla; 01507 523000; sales@wkbikes.com

Malossi 205 kit 5

The modern reinterpretations of classic scooters have been a successful niche market for manufacturers Royal Alloy and Scomadi. Owners of these retro scoots are just as keen as their classic-owning brethren to improve performance so as not to be left standing by a hopped-up Vespa, so Italian tuning specialist Malossi has developed a 205cc engine kit to provide some extra thrust.

Using an aluminium alloy 63mm cylinder with a reinforced piston and low-friction rings, the new motor provides extra power and torque throughout the rev range. SRP is £376.56.

VE (UK); 01159 462991; sales@ve-uk.com

BUILT TO CELEBRATE MOTO GUZZI’S 100TH anniversary (which was actually in 2021, but let’s not split hairs) the new V100 Mandello is a showcase for the technology, styling and engineering of the brand.

The sports tourer is the first bike in the world to incorporate active aerodynamics – deflectors on the sides of the fuel tank adjust position depending on speed and riding mode – which reduce wind blast on the rider by up to 22%. Other firsts include a six-axis inertial platform to provide data for the cornering ABS and semi-active suspension, and it’s the first factory Guzzi to have a quick-shifter.

The motor is a completely new 115hp “compact block” V-twin, which shares not a single component with Guzzi’s previous engines. It displaces 1042cc and is smaller and lighter than its predecessors, with drive going to the rear wheel via a six speed gearbox and an updated shaft drive. The steel tube frame uses the engine as a structural component to

improve stiffness, which helps the Ohlins Smart semiactive suspension found on the V100S.

Technology includes a ride-by-wire throttle and four riding modes which adjust power delivery, engine braking and traction control, as well as engaging the aerodynamic aids. LED lights are fitted front and rear, the dash is a 5-inch colour TFT screen providing all the data the rider needs, and Moto Guzzi MIA Bluetooth connectivity is provided to allow customisation of the dash, phone connectivity and GPS functions, which include relaying the phone’s map info onto the instrument panel.

The £13,500 standard version has standard suspension and comes in white or red, while the better-equipped £15,750 S version has the active suspension, heated grips, tyre pressure monitoring, and Bluetooth system included and is available in green/grey, or black/grey.

Piaggio Group; 00800 818 29800; www.piaggio.com

Mivv for Tuareg 4

list for Featherlight cables. The clutch and throttle cables feature a marine grade stainless steel inner wire, surrounded by a Teflon liner for reduced friction, which in turn is protected by a Teflon-lined hardened nylon outer sleeve. They can come in standard length or in custom lengths from 25mm600mm longer than OE for custom bike builders or to suit raised bars. SRPs start from £56.23. Venhill Engineering; 01306 885111; sales@venhill.co.uk

APRILIA’S TUAREG 660 HAS RECEIVED A LOT OF attention from various accessory manufacturers over the past few months, and now it is the turn of exhaust maker MIVV to supply some new kit to dress up the adventure-style middleweight. Two slip-on systems have been tweaked to fit the Tuareg: the Dakar and the Speed Edge. Both systems fit without interfering with OE side cases and claim to improve the looks and sound, as well as giving a marginal boost to performance – an extra 1.1hp for the Dakar and a single extra horse for the Speed Edge. The Dakar comes in pearled natural (€430) or black finish (€460) stainless steel, while the Speed Edge is in either titanium (€604) or black ceramic coated stainless steel (€578) with a carbon fibre end cap and fixing bracket.

Moto GB Distribution; 01706 212102; mivvgb@gmail.com

Moto Guzzi V100 Mandello

Key to the new season

Located in a top secret location in a Bristol industrial estate, the Key Collection doesn’t advertise its presence to passers-by, preferring to keep a low profile to counter miscreants with nefarious aims. However, within the unassuming exterior lies a voluminous warehouse rammed with stock, plus a showroom area which serves as a place to show off the latest additions to the ranges.

First on the long list of new launches that will be in dealerships for the 2023 season

is a new full face helmet from Italian brand Premier. Not only is the new Evolution compliant with the latest ECE 22.06 regulations, it is also available from stock already. It features a Dyneema Carbon Aramid (DCA) fibre shell and the removable and washable liner comes with a selection of extra pads in the box to adjust the fit to suit different head shapes. It also has grooves for glasses, as well as provision for an intercom system to be fitted. There are two visors in the box, one clear and one dark tinted, which can be fitted with the included Pinlock 70 insert, along with a fitted tinted drop-down visor. It comes in a choice of five graphic options or matt black for an SRP of £299, pitching it headlong into the competitive market sector of fully-featured but affordablypriced helmets.

Premier has also developed the first open face helmet on the market to comply with the ECE 22.06 regulations – no mean feat, as illustrated by the numerous design revisions it took to get the retro-style lid through the testing house’s scrutiny. The sticking point was increasing the lateral stiffness of the shell enough to get it through the

squeeze test without making it so bulky that it fails to achieve the svelte silhouette that cruiser and custom riders demand. To do so took a completely new design for the shell, which comes in two sizes, using DCA material to provide the required strength. It comes in a wide range of retro style colour and graphic options for an SRP of £249.

Silkolene has been busy polishing its green credentials, a tricky endeavour for a company trading oil, by trying to minimise packaging waste. It’s had 4-litre and 20-litre “bag in a box” style containers for a while, but it now can provide one-litre pouches of oil that look like an oversized CapriSun drink. If that is a step too far, then the regular-looking one-litre bottles are now made from non-black plastic so that they can be

more readily recycled.

Duchinni asserts that it has the biggest range of kids motorcycle clothing in the industry, and its latest developments have added more weight to that claim. Its range for 5-15 year-olds has been extended with the Tundra aramid-lined jeans and the Stealth aramid-lined hoodie, plus the Grid jacket, which comes with six Velcro patches to swap around for a touch of personalisation. It has extendible sleeves to add a few extra centimetres of growing room and five-piece armour. All are £99.99 SRP.

WEISE MOVES

Weise clothing has been a staple own brand of the Key Collection for 30 years now, and the watchword for the brand has always been protection – every jacket, from the budget options to the top of the range models, come with five-piece armour. Every pair of trousers has both knee and hip armour.

And every piece of clothing

“A one stop shop for dealers” is how the Key Collection likes to style itself, and a comprehensive list of new products for 2023 means it fulfils that self-appointed role with aplomb

Premier’s new ECE 22.06 launches include the Evolution, and the open-face Vintage in a variety of colours and graphics

From left: The Drift is a practical bomber jacket ; the Condor has classic retro style but remains everyday usable; the mighty Core Plus caters for a rapidly expanding market

comes with a twoyear warranty.

New models from the Weise stable for 2023 include a new urban jacket – the Drift – which is made from 600D polyester with a laminated waterproof lining. A removable thermal lining makes it suitable for colder days on the bike, while a detachable hood provides style and practicality during off-bike use. It only comes in black, for an SRP of £199.99.

The Ozark is a moderatelypriced option for customers wanting a laminated jacket, coming in at £299.99. For temperature control there is a 100gsm quilted thermal liner along with four front and two rear air vents. Little touches to improve the user experience include soft-touch Velcro on the storm flap (so as not to scratch your fingers) and a lower-fronted collar to allow more space for a suitably sturdy windproof neck tube. Matching trousers are £249.99.

For riders wanting to exude retro vibes, the Condor brushed cotton jacket ticks the box with its classic four-pocket styling and quilted material detailing. For everyday use, the material has been treated with a hydrophobic coating to repel water, plus there is a fixed waterproof liner and a removable thermal gilet. It comes in black or blue, both with dark reflective piping to keep things subtle, for an SRP of £199.99.

And lastly, a couple of more niche products that fulfil a very targeted brief. The Vision range consists of four garments – a

water proof jacket, lightweight jacket, overtrousers and a gilet – all made from a light grey highly reflective material that lights up when illuminated by an external light source, such as car headlamps. Then last, but definitely not least, there is the Core Plus range of jacket and trousers for the larger rider. Many jackets are available in multi-XL sizing but this often means they just get bigger in all dimensions, meaning they become a poor fit around the arms and shoulders. The Core Plus range has been designed specifically to give extra capacity in the areas that most need it –around the stomach, upper arms and thighs – while not making it loose in areas which don’t carry so many of the extra kilos. Stretch materials and accordion panels are used in strategic areas to allow some wriggle room and better comfort. It’s a unisex design that comes only in black, but provides a more relaxed fit for larger gents and ladies at £179.99 for the jacket and £159.99 for the trousers.

With Premier, Kovix, Duchinni, Silkolene, Scottoiler and Weise on its roster, plus the huge range of Gear Gremlin accessories which includes everything from covers to cleaners, locks to L-plates, the Key Collection’s intent to be a “one stop shop” for dealers becomes an entirely plausible proposition.

The Key Collection 0117 971 9200 www.thekeycollection.co.uk

KOVIX SECURITY PRODUCTS ARE gaining market traction and it is becoming a brand name that is being frequently searched for online, as well as being asked for in dealers’ showrooms. Kovix has long been recognised for its highquality disc locks, and its latest KAL14-SS stainless steel bodied model has a 120db alarm fitted which is louder than an aircraft at take-off. But as well as it’s core disc lock range, Kovix also covers other security products such as padlocks and chains, ground anchors and brake lever locks. To show off the full range dealers can now purchase a POS display stand, complete with all the stock ready

Duchinni’s junior range includes the Grid jacket, which comes with six interchangeable Velcro patches so that kids can customise their look

BMW S1000RR

BMW HAS UPDATED ITS S1000RR SUPERBIKE BY upping its already prodigious power output to 210hp with an accompanying hike in torque to 113Nm. Revised frame and suspension geometry helps to keep everything the right way up, with downforce assistance from new aero-optimised fairings and winglets. The updated S1000RR comes in metallic black, white, or red colour options at prices from £17,150.

BMW; 0800 777155

Clarke heaters 56

THE LATEST GRAPHIC OPTION FOR HJC’S top-end RPHA 11 helmet veers away from the Marvel superhero and supervillain aesthetics of recent years with a design based on the massively popular Call of Duty video game series. Styled around the skull-patterned balaclava of digital protagonist Simon “Ghost “ Riley from the Modern Warfare II episode of the game, the lid retails for £519.99.

Oxford Products; 01993 862300

DESPITE A LONG AND MILD AUTUMNAL PERIOD, winter temperatures will eventually cool down many a workshop. To avoid having to wrap up technicians in blankets, or provide hand warmers so that fingers still work, a space heater will rapidly take the chill out of the air. For big workshops or warehouses, the diesel or paraffin fired XR80 provides up to 20.5kW of heat with a tank big enough to run for up to 12 hours. It comes with a handle and wheels to make it easy to move around and has flame failure cutout and a thermostat included in its £335 SRP. For smaller areas the Little Devil II is a portable propane-fired heater with a 10.3kW output. It comes with a regulator and hose to connect to a gas bottle of choice for an SRP of £114.

Machine Mart; 0115 956 5555; www.machinemart.co.uk

Oxford Filterbuds

Tried

Tested

WORKSHOP DESIGNER

SEALEY HAS LAUNCHED AN ONLINE WORKSHOP design tool so that buyers of its modular storage system can optimise the layout of their workspace. You simply set up the dimensions of the room or space you want to renovate and then drag and drop various units into position, viewing in 3D from whatever angle you choose. Once the design is done, all the units and worktops specified are added to an itemised quote.

Sealey; www.sealey.co.uk/ workshop-designer-intro

MT Thunder 3 colours 5

MT’S BUDGET-PRICED FULL FACE THUNDER 3 helmet has been updated with a trio of new graphic options – Slang, Sniper in two colour options and Turbine, which comes in five colours. The eight new colourways cover a helmet with a multi-density EPS liner, quick release fastener, drop down sun visor and a Pinlock-ready visor. It comes in sizes XS-2XL and is SHARP four-star rated, as well as ACU Gold standard, and has an SRP of £119.99.

Oxford Products; 01993 862300; info@oxprod.com

SOME SORT OF EAR PROTECTION SHOULD BE USED by all motorcyclists as hearing damage isn’t a case of “if”, more a case of “when”. According to experts, riding a motorcycle at 70mph can cause permanent hearing damage in just four minutes. Many bikers (even dealers, who really should know better!) use no protection at all, others use general purpose disposable foam earplugs which block out all noise frequencies, making the use of in-helmet comms systems a complete no-no and making it difficult to hear the engine.

Oxford Products’ new Filterbuds are a new entrant into the reusable silicone plug sector of the market, designed to provide decent hearing protection while still keeping the biking aural experience. They are made from a soft and flexible clear hypo-allergenic TPU material with a metal acoustic mesh insert, which has been designed to filter specific frequencies to stop wind noise but allow speech and exhaust note frequencies through.

Putting them in (a bit of a tug on the ear lobe while pushing them in can help to make sure they are seated properly) takes a few seconds and then you are ready to go. Wind noise is whisper-quiet up to proper motorway speeds, and listening to music on my Sena comms kit was fine up to at least 70mph. On a three hour journey they were comfortable enough that I forgot I was wearing them, and they didn’t fall out (there is a moulded tab to help pull them out at the end of a ride).

The Filterbuds come with a neat little anodised aluminium storage container with a keyring attachment so they don’t get lost and are protected from being squished in a pocket. SRP is £19.99.

Oxford Products; 01993 862300; info@oxprod.com

HJC COD MWII

Suzuki Burgman Street 125

A learner-friendly version of Suzuki’s maxi scooter has been absent from showroom floors for a few years now, so the return of the Burgman name on a 125cc scooter will be well received by the firm’s dealers. The new Burgman Street 125EX is an Indian-built commuter scooter that is noticeably smaller than the previous incarnation, but is claimed to bring new levels of performance and practicality.

The SEP (Suzuki Eco Performance) engine is shared with the Address 125 and Avensis 125 scooters (see BDN Sept 2022) and is claimed to give more than 145mpg with a power output of 8.5hp and a CO2 output of just 44g/km. On the Burgman the SEP motor is fitted with a new Silent Start system, as well as an auto stop/start system to reduce fuel consumption and emissions. For the rider there is an LCD dash display plus practical touches like 21.5 litres of underseat storage, two helmet hooks and a pair of utility hooks for extra carrying capacity. There’s a front compartment with a built in USB charging port for holding a mobile phone too. Pricing for the Burgman Street 125EX will be confirmed closer to its spring launch into dealerships, but Suzuki has finally decided on the pricing of its other two 125cc scooters, the Address and Avensis, which will be £2499 and £2699 respectively.

Suzuki; mark.hallam@suzuki.co.uk; www.bikes.suzuki.co.uk

BMW Centenary

SEASONED MOTORCYCLE journalist and esteemed writer for BDN, Alan Dowds has written a new tome celebrating 100 years of everyone’s favourite Bavarian motorcycle brand. Running to 240 pages, with more than 300 illustrations and photographs, BMW Motorcycles 100 Years covers the brand’s two-wheeled output from the early side-valve machines of the 1920s right up to the screaming four cylinder superbikes of today. Arriving just in time for Christmas, it will surely delight any BMW fan to have it decorating their coffee table. SRP is £45.

Quarto Publishing; andrew.stanley@quarto.com

Bar ends 56

PUIG IS DETERMINED TO ADD A SPLASH OF COLOUR to brighten up grey winter roads with its new range of bolt-on bar ends. The Sport handlebar weights (above) are machined from aluminium with a laser-etched “Puig Hi-Tech Parts” inscription. They are 40mm long with a weight of 68g and come in seven anodised colours: black, blue, red, orange, green, silver and gold, for an SRP starting from £17.99. The smaller Speed handlebar weights (below) measure just 20mm and weigh only 30g, but the rest of the spec is the same at the Sport model. SRPs start from £16.99.

Pyramid Plastics; 01427 677990; sales@pyramid-plastics.co.uk

KTM T-Piece 4

KTM HAS DITCHED ITS ALLOY T-section for 250-450cc SX-F and XC-F models which connects the radiator to the header tank and replaced it with a new plastic assembly. Consequently Samco has update its replacement singlepiece silicone T-section to suit, but the improvement in coolant flow through the smoother tubes hasn’t changed.

The silicone part comes in black, blue, red or orange with prices starting from £62.22.

Racbikebitz; 01763 249807; sales@racebikebits.com

Kawasaki screen

WITH THE POWER OF A SUPERCHARGED MOTOR beneath, you some sort of screen to deflect the wind seems like a sensible option for Kawasaki’s Z H2. A vestigial flyscreen is provided as standard, but Skidmarx’s double bubble screen comes in a choice of Sport (28cm) or Touring (35cm) sizes which are big enough to actually divert the breeze. They are made from 3mm acrylic and come in a choice of clear or light and dark tints for £64.95 SRP.

Skidmarx UK; 01305 780808; sales@skidmarx.co.uk

Putting on the style

The presentation at TranAm’s Hampshire HQ was designed to show visiting dealers how different outfits could be created to suit various styles of rider – adventure biker, young commuter, cold weather tourer, etc. This allowed the assembled throng to see all the new launches for the 2023 season alongside best-selling items from previous years, and also gave a better idea of fit, styling and quality.

TranAm is renowned for its premium-brand offerings, and at that end of the market a totally new product is uncommon enough to garner plenty of interest. And so it was with the first new Schuberth helmet to be revealed for 2023, the E2 adventure helmet. The E2 is heavily based on the C5 flip-front, which came out last year and was already ECE 22.06 compliant, but adds in more rugged styling. The most obvious addition is the large peak which is both removable and adjustable into three positions, and the larger and more aggressive vents on the chin (which have a

washable filter to keep insects and dust out) and crown. The rear spoiler is also slightly larger. As it is a Schuberth, certain features can be taken for granted – a top-of-therange Pinlock 120 is already fitted (saving a few minutes at the till), it has S2 comms system compatibility, customisable internal padding for better fit, and excellent wind noise suppression. It’s other trick is that, because it has the same shell as the C5, the peak and visor can be replaced with a C5 visor to give a more road-oriented look – almost two helmets in one! It comes in a choice of six graphics for £649.99 or in plain white, black or grey for £569.99.

The second helmet brand on show was US brand Scorpion, best known for its Airfit pump-up cheekpad system. There were new Evo versions of many models, which signifies that they meet the ECE 22.06 standard, plus the new budget-priced but premium-feeling EX0-391 which combines a wind tunnel tested polycarbonate shell with a plush interior, rear

spoiler, Pinlock ready visor and provision for the Exo-com intercom system all for £79.99, or £99.99 for the graphic options. Further up the price scale is the adventure-style ADF9000 which features a composite shell in three sizes, a removable peak, emergency release cheekpads, a drop-down sun visor and a Max Vision Pinlock 120 anti-fog insert. It’s ready to take an Exo-com system and the chin vent can be removed and replaced with a supplied action camera mount. SRP is £359.99.

In terms of clothing, the headline act was Rukka. The Finnish brand almost defines the adventure clothing sector, but quality comes at a cost, and the brand’s premium pricing can put it out of reach of all but the most well-heeled riders. So news of an entry-level, lower priced – these things are relative, it is still a Rukka after all – jacket stirred a lot of interest. The Pathfinder-R doesn’t skimp on spec or safety; it is an AA rated jacket with a Cordura 500D outer, with extra 1500D reinforcements on the shoulders and elbows

TranAm puts some of its not-too-reluctant staff on the catwalk to parade next season’s new lines from Schuberth, Rukka and more. Colin Williams was there to take in the show

Left: The Scorpion ADF9000 helmet and the Rukka Trek-R. Above, from top: Bering Freeway; Scorpion EXO-391 helmet and Bering Lady Elite; Bering Cruiser jacket

From left: The Schuberth E2 is a new flip-front adventure helmet with lots of practical features. The Scorpion ADF9000 adventure helmet comes with an action camera mount, and the Scorpion EXO-391 brings a new level of quality to the budget helmet sector

and lots of adjusters to ensure a snug fit. Inside are a Gore-Tex Z waterproof liner and a 60g thermal liner, and D3O XTR level 2 protectors are fitted at the shoulders, elbow and back. SRP is £529.99. Slightly higher up the pricing scale, but bringing a Gore-Tex Pro laminate Rukka jacket into the crucial sub-£1000 price point, is the new Voyage-R. The three-layer waterproof fabric outer is supplemented with stretch panelling, D3O level 2 armour including a chest protector, lots of vents, waterproof pockets, double-cuff sleeves and a six-year warranty. The one thing it doesn’t have is a thermal liner, but a Rukka Down X 2.0 inner jacket can be purchased separately. SRP is £999.99 with matching trousers £799.99. Taking the game to its competitors with a “proper” multi-layer adventure suit is the Trek-R jacket and trousers. The outer layer is Cordura, with suitably-placed reinforcing panels and stretch material and inside there is D3O armour and a multitude of pockets. There is no Gore-Tex liner, instead there is a separate lightweight stretch GoreTex jacket and pants that can be worn either under or over the main jacket, providing a high level of waterproofness when needed, but in hotter (and drier) climates it can be compactly stowed away to allow more ventilation. The jacket hits the shelves at £999.99 and matching trousers are £799.99 SRP.

Bering had several new jackets aimed at different rider profiles. For the dedicated regular rider there is a new UK-exclusive Ottawa GTX, which is a class A full GoreTex laminate jacket for under £500. Other features haven’t been cut to keep the price keen either; there’s adjustment on the sleeve, waist, collar and cuffs, and seven pockets spread throughout. A removable thermal liner makes it winter ready, and a five year warranty is testament to its expected longevity. SRP is £499.95. For the urban rider there is the Cruiser, a replacement for the brand’s biggest seller, the Zander. With those big shoes to fill, the AA Cruiser is fully waterproof with Alpha level 1 armour, a pocket for a back protector and lots of adjusters for fit. It comes in black or brown for £229.99 SRP. For the ecologically-aware adventure rider there is the Freeway suit, whose claim to fame is that it is made of 70% recycled material from plastic bottles. The Repreve Twill is soft to the touch and shows no signs of being made from previously used plastics, colours are bright, and the weave is tight and regular. The rest of the jacket lives up to its rugged billing, with a BWTech Extreme waterproof membrane, a Shelltec Extreme removable thermal liner, lots of vents, numerous pockets inside and out, a removable collar, and Alpha armour including a back protector. Jacket is £464.99, matching trousers are £299.99.

Also on hand for the Bering outfits were the Lady Borneo and Breva gloves. The Borneo is a leather and Spandex waterproof short cuff glove that comes in black/pink or black/white for £54.99, while the Breva is a softshell heated glove which splits its twin batteries into compartments above and below the wrist for improved comfort. It has four heat settings and the batteries will last more than three hours and recharge in just two. SRP is £224.99.

Leather specialists Segura showed the Track jacket and the Lady Zeek Evo glove. The jacket is cut from nubuck and buffalo leather, with quilted shoulders and classic triple pocket styling. The fixed mesh lining is made from recycled fibres, and there is a Shelltech Classic removable liner too. SRP is £399.99. The gloves are made from a blend of neoprene, Spandex and goat leather with a waterproof membrane. They come in black or khaki for £54.99 SRP.

The models’ outfits were head-to-toe TranAm brands, so new boots were obviously part of the show. Italian footwear specialists Falco had a new mid-height adventure boot, the Arrakis, which uses an interesting oil-treated synthetic material for the uppers, backed with a High-Tex waterproof membrane. It has D3O armour around the ankle, twin tabs to help pull them on, and a Boa-style quick reel closure system.

SRP is £224.99. The Mixto 5 is a similarly-specced full-height boot but with microadjustable buckle closure, it retails for £269.99.

From adventure riders to urban bikers, tourers to retro-style admirers, TranAm’s fashion parade showed that it has got something for every customer to look forward to for next year.

TranAm 01425 620580 www.tranam.co.uk

Falco Arrakis boots come in grey/black and brown/black options

Rukka’s Pathfinder-R and Voyage-R jackets hit critical price points

Bering Ottowa GTX and Segura Track jackets

Going Commando

THE REVIVED NORTON FACTORY, NOW UNDER THE OWNERSHIP OF THE INDIAN TVS BRAND, HAS released a pair of “new” models of the 961 Commando. Dubbed the Norton Commando 961 SP and CR, there are no major updates to the model from its previous iteration designed under the disgraced previous owner’s control, but the new versions promise considerable improvement in build quality. Both versions are powered by a 961cc parallel twin making 77hp, with a five-speed gearbox and a 300W high-output charging system. Brembo provides the disc brakes and radial-mounted calipers, and Ohlins provides the fully adjustable suspension. The versions differ only in cockpit design: the SP has conventional upright handlebars while the CR has clip-on bars and a slightly different headlamp aesthetic. Both are available in hand-painted Matrix black or Manx platinum with pinstripe detailing. The SP is £16,499 and the CR is £16,999.

Norton Motorcycles; 0121 565 4411; www.nortonmotorcycles.com

Shark for 2023 46

SHARK HELMETS HAS ANNOUNCED A few updates to its range for 2023. The Spartan GT Pro is a brand new full face model with a shell that has been aerodynamically honed to minimise wind noise and limit buffeting. It’s made from layers of glass and carbon fibres and complies with the new ECE 22.06 standard. The visor is said to be thicker than rivals’, providing greater protection from flying projectiles without affecting vision, and it comes fitted with a Max Vision Pinlock 120 anti-fog insert. The ventilation system has three inlets and a pair of venturi-effect outlets. It comes in sizes XS-2XL in nine colourways with prices starting at £429.99 SRP. There has also been an update of the Evo-GT modular helmet to integrate the N-Com Bluetooth communications system. The integration means that the helmet is certified ECE 22.05 (adding a system to a helmet after purchase technically nullifies the certification) and the N-Com adds a 500m range intercom, HD speakers, a noise dampening microphone and phone connectivity which allows calls and music. SRP is £399.99 and it is only available in matt black.

Nevis Marketing; 01425 478936; info@nevis.uk.com

Oxford Strikeforce 5

A NEW SOLD SECURE GOLD standard ground anchor for home security, the Strikeforce combines hardened steel construction with high-security expansion bolts and steel plugs for fitting to a concrete floor or wall. It’s big enough to take any of the Oxford chains, except for the gargantuan Beast 22mm chain, and Oxford claims it is resistant to both saw and hammer attacks. SRP is £59.99.

Oxford Products; 01993 862300; info@oxprod.com

Kawasaki colours

KAWASAKI HAS UPDATED THE COLOUR options for its supercharged naked Z H2 models. From February the Z H2 will come in metallic matt Graphenesteel grey/ebony, while the Z H2 SE (pictured above) will come in Graphenesteel grey/ebony/mirror black. Prices are set to be £17,299 and £19,599 respectively.

The Versys models also get a refresh, with the 650 given a few new editions with extra equipment as you rise through the price scale. The standard, Tourer and Grand Tourer models are each available in Smoke gold/ Spark black or Candy Lime green/Spark black. The three versions of the bigger Versys 1000 also have new colours: the standard model is in Graphenesteel grey/Spark black, while the 1000S and 1000SE models are in Emerald Blazed green/Diablo black/Spark black or Sovereign red/Spark black. Prices for the litre version start at £10,879.

Kawasaki; 01628 856750; www.kawasaki.co.uk

Optimate monitors

LS2 Sepang

NAMED AFTER THE MALAYSIAN circuit famed for hosting World superbike, MotoGP and Formula 1 races under hot and humid skies, LS2’s Sepang jacket is neither particularly sporty nor ideally suited for long days riding in tropical temperatures. Instead it is a value-based three season jacket with an emphasis on the practical. Designed to cope with the British weather through Autumn, Winter and Spring, the Sepang is said to be ideal for budget-conscious commuters and leisure riders. It has a 600D outer shell with a 5000mm-rated waterproof and breathable liner and a separate removable thermal liner for colder days, and the CE level 1 soft armour fitted at the shoulders and elbows helps it to achieve an overall A-rating for protection. There is also provision for an optional back protector. It comes in specific men’s and women’s cuts, in sizes S-5XL for the gents and XS-5XL for the ladies, in black with red, grey or hi-viz yellow detailing for an SRP of £99.99. LS2 Helmets UK; 01670 856342; ukservice@ls2helmets.com

OPTIMATE’S PORTABLE BATTERY MONITORS HAVE BEEN UPDATED for the modern era, so can now be used to check the condition of lithium, as well as AGM and standard “wet” lead-acid batteries. The monitor gives an instant read-out of battery health and condition, showing charge level, and also displaying the charging voltage when the bike is running, on its built-in LED display. The O-126 version plugs into a standard “cigarette lighter” socket and has an SRP of £26.42, while the O-125 version connects into an SAE type plug and costs £21.22 SRP.

Motohaus Powersports; 01256 704909;  www.motohaus.com

Probike; 01604 660555;  www.probike.co.uk

Graphenesteel grey/Spark black

Emerald Blazed green/Diablo black

Sovereign red/Spark black

Candy Lime green/Spark black

Smoke gold/Spark black

Piaggio Vespa GTS 46

THE VESPA GT FAMILY IS A MOTORING ICON THAT HAS endured the test of time thanks to continual updates, bringing the mechanical and technological elements up to the standards of the day without changing the styling too much to upset the brand’s legion of fans.

The updated Vespa GTS model comes in four versions – the GTS, GTS Super, GTS Supersport and GTS Supertech – each of which is available with either a 125cc or a 23hp 300cc single cylinder motor. The new chassis is still made of steel, but comes with a new front suspension layout which keeps the traditional single-arm layout but improves stability at speed, as well as comfort and handling. New tech added to the model includes LED lights and indicators, new LCD instrumentation and keyless ignition. New styling elements are focused on the front aspect with new steering cover, mudguard, and grilles while at the rear there is a new light cluster and exhaust cover.

Prices start at £5250 for the standard GTS 125, rising to £5650 for the Supertech variant. The 300cc models are £750 extra.

Piaggio Group; 00800 818 29800; www.piaggio.com

Clarke work light

THE NEW CLARKE PL5R IS A HANDY pocket-sized LED inspection lamp ideal for jobs around the workshop. It has two modes: a dimmable floodlight mode of up to 400Lm (Lumens) or a torch mode of 80Lm. The head can be flipped or rotated by up to 180 degrees to help in hard to reach (or see) areas, and it has a magnetic handle, base and swivel clip for hands-free operation. The lithium-ion rechargeable battery gives up to three hours of use. SRP is £32.39.

Machine Mart; 0115 956 5555; www.machinemart.co.uk

T5 exhaust adaptor

THE CHOICE OF AFTERMARKET EXHAUSTS FOR THE Vespa T5 and T5 Classic can be limited when compared to the range available for the PX range of scooters, so VE(UK) has come up with an adapter to allow PX exhausts to fit the T5. The stainless steel adaptor comes with new nuts and is simple to fit – remove old exhaust, bolt on the plate and adaptor, then fit the new exhaust. SRP is £45.53.

VE (UK); 01159 462991; sales@ve-uk.com

Royal Enfield Hunter 350

ROYAL ENFIELD HAS RELEASED PRICING DETAILS OF ITS NEW ENTRYlevel Hunter 350 model. Due to arrive in dealerships before Christmas, the new Hunter is a compact machine designed to be at home on the city streets – RE describes it as a “retro-metro” machine. The 349cc single produces a smidgeon over 20hp and 27Nm of torque for lots of low-end grunt and is housed in a Harris Performance-designed tubular chassis. The Hunter comes in Dapper white, ash or grey for £3899 or two-tone Rebel black, blue or red for £3979. MotoGB; 0844 412 8450; sales@motogb.co.uk

Z900 RS screens 4

PYRAMID PLASTICS HAS updated its fly screen offering for the Kawasaki Z900 RS with some new colours to match the latest factory machines’ paint jobs. The new colours are the 50th Anniversary candy diamond brown/metallic orange and metallic dark green. They are made from hand-painted ABS with an acrylic screen. Prices start from £163.

Pyramid Plastics; 01427 677990; sales@pyramid-plastics.co.uk

Weise Splash Vision

AN ADDITION TO WEISE’S VISION range of highly-reflective outerwear, the Splash is a waterproof overjacket that is light enough to be folded into a pannier or rucksack but adds a waterproof and windproof glowin-the-dark layer at night or in poor visibility conditions. It has large reflective panels on the shoulders, chest and cuffs and features adjustments for fit at the waist, cuffs and hem to tailor it over leathers or textile outfits. For practicality there are two outer pockets, plus an interior pocket and a removable hood ideal for off-bike use. It comes in sizes S to 5XL for an SRP of £59.99.

The Key Collection; 01179 719200; sales@thekeycollection.co.uk

On the Money On the Money

Although the Bank of England was lamentably slow to get its brain in gear as consumer price inflation first showed signs of running amok in the latter part of 2021, BoE governor Andrew Bailey has since smartened up his act. Trouble is, the principal means within Bailey’s remit for tackling an over-heated but essentially weak economy is limited –sequentially raising interest rates is just about the only tool in his inflation-fighting box. And an unavoidable consequence can be tipping that economy, once cooling, into recession.

In early November, with inflation data still sticking around the 10%-mark, Bailey and the BoE forecasted a prolonged recession, stretching through next year and beyond into 2024. The official definition of entering recessionary status is two consecutive quarters of negative economic output. We’ve already had the first dose. According to the Office for National Statistics, there was a 0.2% contraction in JulySeptember’s third quarter, with gross domestic product falling by 0.6% between August and September.

ONS director Darren Morgan didn’t try to relax about any apparent lack of severity: “The quarterly fall was driven by manufacturing, which saw

widespread declines across most industries,” he said. “Services were flat overall, but consumerfacing businesses fared badly, with a notable reduction in retail.”

After the shambolic but shortlived Truss government’s splurge of unfunded largesse demolished financial markets’ confidence in UK ability to service its debt burden, a gaping void of at least £55bn in public finances was

have been softening since May, apart from a very minor respite in August. Inflation is a steadily growing factor too, as manufacturers pass on the increased prices they are paying for raw materials, components and logistics down their inventory shipment chains to showrooms.

One side-effect of the destructive Truss intervention was to force mortgage repayment

Looking for upbeat angles is quite a challenge. But they do exist. Trade union militancy is mushrooming into a “winter of discontent”. Most prominently, the RMT union and others of a similar aggressive ilk have spawned a constant rash of strikes aimed at the extraction of inflation-busting wage hikes for their members. The resultant public transport disruption, if it continues unabated, could be a big booster for alternative ways of getting to work. I can imagine a lot of people dusting off historic motorcycle qualifications on their driving licences and considering a return to cheap sets of two wheels.

exposed. Prime minister Rishi Sunak and his chancellor Jeremy Hunt are now struggling to fill that hole with an unremitting diet of heavier taxation and spending cuts, hopefully to restore some stability. Unfortunately, their actions will also deepen the forthcoming recession.

How the motorcycle trade will cope in the face of such a grim outlook is obviously of most interest to us. The mounting cost-of-living crisis has already suppressed consumer appetite for bigger-ticket discretionary purchases. New bike sales

rates up, in some cases quadrupling them. Repeated BoE base interest rate rises are now compounding pressure on household borrowing into a cost-of-credit crisis. Those juicy PCP deals that have made large-capacity motorcycles appear so much more affordable will become progressively less attractive, as the complex calculations to make outcomes functional for both finance providers and recipients verge on the impossible. Hire-purchase defaults and repossessions are likely to be a common feature of the trade environment again.

And I don’t believe the enthusiast biker inclination is going to dry up overnight, just because wallets have grown thinner. The recent boom in cost-conscious middleweight motorcycle models from a swathe of manufacturers has already answered that question. Gig-employer delivery fleet recruitment should be on a roll too as life becomes tougher, ensuring mobility sector turnover is maintained.

Not much comfort can be had from the fact that we aren’t alone on the fast lane to penury. The European Central Bank in Frankfurt recently admitted that eurozone inflation had reached 10.7% in October and

International Share Prices

USA – SAVED BY THE BELL

The US Federal Reserve announced that annualised American consumer price inflation for October had dropped to 7.7%, sharply down from 8.2% in September. This news fuelled speculation about the pace of future interest-rate increases, but a warning from Fed chairman Jerome Powell stated that the US was still facing a serious recession.

Markets rallied dramatically in response. The blue-chip S&P 500 and Dow Jones Industrial Average respectively closed on big gains of 5.9% and 4.1% for the week. S&P’s MidCap 400 stacked on 5.3%. The tech-heavy NASDAQ Composite beat them all, 8.1% up.

After sliding earlier in the week, HarleyDavidson shares benefited from the Fed revelation and enjoyed a spectacular 5.6% hike on Thursday,

followed by a further 2.2% improvement on Friday.

Harley’s sparky sideshow LiveWire wasn’t so electrifying, with consecutive losses throughout until Friday’s rebound of 4.8% undid some of the damage.

EUROPE – FULLY GASSED

Even though falling US inflation had no direct bearing on European sentiment, the general sense of bonhomie it elicited was reinforced by falling gas prices throughout Europe, thanks to warmer autumnal weather and greater than expected supplies.

The benefit to gas-dependent industrial majors throughout the eurozone was thus reflected in positive key market indices. Germany’s Xetra Dax in Frankfurt prospered by 5.7% and the Borsa Italiana FTSE MIB in Milan put on 5%. BMW,

JAPAN – CRUNCHING THE NUMBERS

With the Japanese quarterly corporate reporting season in full swing, Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 index responded to some excellent results, gaining 3.9%. Among motorcycle manufacturers, Honda was the only loser, somewhat unfairly judged because its car division grossly underperformed half-year earnings estimates, despite very strong turnover and profitability from bikes. Yamaha, which charted impressive nine-monthly recovery, got the greatest share price reward.

INDIA – WINTER BLUES

The peak sales season now well and truly finished post-Diwali, Indian

Those juicy PCP deals that have made large-capacity motorcycles appear so much more affordable will become progressively less attractive

Volkswagen and Piaggio were notable winners.

is set to be embedded at a high level for much of next year. In parallel, the Brussels-based European Commission predicted during mid-November that a steep drop in German economic output across the winter will help to drag the entire EU into recession.

It says output throughout the EU is shrinking during the current quarter and contraction won’t stop in the first three months of 2023 and possibly longer. The Germans will probably suffer worst in terms of falling industrial activity as energy costs surge, forcing factories to curb production and slashing domestic budgets. And they are in line for a full-year 0.6% GDP slump for the whole of 2023.

Europeans aren’t the only ones to be aware of their plight. As reported elsewhere in this issue, Honda’s motorcycle sales in Europe (including the UK) sank by more than a fifth – 40,000 fewer units – in the first

half of its fiscal year to the end of September. The company reacted by cutting projected annual shipments through to March 2023 by 20,000.

Contact 01237 422660 or adsales@dealernews.co.uk

associated with our stand-off versus Russia over the war in Ukraine. But, fortuitously, we’ve been enjoying remarkably mild autumn weather. So caps on

However, should the temperature plunge to normal winter conditions, those caps won’t be worth spit and natural gas costs, in particular, for both household consumption and electricity generation, will go unfeasibly ballistic. Furthermore, outages from supply interruption would see the lights and heating turned off altogether.

Of course, energy costs are a major concern for the UK as well. The British population and industrial customers have been assailed by an inflationary onslaught of huge gas, oil and electricity price increases over the past few months –

further price leaps have held and the extortionate gas price has even dropped slightly.

Perhaps it might be wise to avoid committing all your candles to the Christmas tree this year, as well as begging Santa to fill his sack with thermal clothing and buying in a truck load of Yuletide logs. 

investors grew more circumspect about risk. Mumbai’s BSE Sensex stock index struggled to a modest 1.4% gain and four out of India’s five leading motorcycle manufacturers lost value. Hero MotoCorp, bucked this trend with news that it is now pouring enormous resources into playing catch-up on electrification.

CHINA – CHANGE OF TUNE

The Beijing government’s announcement that some reductions of zero-Covid lockdown severity would be introduced to boost flagging economic growth resulted in market indices recovery. Shanghai’s SSE Composite and the blue-chip CSI 300 eventually closed on slightly marginal respective 0.5% and 0.6% weekly gains. However, most listed motorcycle manufacturers were too slow to jump on this latest bandwagon.

Market analysis with financial editor Roger Willis

A snapshot of share performance across key manufacturers and markets

I can imagine a lot of people dusting off historic motorcycle qualifications on their driving licences and considering a return to cheap sets of two wheels

THE UK MOTORCYCLE AND scooter market’s positive yearto-date figures helped to reduce overall European market falls over the first three quarters of 2022. For Europe’s largest five markets (France, Italy, Spain, Germany and the UK) the cumulative loss was 1.4% compared to 2021.

France felt the biggest pain, dropping by almost 8%, whereas the Spanish market enjoyed a bull run and maintained overall positive figures throughout the year, despite a marked slowdown in the most recent quarter.

Commenting, Antonio Perlot, ACEM secretary general, said:

“Registration figures for the first three quarters of 2022 show that motorcycle and moped registrations in the EU’s key markets remain broadly stable, despite the challenges created by the shortage of semiconductors and shipping delays.

“Next quarter’s figures will allow us to assess the performance of the European motorcycle and moped markets for the entire year. We may see some differences between national markets. But our preliminary data suggest that motorcycle sales in 2022 will be as good as 2021, which was a very positive year for our industry”.

New registrations

Down but not out

Data published by the Motor Cycle Industry Association (MCIA) showed that registrations in October fell short of 2021’s tally by 6.1%. However, between January and October 2022, registrations remain ahead of last year by 2.9%.

Recent feedback from dealers suggests that demand for new machines was reasonably good in October, although some reported a slowdown towards the end of the month. Whilst supply chain problems remain an issue for now, and are the main bugbear for dealers, some manufacturers are

optimistic that the situation will improve next year.

Although further increases in the cost of living have resulted in some consumer spending unease, there is currently little evidence to suggest a significant impact on sales. However, taking into account another hike in interest rates and the turbulent political backdrop, caution is evermore required when looking ahead.

Demand is strong across all two-wheel segments, but Modern Classics, Scooters and mid-range Naked machines stood out in October.

Paul McDonald Leisure Vehicles Editor

Registration slide continues

BDN analysis of the MCIA October registration statistics

OCTOBER GLOOM INCLUDED yet another reduction in new bike numbers, according to monthly MCIA data, with the chances of overall annualised retreat growing incrementally. BDN financial editor Roger Willis reports.

Against a background of generalised weakening consumer demand and the cost-ofliving crisis, total registrations fell by 6% to 8003. Motorcycles were 8.1% down to 5313. Scooters added 1.2% to 2038. Mopeds dropped by 10.9% to 590. Trikes increased by 8.8% to 62. Up-to-125cc machines targeting the entry-level, mobility and fleet delivery markets declined by 3.9% to 4118 units. The 126-650cc middleweight sector was hit hardest, with a 15.3% loss at 1477.

651cc-plus bikes retreated by 3.2% to 2408.

Not only was Honda hegemony unassailed, the leading brand also managed to increase its October headcount by 7.6% to 1540. However, almost a third of that was attributable to 480 samples of Honda’s PCX 125 scooter, which probably had “fleet sales” written all over them. Yamaha followed, 3.2% down to 868. At least, bucking the seasonal trend, it topped the 651-1000cc slot thanks to shifting 55 YZF-R7 sporting twin models. Fulfilling delayed orders? Triumph in third spot incurred a 2.6% retreat to 493, soundly beating BMW Motorrad, which sank by 8.9% to 422. However, premium-priced R1250GS Adventure and R1250RT models

respectively accounted for 20.9% and 11.6% of BMW’s monthly registrations, suggesting more profitable volume.

A trio of troubled losers were next in line. Chinese flag carrier Lexmoto plunged by 39.1% to just 348 plated bikes. KTM took a 31.8% dive to 332. And surprisingly, given its recent string of successes, Royal Enfield was 24.8% in arrears on 328. Inventory issues may have been a factor. Although 93 samples of the brand’s Classic 350 model took 126-650cc sector honours, registrations of the similarly attractive Meteor 350 plummeted

year-on-year, from 226 in October 2021 to just 59 this time around.

Tail-enders enjoyed better news. Piaggio put on 1.4% to 280. And Kawasaki must have had some of its supply-chain bottleneck prayers answered, rising by 21.3% to 273. Ducati also made a rare appearance this late in the season, plating 206 bikes.

For the ten months of 2022 to date, overall registrations are only 2.8% up to 103,961. To equal the 2021 full-year tally, dealers will have to plate 10,410 bikes during November and December. The clock is ticking.

Market reflects current economy issues

“OCTOBER WAS A disappointing month for the PTW market, registering a decline of sales in all sectors. An overall summary of the market revealed October registrations decreased by 6.0% compared to 2021, with 8003 total registrations. However, the registrations year-to-date remained positive, with a 2.8% increase over 2021’s numbers. These are reflective of the challenges the industry is currently facing, with the energy crisis and the cost-of-living crisis set to further impact figures in the following months,” said Symon Cook, head of the NMDA.

“Motorcycles suffered a 5.7% decrease in figures, with a 2.8% increase in year to dates figures, helped by Touring motorcycles continuing their upward trend, with a 55.9% increase. Mopeds suffered a decline of 10.9% in registrations, while tricycles recorded a rise of 8.8%.

Yamaha’s YZF-R7 topped the midcapacity sector for the first time

“The Honda PCX 125 keeps placing itself as the most successful PTW vehicle, registering 480 new units in October and helping Honda

to remain the most successful brand with 1540 new registered units.

“Disappointingly, electric PTWs suffered most, with a 32.8% decrease in October, although year-to-date figures revealed a 13.5% increase from 5103 to 5793 units. Electric machines in the 11-35 kW power band experienced a 177.3% increase in year-to-date registrations, a very positive sign in prospect of 2030. As with the previous month, the Vmoto Super Soco CPX remains the highestselling electric PTW vehicle, with 40 new registered units.”

Cook concluded, “October has been a disappointing month. This could be explained by it being the end of the summer and the start of the rainy season, putting many riders off the roads. However, it is evident that the current issues our country is facing, like rising inflation, pose risks to consumer demands.”

NATIONAL MOTORCYCLE DEALERS ASSOCIATION

Motorcycle Auctions

PRICES ARE STILL INCREASING

This month we look at the fastest-selling used bikes over 125cc from 1 September to 10 November based on the median number of days they were on site.

Honda’s new NT1100 tourer tops the list, and there were 39 used examples for sale during the period, ranging from pre-reg bikes on minimal mileage to one example with 9700 on the clock, proving that somebody has obviously racked up some serious miles touring over the warmer season!

The NT1100 was one of seven Hondas to make the top 30, but there were machines from nine different manufacturers in total. It’s good to see such a broad range of manufacturers and bike styles making up the top 30, with strong showings from the

adventure, custom and naked sectors, although it was no real surprise to see an absence of fullfat sports bikes as we head into

The average price of a used bike for sale on Auto Trader is 3% higher

the colder months of winter.

Looking at yearon-year pricing data from across the last four weeks, the average price of a used bike for sale on Auto Trader is 3% higher than it was 12 months

back. The average price of bikes up to a year old has grown by 5%, whereas for older machines more than 10 years old prices were nearly flat at just 1% higher.

PAUL EDMONDSON Product lead, Auto Trader Bikes

SALES AND DEMAND IN THE used motorcycle market has remained buoyant considering the time of year, although, as in the new market, there were reports of a slowdown in footfall later in October. Stock availability is reported to have improved recently, with most dealers satisfied with their stock levels going into the winter months.

Looking ahead to 2023, a more plentiful supply of new machines could have an impact on

demand levels in the used market, particularly on later plate machines. However, this is very speculative, and for now the outlook remains positive.

OUTLOOK

The warmer-than-average autumn has continued, with November starting on a mild note. However, considering the time of year, with daylight hours in short supply and an escalating cost of living increasing pressure on consumer spending, Glass’s expects values to soften across most segments in the coming weeks. The exceptions continue to be mopeds, scooters, lower capacity machines and off-roaders, which are all expected to remain stable.

VALUES SOFTEN AS WINTER CLOSES IN

Glass’s expects values to soften across most segments in the coming weeks

The Honda NT1100 tourer was the fastest-selling big bike on Auto Trader Bikes from September to mid-November

fleetauctiongroup.com

And the NC750X remains big news in reviews, too, as the most popular of all adventure bikes on the site, followed by the Triumph Tiger 660 Sport.

BMW’s sizzling M1000RR is the sports bike review readers are most interested in, followed by the Yamaha R7, while the Triumph Trident 660 takes naked bike honours ahead of the classic 1996 Suzuki Bandit 600. Naked bike reviews account for 23% of all the pageviews in our reviews section at present and 20% in Bikes for Sale.

GARETH EVANS Online editor,

Market Watch

Trade & industry report with cap/hpi motorcycle editor Alan Elsworth

NEW MARKET

THE MCIA’S NEW REGISTRATION FIGURES FOR October were hardly encouraging, with sales negative to the tune of 6%. However, as the yearto-date totals move into six figures (103,961), they were still up by 2.8% compared to the first ten months of 2021.

After a sustained period of revival, the moped sector is now starting to suffer at a higher rate than the overall market, with a reduction of 10.9%. However, in actual numbers, it’s still a small part of the market, especially when the monthly loss was only 72 units; but it can easily be forgotten that the possible long-term damage a shrinking moped market has on this vital industry sector. Over the last couple of years, the increased sales and usage of mopeds have been a consequence of circumstances caused by the

pandemic. 16-year-old riders have increasingly commuted using two wheels due to a lack of public transport availability and reluctance to be in crowded buses and train carriages. Some might also have realised how much better two wheels can be when considering their time and independence. Many of us started our motorcycling adventures this way, and as an industry, we can only hope that some of the next generation of riders could emerge from these newly-found commuters. After all, we desperately need new blood.

When the electric sub-4kW numbers are factored into the moped figures, things look even worse. Electric machines generally had a bad month in October, but considering the actual registrations are relatively small numbers, the

percentage decrease can look horrendous. The rest of the electric segments are also suffering over the shorter term, but we all realise this will change as technology advances and legislation drive more consumers to plug in.

USED MARKET AUCTION OVERVIEW

At the end of the year, thoughts in the trade are turning towards getting Christmas out of the way and starting preparations for the new season. Stock has been increasingly difficult to source, and the traditional “purchasing holidays” at the end of the year have been consigned to history due to the well-documented stock shortages.

The big advantage for the motorcycle trade (which other automotive sectors were slow to adapt to) has been the use of remote selling, which it had been doing for some time before lockdowns.

FUTURES MARKET

AT THE CONCLUSION OF ANOTHER unsettled year, the motorcycle industry is still holding its own. Supply of both new and used machinery in the short term is still less than ideal and the shortage of stock is continuing to keep current prices robust.

The war in Ukraine is still not looking like it will end any time soon. Economic experts are not only predicting increasing inflation and interest rates but there are now predictions of a longer period of financial instability and increases in costof-living budgets. It’s currently looking less rosy, but if we rewind the clock a decade to the last world-wide financial meltdown; motorcycle sales remained strong well after other industries suffered.

Cap hpi still forecasts current values will remain strong, and by the time we

The economic impact moving into the new season is going to hurt, as interest rates for both consumers and businesses rise, affecting not only the cost of borrowing for both, but also stock levels for the latter. Add in other inflation drivers, and consumers will be spooked until some clarity becomes evident. The effect on used prices is, as could be expected in the circumstances, static, with research suggesting a consumer pause. Prices have changed in both directions in this month’s valuation report, but generally, no major changes have been made.

are out of the other end, and as people start to spend again, it would not be a leap of faith to suggest that demand will be higher than supply. With that in mind, except for some minor corrections, mainly in current models still finding their place in the market, futures values are still being reported as strong.

Next year’s sales comparisons will be made against 2022 year totals, a year in which the market has not suffered any forced closures or lockdowns. At that point, looking at monthly figures and judging how the industry is performing will offer a better and clearer reflection on performance. There is the greater world economy to consider as we move forward, and not wishing to spread too much doom and gloom, the outlook for that is in the hands of people outside our control.

AT THE LOW POINT IN THE SALES cycle, realised prices at auction will inevitably mirror trade in general. A short and simple review of sales over the last research period shows that the amounts sold are down to half the entries and return around 5% behind reported numbers overall. As the new year turns, expectations are similar, with a slower start in 2023 until the dust settles.

Cost-of-living budgets will be under further pressure next year

British