January

Electric scooter firm Silence had two new models that use its swappable battery technology, the SO1+ and the SO4. The SO1+ scooter has new sharp-edged styling bolstered with wavy brake discs and adjustable suspension. There is also a new “push to pass” button, which gives a temporary power boost taking top speed up to 68mph for overtaking manoeuvres. Its 7.5kW hub-mounted motor allows it to be ridden on an A1 licence and provides a range of up to 85 miles.

The SO4 fits into the four-wheeled quadricycle category, epitomised by the Renault Twizy and Citroen Ami, and uses twin hubmounted motors in the rear wheels to give it a top speed of 56mph and a range of up to 93 miles from a pair of the same 5.6kWh batteries as used in the SO1+ scooter. These can be recharged from a normal 13A UK socket or swapped at a roadside charging station, and come with a set of wheels so they can be easily removed for charging in a flat or office if needed. It should be arriving on UK shores in March, and will come in a choice of grey or white at an expected price of £13,500 OTR.

Harley was going for a mean ’n’ moody vibe on its stand, with subdued lighting, plenty of black decor and a few custom specials and racers to grab the attention. New metal on the stand included the Low Rider ST – a 1923cc, 101hp, V-twin powered sports tourer with a blacked-out everything – and the £13k entry-level Nightster 975, which uses a 975cc version of the Revolution Max engine used in the Sportster S and Pan America models. It pushes out 89hp, which is reined-in by ABS-equipped Brembo brakes and switchable traction control.

FANTIC HAS BEEN MAKING THE MOST OF ITS BUY-OUT of Motori Minarelli early in 2021, which gave the Italian manufacturer access to engines that Minarelli had been manufacturing for Yamaha. It has selected the Japanese brand’s 689cc twin, as used in the MT-07 and Ténéré 700 models, to power its new Caballero 700 Scrambler – the 75hp twin providing a useful boost in power compared to the 45hp 500cc Cabellero that has been around for a few years. Other than the engine and a slightly longer swingarm, the two bikes are otherwise similar, both using a steel backbone chassis and sporting 19in front and 17in rear wheels. Another first is the inclusion of cornering ABS, which uses lean-angle sensors to adjust the braking response, and a three-mode traction control system. Price is expected to be around £8500-£9000 when the bike arrives in dealerships in April.

Also on the Fantic stand was a new electric scooter, which takes the aluminium frame of the firm’s Issimo pedelec and builds it up with a bigger 3kW motor, suspension, lights, and shaves off the pedals to create a more commuter-friendly PTW. The L1 version adheres to moped rules, so is restricted to 45km/h, while the L3 version gets up to 65km/h. Both use a single 2.2kWh battery and there is an option to have a second battery of the same size to increase range. Pricing is yet to be finalised, but it should arrive in dealerships in April.

BSA and Peugeot tie-up

THEY’RE BOTH GREAT HISTORIC European brands and both owned by the massive Indian parent firm Mahindra, and now Peugeot and BSA have gone a step further by announcing a partnership deal for distribution in Europe. French marque Peugeot Motocycles (sic) will use its existing infrastructure in the EU to help supply the new BSA Gold Star 650 single across the continent.

Ashish Joshi, CEO of Classic Legends (a unit of Mahindra), and director at BSA, said: “This is the next exciting step for us to bring BSA bikes, a great British brand, to the rest of the world. Peugeot Motocycles share with us a long history of the love of two wheels and their extensive European network provides the perfect route to get the new BSA Gold Star into the hands of customers.”

Gurpratap Boparai, CEOautomotive at Mahindra and president of Peugeot Motocycles, states: “The partnership with BSA is an outstanding opportunity for Peugeot to build on its history in the motorcycle sector. Peugeot has always had motorcycles in its DNA, launching its first model in 1898. The story goes on! Thanks to this partnership we are strengthening our expansion on the European market and continuing to enlarge our product ranges.”

NEW WEBSITE FOR FURYGAN/COVEC

French kit maker Furygan is continuing to set up new British logistics arrangements following the end of its distributor deal with Nevis Marketing last year. And now it’s launched a brand-new business-to-business portal specifically for UK retailers. It has also refreshed the consumer side of its online presence with a new website.

The new site, www.furygan.co.uk, was set up in partnership with UK distributor, Covec, and promises to be a “one-stop shop for UK dealers”, with all the information and details needed to sell Furygan products. It will also take new dealer applications, and is being maintained and managed by Covec itself, so the communications will stay with the UK operation. JANUARY 2023 9

Business news

Motorcycle Live – Hot metal

THE MAEVING RM1 IS THE BIKE PHILEAS FOGG WOULD RIDE AROUND THE WORLD ON his next adventure! The steampunk styling of the Coventry-built two-wheeler bears echoes of pre-war machinery, but the technical underpinnings are bang up-to-date. The battery is a removable 42Ah cell, which gives a range of up to 40 miles when fully charged from any 13A socket, and it powers the 3kW Bosch hub motor up to a top speed of 45mph for the full fat version, or 28mph for the moped-licence version. Urban commuters who are looking for retro looks paired with low maintenance and green credentials will be well served as long as they can stump up the £5995 SRP. Alongside all the latest versions of the core Kawasaki range of muscular nakeds and chunky adventure bikes were the brand’s first production-ready looking electric machines. The Ninja EV and Z EV models are still pre-production at the moment, but Kawasaki says they will be in dealerships some time this year. Details on the new electric machines are scant, merely revealing that both machines are A1 licence compliant, meaning they can have motors providing up to 11kW of power. However, despite the 125ccequivalent performance in terms of speed and acceleration, range is likely to be extremely limited as the removable batteries in each machine are only 3kWh.

Glinting spectacularly under the spotlights of the NEC was the full set of Triumph’s recently-launched Chrome Collection (BDN December page10-11), a set of modern classic models with added shiny bits that kept the attendant staff busy polishing away lingering fingerprints. Also attracting the crowds was veteran racer Randy Mamola, who regaled race fans with the story of his hot lap on the new No changes on the retro-inspired styling front for British brand Herald, but a few under-the-skin upgrades should help to tempt more riders into the small-capacity brand’s clutches. The Brat 125 has been one of Herald’s most popular models, and now its 9hp air-cooled motor has been junked for an altogether more peppy water-cooled lump which provides a far more competitive 14hp. Price is £3295. For even more power, there is now a Brat 250 providing a heady 18hp from its air/oil cooled engine. The motor is unusual in that it is carbed, rather than fuel injected, giving it a proper old-school aura but necessitating an SVA before each bike is allowed on the road – hence the Brat 250 is a limited edition model. It comes with a smattering of other upgrades including Renthal bars, LED lights and Pirelli Scorpion Rally STR tyres for an Street Triple. The 765 Triple comes in three versions – the R, RS and a limited Moto2 Edition – with prices starting from £9595. As well as tweaks to the styling, the new model has more power, more torque and improved responses compared with its predecessors, helped by new tech in the shape of cornering ABS and cornering traction control with four levels of intervention.

SRP of £3695.For riders needing a step-up in power, the Maverick 250 is a bigger capacity version of the brand’s biggest-selling Maverick 125 with a water-cooled single cylinder motor providing 24hp in a scrambler-inspired chassis. Knobbly tyres and number boards give it the off-road looks, while LED lighting brings a touch of modern tech. Price is £3595. Cutting an idiosyncratic dash, Stirling’s electric machines all have a low-slung cruiser stance with a fat back tyre and a gaping hole where an engine would traditionally be. Taking the range into a more powerful future is the new Sinatra, which mirrors the house style but on a bigger scale, with a larger frame, a 19in front wheel and a rear tyre that wouldn’t disgrace a drag bike. The 11kW motor means that it is still A1 licence friendly, and it can be delivered with a custom paint option (by Dave Bristow at Extreme Paint Studio), although that isn’t included in the £9999 OTR price.