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BRIEFS
New York based MiddleGround Capital , who bought Race Winning Brands from Kinderhook in November 2021 , has continued to add to the RWB portfolio . The " operationally-focused private equity firm that makes control investments in North American middle market B2B industrial and specialty distribution companies " has funded the acquisition of TPT Solutions ( TransGo , RevMax and Transmission Specialties ) to add to an RWB brand line-up that includes Wiseco , Rekluse , ProX , Manley Performance and JE Pistons . It is its second RWB addon acquisition since November 2021 - having also acquired PAC Racing ( performance springs ) to the roster .
Honda Motor Co ., Ltd . has signed a joint development agreement in the area of Lithium-Metal secondary batteries with SES Holdings Pte . Ltd ., a U . S . ( Boston ) based EV battery research and development company . SES plans to list on the New York Stock Exchange ( NYSE ) via a special-purpose acquisition company ( SPAC ) transaction , and through the PIPE ( private investment in public equity ) offering by the SPAC , Honda plans to acquire approximately 2 % of the shares of SES AI Corporation .
Tom Moore has left his role as GM at Los Angeles H-D to become GM at Kirkwood , Mo ., based Doc ' s H-D .
Husqvarna Motorcycles has extended its partnership with Boise , Idaho based Rekluse through 2022 . Owned by Race Winning Brands ( of Wiseco fame ) and now in its 20th year , the clutch component manufacturer will " continue to support Husqvarna ' s global racing efforts ."
Honda Motor Co ., Ltd . has made a strategic investment in California based Helm . ai " to strengthen its software technology development in the areas of artificial intelligence ( AI ) and computer vision technologies ," stating that " Helm . ai has key strengths in the area of AI-based image recognition technologies advanced through unsupervised learning ." Founded in 2016 , Honda and Helm . ai have been working in collaboration since 2019 through Honda Xcelerator , Honda ' s a global open innovation program of Honda .
Japan ' s ' Big Four ' Explore Hydrogen Motorcycle Engines By Ben Purvis
Japan ' s ' Big Four ' are considering working together to work on hydrogen-fueled combustion engines , which promise to be carbon-neutral and nearly emissions-free while retaining the feel , performance characteristics and sound that we ' re familiar with . Initially Yamaha and Kawasaki hope to work together on hydrogen engine development , with Honda and Suzuki expected to join the effort at a later date . Kawasaki showed its first step towards a hydrogen motorcycle engine last year , revealing a direct fuel-injected version of the supercharged H2 fourcylinder . While that prototype currently runs on petrol , not hydrogen , the development of direct injection tech is vital in the pursuit of making hydrogen engines work . If mixed with air before entering the cylinder , the volume of hydrogen would take up too much space , even though the ideal stoichiometric ratio is around 34:1 - far lower than for petrol engines . That would leave less space for air in the cylinder , reducing power by around 15 % compared to petrol . In contrast , using direct-injected hydrogen raises power compared to a petrol engine by about the same percentage .
Royal Enfield owes its origins back to 1891 , at Redditch in the British ' Midlands ', manufacturing bicycles . An 1893 contract to manufacture components for the Enfield , Middlesex , England based Royal Small Arms factory ultimately gave the business the name it still has today . After a quadricycle as its first motorized vehicle was manufactured in 1898 , and a first foray into motorsport two years later , the first motorcycle was launched at the Stanley Cycle Show in London in 1901 - with a 1 1 / 2 hp Anglo / French designed engine mounted in front of the steering head and a long , rawhide belt driving the rear wheel . The rest , as they say , is history - 120 years of history in fact , and to mark the occasion , the oldest motorcycle brand in continuous production is offering a pair of limited-edition special versions of its popular 650 Twins - the INT 650 and the Continental GT 650 . First shown at the EICMA ' Milan
What ' s more , most hydrogen combustion engine prototypes are designed to use far more air than necessary for combustion , effectively running extremely lean , to reduce NOx emissions . To achieve that , forced induction is required , hence Kawasaki ' s decision to base its project
on the supercharged H2 motor . We ' ve yet to see the result of the Yamaha-Kawasaki cooperation , but Yamaha has revealed its own hydrogen-powered combustion engine in the form of a V8 that it ' s developing on behalf of Toyota . This five-litre monster is based on an existing Toyota unit . With 450 hp and
Royal Enfield Marks 120 Years of Continuous Production
Show ' in November 2021 , the global limit of 480 units will no doubt have sold out already ( the pricing is only a couple of grand or so above the regular price of its remarkably inexpensive but versatile and fun 650s ), with 60 of each version ( 120 in total ) having been offered in each of its four regions . Royal Enfield says it has " reached back into the brand ' s rich heritage of building authentic handcrafted motorcycles , and along with unique black and chrome color schemes and a selection of Genuine Motorcycle Accessories , these limited-edition anniversary models feature artisancrafted die-cast brass tank badges and classic Royal Enfield hand-painted pinstripes . " The motorcycles are chromed with an alternate , sustainable trivalent ecofriendly process . To complement the black chrome tanks , both the Continental GT 650 and Interceptor 650 will feature , for the first time ,
540 Nm of torque , its performance is roughly on a par with the stock Toyota petrol version . " We are working toward achieving carbon neutrality by 2050 ," said Yamaha Motor president Yoshihiro Hidaka . " At the same time , ' Motor ' is in our company name , and we accordingly have a strong passion for and level of commitment to the internal combustion engine ." Although the deal to develop hydrogen motorcycle engines with Kawasaki has yet to be completed , Yamaha ' s announcement says : " Kawasaki and Yamaha Motor have started considerations toward the joint development of a hydrogen engine for possible use in two-wheeled vehicles ." What ' s more , they plan to add Honda and Suzuki to the arrangement later on , saying : " The four companies intend to jointly explore the possibility of achieving carbon neutrality through the use of internal combustion engines in two-wheeled vehicles . To maintain a distinct line between cooperation and competition , they intend to proceed after establishing a framework that will clearly define areas of cooperation and collaborative research ".
completely blacked out components , with the engine , silencer and other elements in an array of black color schemes . The motorcycles will also come equipped with a range of Genuine Motorcycle Accessories such as fly screens , engine guards , heel guards , touring and bar-end mirrors among others in a defining black to accent the overall design ." www . royalenfield . com
18 AFTERMARKET MOTO DESIGN - JUNE 2022 www . AMDchampionship . com