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BRIEFS
Having acquired Cooper Tires , the parent company of Avon Tyres - a long standing favorite of custom bike builders the world over - Goodyear has announced that Cooper Tires Europe is to close the 130-yearold Avon site at Melksham in England . The company will " gradually phase out all Melksham-based operations by the end of 2023 ." AMD contacted Goodyear for information as to whether or not Avon branded production will continue elsewhere , or if this is the end of the road for Avon Tyres - however , as at press-time the silence had been deafening . We are left to draw our own conclusions , I guess .
H-D is to recall 1,074 RH975 Nightster motorcycles ( 2022 ) due to a possible handlebar break arising from poor welding .
This year has seen some notable anniversaries among the Californian V-twin aftermarket community - including Progressive Suspension notching up 40 years . Now based out of the Performance Machine factory , as part of the Powerhouse Brands Group that also includes Burly Brand , PM itself was founded in 1970 . It is a big landmark elsewhere in the Greater Los Angeles area , with leading seat designer Le Pera hitting the ' Big Five 0 '. Founded by Bob Le Pera Sr ., the north Hollywood based manufacturer is still in family ownership , operated by Bob Le Pera Jr . and sister Christine Le Pera .
Cycle Gear and J & P Cycles owner Comoto has opened a new RevZilla branded brick-and-mortar experience storefront at Newport Beach , California .
Kawasaki Reveals Near-Production Electrics and Hybrids By Ben Purvis
Kawasaki has been among the most vocal of Japan ' s bike makers about its plans to launch multiple batteryelectric , hybrid and hydrogen-powered motorcycles , and it surprised crowds at the Suzuka 8-hour by demonstrating two nearproduction ready machines on track ahead of the race . Kawasaki previously revealed an electric prototype in 2019 and showed an early version of its hybrid bike last year , but these new machines differ significantly . The HEV ( Hybrid Electric Vehicle ) is the higher-performance and more sophisticated machine . Based around a parallel twin engine - it appears to be from the Z400 - with a large electric motor mounted above its transmission and a small under-seat battery pack . In town , it ' s able to run on pure electric power , although with a relatively short range thanks to the small , light battery . On longer , constant-speed runs , it uses the twincylinder petrol engine , operating at an efficient speed to drive the bike and simultaneously recharge the battery pack . When you need all the performance at once , both powertrains run simultaneously , offering more performance than either could achieve alone . The result should be economy and emissions equivalent to a 250 cc machine , and performance similar to a Ninja 650 , with none of the range or recharging problems associated with pure electric bikes . It uses a conventional combustion engine and transmission , with the foot-operated gear shift replaced by an electrically operated handle switch version , with an automatically controlled clutch . The move to semiauto shifting means the transition
Hybrid prototype
64 AFTERMARKET MOTO DESIGN - NOVEMBER 2022 www . AMDchampionship . com