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Yamaha Motor has announced its eventual withdrawal from the snowmobile market , with sales in Japan to end with remaining 2022 model year inventory , in Europe in 2024 , and in North America in 2025 . Having sold its first snowmobiles in 1968 , Yamaha was an early adopter of environmentally friendly fourstroke models . However , it has concluded that it will be difficult to continue a sustainable business in the snowmobile market . Going forward , Yamaha will concentrate management resources on current business activities and new growth markets .
Buell Motorcycles has launched a 40th-anniversary Freedom Edition Hammerhead 1190 sport bike . Boasting 185 hp and 102 ft-lbs of torque , it weighs in at 419 lbs . The MRSP starts at $ 24,990 , with the first 40 examples featuring a special four-year warranty and Team Buell autographed bodywork .
Italian electric motorcycle manufacturer Energica rider Stefano Mesa ( Columbia ) and Tytlers Cycle Racing continue to impress in the Super Hooligans championship series , becoming the " the first EV ever in the world to lead a race against ICE machinery ," as Roland Sands pointed out in commentary breaking the e-motorcycle lap record ( 1:31.272 seconds ) at Laguna Seca during Round 6 of the 2023 series , finishing in fifth place on the Energica Eva Ribelle RS .
Pied Piper says its latest Service Telephone Effectiveness ( STE ) Study has ranked Harley in first place ( among 26 powersports brands ) followed by Polaris offroad , BMW , Indian and LiveWire . The researcher made ' Mystery Shopper ' calls to 1,608 powersports stores from March to May 2023 . Other brands to beat Pied Piper ' s service customer responsiveness score Industry Average were Aprilia , Moto Guzzi , Royal Enfield , KTM , Husqvarna , Suzuki and Triumph . Kymco dealers came last , with Zero fifth from last .
Indian Motorcycle has issued a recall notice for certain 2022 Indian Chief Bobber , Indian Chief Dark Horse , and Indian Chief Bobber Dark Horse motorcycles . The issue is a missing belt guard reflector .
Harley-Davidson X440 Launched in India By Ben Purvis
Harley-Davidson ' s tie-in with India ' s Hero MotoCorp was inked in 2020 after the American company ' s decision to close its own Indian factory and discontinue the Street 750 and Street Rod models that were built there . It allowed Hero to not only distribute H- D ' s existing range but also to develop India-specific models to wear the Harley-Davidson badge - and less than three years later the first of them has hit the market . The X440 has already been the subject of an extended teaser campaign in India , with staged ' spy ' photos followed by official pictures but no technical information . Now all the tech information has been released along with pictures of three versions of the bike that will make Harley-Davidson affordable to a vast number of Indian riders . All three variants are technically identical , sharing the same 440 cc engine , an air-cooled , fuel-injected single-cylinder that makes 27 hp at 6,000 rpm and 28 lb ft at 4,000 rpm , mounted in a steel frame . There are upside-down , non-adjustable KYB forks at the front and twin shocks at the rear , adjustable for preload in seven stages to account for different loads . It ' s low-spec stuff but compares favourably to rival models like Royal
Vanderhall ' Balboa '
Utah based Vanderhall Motor Works has been making three-wheeled roadsters that sit somewhere between cars and motorcycles since 2016 . The company recently added a modular electric powertrain to use in its threewheeled Santarosa and expanded into four-wheelers with the Brawley electric off-roader . Now the company has its eye on more markets - showing sketches of a variety of machines including a speedboat , a tracked vehicle and its first two-wheeled motorcycle . Called ' Balboa ', the motorcycle is another electric offering , and while Vanderhall hasn ' t released any technical details , it is likely to use a variation of the company ' s existing electric powertrain . At the moment , the Santarosa uses a twin-motor version with 132 kW , and the Brawley has a quad-motor setup with up to 297 kW . For the ' Balboa ', it would make sense to use a single motor , which would be likely to make around 75 kW and 150
X440 S
Enfield ' s Hunter 350 . The engine itself features a 79.6 mm bore and 88.4 mm stroke , with a low 9.5:1 compression ratio that suggests it will be able to cope with poor-quality fuel . It drives via a six-speed transmission and chain final drive , achieving impressive economy of 35 km / l ( 82 mpg US , 98 mpg imperial ). There are some luxury touches , including a small 3.5 " TFT dash that features phone connectivity to allow turn-by-turn navigation and control for calls and media . Brakes are discs at both ends - a single 320 mm rotor at the front and a 240mm one at the rear - with ABS as standard . All the lights are LED . The base version of the bike is the X440 Denim , available only in one colour -
Nm of torque if it ' s based on the same components used in the existing three and four-wheeled models . The ' Balboa ' design has a café racer look , with a single-sided swingarm and wire wheels , and the lack of visible chain or belt drive suggests there ' s a shaft inside the swingarm taking power to the rear wheel . However , the bike ' s dimensions are surprisingly large , with a 1,664
Mustard - and with wire wheels . It costs INR 229,000 ( equivalent to around $ 2,800 US ). Stepping up to the midrange ' Vivid ' model gives access to two colour options - silver or red , both featuring a two-tone tank with a black side insert - and includes cast alloy wheels , with a price of INR 249,000 ($ 3,000 ). Finally , there ' s the X440 S , which comes in matte black with grey and orange graphics , machined edges to its cast alloy wheels , and a threedimensional Harley badge on the tank , all for INR 269,000 ($ 3,200 ). The X440 will be built in Hero ' s manufacturing facilities in India and is very unlikely to be sold in Europe or the USA . It is the cheapest motorcycle to wear a Harley badge , costing less than some of the company ' s bicycles .
mm / 65.5 inch wheelbase that puts it on a par with the Harley-Davidson Fat Boy . There ' s no indication yet as to when the concept sketches are likely to evolve into a real-world motorcycle , but an exotic , electric two-wheeler would sit well with Vanderhall ' s existing range and the high-end leisure market that the company calls home .
8 AFTERMARKET MOTO DESIGN - AUGUST 2023 www . AMDchampionship . com