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Akrapovic has collaborated with Harley-Davidson Factory Racing . As an official partner , the Slovenian manufacturer is equipping the bikes of Kyle Wyman and James Rispoli with full lightweight titanium exhaust systems for their 2024 Road Glides . They first ran with the new pipes at the penultimate King Of The Baggers rounds at the COTA circuit ( Austin , Tx .) in September .
Founded by Scott Maddux in 2004 , the seven strong Smoky Mountain Motor Company group has merged with Crown Automotive ( aka Crown Cars ). The West NC and Eastern TN group has seven locations - Rocky Top H-D ( Pigeon Forge , TN ), Thunderhead H-D ( Kodak TN ), Smoky Mountain ( Maryville , TN ) and four regional retail-only outpost stores . Crown Automotive was founded by his wife Monet ' s uncle .
BRP has unveiled less than stellar results for the Q2 of its Fiscal 2025 with revenues down by -33.7 %, a decrease of CAN $ 1,841.9m , " reflecting the company ’ s focus on reducing network inventory levels ." Net income of $ 7.2m was - $ 331.5m , with EBITDA of $ 198.5m , down by -58.0 % over the year-ago period . At $ 0.61 , EPS was down by $ 2.60 per share . North American Powersports retail sales decreased by -18 % compared to an industry that decreased in the high single digit %. BRP formally launched its Can-Am Pulse and Origin all-new , all-electric motorcycle lineup recently , marking a return for Can-Am as a motorcycle brand after a 1987 withdrawal , and its brand debut into electric powersports units .
KTM , Husqvarna , GasGas and MV Agusta parent company PIERER Mobility ( Austria ) continues to struggle with high levels of debt and softening sales in 2024 . In response , it has announced the appointment of a co-CEO and that it will lay off another 200 employees in Q3 , in addition to the 373 jobs that it has already shed in 2024 . Viktor Sigl has been ' let go ' as CFO PIERER Mobility AG and KTM AG , and the new co-CEO is from outside the motorcycle industry - Gottfried Neumeister , a former business partner of F1 legend Niki Lauda in his ' flyniki ' airline business iteration ( until the sale to Air Berlin ).
Dealernews has announced that NPDA will stage its ' Dealer Connect ' conference at Columbus , Ohio , on October 20-22 , 2024 .
Owners Jeff and Steve Hinchcliff have sold their Lincoln , Nebraska based Frontier Harley-Davidson dealership to Steven Towers .
RumbleOn Expands Dealership Footprint
RumbleOn has expanded its ' Brick and Mortar ' retail footprint in the USA with the acquisition of Revolution Road Harley-Davidson in West Bridgewater , Massachusetts . Previously known as Monty ' s Harley- Davidson , it had been owned by Kathleen Monaghan - Joseph Cacicio , a New England native with extensive experience in the powersports industry , has been appointed General Manager . Located mid-way between Boston and Providence , RI , the purchase marks RumbleOn ’ s 56th dealership and the first acquisition under CEO Mike Kennedy : “ Dealership acquisitions are a crucial element in achieving RumbleOn ’ s Vision 2026 strategic plan . Revolution Road is a perfect addition to our growing portfolio of
The newly renamed Revolution Road Harley-Davidson at West Bridgewater , Mass ., now owned by RumbleOn .
Kawasaki Demonstrates Hydrogen Superbike By Ben Purvis
The world ' s first high-performance motorcycle with a combustion engine fueled by hydrogen was demonstrated in advance of the Suzuka 8-Hour endurance race in July when Kawasaki allowed its prototype supercharged machine to lap the circuit . Hydrogen might have some significant drawbacks as a potential power source for motorcycles , but in Japan the HySE research project , which involves all four major motorcycle
" supercharged fourcylinder was run at Suzuka "
manufacturers as well as Toyota and Kawasaki , has been charged with the task of developing engines capable of running on hydrogen as part of the effort . The company has previously shown prototype engines and sketches of a motorcycle built to house it , but this is the first time the bike has been seen in action by the public . The downside of hydrogen as a fuel is immediately apparent . The bike looks like a large tourer with huge side cases , but it ' s really a single-seater with minimal luggage space . Those panniers are packed with cylinders that carry the hydrogen , compressed to around 700 bar ( 10,000 psi ), and even so the prototype ' s range is believed to be significantly less than a conventional petrol-powered machine would manage on a normal tank of fuel . But fuel systems and storage aren ' t Kawasaki ' s role in the HySE project , and it ' s clear that its part of the deal - to create a combustion engine that will run on hydrogen - is largely complete . According to Kawasaki , the prototype ' s chassis has been designed specifically to make space for all the hydrogen tanks , but the engine is derived from the existing 998 cc , supercharged H2 motor . Forced induction is a key element to
RumbleOn CEO Mike Kennedy
dealerships .” Earlier this summer , RumbleOn opened Indian Motorcycle of Cincinnati , a market which had not been served by an Indian dealership previously , and recently also opened RideNow Powersports Houston , a dealership pilot project focused on selling pre-owned vehicles exclusively , with an emphasis on custom and touring motorcycles . Near Interstate 45 north of Houston , the location also carries a comprehensive selection of accessories and riding gear . " Our strategic plan calls for us to carefully manage our capital and to run the best performing dealerships in the country ," said Kennedy . " The three new dealerships we opened this summer , each one quite different , are great examples of how we will grow and achieve our goals and continue to focus our capital allocation on generating long-term per-share value for our shareholders ." www . rumbleon . com
getting good performance from a hydrogen combustion engine , helping to get as much air as possible into the cylinders . It ' s paired with direct fuel injection that adds the hydrogen to the combustion chambers after the inlet valves have closed . Although the prototype is running and Kawasaki reports that hydrogen actually provides improved responsiveness compared to petrol , it ' s still a long way from production . The company believes that it might become " one carbon-neutral option for riders in the early 2030s ".
12 AFTERMARKET MOTO DESIGN - OCTOBER 2024 www . AMDmag . com