AMD 252 July 2020 American Motorcycle Dealer 252 July 2020 | Page 10
NEWS
BRIEFS
How to Choose Your Suspension
Tuning Dyno
Sources: AMD, IDN, FT, Reuters, PSB, MPN, B&B, BDN, MCN, AP, Bloomberg, MSNW, Electrek, electricmotorcycles.news
A&R reports that German automotive
suspension giant Bilstein is to enter
the motorcycle suspension market
with a front fork and rear shock for
the BMW S1000RR line (2009 and
up). While targeting BMW for its first
motorcycle product offering is no
surprise, A&R believes that this is
likely a first statement of intent at
trying to prise away some motorcycle
OEM business from the likes of
Öhlins, Showa, Sachs and WP.
After a dispute that has been
rumbling on since December
2011, BRP has secured a ruling
in the Federal Court of Canada
that recognizes that Arctic Cat
infringed certain of its patents
related to the frame of BRP’s
(then) revolutionary Ski-Doo
REV snowmobiles. The Court
issued a permanent injunction
ordering Arctic Cat and its
Canadian dealers to stop the
sale, use and distribution of any
snowmobile which would
infringe BRP’s frame patent. It
also ordered Arctic Cat to pay
BRP a royalty of CA$135 per
unit that infringes the frame
patent since MY2008.
An 18-race MotoGP series is now
confirmed to get back underway
after the one round only held so far
this year (Qatar, March 8,) with
consecutive weekends in Spain (19
and 26 July) at the Circuito de Jerez
(the first two of six races now slated
for Spain this year) before heading to
Brno in the Czech Republic (Aug 9)
and Austria (Aug 16).
The initial MotoGP plan will see
a US GP at the Austin, Texas
Circuit of The America at some
stage after the final European
race on November 15;
theoretically followed by three
more races outside of Europe
for this year - Argentina,
Thailand and a potential season
finale at Malaysia.
Revival Cycles has
rescheduled its 7th
annual Austin,
Texas Handbuilt
Show for the
weekend of
November 13 - 15,
2020. The show would normally
coincide with the US MotoGP at the
Circuit of The Americas outside
Austin, but Madrid, Spain, MotoGP
organizer and rights holder Dorna
has stated that, while it intends to
hold a rearranged race there this
season, it will be at least one
weekend later as the series stays in
Europe for 13 races before visiting
any more international venues.
We have featured Italian suspension
specialist Andreani's DB4 Suspension
Dyno before in the pages of AMD, but
we have never shown its standard DB4
and the more advanced DB4 Plus side
by side and looked in depth at the
differences between them.
Though they look similar and share
some common features, such as the
adjustable speed range (0-2000
mm/s) and stroke range (15-100 mm),
the plug-and-play control and
acquisition software (with advanced
data processing and export functions),
the optical temperature sensor and the
same maximum load (5.000 N), the
DB4 and the DB4 Plus differ in a
number of ways.
First of all, the Plus version of this tool
(part of a family of Andreani
Suspension Dyno machines) has an
even more powerful engine than the
base model (a 5.5 kW three-phase
motor against the 4 kW in the
standard DB4), plus an even more
sophisticated suite of software tools
that allow professional suspension
technicians (motorcycle and
automotive) to explore a wider range
of speed-load combinations.
The choice between the two largely
revolves around the kind of
suspension tuning that it is going to be
required for. For example, on models
where the maximum stroke is up to 30
The MIC has announced that the
U.S. Trade Representative has
reversed tariffs levied on
motorcycle helmets
manufactured in China that
were imposed in 2019.
"Following multiple requests by
the MIC Government Relations
Office and several MIC members
to exclude motorcycles, parts
and accessories from China List
4 tariffs, the United States Trade
Representative has determined
that motorcycle helmets are
now excluded from tariffs that
were imposed in 2019.
"Tariffs are additional taxes
paid by American consumers
and businesses, not by China,"
said Erik Pritchard, President
and CEO of the Motorcycle
Industry Council. "We are
mm (such as shocks for touring bike
applications), where the maximum
velocity is limited to 620 mm/s, the
standard base model DB4 has all the
features and software tools that will
be needed.
Equally, the standard base model is
also fine for applications where even
though the maximum stroke is up to
100 mm, the load produced is below
2.000 N., for example mountain bike
forks or road shocks.
The standard base model DB4 is a
great allrounder on which technicians
can test a wide range of forks and
shocks with several travels, with pretty
small loads at larger strokes.
However, it is for strokes 50 mm or
more (off-road shocks and forks) and
heavy loads that the DB4 Plus is the
better option as it has greater capacity
and precision for heavy duty
suspension loads.
Due to the 5.5 kW 380V three-phase
AC motor it can reach higher speeds
and forces than the base model (which
has a still excellent 4 kW engine),
allowing specialized technicians to
calibrate and tune the highest possible
suspension forces and highest speed
suspensions.
Among its advanced functions, the
DB4 Plus features software that
includes hysteresis analysis and
dissipated energy and damping
pleased that the USTR has
decided to exclude additional
taxes on motorcycle helmets.
Safety equipment must remain
affordable and readily available
to all riders."
The MIC's government relations
team worked with MIC
members, testifying together
before the USTR and the United
States International Trade
Commission. Letters were also
sent to the agencies and to
policy makers.
"We started last year, testifying
at United States International
Trade Commission hearings,"
said Doug Hill, President of AFX
North America. "Through the
relentless efforts of the MIC's
GRO over the last 14 months,
we now have this great
PARTS AND ACCESSORIES
coefficient calculations, and it is
equipped with a sophisticated
electronic controller board that
ensures stable and reliable
automation and extremely precise
data acquisition.
It also offers real-time visualization of
the suspension load-speed graph with
an intuitive graphical interface, the
possibility to compare different click
settings and valve options, to measure
dynamic suspension parameters and
to detect any operating anomalies.
Custom software also available upon
request.
Like the DB4, the Plus model is
equipped with a series of adapters to
test every kind of suspension and it is
delivered with its laptop with software
already installed.
www.andreanigroup.com
Motorcycle Helmets Now Excluded
from Tariffs Until September 1, 2020
outcome. As I had the chance to
see first-hand the impact we
can have if we work together, I
urge more companies to join
the MIC, which continuously
advocates on behalf of the
entire industry."
Importers should work with
their brokers to obtain refunds
from Customs and Border
Protection on previously
collected tariffs spanning
September 1, 2019 to May 13,
2020. Questions related to
Section 301 entry filing
requirements should be emailed
to [email protected]
10 AMERICAN MOTORCYCLE DEALER - JULY 2020 www.AMDchampionship.com