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