Stuttgart , Germany based Bosch has finally launched the emergency assistance and automatic emergency call service ( eCall ) that it has been working on for several years . Called ' Help Connect ', it automatically alerts emergency services via smartphone . " Help Connect adds a digitally connected guardian angel to the broad Bosch portfolio of motorcycle safety systems ," says Harald Kroeger , a member of Bosch ' s Board of management . " With its new , intelligent crash algorithm , Bosch motorcycle sensor technology is able to detect accidents and set the rescue process in motion via smartphone app . In some cases , an automatic emergency call can reduce the accident response time by up to 50 percent ." The system uses an intelligent crash algorithm installed in the vehicle ' s inertial sensor unit to detect accidents . Via a smartphone app , ' Help Connect ' transmits information about the accident scene and the rider to the Bosch Service Center , and from there to the emergency services , helping them find the victim faster than might otherwise be the case . In an emergency , ' Help Connect ' draws on information from the Bosch MSC motorcycle stability control , and more specifically its inertial sensor unit . One hundred times a second , this integrated sensor measures
A H-D LiveWire motorcycle set all-new records for elapsed time and top speed by an electricpowered production motorcycle on a drag racing course in September . Harley-Davidson Screamin ' Eagle / Vance & Hines rider and three-time Pro Stock Motorcycle champion , Angelle Sampey stepped off her H-D FXDR Pro Stock competition motorcycle to pilot the LiveWire bike to capture world record-breaking acceleration and angular velocity , i . e . how fast the angular position of an object changes with time . The sensor can thus accurately calculate the motorcycle ' s current position and angle of lean . The integrated crash algorithm enables the sensor to detect automatically whether the motorcycle has been involved in an accident , or whether a mishap has caused it to fall over when being parked . It does not require an additional control unit , which makes integrating it into the motorcycle more straightforward . It connects to Bosch ' s Vivatar emergency app via Bluetooth . Other smartphone apps , such as motorcycle manufacturers ' proprietary apps , can also be integrated into the emergency call solution . Apart from information about location , ' Help Connect ' also transmits any medical
LiveWire Scoops Production Electric Motorcycle E . T . Records
runs on the quarter and eighthmile , covering the eighth-mile distance in 7.017 seconds and the full quarter-mile course in just 11.156 seconds at 110.35 mph . The 2020 LiveWire motorcycle ' s top speed is limited to 110 mph . The records were set during exhibition runs at the Denso Spark Plugs NHRA U . S . Nationals at the Lucas Oil Raceway in Indianapolis . " This is another great pass at a bold future in data provided by the rider to the Bosch Service Center . These data may prove vital for the emergency services . On request , other people may also be automatically contacted with news of the accident . The emergency call service will initially be available for customers from Germany . Users will be able to communicate with the Bosch Service Center in German or English from other European countries such as Austria , Belgium , France , Italy , Ireland , Luxembourg , the Netherlands , Spain , Switzerland and the UK . If the accident is severe and the rider fails to respond , emergency services are immediately directed to the scene . As smartphones are generally carried close to the body , riders who have been in an accident can be quickly located even if they were thrown off their vehicle in the crash .
Harley-Davidson ' s quest to lead the electrification of motorcycles ," said the company . " Let me tell you what ' s amazing ," said Sampey . " That was the first time I rode the LiveWire . I could not wait to get it on the track . The LiveWire is so easy to ride . Just twist the throttle and go , and you really go !" Sampey and her Harley-Davidson Screamin ' Eagle / Vance & Hines teammates , Andrew Hines and Ed Krawiec , made a number of head-to-head drag race runs on stock LiveWire models , with Sampey posting the quickest times . Sampey is the winningest female in motorsports history with three-time Pro Stock Motorcycle championships ( 2000-2002 ) and 43 Pro Stock motorcycle wins .
NEWS
BRIEFS
Under the new ownership of Indian conglomerate TVS , Norton Motorcycles in the UK has filed Europe-wide trademark apps for five new model names - Ranger , Electra , Fastback , Navigator and Nomad .
The On / Off will they , won ' t they , never ending Audi / VAG selling Ducati rumors are back on again with the announcement of a November 2020 Volkswagen Management Board Meeting at which , among other strategic topics , " evaluation of Ducati , Lamborghini and Bugatti ownership " will be on the agenda . Maybe that ' s just routine management practice , maybe it isn ' t . Either way , memo to Jochen Zeitz - don ' t even think about it !
Ducati has unveiled a new 1,158 cc 2.6 lb lighter V4 Granturismo 90-degree engine - initially for a new version of the Multistrada . It is said to make 170 hp and 92 lb-ft of torque and is described as having the longest service intervals of any current production motorcycle at 37,300 miles between major maintenance . The engine features a new spring-loaded valve return system , special profiles of the camshafts and the valve lift speeds .
After some ten years in the wilderness , where hybrid motorcycle technology is concerned , Yamaha has filed patents in Japan that show the company exploring the technology again . A strong proponent of hybrid platforms in the past , the financial crisis ' impact on R & D budgets is said to have dulled its interest . The new patent suggests a series rather than parallel hybrid engine design . The new patent shows a single-speed gearbox as a structural element .
The Quebec government is considering new ATV and snowmobile laws that would impose stricter restrictions on their use . As proposed , the new laws would require users to be no younger than 16 yo and to have completed a mandatory training course , with heavy fines for those who permit or facilitate violations . There were nearly 600 fatal accidents in Quebec involving such vehicles in the last ten years .
AMERICAN MOTORCYCLE DEALER - DECEMBER 2020 25
Sources : AMD , IDN , FT , Reuters , PSB , MPN , B & B , BDN , MCN , AP , Bloomberg , MSNW , Electrek , electricmotorcycles . news , RideApart . com , Motor1 . com