Sources: AMD, IDN, FT, Reuters, PSB, MPN, BDN, MCN, AP, Bloomberg, MSNW, Electrek, electricmotorcycles. news, RideApart. com, Motor1. com, Cycle World, motorbikewriter. com
NEWS
BRIEFS
Serial American entrepreneur Erik Stephens, founder of Twisted Throttle( TT- Rhode Island, USA) and DENALI Electronics, has decided to close TT to focus on DENALI. He started TT in a garage in 2002, and went on to specialise in international brands, importing products such as SW-MOTECH luggage and MRA screens from Germany, Barkbusters hand guards from Australia, South African Kaoko cruise controls and R & G protectors from the UK. Erik founded LED lights specialist brand DENALI and it is now owned by Brown and Watson International( BWI) of Australia; www. denalielectronics. com
The Economist reports an International Monetary Fund forecast that project government debt across the world as on course to hit 100 % of global gross domestic product( GDP) by 2029. That will be the highest level since the aftermath of the second world war. That will be up from the 93 % of global GDP estimated for 2024. Private debt( businesses and consumer) is even worse, totaling 143 % of global GDP. This puts total global debt at $ 324tn, some 235 % of global GDP as of May 2025( a new record). The United States has the largest national debt at $ 36tn as of May 2025- a debt to GDP ratio of 122 %- followed by UK, France, Germany and Japan.
Bauer Media ' s UK operation has closed the MCN( Motorcycle News) London Motorcycle Show. Staged at east London ' s Docklands based Excel exhibition centre since 2007, it is a show that can trace a lineage back as far as the earliest days of the Earl ' s Court International Motorcycle Show in London in the early 1950 ' s, and beyond. That leaves the modern MCIA UK motorcycle industry trade association ' s Motorcycle Live at Birmingham ' s NEC as the UK ' s only real ' major ' motorcycle expo, though Bike Shed ' s annual " School of Cool " at Tobacco Dock at the end of May and also in east London continues to grow.
Internationally influential Bank of England Governor Bailey has warned that recent events in US private credit markets( which includes the still fast-growing Private Equity sector) have worrying echoes of the sub-prime mortgage crisis that triggered the global financial crash of 2028. The burgeoning private credit markets in general essentially owe their existence to investors and lenders trying to circumvent the banking and finance industry guard rails that were put in place to try to avoid a repeat of the 2008 catastrophe( think Dodd Frank Act, Basel I, II & II etc).
Atlantic Crossing
A few weeks before EICMA( Milan, Italy, November 5-9) Zero Motorcycles, formerly headquartered at Scotts Valley, California quietly dropped the interesting news that it was to relocate primary administrative functions and global corporate headquarters to its existing European head office in the Netherlands. Zero says that Europe has become the most important growth engine for the EV sector and their announcement referenced a " European boost "- the Netherlands headquarters will bring global teams together into one central hub in the heart of Zero ' s fastestgrowing EV market. The move is intended to enable " greater flexibility, more precise implementation and improved collaboration with key partners worldwide." Zero says it is " uniquely positioned with strong global distribution, deep technical expertise, and backed by its latest round of funding." Zero ' s main shareholder is said to have committed $ 50m in new funding to drive the transformation forward. Zero will use its existing European
Harley has a New Hero
Harley-Davidson India has unveiled an updated X440 for 2026 – the X440T- " as the next step in an evolving legacy " for the X440 that first went on sale in Indian in 2023. Described as a " street legal [ in India ] roadster built for performance " and a " modern expression of Harley-Davidson ' s heritage " it is to be sold internationally now, although not in the United States and, as far as we can determine, not in any European markets either. This model is not to be confused with the H-D Spirit that, having not after all appeared at the Milwaukee Harley dealer convention in October, is now slated for second half 2026 sale in the United States and( presumably) Europe. That bike was originally ' pimped ' by
Zero Motorcycles VP & Managing Director of EMEA / APAC, Umberto Uccelli, unveiling the new Zero LS1
headquarters in Noord-Scharwoude, located in the province of North Holland, north of Amsterdam as its new headquarters- only administrative and sales teams will move from the previous headquarters in Scott ' s Valley, California; " non-technical initiatives and departments " as Zero terms them. Technical development and engineering will remain at Scotts Vally, California.
former CEO Jochen Zeitz as due for an October dealer meeting tease, as one of two sub $ 10,000 models that will be the Milwaukee response to a market zeitgeist that Zeitz swore he ' d never take the brand anywhere near. Built in India for Harley by Hero MotoCorp, this new X440T is a 27 HP air-cooled 440 cc single brand ' place holder ' with 38 Nm of torque, an 805 mm seat height( unladen) with rider safety enhancements such as switchable rear ABS and traction control, a re-designed rear subframe with all new tail section, new exhaust with heat shield and end cap, bar-end mirrors and 3.5 " display with H-D Connect service, a 3.5 " TFT display, Bluetooth connectivity, USB charging and Road / Rain Ride Modes.
" Zero has led the electric motorcycle category for nearly two decades," said CEO Sam Paschel. " With Europe setting the pace for EV adoption, moving key headquarters functions into the Netherlands allows us to respond faster to customer needs and strengthen our global operations. This is about focus, discipline, and ensuring we continue to lead the transformation of the powersports industry."
14 AMERICAN MOTORCYCLE DEALER- JANUARY 2026 www. AMDmag. com