American Motorcycle Dealer AMD 227 June 2018 | Page 10

NEWS
BRIEFS
Polaris is celebrating the 20th
anniversary of the introduction
of its popular Ranger SxS
vehicle series. The company has
produced more than 1 m UTVs
since 1998 at its Huntsville,
Alabama factory.
Ducati has opened a new flagship
store in New York City. The new
dealership, with a renovated
showroom of more than 700 sq m, is
strategically located at 155 6th
Avenue in SoHo in New York and
opened its doors on April 19. Ducati
CEO Claudio Domenicali said: “This
new Monobrand Ducati Store
represents a further step forward in
the process of continuous
improvement of the quality of our
network internationally.”
B&B reports that data from the
KBA in Germany shows the
number of motorcycles
registered in Germany as of 1
January 2018 reached 4,372,978
units – a record high number.
Said to have increased by 1.4
percent in the prior 12 months,
79.9 percent are over 125cc,
with 13.3 percent owned by
women. Bavaria records the
most (926,882), followed by
North Rhine-Westphalia
(833,009), Baden-Württemberg
(675,708), Lower Saxony
(418,922) and Hessen (330,822).
B&B also reports the KBA data saying
that as of 1 January 2018 there are
538,029 BMW motorcycles registered
in Germany, followed by 519,215
Yamaha, 503,310 Suzuki, 427,352
Honda and 354,396 Kawasaki
motorcycles.
CF Moto and KTM broke ground
on the building of their new
joint venture production facility
in China in March. CF Moto GM
Minjie Lai is quoted as saying
the joint venture will bring CF
Moto’s R&D and manufacturing
capability “to a whole new
level. CF Moto will benefit from
KTM’s advanced technology and
experience; KTM recognize how
our manufacturing capacity,
supply chain management and
channel development could help
them to implement their global
strategy”.
iMotorsports recently announced the
launch of Route 66 Indian
Motorcycle. The addition of the Indian
motorcycle line to iMotorsports’
Elmhurst, Illinois location follows the
successful acquisition and operation
of two authorized Indian dealerships
in Florida - Indian Motorcycle of
Orlando and St. Pete Powersports of
St. Petersburg.
10
Pastrana to channel Evel Knievel
Nitro Circus and Indian Motorcycle have
announced that Travis Pastrana will be
jumping an Indian Scout FTR750 “when
he looks to pay tribute to Evel Knievel,
the founding father of motorcycle
stunts, and surpass America’s most
iconic daredevil.”
“Evel Live”, an unprecedented three
hour live event in partnership with Nitro
Circus on July 8, will see Travis Pastrana
attempt three of Knievel’s most famed
jumps - on an Indian Scout FTR750. The
stunts will include jumping the length of
52+ crushed cars, 16 Greyhound
busses, and the ill-fated Caesars Palace
fountain jump that left Knievel grasping
for his life with 40 broken bones.
If successful, Pastrana will be the first
individual to complete all three jumps in
one three-hour timespan and on a
motorcycle similar to those Evel used.
“It is extremely important to use a
motorcycle similar to the ones Evel
jumped. The Indian Scout FTR750 is just
that, a modern-day evolution of the flat
track motorcycles of the past,” said
Pastrana. “It has the power I need and
handles well, but I’m only going to have
a few days to get comfortable on it, not
to mention I’ve never jumped a V-twin
before. I’ve got my work cut out, but
we’re used to going big at Nitro Circus,
so we’ll make it happen.”
“We couldn’t be more excited for Travis
to be piloting the Scout FTR750 as he
looks to make history by recreating three
of Evel Knievel’s mo st historic jumps - in
a single evening,” said Reid Wilson,
Senior Director, Marketing and Product
Development for Indian Motorcycle.
“Evel Knievel is truly a global icon, and
we’re proud to be a part of this
incredible event that pays homage to his
legacy in such grand fashion.”
Watsonian Sidecars Now Available
to Fit New Indian Chief Vintage
To sidecar aficionados (yes Mike
Taylor and Larry Coleman – we’re
looking at you!), the name
Watsonian Squire needs little
introduction.
The legendary British sidecar
manufacturer did much in the
20th century to create and shape
the sidecar market. The company
was founded in 1912 as the
Watsonian Folding Sidecar
Company by Mr T.F. Watson of
Birmingham, England. Watson
was a builder by trade, and as an
early adopter motorcycle
enthusiast, he had designed a
folding sidecar for his own
personal use that could be
wheeled through the narrow
alleys between the terraced
houses of Edwardian England.
His company flourished, building
sidecar ambulances during WWI
and models for leisure, sport and
tradesmen when peace returned.
After the Great Depression,
Watsonian introduced luxury
AMERICAN MOTORCYCLE DEALER - JUNE 2018
touring models and sports
sidecars, with production
reaching 200 units per week
during the motorcycling boom of
the 1950s – in its golden heyday
Watsonian won four world
sidecar championships with Eric
Oliver.
As wages increased in the Sixties
and small cars like the iconic Mini
became affordable, sidecars fell
out of fashion, and by 1965 they
only accounted for 20% of
Watsonian’s output. In 1973
Squire entered the market with a
radical new sports sidecar.
Designed for the latest
generation of high performance
Japanese superbikes, Squire
appealed to a new customer
base of leisure riders. Shortly
after Watsonian’s 75th
anniversary, the two companies
merged to create Britain’s
biggest and longest established
sidecar manufacturer.
Fast forward to the 21st century,
and the company is still making
market leading sidecars in
England, exporting them all
around the world, and the latest
news is that their range is now
available to fit the current Indian
Chief Vintage.
The company says “big capacity
American V-twins are a well-
established favorite for sidecar
use thanks to their torquey
motors, but until now the only
fitting kits Watsonian has
produced to attach its sidecars to
American motorcycles are for
Harley-Davidsons.
“Delivering an incredible 150 Nm
of torque, the Indian Chief’s
1811cc Thunderstroke V-twin
engine has plenty of power to
propel the largest sidecar that
Watsonian produces, the wide-
bodied GP700, with its 46 mm
telescopic forks and 300 mm
floating discs (twin front, single
rear) easily able to manage the
extra demands put on suspension
and stopping power.”
In order to ensure optimum load
paths and triangulation for the
sidecar, Watsonian designed a
specially engineered tubular
steel subframe which bolts
beneath the engine casing,
providing a secure mount for the
four attachment arms.
www.watsonian-squire.com
www.AMDchampionship.com