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Royal Enfield announced that it will begin motorcycle assembly in Argentina in partnership with Grupo Simpa , Royal Enfield ' s local distributor in the country since 2019 . This marks the first time in the company ' s modern history that motorcycles will be assembled and produced outside its manufacturing facilities in Chennai , India .
APB Corp , Tokyo ( Hideaki Horie - the man behind development of the Nissan Leaf ), has invented a new kind of battery that is said to be 90 % cheaper to produce than standard lithium-ion batteries - and potentially much safer - by replacing the basic components of a standard Li-ion battery in order to speed up and simplify the manufacturing process . " Manufacturing the new batteries is significantly simplified by replacing the metal-lined electrodes and liquid electrolytes typically found within Li-ion units with a resin construction ."
Shell Oil and Ducati have deepened their partnership , expanding Shell Advance Ducati oil distribution and renewing their engine oil first fill deal for another three years in the Italian and Thailand production plants . Shell Advance Ducati co-branded oil ( so far restricted to the Italian and North American markets ) will also now become available in Germany , France and the UK . Available for aftermarket oil changes in Ducati road bikes , this bespoke blend uses Shell ’ s proprietary PurePlus technology .
UK based premium aftermarket motorcycle exhaust manufacturer Max Torque Cans , trading as MTC Exhausts , has further expanded with the acquisition of Quill Performance Exhausts . The Quill brand joins the original Max Torque Cans line-up , established in 2001 , and Carbon Can Company , which MTC took over in 2017 .
In its home market , Indian manufacturer Royal Enfield ( Eicher Motors ) has introduced a mobile servicing option that riders can book via their nearest dealership for ' at home ' scheduled maintenance servicing . For its " Service on Wheels " the company has built a fleet of 800 bikes equipped with all the tools , service items and consumables that trained and certified dealer based mobile technicians will need for the most common interval services and small repairs .
Bosch ' Help Connect ' eCall system
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
Pan European distributor Bihr ( Bartenheim , France ) has continued to add to its premium dealer offer with new brands such as ARWIC Motorcycle Equipment ( luggage , Turkey ), the Spanish made SHAD brand of luggage ( for dealers in Benelux and Austria ), the internationally respected Jasil line of crankshafts ( Braga , Portugal ), the Australian Rok Straps brand of cargo straps and the Barkbusters range of hand guards . In what is a very smart , forward facing move , the company has also started to develop a new e- bike- specific aftersales offer for dealers . These new products will be added to the extensive range of existing parts , accessories , gear and apparel with three sectorspecific catalogues - one for tools and workshop equipment and another for dedicated travel ,
unit . One hundred times a second , this integrated sensor measures 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
touring and trails and scooter segment products . For scooters , Bihr is offering new windshields , top cases and exhausts and , coming into its scooter offer for the first time will be the new section for electric bikes with spare parts and accessories for e- cycles / pedelecs and e-bikes - this new scooter catalogue has 868 pages . The travel catalogue has 120 pages , and will regroup products dedicated to motorcycle tour and travel , including products such as additional LED lighting
Connect ' also transmits any medical 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 .
Bihr adds brands and catalogues
options , luggage , protectors and electronic gear such as intercoms , smartphone holders , GPS and dedicated accessories . In its tools and workshop equipment programme , Bihr is adding a new range of power tools by Draper Tool , an even more extensive offer of the Beta tools range and a debut for laser and workshop equipment for e- bike maintenance by Bike Lift Europe of Italy . www . bihr . eu
10 INTERNATIONAL DEALER NEWS - OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2020 www . idnmag . com