THE BRADLEY REPORT
THE BRADLEY REPORT
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Benda Napoleon 450 gets the green light By Ben Purvis
Sources : AMD , IDN , FT , Reuters , PSB , MPN , BDN , MCN , AP , Bloomberg , MSNW , Electrek , electricmotorcycles . news , RideApart . com , Motor1 . com , Cycle World , motorbikewriter . com
Launched amid much fanfare in 2022 , the FIM World Supercross Championship ( WSX ) owner SX Global ( Australia ) has had issues with its original financial backer - with rumours that the series was in financial trouble after Abu Dhabi based Mubadala Capital ( the asset management arm of the United Arab Emirates sovereign wealth fund ) withdrew its support . CEO Adam Bailey has sold the business to a new investor group led by sports investors Kyril Louis- Dreyfus ( 5 % owner of Marseilles Football Club and son of Robert Louis-Dreyfus , the former CEO of advertising giant Saatchi & Saatchi and of sportswear giant Adidas ). His business partner in the acquisition of a controlling stake in SX Global is Juan Sartori - a successful Uruguayan businessman and senator . In sporting terms , the pair are best known as co-owners of English tier-2 football team Sunderland . The WSX season ambitions are in tatters . In 2022 a planned sixround series was reduced to just two rounds ( UK and Australia ). So far there has been a season opening round at the Villa Park football ground in Birmingham , England ( July 1 ). With the 2023 Singaporean , German and Canadian Grands Prix cancelled , it would appear that , at best , the only two remaining rounds will be Abu Dhabi , at the Etihad Arena , Yas Island ( November 4 ) and at the Marvel Stadium , Melbourne ( November 24-25 ).
With three months to go before the show opens its doors , a record number of 15 powersports manufacturers have already signed on to exhibit at AIMExpo 2024 ( February 6-8 , 2024 , at the Las Vegas Convention Center ). They include Aprilia , GasGas , Husqvarna , Indian , Kawasaki , KTM , Moto Guzzi , Moto Morini , MV Agusta , Piaggio , Slingshot , Suzuki , Triumph , Vespa and Yamaha . Open only to dealers and industry professionals , AIMExpo offers an immersive experience for the powersports industry - a platform for key brands , manufacturers , dealers and distributors to learn about and discuss the important issues currently facing our industry . International visitors can register online at www . aimexpousa . com
Bikes like Honda ' s Rebel 500 have been enduringly popular in the smallcapacity cruiser market and it ' s a scene that ' s getting more intense with the addition of Kawasaki ' s Eliminator 450 . But China ' s brands are also looking at the same market , first with CFMoto ' s 450CL-C and now with relative newcomer Benda and the Napoleon 450 . Benda has been the Chinese surprise of the last couple of years , first with a range of 700 cc , four-cylinder bikes , then some 300 cc V-twins and most recently a 500 cc V4 , and while the company is still struggling to fulfil demand in China , hampering its expansion plans , the longer-term goal is to offer its models internationally . The Napoleon 450 is an intriguing bike in the sub-500 cc cruiser class , adopting a much more convincing V-
The Nimbus name isn ' t likely to be familiar to most motorcyclists , but in Denmark there ' s a strong following for the brand - the only motorcycle manufacturer to have emerged from the country . Between 1919 and 1960 , Nimbus sold high-quality bikes powered by inline four-cylinder engines , mounted longitudinally in their frames rather like an Excelsior Henderson or Indian four . The company was part of Fisker and Nielson , a vacuum cleaner maker that lives on today under the Nilfisk name , and which
has now licenced the Nimbus brand to Claus Clausen to be used on a new electric motorcycle . The last Nimbus bike was the Type C , manufactured from 1934 to 1959 , and the new machine takes its inspiration from that machine . Called the Type E , it uses a faux hardtail frame - there ' s actually a swingarm hidden between the rear frame hoops and a monoshock tucked underneath the single rider ' s seat - and fills the centre of the chassis with a large battery pack twin layout and bobber style when compared to the parallel twins offered by Honda , Kawasaki and CFMoto . First shown as a concept , it ' s now been signed-off for production in virtually unchanged form , right down to the low clip-on bars and unusual-looking front suspension . At first glance it appears the forks are pre-war-style girders , but those are really just cleverly styled plastic cowls over a conventional set of telescopic forks giving a convincingly oldfashioned look , but without the compromises in terms of ride and handling . With 49 hp ( 36.5 kW ) the Benda has a fraction more than most of its obvious rivals but , if it ever reaches the European market , it ' s sure to be dropped to 47 hp / 35 kW to suit A2 licence rules . It ' s also a little heavier than most competitors , with a wet
and electronics unit where the engine would normally sit . An electric motor sits concentrically with the swingarm pivot , ensuring that the tension on the belt final drive is consistent throughout the suspension ' s travel . The company launched a share offering in July 2023 to raise funds for the Type E project as well as an electrically-assisted bicycle that is simultaneously under development . The aim is to raise between 8 and 10 million Danish Krone (€ 1.07m to € 1.34m ), believed to be enough to get weight of 196 kg . The wide tyres are 16 inches in diameter at each end , with a 150 / 80- 16 at the front that ' s as large as most of the rear tyres of its direct rivals . The back wheel carries a huge 180 / 65-16 tyre . Like the CFMoto 450CL-C , the circular instrument is actually a round TFT display , so underneath the oldfashioned styling there ' s modern technology .
Nimbus brand making a comeback after more than 60 years By Ben Purvis
" Danish name returning on electric cruiser "
the bicycle into production and to finance building and testing a prototype of the Type E motorcycle during the summer of 2024 . If all goes to schedule , the bike will then be officially unveiled in late 2024 , with production targeted for 2025 . At the moment , Nimbus hasn ' t revealed any technical details of the motorcycle project , so it ' s impossible to guess at its performance or pricing , but the appearance of the machine suggests it ' s aimed at the higher end of the electric motorcycle market .
24 INTERNATIONAL DEALER NEWS - OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2023 www . idnmag . com