THE BRADLEY REPORT
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THE BRADLEY REPORT
NEWS
BRIEFS
A partnership announced in March 2023 between BMW Motorrad Motorsport and Hamburg based Lothar Group brand NORDOEL has led to the development of a fuel aimed at reducing the environmental impact of racing . " The CO2- reduced fuel RacE-Fuel WSBK R40-A , with a regenerative " non fossil " content share of at least 40 %, will officially debut in the 2024 FIM Superbike World Championship ( WorldSBK ) season with the ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team , Bonovo action BMW Racing Team and BMW Motorrad WorldSBK test team . The requirement for such a fuel is mandated by the FIM regulations for 2024 . The RacE- Fuel WSBK R40-A becomes the first regenerative fuel based on MtG ( Methanol-to-Gasoline ). Where racing goes , trickle down tech follows .
The prestigious Royal Automobile Club in London has presented Triumph Motorcycles with its ad hoc awarded Torrens Trophy - in recognition of its work in the Moto2 World Championship . The Torrens Trophy has been awarded to Britain ' s highest achievers in motorcycling and motorcycle racing - riders , engineers , manufacturers and important personalities within these worlds - since the 1970s . The British manufacturer is reported to have delivered 86,653 motorcycles in 2023 . Triumph ' s five Moto2 champions since 2019 are Alex Marquez , Enea Bastianini , Remy Gardner , Augusto Fernandez and Pedro Acosta . Four of these riders will be in MotoGP this year and almost half the current MotoGP grid has scored grands prix victories on Triumph-powered Moto2 bikes . Prior Thorens Trophy winners have included circuit safety specialist Mike Trimby , The Crescent Yamaha team , Emma Bristow , Peter Hickman , Tai Woffinden , Jonathan Rea and Cal Crutchlow .
From 2027 , BMW ' s Munich factory will manufacture nothing but all-electric models - the latest reinvention for a plant with a history stretching back over 100 years .
American clutch system manufacturer REKLUSE ( Boise , Idaho ) has continued its technical partnership with the Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing team for the 2024 SuperCross season - a 9th straight year for the collaboration in a series that includes 250 and 450 cc classes .
CFMoto plans 450CL-C Bobber , 250CL-C Cruiser and electrics By Ben Purvis
Last year ' s EICMA saw the unveiling of CFMoto ' s CL-C Low Ride concept bike - a slammed bobber with girder forks based on the company ' s new 450CL- C cruiser - and now a production version of that machine has emerged in Chinese approval filings . Unsurprisingly , the showroom version tones down the style of the concept . The girder forks are gone , replaced by the standard upside-down telescopics of the normal 450CL-C , and the tyres aren ' t as fat as those on the show bike . Despite those downgrades , and the fact that it shares the same engine , frame and fuel tank as the base 450CL-C , the new bobber manages to look substantially different . The changes are focused on the rear end . There ' s a single seat , recalling bikes from the 1940s or earlier thanks to its clear , saddle-shaped style . It hovers above a rear fender that ' s close to the back tyre , almost disappearing from view and giving the back end a lightweight look . In a clever move , CFMoto supports that rear hugger with a diagonal , tubular bracket that extends forward from the rear swingarm to the upper front of the fender , giving the illusion of a hardtail bike ' s frame while actually using exactly the same monoshock rear end as the standard 450CL-C . The licence plate and rear lights hang on a swingarm-mounted bracket at the back . Mechanically , the bike is powered by the same 449 cc parallel twin used in the normal 450CL-C , putting out 30 kW ( 40 hp ), and rides on a 1,485 mm wheelbase . The more stripped-back style genuinely saves weight too , cutting 4 kg from the CL-C ' s mass and bringing it to 177 kg including fuel .
Another CFMoto type-approval , filed in China , shows a smaller cruiser heading to market soon in the form of the 250CL-C . This one has a new , twinshock frame with a shorter 1,470 mm wheelbase and lower 165 kg wet weight . It ' s powered be the 249 cc single-cylinder engine that ' s already used in the 250CL-X and 250NK ( and offered in a larger 292 cc form in the 300NK and 300CL-X in many markets ), with 18.5 kW ( 25 hp ). In addition to working on both advanced ICE models , CFMoto is still pushing ahead with electric bikes , including this battery-powered middleweight sports bike . While CFMoto ' s future ICE sports bike projects include a 675 cc triple , a 500 cc inline four and a 1,000 cc V4 superbike , all intended to sit above its existing 300SR and 450SR machines , the brand has patented this electric model using the 450SR as its base . Previously , CFMoto ' s electric bikes have been ' clean-sheet ' designs , including the 300GT-E electric sporttourer that was designed as part of a project for China ' s police force and security services to use . It also makes the Papio Nova electric minibike and has a dedicated EV sub-brand , Zeeho , for city models and scooters . But this new design takes a different approach by utilising the existing chassis from the 450SR sports bike and packing an electric powerplant into the space normally occupied by a 450 cc parallel twin . The patent explains that the battery unit is in a metal case , bolted to an electric motor behind , and the whole thing can be used as a structural component to replace the combustion engine in the 450SR , which uses its
Electric sports bike
CL-C Bobber
motor to add rigidity to the chassis . By making a drop-in EV powertrain with the same mounting brackets as its 450 cc twin-cylinder engine , CFMoto would be in a position to create a range of electric models easily , quickly and cheaply . At the moment , bikes using variants of
CL-C Cruiser
the same 450 cc V-twin include the 450SR sports bike , 450NK roadster and 450CL-C cruiser . The new electric power unit and batteries would easily slot into any of them . The downside of this design , when compared to clean-sheet electric bikes , is that the battery pack appears to be much smaller , suggesting range would be limited . That might not be a big hurdle for small-capacity bikes used mainly in cities , and if CFMoto can implement a fast-charging system that can take advantage of the growing network of rapid chargers , refilling a small battery should be a relatively quick job . What ' s clear is that CFMoto is positioning itself to be in a strong position regardless which way the market turns . If legislation forces or technology enables a rapid shift to electric power , or if combustion engines get a reprieve , the next generation of the Chinese company ' s bikes are likely to be formidable rivals to the motorcycling establishment .
22 INTERNATIONAL DEALER NEWS - MARCH / APRIL 2024 www . idnmag . com