THE BRADLEY REPORT
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THE BRADLEY REPORT
NEWS
BRIEFS
In a move that smacks of desperation and militates directly against the stated advantages of getting LiveWire production out of Milwaukee and away from Harley ' s conventional platforms , LiveWire operations are being moved to , yes , you guessed it - Milwaukee ! The LiveWire team will be relocated to the historic Juneau Avenue site , which has been mostly vacant since the pandemic and where production ceased in 1973 . The switch means trying to move staff to Wisconsin from its present Mountain View , CA . ' laboratory '. " We expect the consolidation of our operations in Milwaukee at Harley-Davidson ' s historic headquarters at Juneau Avenue to bring synergies and efficiencies , as well as a closer connection to our heritage ," Karim Donnez , LiveWire CEO . H-D CEO Jochen Zeitz was rather more cleareyed about the decision , stating that the relocation would reduce LiveWire ' s costs . The electric motorcycle spin-off brand ' s revenue fell 39 % in Q1 , even though it sold a few more bikes . Zeitz says it will cut about 10 % of the headcount and 15 % of the cost related to employees . LiveWire has about 230 employees in the U . S . The move should reduce operating losses by about $ 10m this year . LiveWire sold 117 bikes in the first quarter of 2024 , up from 63 in the same period of 2023 , despite which operating losses were $ 29m .
An Anglo-German couple ( Lavi Scholl and Ollie Gamblin ) have set a new Guinness world record , becoming the youngest pair to circumnavigate the world on a motorcycle , two-up . Riding a donated and near trouble-free V-Strom 1050XT , they visited 39 countries on five continents and covered 46,705 miles in 589 days .
According to The Economist , Vienna has taken top spot again , for the third consecutive year , as the world ' s " most liveable city ". It was followed by Copenhagen , Zurich , Melbourne and Calgary tied fifth , equal with Geneva . No American , German , Italian , British or Swedish city made the Top 10 . The world ' s worst city to live in ? Sadly , it is Damascus . One of the world ' s oldest and once most advanced , wealthiest and cultured of cities has now posted 12 straight years as the least desirable place to call home . Tripoli , Algiers , Lagos and Karachi make up the bottom five .
Honda R & D ( India ) Private Limited ( HRID ), a subsidiary of Honda Motor Co ., Ltd . and functioning as Honda ’ s research and development arm for motorcycles and power products in India , has opened a new Solutions R & D Centre in Bengaluru , Karnataka , India . Honda has set a global target of achieving carbon neutrality in its motorcycle products during the 2040s .
KTM 990 RC R in 2025 By Ben Purvis
Despite competing in MotoGP under both the KTM and GasGas brands , and having no concerns about making a 180 hp Super Duke R streetfighter , KTM has shied away from building a large road-going sports bike for the last decade since the demise of the RC8R - but in 2025 , it ' s edging back in that direction with the new 990 RC R . It might have a capacity of 947 cc and bodywork that mimics KTM ' s MotoGP machine , but the RC R isn ' t intended to compete in the ' litre ' superbike class against the current generation of 200 hp-plus missiles . Instead , it ' s a parallel twin powered by the same LC8c engine that debuted in the 990 Duke for 2024 , putting it up against the likes of Ducati ' s Panigale V2 rather than its range-topping Panigale V4 . As such , it ' s intended to comply with the ' next generation ' World Supersports regulations that allow a broad array of bikes to compete in the sub-superbike class . Although KTM has previously made limited-edition runs of the
At EICMA last year , CFMoto showed a concept bike - the MT-X - that was clearly derived from KTM ' s 790 Adventure and looked very close to being production-ready . Now the finished version of that machine has been type-approved to show that an official launch is imminent . The finished bike will actually be offered in several forms , with two screen heights and a choice of high or low front mudguards , as well as optional luggage , creating eight different combinations before we get into details like colours . Compared to the EICMA concept version , the production model is largely unchanged . It gains pillion footpegs and a street-legal exhaust system instead of the race pipe of the show bike , and the concept ' s Brembo brakes and cowled front discs are swapped for more affordable J . Juan components without the extra plastics ,
RC 8C track bike , with similar appearance to the 990 RC R , the two projects aren ' t really related . The RC 8C was developed out-of-house by ex- KTM staff at Kramer , packing KTM ' s 890 LC8c engine into a Kramer-designed frame . The 990
RC R , in contrast , shares its heritage with the new 990 Duke , using modified versions of the Duke ' s engine and frame , and has been developed entirely by KTM itself . For the 990 RC R , the engine is uprated to 94 kW ( 126 hp ), which is still fairly modest for its near-litre capacity , but 3.5 kW more than the 990 Duke manages . That change might be down to the addition of an Akrapovic exhaust rather than any internal improvements . The
CFMoto 800MT-X confirmed for production By Ben Purvis
but otherwise the production model has emerged unscathed . Mechanically , it uses the 799 cc version of the KTM LC8c parallel twin , as featured in the 790 Adventure and 790 Duke as well as CFMoto ' s 800MT and 800NK models . All the 799 cc versions of that engine are now manufactured in China by CFMoto and KTM ' s joint venture , so it ' s the logical choice . In the 800MT-X it puts out 94 hp ( 70 kW ), giving a top speed of 192 km / h ( 119 mph ), and the bike weighs a respectable 214 kg including fuel or 235 kg for the version with luggage . That fuel is carried low down in sidemounted tanks , just like the KTM 790 Adventure , and it appears that the frame is also borrowed from the KTM , although the swingarm is CFMoto ' s own , and the suspension is KYB rather than WP kit . At 1,530 mm , the wheelbase is slightly longer than the 1,509 mm of the 790 Adventure ,
frame is slightly modified compared to the 990 Duke , but clearly from the same basic design . Most notably it gains a rising-rate rear shock setup in place of the direct-action shock of the Duke , but it also has a revised rake of 25 degrees and changes to its rigidity to suit the 990 RC R ' s sports-oriented design . So far , KTM has only shown a prototype version of the bike , with a single seat , slicks , adjustable rearsets and a racespec ECUMaster dashboard . But the 2025 production model is already confirmed to be a roadlegal offering , so will get suitable changes to suit that role . Riaan Neveling , Head of KTM Global Marketing , said : " The KTM 990 RC R is a groundbreaking innovation for those who live for the thrill of cornering . It ' s for those who lean close to the road , almost brushing their knees , and then push the limits , dragging elbow to the tarmac on the racetrack . This bike offers power and prestige without the exorbitant price tag . At last , we can unveil our KTM 990 RC R and introduce a truly exceptional motorcycle to dealerships in early 2025 ."
probably thanks to the changed swingarm . The 800MT-X marks the first time that a KTM-engined CFMoto has really gone head-to-head with the KTMbranded machine using the same powertrain , perhaps reflecting the ever-closer bond between the two companies .
22 INTERNATIONAL DEALER NEWS - JULY / AUGUST 2024 www . idnmag . com