Sources : AMD , IDN , FT , Reuters , PSB , MPN , BDN , MCN , AP , Bloomberg , MSNW , Electrek , electricmotorcycles . news , RideApart . com , Motor1 . com , Cycle World , motorbikewriter . com

news ROOM

We were saddened to hear of the death of Ken Boyko at the end of August . After his time at DG Performance Specialties in the 1970s and 80s he went on to be a cofounder of exhaust specialist Cobra Engineering ( Yorba Linda , CA .) but his influence , contacts and friendships represented so much more . Ken was a major figure in the parts and accessories industry , on the West Coast , nationally and internationally - he and his astute marketing ' savvy ' were a regular and familiar presence at shows in Europe as well as in the USA . He had a connoisseur-grade motorcycle collection and pioneered the development of the so-called ' Metric Custom ' segment , commissioning pioneering Japanese platform customs that did much to shape the wider future of the custom motorcycle market . He played an important role in the development of the MIC Aftermarket Committee and was a tireless advocate for the motorcycle industry . Kudos to Ken for a ' life well lived ', our appreciation for what he did four our industry , and our condolences to his family and friends .

Yamaha reports 2024 first half total global unit sales broadly flat at 2.491 million units , up by 29,000 units over the first half of 2023 . Sales in Europe were up by 12,000 units at 133,000 for the period January to June 2024 . North American sales were up by 6,000 units at 51,000 ; domestic Japanese sales were down by 2,000 units at 36,000 , while total Asian sales were down by 53,000 units at 1.908 million .

The Honda factory racing team ( HRC ) won its third consecutive FIM Endurance World Championship Suzuka 8 Hours at the end of July . Riding the CBR 1000RR-R Fireblade SP , Takumi Takahashi , Teppei Nagoe and Johann Zarco gave Honda its 30th win in the 45th annual ' Suzuka ' - Takumi Takahashi has become the outright record holder with six Suzuka 8 Hours wins , while Teppei Nagoe and Johann Zarco celebrated their first wins at the event .

' DJ ' Maughfling ' s final report from the front line of business in Europe …

During the past two and a half years , my every day , in some way or another , has been dominated by the war in Ukraine . I feel that it is time to sign off from this topic with a last few words ... The war has turned out to be political . It was never about land or freedom . It was always about East and West , and the struggle and manipulation from governments . We have heard Western government leaders argue and disagree about the appropriate action for Western countries to take - changing their message , depending on the reaction from their voting public and the nearness of elections ! Meanwhile , we see many of the Eastern governments using the situation to set up new trade deals and look for new strategic alliances - ones that will give them greater strength in future negotiations . So , what has really changed ? For sure , there have been new laws passed . There have been massive loans and financial donations , with the majority of older military equipment being disposed of on Ukrainian territory . In the future , this will result in increased spending on national security all around the world and on other related areas of national selfinterest . So far it is hard to see any clear unity or willingness to act decisively to end this war . Here at the Supersprox factory in Ukraine , reality will continue to be tough for our team . When the war started , we had 75 staff in Ukraine . From those , 15 are serving in the military . During 2024 , two of those servicemen have been killed at the

front line . One was formerly an operator on the tooth-cutting machines , and the other was an operator in the laser-cutting department . We have seen more than 30 people leave the company for a variety of reasons , all connected to the war in some way or another . We have been pressed to the far limits of our creative and emotional ability to develop new strategies for the company - ones that allow us to do more with less . In some ways we feel invincible . They can ’ t stop us with their bombs , and we will find a way to go on , no matter what . However , it is deeply stressful for people to live under such pressure , and

Oleksii Lavrin , 1989-2024 . During better times , Oleksii worked in the tooth-cutting department .

I can feel that . I don ' t want to leave this topic on a negative note though . The political world will get over Ukraine and at some point [ to channel Lt . Col . " Bill " Kilgore in Apocalypse Now ], the war will stop . If nothing more , I have repeatedly said that people are resilient and will find a way to survive .

By DJ Maughfling

If you are able to take something from my letters , it would be this . It is easy to get too stressed over things that are not important . If we can try to stand back just a little and not be reactive , we will all be calmer and the people around us will be happier . To anyone who has been reading these letters , thank you for giving me the opportunity to offload on you !

Roman Komisarchuk , 2001-2024 . Roman worked in the laser-cutting department .

As for Supersprox and our future . We will go on with our work and our passion . We are optimistic that our strong brand and dedicated team will continue to supply great products for fans of our brand . We will balance the production between our factories in Poland and Ukraine , to secure supply to our clients .