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Honda EV Fun concept

Best known in the motorcycle market for the Dguard e-emergency call system and the Tilsberk heads-up display system , Digades GmbH ( Zittau , Germany ) is insolvent . The management of the Saxon electronics specialist , led by Managing Director Sascha Berger ( 37 ), is now planning a restructuring , which will result in a third of the workforce being laid off . The company is one of the market leaders in radio remote controls for cars ( auxiliary heating , keys ) and other products and services relating to motorcycle safety ; www . dguard . com

Founded by Simon Dabadie at Bayonne in France , boutique electric motorcycle brand DAB Motors gave a EICMA debut DAB 1α production model . Combining " French engineering and refined design ", with exclusive features reserved for the first 400 units , the machines will be volume produced by majority shareholder ( since late 2023 ) Peugeot Motorcycles ; www . dabmotors . com

While the KTM Asia Motorcycle Manufacturing Inc . ( KAMMI ) factory in Santa Rosa , Laguna , Philippines , is to continue manufacturing Philippine made KTM models , KTM Philippines , the trading front for KTM ' s established in-market distributor Adventure Cycle , has been closed down . The KAMMI plant will now be producing bikes for sale by new distributor Lucky MAPI , part of the Motor Ace Philippines Group , which has more than 200 branches in the Philippines and caters to a very broad customer base ( from entry-level to premium ).

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says it ' s ' equivalent to a mid-sized internal combustion engine .' The battery is big , resulting in a rather stretched-looking wheelbase , and it appears that Honda has opted to use an alloy battery case as a structural component in the chassis . The use of CCS2 charge socket is important , the type used on most European-market electric cars to give both AC and DC rapid charging ability . While not mentioned in Honda ' s literature , the bike also appears to have the ability to use regenerative braking to help refill the battery . There ' s an in-hub unit on the front wheel , connected to a thick electrical lead , that ' s likely to provide regenerative braking . Normally this is a problem for electric bikes , as we tend to use more front brake than rear , but there ' s generally no way to recoup that energy . There ' s even a possibility that the unit in the front hub is a motor as well as a generator to make it twowheel drive , but it ' s relatively small so any drive it provides is likely to be insignificant compared to the power going to the back wheel .

GB350S launched in Europe While the focus was on Honda ' s futuristic V3 and electric bikes , a retro GB350S made its European debut after several years on the market ( as the CB350 ) in Asia . Cashing in on the current popularity of low-cost , sub-500 cc singles - a market dominated by Royal Enfield ' s smaller offerings and more recently the Triumph Speed 400 - the GB350S is motorcycling in its simplest form . Powered by a 348cc air-cooled , SOHC single , it ' s no ball of fire - peaking at just 15.5 kW ( 20.8 hp ) and 29 Nm of torque - and even the five-speed gearbox is a throwback to another era .

There are nods to modernity in the form of traction control and an assist / slipper clutch , as well as engine internals using the latest low-friction tech to boost economy to a remarkable 94.1mpg , but in most aspects the GB350S is an antidote to the overload of technology seen on other bikes at the show . The ability to combine Honda ' s image for dependability and quality with a price that even undercuts many of Royal Enfield ' s similarly-sized machines promises to make the GB350 an understated success .

Battery sharing reaches Europe with Honda ' s Power Pack Exchanger e : Honda has been pushing for swappable batteries for small electric

bikes for years and has managed to get its Mobile Power Pack e : to become the basis of something approaching a standard among its peers - and after operating battery-swapping services in Japan and other countries including India , it ' s now coming to Europe with a ' verification test ' in Malmo , Sweden . Honda has partnered with a Swedish start-up , GoCimo , to bring its Power Pack Exchanger e : system to Europe . The Power Pack Exchanger e : is essentially a unit that simultaneously charges multiple Mobile Power Pack e : batteries , with a system to let customers swap their flat batteries for charged ones . That makes ' recharging ' quicker , cleaner and easier than refilling a petrol tank , overcoming a major hurdle in the adoption of electric bikes .