International Dealer News IDN 149 June/July 2019 | Page 12

news ROOM Surflex 70th anniversary Italian clutch specialist Surflex will celebrate its 70th anniversary this year as one of the oldest and best known clutch manufacturers. From the start the Surflex vision was to provide "the whole range of components and assemblies and to undertake all processes in-house at Surflex, from design to machining. Indeed, as soon as the company was founded, a permanent research department was opened, which over the years has developed many important technologies, including organic and sintered material for linings". Surflex sintered products result in high density golden surfaces that can reach higher temperatures and bear the heat for longer than the other kinds of friction materials - so they are perfect for heavy duty use in race and top performance bikes. BMW and Guzzi sintered clutches have been Surflex best sellers all over the world for years. Also available for trial bikes. Surflex offers three groups of friction materials - organic, semi-metallic and sintered - which means it is able to offer a solution "tailored for every single use in a really vast range". "More than one hundred mixtures are available in order to meet specific requirements, such as race, touring, enduro or trial use, for bikes of any displacement. Some are designed to work dry, others in an oil bath, in one 12 INTERNATIONAL DEALER NEWS - JUNE/JULY 2019 Semi-metallic materials are more resistant mixtures and are devoted to harder conditions, for instance in stressed centrifugal weights. plate, multi plate or centrifugal clutches in contact with steel or aluminium components, where abrasion must be reduced to the minimum level". www.surflex.it Helmet 28 adds Blauer HT Specialist UK based European distributor Helmet 28 has followed up its deal to sell the French Racer gloves programme (IDN April/May) with UK distribution of the Italian motorcycle helmet and clothing brand Blauer HT. Helmet 28 are one of the fastest growing distributors in the market and now have six leading brands, having added prestigious Italian clothing and helmet brand Blauer HT to their roster. Blauer HT (Hi-Tech) is known for its high-end technical products "that encompass leading fashion in a way that is rarely seen in the motorcycle sector, owing much to the origins of their parent company - premium fashion house Blauer USA," says George Richardson, CEO of Helmet 28. FGF in Italy are now the majority shareholder in Blauer USA, whose turnover last year was 60m euro from fashion and 2.8m from motorcycle. Blauer USA designs and sells high-end fashion across Europe and its recent move into a new line of products for the motorcycle sector is intended to "provide a new approach to CE approved jackets and takes inspiration from their fashion routes". "Blauer HT has all the ingredients to shake up the market and inject a new look for fashion and quality into the motorcycle industry," says Richardson. "There is a growing trend in our market for motorcycle clothing that doesn't look like typical, traditional, mainstream motorcycle riding apparel - riders are looking for something different, they are DEALERS WANTED looking for something more - and Blauer HT ticks those boxes." Described as being "perfect for on and off bike wear", the Blauer range combines protection and weatherproofing with styles drawn from the contemporary street wear and 'Alt Moto' markets. In addition to jackets, the range includes innovative riding sweatshirts that feature water and windproof membranes (EU 2016/425 certified) and detachable EN 1621-1:1997 protectors in addition to popular open and full-face helmet styles and Blauer HT gloves. Richardson went on to say: "Our mantra here at Helmet 28 has always been to find products that offer our dealers something different, something new that stands out from the crowd. In Blauer we have just that - all the ingredients to shake up the market and inject a new look for fashion and quality in the motorcycle industry." www.helmet28.com www.idnmag.com