Lubezine Magazine Vol. 9 April - June 2014 | страница 12

TECHNOLOGY

FEATURE

ADDITIVE TECHNOLOGY

Designing motorcycle oils to
meet OEMs and end user needs

I

f you were to write
a list of recessionproof industries,
you might not put the
motorcycle industry at
the top. But it appears
that even in tough
economic times, the
registration of new
motorcycles continues
By Ryan Welton
to increase – although
Ryan Welton joined
regional variations are
Infineum in 2007.
emerging.
Initially working
In the North Ameriin the REACH
can and European
team of product
markets, where some
stewardship he
50 million motorcyhas held several
cles cruise the roads,
positions and is
sales of new machines
now the Regional
fell sharply in the ecoMarket Manager for
nomic downturn – and
Africa, Europe and
in Europe sales are still
the Middle East on
in decline.
Small Engine, Gas
However, in North
Engine, Railroad
America where sales
and Transmission
are currently relatively
Lubricants.
flat, many expect the
This article first
market to experience
appeared on www.
some growth in the
InfineumInsight.
next few years. North
com
America remains a
predominantly leisure-user market, and
big, traditional names like Harley Davidson
continue to lead the way.
Until recently, Europe had been seen as
a leisure market for the motorcycle industry, but over the last few years a commuter
market has started to emerge. The desire for
a journey to work that costs less in fuel and is
less affected by congestion has increased the
popularity of smaller ~150cc machines.

Upward Trajectory
While new motorcycles registrations across
Europe fell from 2.7 to 1.5 million in 2012,
which has in turn increased the average
age of the continent’s motorcycles end user
10

numbers continue to grow for the service fill
market. In the markets of Asia Pacific, Latin
America (LA) and Africa where two wheelers
are primarily used as an everyday mode of
transport, user growth has been on a steady
upward trajectory.
These diverging growth and usage requirements really split the market in two. In Asia,
LA and Africa end users are demanding lowrunning costs and improved fuel economy
to save money, and OEMs are driving fuel
economy improvements to capture sales.
In the US and Europe motorcycle users are
now expecting their lubricants to help keep
their machines reliably on the road for longer.
These expectations are reflected in lubricant
marketing, which would previously have
been around power and performance but has
shifted to messages around protection and
fuel economy.
This split is further reflected in the global

motorcycle lubricant market, which is
becoming more complex as OEMs and
users look for very specific performance
attributes, which appear to go beyond the
specifications.
Lubricant suppliers must ensure their
products not only deliver against these
diverse requirements, but also maintain
a high level of durability across the three
critical areas of hardware: the gearbox, the
clutch and the engine.

Complex Picture
Added to these geographic differences is a
second layer of complexity, which comes
from the fact that the motorcycle market is
split into various hardware segments, each
with its own set of lubrication requirements.
The sports sector is typically seen as an
ageing bike population.
Machines are purchased as a long term,
LUBEZINE MAGAZINE | February-April 2014