CHINAMOTOR issue 73 Jan 2012(1).pdf - AFTERMARKET PARTS ...

www.chinamotorworld.com

ISSN 1992-3961

Issue No. 73 January 2012

Sponsor: Hong Kong Huilong Culture Publishing Co., Ltd. Add: Room 1701, 17/F, Henan Building, No. 90 Jaffe Road, Wanchai, Hong Kong Tel: +852- 5804-2046 Fax: +852-3115-8812 honorary president: Li Jianlong Distribution: Yang Fangfei Mini Operation Agent: Chongqing Huilong Culture & Media Co., Ltd. Add: 8-2,No.73,Keyuan 1st Road,Jiulongpo District, Chongqing, China. president: guo changjun Chief Editor: Jiang Lei Associate Chief Editor: Yang Xiaoyong, qu yongtao Editor-in-Chief: Zoe Editor: Celia Journalist: Gorden artistic Director : Chen Zhaodan Artistic Editor: Ren Yi zhang lina Int'l Consultant: David Mcmullan (UK) contributor: doug stabler (USA) Mike Badjin (Ukraine) David Mcmullan (UK) test rider: jeremy hamilton Lei Lin Promotion Centre: yang jian Wang Shaokai Liu Dianbo Li Hao lin yonggang Lin Xiaodong mu xuanwei tang jian Internet Dept: meng yang Distribution Dept: jin hong Yang Yong China Business: [email protected] International Business: E-mail: [email protected] MSN: [email protected] Europe and Africa: E-mail: [email protected] MSN: [email protected] South Americas and North Americas: E-mail: [email protected] MSN: [email protected] Asia and Oceania: E-mail: [email protected] MSN: [email protected] china Taiwan: e-mail: [email protected] Tel: +886-0935947786 usa: e-mail:[email protected] tel: 1-916-922 3333 germany: e-mail: [email protected] tel: 49-17661094497 Tel: +86-23-68703520 / 68960918

Fax: +86-23-68960788

Certain contents of the articles in CHINAMOTOR Magazine are cited from the internet or other publications. If there involves the copyright of the writers, please contact us, and we will arrange the payment following the relevant remuneration standard of our company.

4

THE SADNESS OF HEAVY BIKES IN CHINA

A

n article concerning the regulation of high-end motorcycles is quite popular in many Chinese websites these days, the original title is “IT WILL BE THE NEW CONCEPT TO REGULATE THE HIGH-END MOTORCYCLES IN VARIED LEVELS”, CHINAMOTOR also included the article in this issue, which was given a new title “New Concept of Managing High-End Motorcycles”. For the heavy bike builders seeking for market in China, it must be a complicated feel after reading the article. The original title may seem a bit confusing, to make it easier for readers to understand, the author throws out a beautiful hope that the government may take another no-so-tough way to treat the heavy bikes against the macro background that motorcycles are banned and restricted in many cities instead of treating them like normal gas-burning bikes. Of course, this tragedy only happens in China for the time being. In most areas of the world, motorcycles are deemed as the token of culture, taste, freedom, passion and manlihood, which is proved in many Hollywood films. Black-leather dressed, a man with dark sun-glasses riding on a big bike has been a classic image long since in the movie. However, this image won’t appear in Chinese movies, at least at present. Because they just can not ride legally in many Chinese street, I know you will think this is quite ridiculous, but after all, it is truly happening here at the very moment. The poor Chinese motorcycle enthusiasts especially of the big bikes in many cities can only sneak around on their beloved bikes at night or in the wilderness or when the traffic policemen were nodding off. Here, please close your eyes and imagine the picture in your head…… For the bike enthusiasts in the small countryside and counties, they can ride legally in the streets, but their pockets are not so deep to afford a big bike. A lot people of China’s motorcycle industry always throw out a lot soothing slogans, such as “Industry Upgrading and Industry Transition”, but if a ride cannot even ride a big global brand legally in the street, it is just a joke to talk about the alleged “Industry Upgrading and Industry Transition”, please never take it seriously.

HuiL ong

www.chinamotorworld.com 5

Contents P10 Cover Story

Luoyang Northern Ek Chor Motorcycle Co., Ltd. Luoyang Northern Ek Chor Motorcycle Co., Ltd (Northern Ek Chor) is a large scale motorcycle manufacturer jointly set up by Luoyang Northern Group of China Ordnance Equipment Group Corporation (COEGC) and the Ek Chor Investment Co., Ltd of Thailand Chia Tai Group. It was put into operation in March 1992 with a total investment of USD 105.97 million, and a registered capital of USD 56.31 million. It has nearly 3,000 employees by now. ... ...

P42 36 Ukrainian & Eastern European Motorcycle Market Review 42 2012 Harley-Davidson Sportster SuperLow Review 46 2012 YAMAHA Zuma 50F Review 50 2012 Arctic Cat Wildcat 1000i Review

P46

54 2012 Polaris Ranger RZR 570 Review 58 2012 Kawasaki Teryx4 750 4x4 Review 62 2012 Yamaha Apex Review 66 2012 Ski-Doo GSX LE 1200 Review

P54

6

Contents

P62


Contents

P72

72 October, a Time for Outsiders 78 AN OVERVIEW OF THE GLOBAL EMISSIONS STANDARDS SITUATION 82 Who is James Ruesch? 84 CHINA vs JAPAN Who can be winner in this competition ? 90 David’s Post Box 92 Global Professional Motorcycle Exhibitions in 2012 96 Chinese Motorcycle Output, Sales & Exports in November 2011 102 KYMCO Makes a Gorgeous Transformation with the Help of HP 108 Lifan Motorcycle Adjusts Product Structure & Seeks Industry Upgrade 118 Number of Harley-Davidson Dealers in China to Double 124 Ultimate Builder Bike Show Dallas Results 2011 128 Test Riding the XY200GY-9 132 China Jincheng Motorcycle Team Heads for the 34th Dakar Rally

P128 156 Öhlins Launches World's First Aftermarket Mechatronic Suspension to USA 160 India Metro Tyres Develops Tubeless Tyres for Motorcycles with Continental 162 The Comprehensively Designed SCM Controlled Ignition for Motorcycles 166 The Maintenance of Motorcycle Chain Wheel & Chain 170 MIC launches detailed tire guide for consumers 171 Pakistan MSPIDA: High taxes encourage smuggling

P166

8

Contents


Cooperative Enterprises

Ad Index —

The above brands are listed in no particular order.

10 Contents

P1---Guangzhou Haojin Motorcycle Company Limited P3--Chongqing Shineray Motorcycle Co.,Ltd. P5--Zhuhai Zhujiang Vehicle Co.,Ltd. P7--Zhejiang Jonway Motorcycle Manufacturing Co.,Ltd. P9--Zengcheng Benma Industrial Co.,Ltd. P17--Walbro Tianjin Industries P19--Guangzhou Sanya Motorcycle Co.,Ltd. P21--Zhejiang Zhongneng Industry Group Co.,Ltd. P23--XGroup Corporation P25-Zhejiang Taizhou Wangye Power Co.,Ltd. P27-Chongqing Yingang Science&Technology (Group) Co.,Ltd. P29--Guangzhou Dayun Motorcycle Co.,Ltd. P31--Heshan Guoji Nanlian Motorcycle Industry Co.,Ltd. P70--Chongqing Loncin Import & Export Co.,Ltd. P76--Chongqing XGJAO Motorcycle Co.,Ltd. P81--Kawai Motor Industry (Guangzhou) Co.,Ltd. P87--Jiangsu Sacin Motorcycle Co.,Ltd. P88--Chongqing Yinxiang Motorcycle (Group) Co.,Ltd. P97--Chongqing Jialing-Jiapeng Industrial Co.,Ltd. P99--BENH Group Zhejiang Lingyu Vehicle Industry Co.,Ltd. P100--Jiangsu Xinling Motorcycle Fabricate Co.,Ltd. P106--Zhejiang Jiajue Motorcycle Manufacturing Co., Ltd. P149--Zhejiang Kaikai Meiduo Locomotive Co.,Ltd. P151--Chongqing Kington Liyang Motorcycle Manufacturing Co.,Ltd. P154--Guangzhou Z-wing International Trading Co.,Ltd. P155--China Kama Carburetor Co.,Ltd. P157--Zhongshan Thor Security Science&Technology Co.,Ltd.(China) P158--Chongqing Astronautic Bashan Motorcycle Manufacturing Co.,Ltd. P161--Zhejiang Lingyu Machinery Manufacturing Co.,LTD. P163--Foshan ABC Shock Absorber Co.,Ltd. P165--Chongqing Mingda Motorcycle Parts Co.,Ltd. P167--Taizhou Huangyan Wuxing Vehicle Co.,LTD. P169--LFF Security Equipment Co.,Ltd. P173--Chongqing Jiaquan Import & Export Trade Co.,Ltd. P174--Chongqing Wanlijiangfa Sprocket Co.,Ltd. P175--Chongqing Unionstrong General Motor Parts Co.,Ltd.


Cover Story

Cover Story

and equipments from Japan, Germany, Sweden and America to form many production lines including engine production, motorcycle frame welding, painting, parts die-casting and motorcycle assembly lines. Northern Ek Chor established a few complete and reliable sets of technology, R&D, inspection and quality management systems. Its annual output of 'Dayang' branded motorcycles (50ml, 70ml, 90ml, 100ml, 110ml, 125ml, 135ml, 150ml, 175ml and 200ml) is over 1 million units. Its motorcycle products are sold to over 80 countries and regions in the world, creating satisfactory economic and social benefits. The company has trained a batch of talents that know technology, management and can carry out motorcycle

Luoyang Northern Ek Chor Motorcycle Co., Ltd.

L

uoyang Northern Ek Chor Motorcycle Co., Ltd (Northern Ek Chor) is a large scale motorcycle manufacturer jointly set up by Luoyang Northern Group of China Ordnance Equipment Group Corporation (COEGC) and the Ek Chor Investment Co., Ltd of Thailand Chia Tai Group. It was put into operation in March 1992 with a total investment of USD 105.97 million, and a registered capital of USD 56.31 million. It has nearly 3,000 employees by now. After its establishment, Northern Ek Chor invested tens of thousands of dollars to engage in fully upgrading its production and technical equipments in succession. It purchased over 400 advanced equipments from both home and abroad, and introduced the internationally advanced C100N-CH motorcycle products, technologies

12

Cover Story

production related activities in the way of lean thinking and actions by absorbing advanced production and operation management concepts, carrying out guiding principles and target management, and adopting the policy of solving problems by using systematic methods. The company adopts the operation concept of creating value for clients, itself and its employees, and providing better products and services for its clients than its rivals do. It adopts teamwork, innovation, development, implementation and high efficiency as its action guidance. It makes the 'four first-class', namely, training


Cover Story

Cover Story

the world's first-class motorcycle talents, making the world's first-class motorcycle products, establishing the world's first-class motorcycle brand, and building itself into a world's first-class motorcycle manufacturer, as its development mission and vision.

Quality Verification

In order to implement the ISO9001 quality management system, Northern Ek Chor held the contract signing ceremony with Chia Tai Joint Enterprise Management Consulting Co., Ltd on January 16, 1995, representing the official initiation of the ISO9001 quality management system. Northern Ek Chor passed the ISO19001 quality management system verification by Beijing Xingguo Global Certification Co. Ltd, China Commodity Inspection Center and DET NORSKE VERITAS on September 9, 1996, becoming the only one in the Chinese motorcycle industry which was verified simultaneously by three authoritative verification institutions. The successful ISO9001 quality management verification of Northern

Ek Chor represented that the company had brought its standards in line with the international practice.

in recent years all have intellectual property rights, and guarantee their sales in the world.

An expert team of 5 organised by General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection & Quarantine of the People's Republic of China (GAQSIQ) accompanied by the related leaders of the Henan and Luoyang Inspection & Quarantine Bureaus carried out the onsite investigation for the export inspection exemption of Dayang DY100-A motorcycle between September 1 and 3, 2005. After over two days' busy work, the investigation expert team released the investigation results. The expert team held that the quality assurance system of Northern Ek Chor was operating effectively, and product quality was under control. Its DY100-A motorcycle complies with the requirements of the No. 23 order of the GAQSIQ 'Provisions for the Exemption of Import & Export Commodities from Inspection' and its attachment 'Inspection Criteria for the Exemption of Import & Export Commodities'. Northern Ek Chor successfully passed the onsite investigation for product export inspection exemption. There were only over 20 enterprises passed

Inspection Center

The lab of Northern Ek Chor passed the national verification of China Lab in June 2005. It means that China recognizes the management ability and technological ability of the inspection lab of Northern Ek Chor, and the inspection report and data given by the inspection lab is authoritative, and is acknowledged by the international society. such investigation in China that year, and Northern Ek Chor was the only in the Chinese motorcycle industry.

Research & Development

Northern Ek Chor brought in overseas advanced software for the conceptual designs of motorcycles, engines and parts, simulated assembly, and performance calculation and so on. Its design measures are leading in the world, time-effective and highly efficiency, and can rapidly meet market demands. Over a hundred patented technologies enable Northern Ek Chor's products that are released

Overseas Sales

The sales network of Northern Ek Chor is expanded to over 90 countries worldwide. It has Dayang motorcycle production lines in many Asian and African countries. Dayang motorcycle is very popular on the Japanese market, European market and American market. Foreign government officials and businessmen come and visit Northern Ek Chor in succession.

Dayang Joint Workshop Interior View

14

Cover Story


Cover Story

16

Cover Story

Cover Story


Forefront Jinan Qingqi Produces America Mercury Bedrock Cylinder Head & Applies the Standard Batch Management

Zongshen Invests RMB 800 MLN to Build Technological Centre

Jinan, China---The America Mercury Bedrock cylinder head is verified by the PPAP, and is now at the mass production stage. Jinan Qingqi Motorcycle Co., Ltd (Jinan Qingqi) made and released the 'bedrock cylinder head batch management method (trial implementation)' in order to further regulate the bedrock cylinder head production organisation within the company, satisfy clients' demands, and ensure the quality traceability from order reception to product delivery by analysing its output capacity link previously and onsite inspection. If the product has any quality problem, clients can trace back to the production batch number and the batch numbers of related parts by providing the bar code or permanent identification on the product, so the responsibility of each production process can be determined, and countermeasures can be made, giving another guarantee for quality assurance of the bedrock cylinder head. Following the previous arrangement, this measure will be improved according to its implementation effects, and will be introduced to Qingqi's other export-oriented mechanical manufacturing businesses in three months.

The Output of Harley-Davidson Shrinks, Inventories at Decade-Low America---According to the latest survey in the American motorcycle industry, the inventory of Harley-Davidson is at its lowest point in 10 years. This is one way for Harley-Davidson to protect the value of its brand. HarleyDavidson expressed that it didn't want to flood the market with motorcycles in order to increase sales, but wanted shoppers to feel just a little anxious about finding a new bike. It's not all good for Harley, though, when some of its most expensive motorcycles aren't available as this may affect the sales performance of Harley in 2011. In the recent fiscal quarter, the company's sales were up 13 percent to USD 1.23 billion, including a 5.4 percent gain in the United States. But that success was partially offset by production issues at the company's largest manufacturing plant, in York, Pennsylvania, which has struggled to produce enough of Harley's most profitable motorcycles. The York plant is deep into a restructuring that, when complete, will make it a much more efficient operation. It is learned that the restructuring will be completed in 2013. The work involves taking four assembly lines, and consolidating them into one line on a much smaller facility that will build all of the Softail, Touring, CVO and Trike motorcycles for the U.S. and international markets. It's been an arduous process that requires retraining hundreds of employees said Harley-Davidson. As a result, Harley wasn't able to produce as many of the larger touring and custom bikes that dealers needed in the third quarter, thus reducing the average profit on each bike sold.

18

Forefront

Chongqing, China---Mr. Zuo Zongshen, President of Zongshen Group, stated that Zongshen will invest RMB 500 million to set up another technological centre with a planned area of 30,000 square metres in order to upgrade its R & D mode and improve its continuous innovation ability. The new technological centre is expected to be put into operation in 2013. It's learned that Zongshen Group invested RMB 300 million in setting up a technological centre in 2000. The Zongshen Group will integrate its global R & D resources, and focus on mineral products, energy and raw materials, precision machine tools, rail transport products, cars, motorcycles, and agricultural machineries, intelligent manufacturing equipment, and LED industry, and build a R & D platform opening to the world. Mr. Zuo Zongshen stated that, in terms of R & D modes, the Zongshen Group will upgrade from technology R & D to assembly technology and interface technology R & D, and upgrade from the solely R & D to the contracted R & D among its supply chains, upgrade from the independent R & D management to supply chain R & D management, so as to deal with and lead the industry value chain distribution, and improve core R & D capability by using all around forces to occupy a technological hub.

Forefront Japan: Honda Produces Medium & Large Motorcycles in Thailand

Sundiro Honda Visits Peru, Argentina & Brazil

Japan---According to a piece of news from the Japanese media on November 28, 2011, Honda Motor Co. will partially shift production of motorcycles with engine capacities of 400cc or more to a new factory in Thailand, and consider to start production of entry level motorcycles which are in the process of R & D for emerging economies in October 2012. The current appreciation of the yen, particularly against the US dollar, and the need to lower production costs make Honda to shift its production weight overseas. Currently, Honda only produces medium and large motorcycles in Japan. With the booming economic development and the increasingly rising demands from emerging markets, Honda plans to shift the production of medium and large motorcycles from Japan to overseas in order to reduce production costs and promote sales. Apart from making the new models targeted at emerging markets, Honda will maintain the current production capacity of its Kumamoto factory which is Honda's largest plant in Japan. As for the over 400cc motorcycles, Kumamoto factory will continue to make interesting and high additional value motorcycles targeting at developed economies. Up until now, Honda has been producing most demanded small displacement motorcycles in Thailand, but Honda would also make 250cc CBR250R in Thailand from October 2010 onwards. Honda, who is looking to expand production lines in Thailand, has already added 400cc and over motorcycle production lines in its Thailand plant.

China---Wang Yuying, the Vice President of Sundiro Honda, led the representatives of overseas business department and financial management department visited Peru, Argentina and Brazil between October 15th and 29th, 2011. During their visit, President Wang held talks with the major responsible persons of Honda South America Head Office, Honda Argentina and Honda Peru and exchanged views with them on topics such as expanding exports and improving product quality.

Bajaj Motorcycle Sales Increase Contributes to the DTS-i Technology

India---According to the latest news from an India media, Bajaj Auto had crossed about record sales of 10-million-unit of bikes based on its DTS-i platform. The technology was first

20

Forefront

introduced by the company on some of its models in 2003, and is now incorporated in many other models as well. The technology was first introduced by the company on the Discover portfolio. Speaking of the occasion, President of Motorcycle Business at Bajaj Auto said, "This technology has contributed substantially to their leadership in the sports segment, and also in creating a differentiated offering in the commuter segment. At a time when fuel prices are skyrocketing, their DTS-i technology has proved extremely beneficial to their customers." Bajaj earlier stated in an official announcement that it will unveil its new range of Pulsars in early December 2011 and that the all-new range will come with more variety of technologies better than the current DTS-i. Bajaj is also celebrating 10 years in the Indian market since its launch in November 2001.

Forefront Harley-Davidson Sees Increased Demand in South India India---the Bangalore based Harley-Davidson dealer is being bombarded with orders from motorcycle enthusiasts in South India. Young biking enthusiasts in Udupi, Brahmawar and Kundapur in Bangalore have made their purchase orders and are eagerly awaiting deliveries of their new Harley Davidson motorcycles. It is learned that in early February 2012, a new Harley Sportster Iron 883 is expected to be launched and bookings for the same are already underway. Ganesh Nayak is the one who was honoured with a test drive to get the feel of the legendary motorcycle. Though he did not intend to buy it, after the test drive he was determined that he wanted to be the proud owner of such a machine. Harley-Davidson expressed that this model will be available on market by 2012 February. The production and sales mode of Harley-Davidson in India is like this: Harley-Davidson Motorcycles come as completely knocked down units in India and are assembled at the company plant in Haryana before being delivered to customers in the country. Harley Davidson has two showrooms in South India, one in Hyderabad and the other in Bangalore.

India Honda Sales Surpassed TVS Ranking No.3 India---According to the latest news from an Indian media, Japanese's well-known motorcycle manufacturer Honda released its sales results of November 2011 recently. The results showed that Honda's motorcycle sales in India kept zooming and overtook TVS Motorcycle Company to rank No. 3 on the sales performance list of the Indian motorcycle industry. It is learned that Honda 's total sales reached 190,000 units of motorcycles in November 2011 in India, whereas TVS's sales in India was 150,000 units, a lot lower than that of Honda. Honda achieved good sales results, and it's the first rise in sales ranking after parting with Hero. Currently, Hero's still occupies 45% of Indian motorcycle market, ranking first, and is closely followed by Bajaj.

India: Honda Motorcycle Sees Bright Future India--- Honda pointed out in its Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India (HMSI) report that its Activa automatic scooter and the Unicorn motorcycle are best selling models on the Indian motorcycle market, and are the major driving force for Honda's motorcycle sales increase, and they can assist Honda achieve its annual sales target of 2.1 million motorcycles in India. It is reportedly said that HMSI's domestic sales grew to 189,454 units in November 2011, an increase of 35 percent compared to 140,059 units sold in the same month 2010. Honda's annual sales target is 2.1 million units in 2011. TVS Motors, meanwhile, has said its two-wheeler sales on the domestic market are expected to close at 2.04 million units in the current financial year, subject to macroeconomic factors. TVS grew only eight percent at 150,406 units in November 2011, against 139,541 units sold during the same month previous year. Speaking of Honda's recent report, Vice-President of Sale and Marketing, HMSI, said, "We will release more new models on the Indian market, and the new capacity at Bangalore, where work has begun, will provide the added capacity boost." Honda Motorcycle also expressed that its production raise would be achieved in half a year. The company is also spending Rs 1,350 crore on a new plant, which will come up near Bangalore and will

22

Forefront

bring 1.2 million units per annum in capacity. The Bangalore plant will open in the first half of 2013. Honda's southern markets contribute to about 30 percent of the overall two-wheeler demand in the country.

Forefront Honda Exports Motorcycles from India Japan--- The renowned Japanese motorcycle manufacturer Honda has a plant and a marketing centre in India. Honda expressed that it will commence exporting bikes by next year from India, a country which it sees as a future global hub, particularly for mass market models. Honda has also started building a centre in India for global procurement of large motorcycles along with commuter bikes. This is aimed at enhancing exports of motorcycles along with their components. A chief operating officer of Honda Motorcycle expressed that exports from India would be started soon by the company. Previously, only Hero produced motorcycles had been exported, but the company now wants to start doing the same themselves from their new plant. In 2010, Hero Group and Honda ended their joint venture of 26 years, with the Hero Group buying out the 26% stake the Japanese automaker had, for Rs.3,841.83 crore. From then on, Honda and Hero went on to R & D their own motorcycle products.

Number of ArgentineMade Motorcycles on the Rise Argentina---According to the statistics from the Asociacion de ConcESionarios de la Argentina on December 2011, 12, 63% of the motorcycles sold in Argentina in 2011 were made in Argentina thanks to the motorcycle import restrictions. The figure (Argentine-made motorcycles) was only 45% in 2010. The statistics showed that Argentina's total motorcycle output in 2011 will reach 450,000 units, 70,000 units more than that of 2010. Argentina mostly imports motorcycles from China and Brazil. Chinese motorcycles take up 30% of market share, and Brazilian motorcycles account for 3.5% of market share.

The UK: Triumph Reports 2011 Fiscal Year Financial Results

The UK---According to the latest news from the UK's media, the famous British motorcycle manufacturer Triumph released its financial results for fiscal year 2011. Triumph reported a 7%

24

Forefront

increase in unit sales and a 47.8% increase in operating profit for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2011. According to Triumph, the British manufacturer sold 48,684 units over the year, a 7% increase from the 45,501 units sold in the previous year. Operating income totalled 22.3 million pounds (USD 35.0 million), a large jump from the operating income of 15.1 million pounds (USD 23.7 million) reported 2010 thanks to a more efficient use of working capital and reduced costs in fiscal year 2011. Triumph's gains came in spite of a 7% contraction of the 500cc and larger motorcycle market over the past year. Triumph attributes the growth to the company's investment into research and development during the recession, an investment which resulted in a number of new models launched over the past year, such as the Tiger 800 and 800XC. However, the 2011 sales results don't account for the recently launched Tiger Explorer, Speed Triple R and Steve McQueen edition Bonneville. Triumph says it expects its future will continue looking prosperous.

Forefront Honda to Release New Models in North America for Sales Promotion America---According to the latest American news, Honda Motorcycle hopes the launch of its new motorcycle models mostly in North America will help make up its operation loss caused by October floods in Thailand, and boost sales. Honda Motorcycle's North America branch office expressed that it mostly imports motorcycle parts and equipments from Thailand, the October floods in Thailand halted parts productions of all plants in Thailand, as a result Honda Motorcycle's production and sales in North America were affected. North America is Honda Motorcycle's most important market globally. Tight inventory and competition from Ford, Hyundai and Kia and others cut Honda Motorcycle's U.S. sales 5.3% through November. The above reasons have caused Honda Motorcycle's market share in North America plunge 9 percentage points. "We hope our sales will improve in 2012, and we will not encounter such disasters from Mother Nature again,'' Honda Motorcycle was quoted as saying.

Triumph to launch seven motorcycle models in India in 2012 The UK----With so many foreign OEMs finding success in India, Triumph plans to launch seven models in the Indian market next year. Triumph will assemble four of these bikes in India in what would be its first assembly operations outside the United Kingdom, according to the. Triumph is aiming to capture a third of the superbike market in India. Last year, the company’s global sales grew by 7 percent to 48,684 units, even though superbike sales declined by 7 percent during the same time. “We do not do stripped down versions of bigger bikes,” Ashish Joshi, managing director, Triumph Motorcycles India, told the Hindustan Times. “There is demand for lower priced, lighter motorycles too, but last year we grew as we went the other way... by making even bigger bikes. So we keep investing in products and are known for it while others invest in brands.” Triumph sees potential to grow superbike sales in the overall two-wheeler industry to the same share as luxury cars in the Indian passenger car market, at 1 to 2 percent.

Honda Recalls Gold Wing for Combined Braking System Issue Japan----Honda is issuing a recall for the 2001-2010 and 2012 Gold Wing due to a problem with the combined braking system. The recall campaign affects 126,000 units sold in the U.S. over the past decade. According to Honda, the Gold Wing may experience rear brake drag even after the rider releases the brake. The problem is caused by secondary master cylinder of the combined braking system. The master cylinder is designed with a port to compensate for brake fluid volume expansion caused by increased temperatures. On the Gold Wing, the master cylinder may be mounted at a higher angle than design specification due to production tolerance stack-up. As a result, the push rod’s operating angle can reduce the free play between the pressure cup and the port. The cylinder’s pressure cup may also swell after prolonged exposure to brake fluid high temperatures. Both these factors may cause the compensating port to become blocked. If that were to occur, the combined braking system may cause the rear brake caliper to drag, increasing the temperature of the brake fluid, causing it to expand and further increase brake drag. The issue may lead to unexpected application of the rear brake and, if the heat is sufficient, may cause the rear brake to catch on fire. The problem was first identified by American Honda in July 2010 after a customer reported a case of rear brake dragging for

26

Forefront

40 miles following a brake fluid flush. According to the report, the customer heard a small explosion after parking his Gold Wing, and saw flames coming from the rear brake. American Honda alerted the parent company in Japan which began an analysis of the hydraulic system. A second case of rear brake drag was reported to American Honda in November 2010. In total, Honda has confirmed 26 complaints regarding rear brake dragging in the U.S., with two cases resulting in a small fire. Honda dealers will inspect the secondary master cylinder of 2001-2010 and 2012 Honda Gold Wings, and, if required, will replace the secondary master cylinder with a unit with additional free play.

Forefront Hong Kong Design for Asia (DFA) awards Diavel’s design China---Ducati has scooped the prestigious bronze Design for Asia Award at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, in recognition of the Italian motorcycle manufacturer’s innovative Diavel model, judged by the panel to represent design excellence. The DFA Award is presented to companies and designers from around the world that have achieved business success through design that impacts Asian lifestyle. A panel of judges comprising of regional editors and design professionals studied over 700 entries from around the world before choosing the winning entries. Ducati’s entry was the “Diavel” design, a project born when their designers applied their wish-list of motorcycle “basic instincts” to a blank canvas. With a “what if” approach to creat a dream motorcycle, they sketched inspring shapes which became a lower and longer motorcycle. The design took a step outside the brand’s usual style, but maintained the key pillars of their sports performance heritage. Ducati General Manger, Claudio Domenicali said of the Diavel design: “Until now, no motorcycle segment has ever captured

all these characteristics in just one bike. It represents the very concept of sport and celebrate all that Ducati has achieved in recent years.”

Triumph Posts 7% Sales Increase for First Half of 2011 The UK----It may be nearly the end of the year, but the Triumph Motorcycles Group has released its financials for the first half of 2011 (Q1 2011 & Q2 2011). Selling 48,684 units worldwide, Triumph saw a 7% increase in unit sales when compared to the first half of 2010. This sales increase brought an 11% boost in revenue, which totaled £312.4 million. Triumph attributes the sales and revenue boost to the incremental models that have been added to the range, like the Triumph Tiger 800/800XC and Triumph Daytona 675R. The company’s operating profit also grew over the same time period, with earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) growing from £15.1 million to £22.3 million. This 47% gain in income is quite the coup for the small British brand, which is showing strong performance in an otherwise horrible market. With the 500cc motorcycle market down nearly 50% from where it was before the recession, 2011 has similarly been doom and gloom, down nearly 7% worldwide, though the turbulent sales numbers do appear to be bottoming out. The Hinckley-based company hopes that the Triumph Tiger Explorer, Triumph Speed Triple R, and Triumph Steve McQueen Special will continue to push sales in 2012, but the British company is looking abroad as well. Set to release seven more models in India, Triumph will also be setting up production in the long-ago British colony. Triumph says the models will be large-displacement

28

Forefront

machines, likely models already in the Triumph line, rather than India-market specific bikes. Before we get a gluttony of remarks in the comments section, we’ll remind readers that because of India’s extremely high import tariffs, virtually the only way OEMs can price their motorcycles competitively in India is by having local assembly/production facilities. Triumph’s announcement that it will setup a production facility in India is more about the British brand hoping to tap into the growing economy and motorcycle market in India, rather than outsourcing production across British borders. Of course, we still expect those who don’t understand international sales tariffs to cry the sky is falling and that the Triumph name will be ruined by foreign production. C’est la vie.

Forefront Harley-Davidson Closing Australian Cast Wheel Subsidiary Australia ---Harley-Davidson is closing its cast wheel and hub producing subsidiary New Castalloy, deciding to outsource production to third-party suppliers. Based in Adelaide, Australia, New Castalloy produces about 1,450 wheels and 500 wheel hubs per day for HarleyDavidson. That work will be transferred to outside suppliers by the middle of 2013. Harley-Davidson expects to save about $9 million annually by 2014. Closing New Castalloy will however require a cost of about $30 million, including $10 million in 2011 and $20 million in 2012. New Castalloy employs 212 workers, including 29 contract workers. According to Harley-Davidson, the decision to close New Castalloy is part of a continuing strategy to focus in-house production on metal fabrication for fuel tanks, fenders and frames, powertrain production, final assembly and painting. Everything else can be outsourced to suppliers. “The Company’s decision on wheel production follows a review of the long-term fit and competitiveness of the New Castalloy business with our strategy and was not made lightly,” said Matt Levatich, President and Chief Operating Officer, Harley-Davidson

Motor Company. “New Castalloy has been a valued part of the Harley-Davidson team. We appreciate the many significant contributions of New Castalloy’s employees over the years.” Harley-Davidson acquired New Castalloy in 2006, saving the company from bankruptcy. The Australian company had been supplying wheels and hubs to Harley-Davidson since the ’80s, but the company has been around since the ’40s as Castalloy, producing wheels for customers including Chrysler.

EPP Presents Repot for Motorcycle Industry Standard Europe----"From today, riding a motorbike has become greener and safer", said EPP Group Rapporteur Wim van de Camp MEP, after the vote on his Report 'Approval and market surveillance of two, three and four-wheel vehicles (L-category)' in the Internal Market and Consumer Protection Committee of the European Parliament. The Report indicates the conditions that the motorcycle industry has to take into account to market their products on and off-road. On safety measures, mandatory anti-lock braking systems are proposed for motorcycles from 51 cc. Wim van de Camp said: "17% of road casualties are motorcyclists, moped riders and scooter riders, while they only account for 2% of all traffic. The risk for younger people, who are usually the users of these vehicles, will be diminished. Also, the anti-tampering measures will be tightened to increase safety." The level of emissions is often disproportionately high. "A clear

30

Forefront

signal for cleaner motors is appropriate", said Wim van de Camp. The Euro 4 Standard must be achieved by 2016. This will also positively affect durability. The proposed implementation of OBD (On Board Diagnostics) systems will also contribute to this." Wim van de Camp continued: "Innovative and modern technical two, three and four-wheel vehicles will increase urban mobility. These vehicles use less space, waste less energy and have a reduced level of emissions." Wim van de Camp also said that everyone must have equal access to the RMI (Repair and Maintenance Information) and at a reasonable price. This will be advantageous to all independent dealers and individual motorcyclists. The next step will be a trilogue with the Council and the European Commission. The Report will be voted in the plenary session in Strasbourg, probably in Spring 2012.

Forefront 2012 Yamaha TMax Announced for Canada Canada----Yamaha announced it is importing the newly updated for 2012 TMax maxi-scooter to Canada. First unveiled at the 2011 EICMA show, the 2012 Yamaha TMax received a sportier facelift and an updated 530cc engine Yamaha claims is lighter, more efficient and offers more torque at low- and mid-rpms compared to the 499cc engine found on the 2011 model. Yamaha claims the updated TMax can get up to 53 mpg, compared to the previous model’s 47 mpg claims. “The TMax is a very interesting machine,” says John Bayliss, Yamaha Motor Canada’s motorcycle product manager. “For sure it’s practical, comfortable and fuel efficient like most scooters, but the TMax also offers a very exciting ride. From the engine and chassis, to brakes and suspension, the TMax features impressive performance in every category. Even the most skilled rider would be amazed with its ability to react like a sport bike!” The 2012 Yamaha TMax will be available in “Bluish White” with a price tag of CN$10,499. At the moment, it appears Yamaha Motor Canada will not offer the ABS-equipped version of the TMax available in other markets. As for whether the TMax will make it to the U.S., Yamaha Motor

USA has not announced whether it will import the TMax. It’s worth noting however that Yamaha Motor Canada was recently shifted into a subsidiary of its U.S. counterpart. A Yamaha Motor Canada representative told us the move was purely an accounting decision and is not expected to impact operations, though the arrangement may give the Canadian subsidiary a stronger position in selecting product offerings from the parent company in Japan.

2011 Triumph North American sales up 15 percent UK----Triumph Motorcycles Group saw a 7 percent increase in worldwide unit sales for the 2011 fiscal year ended June 30, the company announced Dec. 7. Unit sales were 48,684, up from 45,501 in the prior year. Management attributes the increase to the introduction of incremental models to the product range and credits the dealer network with much of the success. While executives are cautiously optimistic for 2012, citing “global economic turmoil and the impact upon consumer confidence and in particular spending on discretionary consumer goods.” Despite that backdrop, the company has increased R&D spending during the recession, a move that produced three new motorcycles – the Tiger Explorer, Speed Triple R and the Steve McQueen Special – this year alone. Triumph North American operations, launched in 1994, got its first American CEO in Greg Heichelbech in November 2010. He’s credited with bringing a new market philosophy and several organizational and process changes. In the last seven months of the fiscal year, Triumph NA outperformed the category, growing market share by half a percentage point. Revenue increased by 9 percent and retail sales of motorcycles increased by 15 percent. The new models introduced late in the selling season helped overall performance, but the company also saw increases across the entire model range

32

Forefront

lineup. The sales momentum continues as the dealer network supports the new changes, resulting in an increase in retail sales of 31 percent for the month of October. The North American subsidiary is focusing on growing the business through increasing brand awareness, dealer profitability, and expanding the network, which stands at about 200 dealers, in key open territories. PG&A sales grew at a rate of 8 percent on the introduction of several new core riding and seasonal items. With the release of the new Tiger 800, the range expanded with new adventure riding wear such as the all-new Explorer Jacket; in the Heritage line with the release of two Lewis Leathers jackets; and in the Legends line, featuring clothing that pays homage to two icons of the screen who had a close relationship with Triumph, Steve McQueen and James Dean. For the worldwide Triumph Motorcycles Group, revenue increased by 11 percent from £312.4 million (US$589 million) in 2010 to £345.3 million (US$540 million) in 2011. Operating profit before interest and tax grew from £15.1 million (US$23.6 million) to £22.3 million (US$34.8 million) due to strong sales of motorcycles and related products, benefiting from improved use of working capital and continued focus upon the cost base.

TALK

Introduction to

TALK Column

Talk

2. Foreign motorcycle associations Introduction of the present situation of local motorcycle industry R&D of local brands Requirement of entering the local market Suggestions for Chinese companies planning to enter the local market ……

CHINAMOTOR Team will Launch a brand new column in 2012, TALK. Our team will select one authoritative person in the motorcycle industry either from China or abroad to make an interview in each issue during the upcoming 2012. The interview may be carried out in different occasions, it will be taken at the exhibitions, in telephone or in the interviewee’s office. The content will touch some hot and sensitive topics in different markets around the world, and the aim is to provide the first-hand and 100% reliable information for the global buyers. The interviewees will be selected from:

1. Chinese motorcycle associations and other industrial authoritative organizations The macro development of China’s motorcycle industry Government’s policy direction The amendment of present regulations Export analysis ……

34

Talk

3. Professional motorcycle media from both China and abroad Introduction of local motorcycle industry Competitiveness of local brands Recognition of Chinese bikes Local motorcycle culture and sport ……

4. Global professional motorcycle and parts buyers Opinions about Chinese products The co-operation with Chinese companies Chinese product’s competitiveness and disadvantage The main competitors of Chinese products in their local markets ……


TALK 5. Top-class Chinese whole motorcycle manufacturers R&D of their company The competitiveness of their products Market performance in the world Co-operation with foreign brands ……

6. Top-class Chinese spare parts manufacturers R&D of their company The competitiveness of their products Market performance in the world Their co-operation with foreign brands ……

Introduction to

TALK Column

36

Talk

Talk

7. Foreign Whole motorcycle manufacturers R&D of their company The competitiveness of their products Co-operation with Chinese brands Opinion about Chinese motorcycle market ……

8. Foreign Spare parts manufacturers R&D of their company Co-operation with Chinese whole bike companies Market performance in the world Opinion about Chinese motorcycle market ……

CHINAMOTOR Team will properly select the subjects for the interviewees and make thorough discussion with them in order to provide the truly useful and interesting information for our readers. TALK is a column targeted at the reader group including both global buyers and manufacturers, if you have special requirements or suggestions, please contact us through motor@ chinamotorworld.com.


TALK

Talk

CHINAMOTOR: What kinds of bikes are ALFAMOTO ‘s most imported bikes? Scooter, cub or streetbike or…? Mike: Before, our aim was to satisfy any desire of Ukrainian buyers, and if we check customs statistics

Ukrainian & Eastern European

and Alfamoto’s statistics, we can see same result by % ratio between models. For 2012 more than 50 % of our models from China will be street bikes.

Motorcycle Market Review

--Interview of Mr. Mike Badjin, director of ALFAMOTO By CHINAMOTOR Team

CHINAMOTOR: When was ALFAMOTO established? When did it come into the motorcycle import business? Mike: My lovely country (Ukraine) is very young – only 20 years old, so each Ukrainian company is not old also. Alfamoto is only 8 years old. In 2004 we started our motorcycles business. CHINAMOTOR: Why did ALFAMOTO choose China as the major motorcycle supplier instead of the other countries? Mike: 8 years ago, Chinese motorcycle was still a new item for our market. Chinese motorcycle industry was a big puzzle for me and my friends then, but our parents had good memory about some Chinese goods such as flashlights, thermos bottles and, of course, famous sport shoes, "Two Ball". Our parents remember with nostalgia that cotton pant brand, normally weaved with sturdy fleece, "Friendship". At the places of honor of many Ukrainian families still stand the black lacquer boxes with mother of pearl inlays, and in some places still hang silk curtains with embroidery. Chinese goods have been a symbol of high quality because the products supplied by Chinese were flawless. I had business with China for car audio systems for 5 years before. So when owner of Alfamoto invited me for new business – it was not only a start for motorcycle business, it was also a start for a new interesting page and mood in my life.

38

Talk

Background: Mr. Mike Badjin is the General Director of ALFAMOTO that is one of the biggest importers of China-made motorcycles in Ukraine. Mike has been in the motorcycle import business long since. He is familiar with every single Chinese motorcycle brand and has a deep understanding of Ukrainian and Eastern European motorcycle market, CHINAMOTOR telephoneinterviewed him before the New Year and let’s see what his idea is about the markets mentioned in the topic.

CHINAMOTOR: You have been making business with Chinese motorcycle enterprises for so long, can you please tell us what are Chinese motorcycle’s competitiveness in the global market in your eyes? Mike: My eyes are in Ukraine and I can show you my views of Chinese motorcycle’s competitiveness in our market. 8 years ago the Number One imported motorcycles were second hand bikes from Japan. 6 years ago, the quantity of Japanese second hand bikes and the new models from China equaled. 5 years ago China confidently occupied the first position in this competition. In 2007 and 2008, Ukraine imported about one million units of Chinese scooters, mopeds and motorcycles.

long and difficult procedures in their inner structure can result in big waste of time for waiting them to sort out easy questions. Advantage of middle company is their desire to react quickly and our cooperation with JiaJue and Yamasaki are good examples, we got new models with good quality and not high prices. Why Ukrainian buyer should blame Chinese industry if shops are empty for spare parts? Of course no. It is fault of importer. Bad quality is neither fault of China – it is fault of local market and reputation of seller. If the consumer complains about the bad quality of Chinese goods, plz ask him about his salary and price of the bike he bought. Our web site opens a special forum, where any buyer can put his opinion about each model sold by us. If the model is from QianJiang, CFmoto, Jianshe, Loncin, Lifan – more than 90% feedbacks are positive. CHINAMOTOR: Which stage has the Ukrainian motorcycle industry been? Are there any active Ukrainian motorcycle brands in the local market? What is Ukraine’s position in the whole European motorcycle market? What are the market volume and the average annual sales volume? Mike: Ukrainian motorcycle industry was born after 1945 year,

CHINAMOTOR: Which brands are your major suppliers? Can you please make a brief conclusion or description for these brands which you are familiar with? What is their competitiveness respectively? Before, the after service of China-made bikes was blamed by many people due to the shortage of spare parts and some other factors such as the poor quality and shortage of technicians, is it properly solved in Ukraine now? Mike: Alfamoto is happy to build business relations with famous Chinese brands such as QingQi, QianJiang, CFmoto, Jianshe, Loncin and Lifan. Our friendship with management officials of others big brands Jincheng, Jialing, Zongshen, Shineray, Yingang also help us to understand the development of Chinese and global motorcycle industry. We had visited almost all the big factories in China, if you want me to recollect all our trips to China, I can just tell you we have visited over 50 big, middle and small plants. The advantages of famous brands dwell in the quality of their products, availability of certificates, complete catalogs and documents. But


TALK

Talk

when German technology came to USSR. Light motorcycles was produced in Lvov, heavy models DNEPR ( some models are 750 cc and 50 h.p.) were from Kiev. But when USSR had separated to 15 countries, these factories stopped the mass production of mopeds and motorcycles. In 2008 Ukrainian market of Chinese bikes was about 50 % of total Europe market, but now negative effect from crisis 2008 is still dominate and Ukrainian importers cannot realize big sales volume as before. CHINAMOTOR: What are the requirements to enter Ukrainian market? Are there any certificates required? How is the customs clearance between Ukraine and Russia, how to get through the clearance procedures fast? Mike: Entering Ukrainian market themselves is the dream for many Chinese factories. But the answer is IMPOSSIBLE. Every year

we meet many Chinese delegations and it is very interesting to see first emotions in email, where some person asked about invitation and last emotion in our airport when new Chinese friends leave Ukraine. For short, I can say – our society should have hard job for improving business climate. CHINAMOTOR: How many days are fit for motorcycle riding in Ukraine each year? Which factors bring the major impact to the motorcycle sales? Is the climate one of the major factors? Mike: If we compare the size of Ukraine with China – we will think Ukraine is small country. If we compare it with European countries, Ukraine is the biggest country in Europe by territory. North of Ukraine has snow on road for more than 3 month. South of my country can be snowless and iceless in the whole year. Climate is not a factor for Ukrainian riders. CHINAMOTOR: What is the average monthly income in Ukraine? Mike: According to the official statistics, it is more than 340 $ (no joke). Some prime-ministers like to say about 400 and even 500 $. CHINAMOTOR: What are the best-selling models in Ukraine and which displacement bike is the most popular one? Which group are the major motorcycle consumers? What is the major function of motorcycles there? Mike: Before 2008, more than 90 % were 50 – 72 cc bikes. Now after carrying out the new rule for registration and drive license release for all vehicles, we will see another statistic. I estimate that next year 50 cc can be not more than 50 %. For motorcycles (two-wheelers with engine more than 50 cc), the most popular model is the 150 cc bikes. About motorcycle consumers in Ukraine, it can be divided into two main groups - urban and rural consumers, and each occupies 50%. Then the urban group is divided to three groups: firstly commuters,

40

Talk

riding bikes for work; then come the young people, riding bikes for fun; after that the true bikers, who live on motorcycle and riding is their life style. And the population number of the three types of consumers is also quite close. For the rural consumers, motorcycle can be considered as a big help to their daily life, such as travel, daily transport or load goods, just name a few here.

economic development and optimistic view on our political society, after 2008 there came the rapid drop and sharp change of politic direction. “Rapid drop” is very soft phrase for real situation in Ukraine after that year. If population will increase, 2008’s record (about 600 thousand units for two wheel vehicles), can be exceeded only after 10 years. But I have not seen the real reasons for this fast growth.

CHINAMOTOR: Which marketing modes do Ukrainian motorcycle dealers take? Do the consumers have to pay the full payment one time or is there a paying installment policy which enables them to pay a certain sum every month? Mike: According to ALFAMOTO statistics, more than 85 % of all models were bought via bank’s credit in 2008. Now Ukrainian banks also offer credit’s system, but most convenient options are 32% for one year, so if price of model is 1000 $, buyer should pay bank 1320 $ during one year.

CHINAMOTOR: Can you please tell us some important motorcycle exhibition in Ukraine? And which are the most significant for the Chinese companies? Mike: We have only one central fair Motobike in March or April in capital of our country Kiev. All Ukrainian importers take part in this exhibition. Others small fairs in big cities also can be interesting, but motorcycle is not the centre of it. At the Motorbike fair we can see some Chinese brands and booths each year, but due to the language barrier and incomprehension of our market, it is a bit difficult for many Chinese to get rapid success in short time.

CHINAMOTOR: Has the Ukrainian motorcycle market returned to the level before 2008? Has the impact brought by the economic crisis disappeared or is it still continuing at present? Mike: In my answers, I often times mentioned 2008, it is really a black landmark date in Ukrainian history. Before 2008 we had fast

CHINAMOTOR: How about the motorcycle spare parts and accessories market in Ukraine and the profit? Mike: Spare parts market today is already saturated, and the margin is quite slim. I think many people just do the business as


TALK their hobby, this is a very sad situation. There is a need of strict quality inspection regulation. As for the accessories, the market is also quite full, but there are also some empty niches, such as the motorcycle GPS, bags mounted on bikes and there are also a lot potential to dig out, I think there will be market for some Chinese factories.

Talk Ukraine dropped by 30 times – so I think, in future, our market will be interesting for Chinese factories again.

CHINAMOTOR: Can you please tell us your opinion about the Eastern European Market as a whole? Which countries are the most significant motorcycle markets and their sales volume respectively? Mike: Eastern European Market is a relative term, if Poland and Romania belong to it, then the most significant motorcycle markets in Eastern Europe are next Ukraine, Poland and Romania. In normal time, it can be 40-50 % from all European market (not including Russia) for Chinese motorcycle industry.

CHINAMOTOR: Who are China’s major competitors in these markets and which aspects is the competition concentrating? Models, price or quality or others? Mike: Now the main competitors for Chinese models are only second hand bikes from Japan. Brands from India only conduct reconnaissance, and there is no brand from Eastern Asia seen in the market. Cheap models of 125 cc from Japanese brands have good reputation, but light street models with 125-200 cc from Chinese famous brands , for example Lifan, Jianshe, Loncin can have strong competitiveness and more interesting for Ukrainian buyers. There is not that much difference in terms of the quality of best Chinese motorcycles and cheap Japanese models as well as prices.

CHINAMOTOR: Which countries are the most potential markets in Eastern Europe and how is the market performance of Chinese motorcycles? Mike: Before 2008 most important partner of China in Eastern Europe was Ukraine and Poland. Now the motorcycle import to

CHINAMOTOR: Are there any motorcycle associations there? What is their significance for the marketing and popularization of motorcycles in the local communities? Mike: Motorcycles Fairs are very popular for Ukrainian bikers. Bikers like to join into clubs, teams and others get-togethers.

Parties and short trips are very popular among biker teams. Also many importers have Club Brand. The main job of these clubs it is one important side of promotion for brand. CHINAMOTOR: Quite a few Chinese motorcycle companies attached great energy to the overseas market, but the seeking-forquick-success mindset lead some enterprise to a wrong way and the direct consequence is the slump of the image and reputation of China-made motorcycles in the global market, what are your suggestions to these enterprises? Mike: Market will decide all. In our office we have about 50 computers, all computers “made in China”. No any claims for it. Last 20 years we observed a rapid quantitative growth for Chinese industry, now we will see quality’s changing to better, no any another way. If a company wants to live – it should think about improving. If a company wants to leave – plz keep think about quicksuccess and quick-profit next. CHINAMOTOR: How do you think about the Eastern European motorcycle spare parts market? Which countries are the major suppliers? What is China’s market share in this regard? Mike: Ukraine is also Eastern European country. Main supplier of spare parts is China. Quality of spare parts is different. Pretty many fakes exist on our market. For example brand TATA, which is famous brand of good quality in China, but in Ukraine some parts under this brand name are very cheap and of bad quality – only one explanation for it – fake. We said already in this interview – quality of goods is depended on the reputation of local seller. CHINAMOTOR: Thanks a lot for your enlightening answers and we firmly believe many people will learn a lot and complement their before knowledge of Ukrainian and Eastern European

motorcycle market after reading the interview, this will benefit their business a lot in the two markets. At last, we would like to hear your suggestions about the content of CHINAMOTOR magazine? Which parts are most interesting and helpful for you? Which part should be paid more attention? Mike: Bu ke qi (means no thanks in Chinese). Most interesting for me is page Trial Run, where I can see the test drive of Chinese models, then Information and News, Special Reports, Observation, and World Focus. About my suggestions for your magazine – plz do not only focus on enterprises which are your partners. Under each of your page I see list of six dickers brands, which you like. If I read test-drive of some models – it will be only models from brands from that list. I should believe the information which I read from your magazine. Test-drive in China can be more interesting if you will more time than just 30 – 40 minutes for magazine’s biker, but real long-time ride of this model by many Chinese drivers, which bought this model in shop. The real ride of a model can be more objective. Even if your tester will check one model from assembly line, the same model from buyer after 10 thousand kilometers – it will be another picture. Plz make experiment and you will see that the result will has many differences. For me, it will be also interesting to read about experience from other importers. When many importers have meeting, for example, during Canton Fair, they talk and discuss for long while. Also your magazine should has relationships with magazines from another countries. In my country there is an old saying: if you have an apple and I have an apple and we will give each other just an apple – we will have only one apple after the exchange. But if we exchange information – we will get much more than before. Information in any time has big cost. I like to meet your magazine every month and I hope it will help me and others people in future also. Xie xie ni, pengyou for your hard job. (Thanks my friend for your hard job)

42

Talk


Global Release the 883L, another entry-level Harley with a low seat height and equally low MSRP, bore Low as part of its moniker. The SuperLow surfaced in 2011 and is the latest, freshest version of the 883L. The newly updated model name hints at the friendly seat height and price – key attributes that riders looking at the SuperLow might find appealing. With the new name came a number of changes that Harley says were at the behest of dealers and consumers alike. The 883L’s, or rather the SuperLow’s, fuel tank capacity was increased, and rider ergo improvements included thicker seat foam. New wheel and tire sizes altered the bike’s stance, appearance and, according to Harley, improved handling. The SuperLow, powered by the venerable 883cc air-cooled Harley V-Twin, holds the honor of possessing the lightest claimed dry weight in Harley’s stable in 2012. At 536 pounds dry, the SL is nine pounds lighter than the next two lightest bikes, the Nightster and Forty-Eight, and 12 pounds lighter than the Iron 883. With all fluids and a full tank, the SuperLow scales in with 563 pounds, one pound more than the Nightster, and two pounds less than the Iron 883. This bodes well for the Nightster when we consider it’s powered by a larger, 1200cc Twin. Nevertheless, the SuperLow has a good excuse for the extra pounds it piles on. With 4.5 gallons of fuel capacity the SL carries 1.2 gallons more petrol than the Iron 883 and Nightster; and the peanut-tanked

2012

Forty-Eight has less than half the fuel capacity of the SuperLow. Suddenly the SuperLow’s near parity in wet weight with its larger-engined brothers isn’t such a big deal, especially if the SuperLow can keep cruising while the others need to pit in for fuel. What is for sure low about this Sporty is its MSRP. In the standard black paint scheme (Vivid Black) the SuperLow offers entry to the world of Harley-Davidson in 2011 – ‘12 for $7999, as does the identically priced Iron 883. While the SuperLow’s price shouts, “Bargain basement Harley,” its styling and overall performance say, “Heritage of a big Harley without the big price tag.” Plopping my 5 foot 8 inch frame in the Super’s sculpted saddle revealed the bike’s rider triangle is, as expected, a snug fit. But the pullback handlebar didn’t require that I reach very far to comfortably clasp onto the grips. A handlebar with less pullback would’ve demanded more reach, subsequently creating the sensation of a too-cramped ride, as I would’ve been closer to the tank. My torso was mostly centered over the seat, which meant I was upright without feeling awkwardly positioned despite the bike’s diminutive dimensions. Footpeg placement is mid-mount style, and while my knees were in a comfortable 90-degree bend, even my short-ish 30-inch

Harley-Davidson Sportster SuperLow Review Lowly in name only, the SuperLow offers easy entry into the world of Harley-Davidson How looowwww can you go? Harley-Davidson answers, “SuperLow!” With only 26.8 inches between the SuperLow’s saddle and the tarmac, a safe guess might say that, of the 30-plus motorcycles in Harley’s expansive lineup, the SuperLow has the lowest seat height. Guess again.

While the SL has a notably low span from seat to ground, it isn’t the lowest seat height from Harley. That distinction belongs to the Softail Deluxe and its 25.9-inch seat height. Truth is, several other models boast seat heights lower than the SuperLow, even if only by a couple tenths of an inch. So what gives with the name? As recently as model year 2010

44

Global Release


Global Release inseam wished for pegs a little further forward. Additionally, the pegs are set rather far from the center of the bike – not a big deal, but their orientation created a minor inconvenience for shifting, as I had to deliberately toe-in to upshift. When I became conscious of this necessary motion it made me think that if I owned a SuperLow one of the first things I’d do is scout

As the SuperLow purposefully glides forward you won’t notice fueling and throttle response, because each of these functions is wonderfully smooth and transparent. Power delivery from the classic Milwaukee mill is linear, and more importantly for riders interested in this model, power delivery is predictable.

One such nit pick was how my elbows obscured the rearward view from the mirrors – an issue usually plaguing the just-thereto-appease-DOT-regulation mirrors often found on sportbikes. Longer mirror stalks for the SuperLow seem like the simple fix here. Not as readily apparent as the mirrors’ stingy view is the sometimes-unforgiving ride quality. A little more than two inches of rear suspension travel doesn’t leave much room for the dual coil-over shocks to soak up big, jarring freeway expansion joints. The 39mm Showa fork’s 4-plus inches of suspension travel is fairly standard for a cruiser, and so it does a better job of eating crummy pavement. Credit for helping smooth out the ride goes to the Michelin Scorcher II tires. The plump 120/70 x 18 front bun does a good job of mitigating road imperfections before they reach the rider, more so than the narrower 100/90 x 19 front tires found on the Iron 883 and Nightster, and formerly on the 883L. Despite the fatter front tire and steering geometry more relaxed than the Iron or Nightster, the SuperLow nevertheless is a breeze to maneuver.

the aftermarket for a shift lever with a longer peg. The SuperLow’s layout never struck me as uncomfortable, but my guess is that riders hovering around 6-feet-plus who also desire a low seat will want to look elsewhere in Harley’s line for a low-saddle model that provides roomier ergos. The smallest displaced air-cooled 45-degree Vee from Harley pops to life quickly. The EFI instantly and reliably regulates idle speeds. The dual staggered shotgun exhaust emits the familiar Harley rumble, which, for whatever reason this time, struck me as burly sounding as the 96 and 103-inch engine Harleys. Clutch pull effort is easy enough, but newer riders may need additional time to acclimate to the burst of torque right off idle. This quick jolt of torque from a dead stop results largely from the clutch engaging near the end of the clutch lever’s release point. But as noted, given some time in the saddle, this peccadillo will fade from the rider’s conscience. The 883 makes most of its peak torque in the 2000 rpm range, which is another reason this little Harley feels so strong right out of the gate.

46

Global Release

While you needn’t concern yourself with breakneck speeds, the 883cc Twin is nevertheless peppy. The SL achieves freeway cruising pace in short order and without much effort, with room to spare for overtaking slower vehicles.

Whether at parking-lot pace or darting along winding roads, initiating a turn doesn’t require any noticeable effort, and transitioning left to right, side to side, is also a low-energy affair. What will require some mental energy is reminding yourself the footpegs will augur into the pavement in no time flat while completing even the most mundane cornering action – low seat heights courtesy of limited suspension travel have a cost.

However, like most things that demand near-constant attention early on, the scraping and grinding of the pegs will happen less often as you become more comfortable with the sensation and learn the bike’s lean-angle limits. From prior experience with the dual-piston single front caliper found on many Harley cruisers I didn’t anticipate anything beyond adequate stopping power from the SuperLow’s front brake. This particular brake, however, supplied better than average feel and plenty of stopping force. A solid two-finger squeeze on the brake lever was all I ever really needed to reel in the SL. The SuperLow: The Gateway to Harley-Davidson The Sportster SuperLow lacks the fat torque numbers produced by the larger 96 and 103-inch Harley engines; it doesn’t provide storage like Harley’s renowned tourers and bagger models, and it offers none of the ostentatious flash of the upscale CVO line. Despite the SuperLow’s humble station in Harleyland it hits all the right Harley themes: unarguably iconic styling, relaxed riding position, the soft sound of rolling thunder, unintimidating but useful power and an engine recognizable the world over, placed jewel-like in the center of it all. And a bountiful aftermarket ready to meet your customization desires. The SuperLow embodies the core of a Harley-Davidson motorcycle, and at the same time grants easy access to the Harley mystique. (www.motorcycle.com)

But observant riders will note the engine starts feeling busy as early as 60 mph, even while in top gear. The engine feels like it has ample power in reserve to pull a larger (i.e. taller) top gear in its five-speed transmission; a taller top gear might make the engine feel a little less active. I made a similar comment on the gearing in our single-bike review of the 2010 883 Low. Other minor but noteworthy shortcomings became more apparent while bombing down the interstate, an environment that sometimes gives a rider time to take notice of things great and small.


Global Release

2012 YAMAHA

Zuma 50F Review

48

Global Release

The playful Zuma is reborn with a new four-stroke engine Scooters have long been associated as the transportation method of choice for students and those looking to maximize their mileage from a gallon of gasoline. Among the many choices available, Yamaha’s venerable Zuma has been a staple of college parking lots since 1989. Indeed, since 1997, Zuma sales have reached nearly 80,000 units, with the second generation accounting for nearly 64,000 units sold since its introduction in September 2001. The recipe for success is simple, too: mix mildly rugged looks, Yamaha reliability, an affordable price and everyday practicality in the form of storage space and fuel economy. Then, just reap the rewards.

C

hange, however, is inevitable. While the world makes a push for cleaner power sources and maximum fuel economy, the Zuma soldiered on with its 49cc twostroke engine. While still wildly economical at a claimed 123 mpg, its powerplant didn’t make Mother Nature happy, nor did it provide much torque. Over time, owners complained that the seating position was sloped too far forward, placing a lot of weight on the arms. That problem was exacerbated with a pillion on board. So was born the 2012 Yamaha Zuma 50F. At first glance the 50F doesn’t appear to be much different from the model it replaces. Blame it on the focus groups. They helped dictate the

direction of the third-generation Zuma’s styling. They indicated that styling and fuel mileage were the two biggest factors when determining which scoot to buy. Yamaha showed these focus groups a myriad of different design sketches ranging from radical to subdued, and as the elimination process progressed, a pattern emerged: the twin bug-eye headlights from the previous model were huge hits that shouldn’t be touched, and clean, comfortable and simple styling was preferred over “plasticky,” sharp designs. The end result is a machine that looks much like its predecessor. The fact that other styling cues were carried over makes the


Global Release mill, evident especially when leaving a dead stop. The CVT automatic was mainly seamless except when accelerating again after coasting back down to crawling speeds. It should go without saying that the 50F only has two speeds — stopped or wide open. The latter is the case especially when trying to negotiate San Francisco’s notorious inclines. Without much room for a running start in most cases, the Zuma could manage a best of 15 mph up the steep grades, throttle cables stretched to the max. On flat ground, the 40 mph indicated top speed is attainable, but it takes around 15 seconds or so to get there. Dashing through town to get from one checkpoint to the other, the Zuma is largely able to hold its own, though the struggle is finding the power needed to accelerate to merging speed when joining the flow of traffic.

old and new even harder to distinguish. It’s not until you look closely that you notice the slight tweaks. The side panels and front fender are reminiscent of dirt bikes, while the knobbyish tires and easily replaceable tube-type handlebar inspire some semblance of off-road pretenses. All are similar to their counterparts on the outgoing model, but aren’t quite the same. The biggest styling difference with the new Zuma and the old is in the ergonomics. Where the old model had the rider and passenger sloped forward, the 50F comes with a flatter, broader seat that lends to roomier ergos for both rider and passenger. With the looks of the new Zuma out of the way, getting more mileage out of the tiny engine was the next task. Of course the biggest difference overall compared to the previous model is the all-new powerplant. Gone is the 49cc two-stroke and in its place is a SOHC, liquid-cooled, three-valve four-stroke engine of the same displacement. It also sports fuel injection and roller rocker arms for reduced friction. An automatic CVT transmission takes care of shifting duties, and best of all, at least as far as Mother Nature is concerned, it’s much cleaner burning. Yamaha claims more torque and better throttle response compared to the twostroke. Fuel misers will rejoice in the fact the Zuma 50F gets even better mileage than before — to the tune of 132 miles per gallon (claimed). No, that’s not a typo. Further changes include moving the 1.2-gallon fuel tank to the center floorboard tunnel instead of underneath the seat. This in turn lowers the center of gravity for better handling and frees up space in the under-seat storage compartment, which now holds

50

Global Release

23 liters of stuff. Other convenience bits include an integrated cup holder, a fold-out hook to hold things like groceries, and a rear luggage rack and grab bar to strap down bigger (though not too big) items. Yamaha chose to invite the press to San Francisco to get a taste of the new Zuma 50F in one of the harshest environments for scooters. If you know San Francisco at all, then you know what I’m talking about. This town is filled with steep hills that punish engines. On top of that, Yamaha arranged a scavenger hunt for the assembled journalists that included stops in every corner of the city. Not only would the Zuma’s hill-climbing ability be tested (often), but its maneuverability through traffic would be put to the test as well. While I admit that I haven’t spent considerable time on the old model, I do remember the seating position to be a little sloped. As promised, that’s no longer the case on the new Zuma. The seat is in fact flatter with less weight placed on the arms. As a result, seat height is a smidge taller than the old model at 30.7 inches (compared to 30.1 inches), but my 5-foot, 8-inch frame had no problems putting both feet on the ground solidly. Ergos aside, the main thing on the mind of all the journos in attendance was the engine. How would it perform? Well, with a top speed of 40 mph I wasn’t expecting much, and there’s no getting around the fact that with only 50cc the Zuma wasn’t going to win any speed contests. That said, low-end torque from the little four-stroke engine is stronger than the old two-stroke

Considering my lack of seat time on the previous model, I asked others in attendance how the new four-stroke compared with the old two-stroke. All agreed that the seating position was more comfortable on the new machine. They also agreed that while the four-stroke makes more torque than the two-stroke, perceived top end felt better on the old scoot. I say “perceived” because top speed for both models peaks around the 40 mph mark. On the suspension front, the tiny telescopic fork and single rear shock worked surprisingly well. San Fran’s bumpy roads were nicely soaked up by the suspenders, and only big potholes really upset the chassis. One benefit the 50F has is its light weight and nimble handling, allowing it to dash in between cars and obstacles in the way. Another asset is its brakes. A 180mm wave-type disc is 25mm larger than last years and has great stopping power. When combined with the rear drum brake, the Zuma comes to a halt very quickly. But Yamaha’s focus groups show that buyers of the Zuma don’t

care about power or brakes. They want a practical mode of transportation that sips gas and accommodates their everyday needs. To that end the Zuma is undeniably capable. The underseat storage area swallowed up the helmet you see in these pictures, along with a jacket, gloves, and camera bag. Yamaha even claims there’s space for a full-face helmet in there, too, and I believe it. The pop-out hook features a snap closure to make sure items don’t “jump off” when hitting a bump, and the integrated cup holder is plenty big enough for a water bottle or even a Venti latte if that’s your thing (careful about the bumps with that one). As far as fuel mileage goes, after an entire day of running around San Francisco at wide-open throttle, the fuel needle hardly moved. As impressive as that was, the others in attendance, including the owner of Zumaforums.net, Jon Wegener, were also impressed. Wegener informed me that the real-world mileage numbers for his two-stroke Zuma are nothing close to the 123 mpg Yamaha claims. Instead, he gets around 60 mpg on his “tuned for mileage” gen-two Zuma and noted that he would have had to refuel if he took his ride on the day’s journey. If that’s true, then college students and urban commuters all over the country should pay the Zuma 50F some close attention. Your ride has arrived. Available in Team Yamaha Blue, Alpine White and Raven, the Zuma 50F retails for $2540 and is available in dealers now. If a higher-speed scooter is required, the Zuma 125 returns for 2012 unchanged from the previous year, priced at $3350. (www.motorcycle.com)


Global Release Directing the Wildcat is an electronic power steering system. This is designed to make turning the feline a cinch and when the hungry rocks come calling it can soak up the abuse while keeping the driver in control. The suspension is where the Wildcat 1000i excels. Starting with the rear of this machine we find an incredible 18 inches of travel! Up front this cat stretches its arms out 17 inches. No other side-by-side comes close to these kind of numbers. Polaris’ Ranger RZR XP 900 is next in line when it comes to suspension travel, but it has four inches less in the rear and 3.5 less in the front.

Arctic Cat 2012 Wildcat 1000i Review A thrilling ride in the wildest Cat When we think of a cat, several distinct things come to mind. A cat always lands on its feet running and a cat has an innate ability to nimbly and strategically move across obstacles in its path with precision and grace. A wildcat is a form of the same feline family yet this beast has a streak of insanity and an untamed demeanor that makes it stand out from its domesticated siblings. That could be the reason Arctic Cat named its newest offering the Wildcat 1000i – a machine that may be wildest in the entire UTV industry.

I

n the Stoddard Wells ORV riding area, tucked quietly close to Barstow, Calif., we finally met the Wildcat face to face. With the thoughts of its massive suspension and powerful engine swirling in our heads we were beyond excited to see if Arctic Cat could live up to its boastful projections once and for all. Afterall, the Wildcat 1000i has been the talk of the off-road

52

Global Release

industry for months. Arctic Cat’s project engineers researched the dynamics of suspension during many hours of testing in places like Barstow. This is a Mecca for testing and endurance challenges that bring proof to many engineers that they have succeeded or failed.

While building the Wildcat, one question must have stood out on the drawing board: How can we make a suspension built for a trophy truck and put it into our Wildcat chassis? Whatever the plan was, it’s pretty clear to us that Arctic Cat has succeeded. Starting with the chassis, we can see a slim, lightweight round tube base on the Wildcat. This chassis not only took styling cues from the Class 1 buggy line, but it has a rockcrawler look that stands out as well. The weight in the chassis is rear biased 60/40 as the engine is mounted behind the cockpit. The engine is not the only thing behind the seats, as the radiator and most of the transmission components are as well. The only things we were able to see forward of the driver and passenger are a massive set of shocks, the front drive differential and a small oil cooler. This is Arctic Cat’s plan to make the Wildcat stand up in the front and to create balance when crossing the roughest terrain with your foot on the gas!

The five-point suspension in the rear and dual A-arms up front are held in place by Walker Evans shocks. Walker Evans is a prominent name in the world of off-road racing and if anyone knows about cushioning the blows in the roughest terrain it has to be the Evans crew. These dual-rate shocks have several features that really make the suspension not only work well, but also lends to adjustment for the discriminating driver. The first of these adjustments and possibly the first type of adjustment of its kind in the sideby-side world has to be the crossover controls. The crossover spacer on typical dual-rate shock setups for ATVs or UTVs has to be physically removed and replaced with a different size spacer. The Walker Evans shocks have threaded adjustments, so its owner manipulates the tuning of the crossover rate. This is another first for a production machine and a bonus for side-by-side enthusiasts. These shocks also have multiple “clicks” of adjustment for the compression side of the shock. The cockpit of the Wildcat 1000i is


Global Release When we look at the Wildcat we think of an unbridled thrillslinger from the word go, and yet it isn’t that complete of a package. Don’t get us wrong, as this machine has loads of power, but we think it just needs a bit more right off the bottom to make the driver feel like he has a 1000i in his control. Engine quibbles aside; this is still the most thrilling ride we have ever experienced in a side-by-side. The suspension on this machine soaks up almost everything on the trail. There were times when we just knew we had bitten the last piece off, yet the Wildcat cradled our will and handed us the rite of passage over the toughest terrain we’ve seen since our last race in Baja, Calif. At one point we found at least 50 yards of two- and three-foot deep whoops along one trail that at speed felt like small speed bumps while the Wildcat crested the tops like, well, a Wildcat! We drove through the dust-blocked trail several times only built to enclose the driver and the seated position is lower than its competition by five inches. Arctic Cat says this gets the driver and passenger down into the machine, which helps lower the center of gravity overall and delivers an “in” the machine feel. Seating in the Wildcat is very different than typical side-byside seats. The seats are much wider and surround the driver and passenger to give a comfortable and tucked-in feel. Arctic Cat also included a three-point harness seat belt for both driver and passenger (or screamer, as the case may be). Though the suspension is the star of the Wildcat show, power is nothing to scoff at either. Arctic Cat has transplanted its 951cc, fuel-injected, fire-breathing V-Twin from the Prowler XTZ 1000. This mill gives the Wildcat plenty of overall thrust to

So enough of the standards, lets look at how this Cat prowls! In the wilds of Barstow, Calif. lies an ORV riding spot that gets many fast and well-suspended vehicles each year. This was a great place for testing the Wildcat and also one to showcase its drool-inducing suspension. Upon approaching the Wildcats under the Arctic Cat hauler we started to notice the exoskeletontype framing on the beast. It reminds us of a desert race buggy and a rock crawler combined. That super long-travel suspension was the biggest eye catcher, though. After changing into our Fly protective gear and slipping into the cab, we started the newest Cat and headed out for a day of craziness.

The very first thing we noticed was the power in Wildcat. It wasn’t as explosive as we had envisioned. Some may say “well do you really need that?” To those people we say “heck, yeah!” Torquey, responsive power can get you out of and keep you from getting into trouble and with a suspension like this you can use everything you have and more. This could be just a clutching adjustment, but we are guessing that maybe fuel maps and some fine tuning would help as well.

Global Release

Overall the Arctic Cat Wildcat 1000i is an awesome machine. We felt great when the day was over and we think we could have kept riding for days. It’s a thrill ride and if you get a chance to catch the Arctic Cat Wildcat Demo Tour you should try this one on for size. We suggest you bring a friend, though, because you’ll need someone to validate what you tell your buddies! As for pricing, Arctic Cat has set an MSRP of $16,599 on the Wildcat 1000i. That’s $600 more than the base Polaris Ranger RZR XP 900, but the same price as both the Black/Orange Madness or White Lightning LE models. (www.atv. com)

keep the machine moving. With a CVT Transmission delivering power into the gear box you have high, low, reverse, neutral and park as your choices.

Ride Impressions

54

the help of Arctic Cat’s power steering. The wheel is closer than most we’ve driven, but as our guide Rick Wallace told us, this keeps driver fatigue down and we noticed that while on the ride.

to find ourselves with a decision to make, but once we had committed it was on! We’re not sure co-pilot (and videographer) Adam Wood has recovered yet. The cockpit of the Wildcat kept us snug in its grip and with the reverse-opening doors, when it was time to get out and check our pants it was no trouble at all. You definitely sit down into the machine as we found ourselves bending over to slip in, almost like getting into a late-model dirt car. The dash is basic but the digital gauge has all the important info right in clear view just in case you need it. The monster seemed to get reasonably good gas mileage too, as we were not driving in ECO mode at all! Steering the Wild Cat was smooth and very comfortable with


Global Release things out of this 570. Having a respectable 45 horsepower, the new RZR 570 may seem like a far shot off the fun RZR 800, but as we found out it will surprise the unsuspecting passengers. Being fuel injected the RZR 570 gets a good breath of air and fuel for quick starts and clean power. The air is drawn in via a side vent at the rear bedside. This means cleaner air before filtration to keep as much debris from clogging the paper air filter as possible. If you should need to check or change the air filter, however, it is easily accessible through the center of the bed by opening the engine hatch. This is also a great space to service some areas on the engine. Putting the power to the ground is also handled by the same new light compact transmission that handles the high horse power in the RZR XP 900. That means reliability at its finest as well as a rugged design for those flat-footed drivers. Gear selection is also the same as the RZR 570’s older siblings with park, reverse, neutral, high and low. If crossing rough terrain is in the forecast then you just flip a switch on the dash to engage the front differential and get RZR’s AWD (all wheel drive) system to do the work for you.

2012 Polaris Ranger RZR 570 Review

sides. Rolling on tough Maxxis tires the RZR 570 gets the same 10 inches of ground clearance as the 800. The suspension travel may also be a concern for the discriminating buyer but have no fear it is also the same as the original RZR 800. The front will flex its muscles with nine inches of travel, while the rear provides 9.5 inches of cushion. With twin sway bars, one front and one rear, the RZR stays flatter under hard cornering and more stable. The 2012 Polaris Ranger RZR 570 is eight pounds lighter than the RZR 800, tows and hauls the same weight and only loses a zero to 35mph test by two tenths of a second. And its MSRP of $9,999 ($1,300 less than the RZR 800) means it’s priced to get your attention as well. We had received the information about the RZR 570 a few months back with the rest of the general public and instantly red

Not seeing much difference just yet between the RZR 800 and the RZR 570? Well Polaris has changed a couple of things as far as the chassis goes but you’ll have to look close at the rear of the machine to notice. The new engine and transmission meant that Polaris engineers had to develop a new rear section into the design of the framework. This starts just behind seats all the way out to the exhaust. That’s the only real difference between the RZR 800 and the RZR 570 chassis. The bed on the rear of the RZR 570 is also a single piece now instead of having removable

Surprising performance at an attractive price

Driving around in the tight trails with a friend or family member right beside you might be something you are interested in. If so there is a self proclaimed trail capable side-by-side manufacturer to get this done in quick fashion. Polaris has taken the RZR line just a step further and we got a chance to inspect its newest addition in the beautiful state of Michigan. We traveled into the Lac La Belle part of the Keweenaw Peninsula for a day on the RZR’s edge.

W

hen the Polaris’ 50-inch wide RZR 800 came out it revolutionized our industry in the market of sideby-side machines. This was a first of its kind for the world of off-road powersports and it has been simulated but never duplicated. The newest addition to the Polaris dominance is the mild-mannered 2012 RZR 570! This machine features much of the original RZR 800’s form, but with a new engine design and displacement for a bit more controlled trail

56

Global Release

dominance. Starting with the obvious, you have a 567cc four-stroke, 4-valve, dual overhead cam, single-cylinder powerplant to slingshot you and a passenger down the trails. This engine is the newest in the ProStar format, which was used in its more outrageous sibling, the RZR XP 900. This design seems to build better and more usable power to the ground in the XP 900 so we expected great


Global Release off into the wilds of Michigan. While the takeoff of the RZR 570 lacked a little in comparison to the RZR 800, it seemed to us as the day wore on that the 567cc engine could possibly have more usable power. This is where the fun began. The first few miles we noticed that the shocks were set on the softest settings and this is possibly why the belly of our new RZR suffered across the rocks and semi-rough terrain. Even though the engineers had added a new thicker skid plate system to the RZR 570 we decided to strengthen the preload up just a bit to handle the combined weights of our video genius Chris Blanchette and myself. This made all the difference in the world as to how our machine responded and although we lost a little comfort we kept the machine from bottoming while still maintaining great handling. Controlling this machine is very easy and not one time did we feel like the machine was driving us. In fact, the new RZR 570 seemed to handle a bit better than its RZR 800 counterpart. If we were to add anything to the steering on this machine it might just be a simple steering dampener to sweeten the already impressive package. Rocking through the gear selection is easy and efficient. The clear fact that the RZR 570 is a mountain goat in reverse was proven time and time again as we had to go to and fro to capture photos and video around Lake Superior. The new transmission design performed like a champ each and every time. Top speed on the machine is, well, up for debate. But we can tell you that

around 56-57 mph you’ll find the rev limiter and with a good tailwind you can reach almost 60 mph…not that we encourage that sort of thing. So what’s it all worth, you ask? The low entry price of $9,999 makes it worth every penny and if you want a ride that we bet could give its own sibling, the RZR 800, a run in the tight stuff we would put our money on the new RZR 570 from your old friends at Polaris. (www.atv.com)

flags started flying in the why’d-theydo-that department of our brain. It didn’t seem reasonable to install a smaller engine in an already stellar machine, but Polaris had done it so it was up to us to figure out for ourselves if we could love it. Flying into Hancock, Mich., we could see many hundreds of acres of pristine trails as well as Lake Superior. We would be riding over 85 miles of trails with the Keweenaw ATV club and we couldn’t wait to get to it. As we strapped into the very familiar cockpit of the RZR 570 the excitement was building. A twist of the switch revealed a quick-starting, fuel-injected four-stroke powerplant and when the engine was good and warm we were

58

Global Release


Global Release to ride while you drive through your favorite off-road riding area. You can also haul a cooler and select gear for a day out in the wild. So before I get you thinking of the next great ride, lets dig into the specifics of the Teryx4. The powerplant in the Teryx4 is a familiar beast. The 749cc V-twin engine platform was indeed borrowed from its two-seat sibling, but a few modifications were made to help this motor push the extra weight around the trail. The Teryx4 engine has more overall peak horsepower than its T2 counterpart and Kawasaki does this with fine atomization 12-hole fuel injectors utilizing the 32-bit digital fuel injection system to control delivery. As well, the exhaust was also modified to assist in the power of the V-Twin. Cooling an engine that is mounted back in the center of the chassis can have its issues, but with a larger overall radiator as well as an assisting chassis fan to drive air through the floor and over the engine this Teryx4 should run with a cool head at all times. The under-chassis fan only runs when it’s needed, so you don’t have to worry about taxing the electrical system.

2012 Kawasaki Teryx4 750 4x4 Review Surprisingly comfortable and pleasingly sporty

Located in the northeastern mountainous region of Tennessee is a place called Brimestone Recreation. This is where the mountains meet the rivers and 300 miles of trails wind around the 19,196 acres of beautiful landscape. This is also a great place for families to get away and enjoy nature via ATV or side-by-side offroad vehicles. Kawasaki clearly thought the same way as it chose this location to showcase its new Teryx4 fun machine.

K

awasaki has stood by its slogan of “Let the good times roll” for years now and the engineers have built great equipment to allow the statement to ring true. With the production year of 2011 coming to a close, Kawasaki had one last surprise for off-road consumers and their families to ride off into model year 2012 in style. The Teryx4 750 4x4 has hit the dealer floors and the excitement is brewing.

All the V-Twin power is delivered to the CVT transmission, which is tasked to putting the power to the ground. With a brand new CVT belt design as well as an all-new selectable front differential Kawasaki’s refining of the four-seat market hit its mark. With the V-Twin’s engine braking, Kawasaki is able to assist the driver in controlling the machine on steep descents. This is a confidence booster for the person in the pilot’s seat, which should help the passengers feel safe. Safety is yet another key and even more important element when building a vehicle that can haul more than two people. The Roll Over Protection Structure (ROPS) is made of high tensile strength steel and wraps the passengers up to keep them safe on the trail. The key feature Kawasaki pointed out on the framework of the protective structure was the fact that the round tube

Kawasaki’s all new Teryx4 has a roomy place for three of your besties

60

Global Release


Global Release upper chassis extends itself outside the edges of the plastics. This means that the round steel tube takes the majority of the abuse and keeps you from ripping the fenders off your Teryx4. So not only does the ROPS keep you safe, but it keeps your ride looking good. When it came to accommodating two more passengers, it wasn’t as simple as Kawasaki just dropping an extra row of seats into a regular Teryx chassis. Kawasaki engineers spent many hours developing a superb ride to make the Teryx4 comfortable on the trail. Kawasaki claims the suspension on the Teryx4 is sport focused and it comes outfitted with high performance single chamber gas charged shocks up front that offer compression and rebound adjustments along with a pair of piggyback reservoir shocks on the rear of the machine. This is how the base model is set up, but if you go for the more expensive models you’ll get the upgraded shocks from the rear on all four corners. So what else could you possibly get with a four seat off-road vehicle that would help your friends and family enjoy the

outdoors with you? How does Electronic Power Steering (EPS) sound for another optional bonus! Utilizing EPS in an offroad vehicle makes steering the beast a cinch and comfortable for less experienced drivers. When you lock a utility off-road vehicle into four-wheel drive or even full differential lock the steering can become extremely heavy. With EPS the load is lightened dramatically. As well, it makes the Teryx4 much easier to maneuver over rocky terrain and rutted out trails.

Test Ride

We were excited to roll into the Brimstone Recreation ride area and get our hands wrapped firmly around the steering wheel of Kawasaki’s new ride. The cool crisp morning made everyone bundle up and after a brief meeting we were searching for the machine we would spend the rest of the day in. The seating in this new Teryx4 feels so comfortable. The seats were high-back wrap-around style and it really feels like you are sitting in high class. Kawasaki stepping away from the typical hard half seats was the first of many great features we were to find. A quick look over your shoulder reveals plenty of comfortable room for the friends you choose to take along for the adventure. The Teryx4 started up without any trouble and the throttle delivery was as smooth as any thing I have ever driven. The smooth acceleration was a welcomed experience. As we cruised through the hills and over some seemingly difficult obstacles in the trail system it was apparent the Teryx4 wasn’t going to be held back by anything. If I had one request from Kawasaki it would be just a bit more front wheel coverage to keep the driver, passenger and extras in the back clean.

to pull a loaded cart and at times we actually forgot that there were other seats and even people behind us. This was when I knew the go fast sporty guy would really enjoy this machine. Engaging the driveline or gear selection was smooth. With a 7.9-gallon gas tank the fun will last for quite some time. The times are tough for any extra cash to spend on off-roading, but with a machine like this one (base Teryx4 starts at $13,399, EPS is another $1000) it’s the only thing a family would need to have an absolute blast. Get out as soon as you can and check this ride out. Take the entire family to the dealer so you can fill the back seats up and get an idea for the next off road adventure. (www.atv.com)

The engine seemed to have enough power

62

Global Release


Global Release created equally and this rider knows that, either through word of mouth or through personal experience. When it comes to the serious everyday snowmobiler, the rider who counts on his sled to work as consistently as his tow vehicle, a snowmobile must be reliable and durable. But, because this rider is a snowmobile enthusiast, he wants all the latest technology. After all, at the end of the day when stories are swapped, he wants to let his buddies know just how well his sled works. Just how high-tech it is. And why he didn’t need to tinker with it and why he could still accelerate away from his two-stroke buddies. That’s assuming this serious snowmobiler rides a Yamaha Apex. While Yamaha offers variants of the Apex, all you need to know about this model is contained in the base setup. The “base” Apex retails for US$13,999 while the Apex SE with its Fox Float shock package lists for US$14,949 and the Apex XTX with the longer 144-inch track retails for U$14,399. In reality, if you can

handle the price of the base model, you could probably ante up the extra cash for either variant. That’s up to you, of course. We’d stay with the base Apex. In the past, so-called “base” models suffered with a lack of features that you’d want. The 2012 Yamaha Apex does not. All Apex models are essentially the same under the hood. The basic suspensions vary a bit, but the things that you really want are the same in each Apex version. Two seasons back, Yamaha moved us off our persistent stance that the Vector was the best sled in the Yamaha line. We felt that its fuel-injected triple offered the best on-trail performance. It didn’t feel as heavy to push through tight trails as the fourcylinder Apex. That and our opinion all changed as a result of two very different changes Yamaha engineering made in the Apex package — electric power steering and EXUP exhaust tuning.

2012 Yamaha Apex Review One of the sport's best performers

Take a serious look at the 2012 Yamaha Apex. Ride it. And then you’ll understand why we listed this sled as one of our Model Year 2012 performance sleds of the year. This is a snowmobile designed to be ridden every day of the snow season for as many miles as its rider cares to go.

L

et’s get serious here. Yes, there are snowmobilers who want to tweak their sleds. For them, playing with the sled’s suspension setup is a part of their riding experience. They want to be involved, be interactive with their sled’s mechanics.

64

Global Release

Then there is the snowmobiler who wants to snowmobile, to ride, to make miles, to enjoy what the sled can do for him. This rider is every bit as serious as the tinkering rider, perhaps even more so as this rider searches for a sled that will allow him to ride when, where and whenever he wants. Not all sleds are


Global Release friendly suspensions to adjust. The standard 46mm KYB high pressure gas shock allows for a great deal of adjustability and can handle varied terrain with up to 11.6-inches of travel.

As far as we are concerned the two changes go hand in hand, meaning that each upgrade serves to make each change beneficial to each other. Power-assisted steering certainly makes the Apex easier to ride at low speeds and when cornering. But the added width of the 998cc Genesis four-stroke’s torque curve gives the rider greater flexibility for powering in curvy forest trails. Easier, lighter steering combined with easier to use power makes the Apex an absolutely fun sled to ride anywhere. That EXUP power tuned exhaust gives you great low-end grunt, serious midrange and simmering top end. What you end up with is a sled that combines all that we liked about the Vector, plus the excitement of an Apex. What’s not to like here? As most Yamaha enthusiasts know, the Genesis four-stroke came to snowmobiling via Yamaha motorcycles, where the powerplant highlighted a series of world-class road bikes. The latest iteration of the one-liter Genesis quad has been fitted with Yamaha’s EXUP exhaust system that virtually eliminates any flat spots in the engine’s power delivery from idle to wide open throttle. While unique to snowmobile engines, EXUP has been a Yamaha motorcycle feature since 1987. In the top line Apex the computer-controlled EXUP uses butterfly control valves to maximize torque without sacrificing top end revs. The system results in a “greener” engine as it reduces emissions.

66

Global Release

When Yamaha engineering decided to add the EXUP exhaust, other modifications were made as well. The entire exhaust saw upgrades including a larger 38mm 4-into-one titanium exhaust. The sled’s rear frame had to be modified to accommodate a shortened muffler. While the exhaust side got updated so to did the intake side of the Genesis four-stroker. The air box was modified with new intake funnels. There was a revision of the intake cam timing. The intake valves’ lift angle increased from 104-degrees to 109-degrees to accommodate the intake/exhaust valve changes required by the EXUP system. In addition, the engineers upgraded the pistons with a new dome shape for improved combustion. The new pistons reflect a lightweight forged aluminum construction that results in less vibration and quieter engine operation. These resulting changes make for a sled that gives you the low to moderate operation that made the Vector famous with the straightaway speed of the Apex series. It’s like having the best of both models. Adding to that distinction is an upgrade in the Apex 128-inch Monoshock RA 2 rear suspension. Designed to accommodate the longer length 128-inch Ripsaw track, the parallel slide rail unit is said to offer improved anti-bottoming characteristics and a smoother ride. Although the update from the old Apex 121-inch track to a 128-in one doesn’t seem like a big deal, the added inches of on-trail grip helps when you slam in the throttle on a 150-plus horsepower engine. We’ve found Yamaha’s Monoshock to be one of the more user-

The Apex front suspension needed a revision to accommodate the electric steering assist. The new double A-arm design allows greater tune-ability that can be done with either the standard Apex ski or the addition of the optional Yamaha dual-runner “tuned” ski design. Either way, you’ll notice that steering effort has been knocked back a lot. The EPS inputs more assistance at low speeds and backs off at higher speeds. The front end uses a sway bar to control side to side movement and 40mm aluminum shocks to handle the available 8.5-inches of travel. All of the Apex models offer virtually the same travel front to rear, so you don’t give up anything between models. While the SE adds Fox Float shocks, we’re a bit lazy and can easily live with the base gas shock package and make the quick adjust rear suspension change, if necessary, during a stop to check the trail map. The Apex enjoys a number of “quiet” features that make this sled more enjoyable as a trail partner. The drive features extrovert drivers and replaceable

suspension wheel bearings. For greater durability you could opt to install Yamaha’s all-new hyfax with DuPont’s Vespel material said to provide greater resistance to heat and wear. One of the features that puts the Apex ahead of the Vector for us is the new Apex seat, which actually puts your hips up about two-inches higher. Doesn’t sound like a big deal but it really is if you want to ride all day. The seat design also allows for a rear storage area big enough for water bottles, spare gloves or goggles. In general riding we find the Apex to be a very well rounded sled that can adapt to a performance rider or serious high mile snowmobiler. It has a very good wind-deflecting windscreen, a far cry from the flyspeck Yamaha windshields of old. You’ll find DC outlets for a cell phone and an RCA-style outlet to accommodate a heated visor. And, of course, the Yamaha Apex offers standard electric start, a mechanical reverse, hooked handlebars, high output hand and thumb warmers and the only four-stroke, four-cylinder powerplant in all of snowmobiling. When you push in the throttle and feel that four-stroke rush, you’ll know why we picked this 2012 Yamaha as one of the season’s best performers.


Global Release have expressed selfish concerns that the GSX could be more or, perhaps, the MXZ could be a bit less. We like the look of the MXZ with its more aggressive appeal and higher-grade shocks. But, we really like the GSX for its higher level of creature comforts. Fortunately, Ski-Doo marketers and engineers are closing the gap between the two models. Not totally, but we find the 2012 GSX quite appealing as a serious ride for high mileage snowmobilers who can appreciate and enjoy throttling through a rugged stretch of trail. The truly aggressive GSX rider would opt for the lighter weight high output 600cc E-TEC direct injection two-stroke. The rider more interested in miles would go for the GSX powered by the very smooth Rotax 4-TEC 1200 triple. And that’s where we are going. Ski-Doo really gets the concept of fast transit. That has a lot to do with the hometown, where rides are measured in hundreds, not tens of miles at a time. Since the local Quebec trails are groomed better than some winter freeways, distances can be covered quite quickly as opposed to the local midwestern trail systems where 150 miles is a good ride. In Quebec and Ontario, that distance makes for a good run between breakfast and a snack stop.

2012 Ski-Doo GSX LE 1200 Review The serious trail rider's comfort sports sled

Since Ski-Doo advises that its liquid-cooled, fuel injected 1171cc triple can achieve upwards of 18 miles per gallon, the standard 10.6-gallon fuel tank represents up to 190 miles per tank of unleaded regular gasoline. So, a century run or prelunch sprint of 150-miles should be little challenge for the 130-horsepower four-stroke triple. We do like the Ski-Doo Rotax triple. In the MXZ it has a coarse rumble that is muted a bit for the trail comfort models, especially

With Ski-Doo’s headquarters in Valcourt located just off the famed Quebec snowmobile super trail systems where getting from Point A to Point B can be quicker and easier by snowmobile than by car, it makes sense that Ski-Doo engineers would understand the relationship between trail sport and trail comfort. If you look at the Ski-Doo line of 2012 sleds, you’ll see models that can easily go in either a sport performance or comfort performance direction.

I

n searching out user-specific models, it can be easy to get a bit confused. Or, maybe that’s just us. The MXZ and GSX models seem quite different, at first. Obviously the MXZ, designed and marketed for the true sports rider, retains the look of a sport sled with its aggressive styling, racy low windshield and shock packages designed to challenge moguls. The somewhat similar looking GSX models appear to be more refined, come with a rear storage bag, steering console cover,

68

Global Release

rearview mirrors and more upscale styling cues to appeal to the rider who prefers more trail “cush” to slamming big air moguls. Despite the marketing aims of the two sleds, the two models actually have a great deal in common. Unlike Arctic Cat, which essentially offers the same sled with two package choices in either Sno Pro or LXR trim, Ski-Doo created two distinct models built on its current Rev-X platforms. While we can’t disagree with Ski-Doo marketing success, we


Global Release for serious mileage makers. The SC-5 parallel slide rail design uses a variable rate gas shock on the rear arm and a softer action Motion Control shock on the suspension’s forward arm. Maximum travel is 9-inches up front and up to 15-inches at the rear. The GSX LE seat reflects the current “comfort” design that allows easy movement from front to tail. The handlebars are constructed of lightweight aluminum and incorporate “J-hook” ends for added control in the tight corners. Those features give the GSX LE a friendly and sport-oriented presence on the trail. But it’s the creature features like pushbutton reverse, tall wind-deflecting windscreen, rearview mirrors, an expandable tunnel bag and a 12-volt power outlet that differentiate the GSX from the MXZ models. This is a sled meant to travel hundreds of miles in a day. It is designed to optimize main corridor routes and let you travel groomed trails efficiently.

the two-up Grand Touring. Regardless, you’ll find the 1200 4-TEC extremely pleasing as it has an exceptionally wide power curve that incites your hot rod throttle thumb. The chain driven double overhead camshaft controls four valves per cylinder. Smoothness results from a gear-driven counter balancer that limits engine vibration through the handlebars. In total, the Rotax inline three-cylinder motor is designed for excellent ontrail performance, whether you want to push up to the 7800-rpm

maximum engine speed or simply laze along enjoying a special scenic section of trail. You will find this engine very adept at matching your mood. The power gets translated from the power take off through Ski-Doo’s own TRA IV drive system to the new-for-2012 lightweight 1.25-inch lug height RipSaw track. Braking comes from an exclusive Brembo disc braking system, which includes a stainless steel braided brake line. Ski-Doo’s brake vendor, Brembo is the same Italian-based manufacturer that supplies braking systems for Red Bull Racing’s Formula One world championship cars. While you won’t need to rein in a Ski-Doo from 200 to 30 miles per hour in a few hundred yards, be glad to know that the engineering know-how carries over. While the GSX LE is the more “basic” of the two GSX models, we consider the LE version to be closer to the MXZ TNT 1200 in trail appeal. This is the one you want for sport. You get good shocks, although the TNT 1200 offers an upgrade. Still, most GSX LE riders will be hard pressed to tell the difference between the two, unless the LE is ridden hard over serious moguls and seriously pushed through miles of twisted trails. Then you might feel the shocks fade. The GSX LE comes stock with high-pressure gas shocks to control the double A-arm front suspension’s action. The rear suspension reflects the needs Ski-Doo engineers deemed ideal

70

Global Release

Things to like about the 2012 GSX LE 1200 are the sweet sound and soul of the 4-TEC triple. The mileage factor is a plus. But, then, that’s how this sled was engineered. This sled is an excellent runner on freeway trails and a heck of a lot of fun for pitstop-to-pitstop excursions as well. The GSX LE allows its owner to enjoy the look of serious participation combined with the benefits of creature comforts that become more important to veteran riders. Smooth and quick meet versatile and comfortable about sums up the 2012 Ski-Doo GSX LE. (www. snowmobile.com)

2012 Ski-Doo GSX LE 1200 4-TEC Specs Engine: Rotax 4-TEC 1200, 1170.7c, 4-stroke, liquidcooled, triple; Double overhead cam with counter balancer; electronic fuel injection Horsepower: 130-plus Drive: Ski-Doo TRA IV primary drive with QRS secondary Brake: Brembo hydraulic Front Suspension: Ski-Doo double A-arm suspension; HPG High Pressure Gas shocks; 9.0-in maximum travel Rear Suspension: Ski-Doo SC-5 parallel rail slide with Motion Control shock on front and HPG-VR on rear arm; 15-in maximum travel Length: 114.4 in Width: 47.9 in Height: 49.3 in Ski Stance: 42.4 in Track: 15 x 120.0x 1.25 RipSaw Weight: 529 lbs (claimed) Fuel Capacity: 10.6 US Gal MSRP: US$11,749


EUROMOTO Horizon

EUROMOTO Horizon

TOP 30 MOTORBIKES: A FOUR FIGHT FOR THE PODIUM

October, a Time for Outsiders

I October was not a month like any. Once again the V-Strom was the most sold motorbike; LML is ahead of Suzuki for scooters sells. A sign that the market is physiologically going down (-15, 6% from the beginning of the year) but it is also changing on the inside and how.

n such a lean time, the 13.470 units registered in October are not a bad result, even though it was certainly not a miracle: the loss respect to the same period of 2010 is of 7,4%. For the second month in a row, scooters did much better with a 3,9% (9.650 unities during this period) compared to motorbikes, that achieve a 15, 1% (3.820 models). The month of October on average is worth a 5% on the overall registered during the year; in this month, the motorbikes achieved 28,4% and scooters 71,6%. 240.796 vehicles have been registered since the beginning of the year, 15,6% less compared to the first 10 months of 2010. Scooters fulfil 161.748 unities, with a decrease 17, 8% and represent the 67,1% of the market; motorbikes fulfil 79.048 unities, with a decrease equal to – 10,8%: a loss of 32,9% . These data confirm that this is a good time for scooters respect to gear means: is it just about

cold or is there something else? We are loosing less. Even though. “The twowheel market is not out the tunnel yet, however the loss of volumes is less serious”: that’s how Corrado Capelli starts, President of Confindustria ANCMA. “On the other hand, the economic global background and the corrective manoeuvres are causing a decrease of trust from families and generating a depressive effect on the demand. We need fast interventions to start growing again, beginning from improved conditions for consumer credit, we need accessible insurance fares, less penalizing excises and facilities that take in consideration those ones travelling by a two wheeled vehicle. From January the congestion charge will be introduced in Milan and the two-wheels

have evenly been dispensed because they represent one of the solutions to the problem of traffic, with a limited impact in terms of CO2 and particulate issues.

1 BMW R 1200 GS Enduro 3.275 2 HONFROM ITALIA CB 600 F HORNET Naked 1.704 3 BMW R 1200 R Naked 1.590 4 TRIUMPH TIGER 800 Enduro 1.572 5 BMW R 1200 GS ADVENTURE Enduro 1.507 6 HONFROM ITALIA XL 700 V TRANSALP Enduro 1.496 7 HARLEY-FROMVIDSON XL1200X FORTY-EIGHT Custom 1.395 8 BMW F 800 GS Enduro 1.382 9 BMW F 800 R Naked 1.336 10 SUZUKI DL 650 V-STROM Enduro 1.332 11 KAWASAKI Z 750 Naked 1.228 12 TRIUMPH BONNEVILLE Naked 1.225 13 DUCATI HYPERMOTARD 796 Supermotard 1.198 14 YAMAHA FZ8-N Naked 1.158 15 HARLEY-FROMVIDSON XL883N IRON 883 Custom 1.059 16 YAMAHA XJ6-N Naked 1.021 17 HONFROM ITALIA CB 1000 R Naked 996 18 DUCATI MULTISTRAFROM 1200 Tourer 941 19 KAWASAKI ER-6N Naked 919 20 KAWASAKI Z 750 R Naked 902 21 DUCATI MULTISTRAFROM 1200 S TOURING Tourer 874 22 BMW G 650 GS Enduro 848 23 DUCATI DIAVEL ABS Naked 838 24 KAWASAKI VERSYS Enduro 825 25 TRIUMPH STREET TRIPLE Naked 807 26 DUCATI MONSTER 796 Naked 805 27 BMW R 1200 RT Tourer 769 28 DUCATI MONSTER 696 Naked 769 29 YAMAHA XT 1200 Z Enduro 756 30 TRIUMPH SPEED TRIPLE 1050 Naked 704

Its analysis is complete, and it seems more like an injection of confidence on this sector than anything else. After the sudden Italian political changes, a series of anti-crisis manoeuvres based on rigor are on their way: a contraction of consumptions that should also impact on the two-wheel market, at least in the short run, was foreseeable. Numbers speak by themselves. 4.423 registrations of moped have to be added to the month calculation in relation to registered vehicles: the month inflection is of 6,4%, still less considerable respect to the recent past. From the beginning of the year, the registrations of 50 cc motorbikes amount to 65.908: -17,4% respect to 2010. The total of the two- wheels (registrations and moped) in the first 10 months of 2011 amounts to 306.704 vehicles, that is 16% less than the same time last year. It is impossible than to reach the overall 400.000 vehicles, that would represent a clear sign

74

EUROMOTO Horizon

of recovery at the beginning of the year. 125 cm3 scooters with 52.818 sales leave a 12,3% from the start of the year. The 300-500 cm3 follow with 59.446 pieces equal to -20%. A worst situation for the 150-200 cm3 that record a -21,1% with 33.934 unities, and for the 250 cm3 with 13.543 pieces (23,9%). As a


EUROMOTO Horizon

EUROMOTO Horizon EICMA, many tourers and endures and something more than a simple come back to the small capacities, at 250 cm3. Suzuki is the best for better or for worse.

THREE YEAR OF MOTORBIKES COMPARED THREE YEARS FO SCOOTERS COMPARED MARCA 2008 2009 2010 OCT 1

We cannot only consider rankings, but the Suzuki case is symbolic. The Japanese company is coming to the fore, for better or for worse. For better because the VStrom is the most sold motorbike for the second month in a row with 177 models, which give the Enduro the fourteenth place only one step below from scooters like the Honfrom PCX 125. For worse because, amongst the scooters, it has been overcome on the sixth place by LML, which sells 5.600 models in the month of October: an incredible result for who was at an amount of 774 at the end of the year.

BMW 15.610 13.211 14.457 12.725 HONFROM (WITH HONFROM ITALIA) 20.193 15.516 12.152 10.121 DUCATI 10.876 9.072 8.862 8.129 KAWASAKI 18.003 13.441 9.807 7.323 YAMAHA 17.976 15.992 10.401 7.291 HARLEY-FROMVIDSON 8.468 6.680 7.070 7.010 MARCA 2008 2009 2010 OTT 11 PIAGGIO 64.417 76.130 51.320 39.086 HONFROM (WITH HONFROM ITALIA) 59.940 56.979 42.969 31.410 KYMCO 30.862 52.642 33.594 26.325 YAMAHA 45.946 33.642 29.547 21.206 APRILIA 19.250 19.062 11.210 8.569 LML 774 3.614 3.648 5.600

TOP 30 SCOOTERS: BEVERLY SECONDO

countertendency the maxi scooters over the 500 cm3: they are in total only 2.007 (+36,2%) from the beginning of the year, but the number is destined to grow after the new models were introduced at EICMA 2001, BMW above all. The range of over 1000 cm3 confirms a positive tendency with 23.699 sales (+1,1% respect to 2010); the 800-1000 cm3 follow with 20.518 pieces (-6,4%: the drop start to be felt). The intermediate capacities decrease: 650-750 cm3 with 15.256 unities register a -22,7%, and the 600 cm3 with 6.303 motorbikes go straight down (-33,8%). The 125 cm3, with 6.156 registrations, go back of 11,9%, while the 300 to 500 cm3 motorbikes with a +12% and a total of 4.676 sales confirm a positive trend. It’s not by mistake that only a few sports bikes were showed at

76

EUROMOTO Horizon

MOTORBIKES CAPACITIES CLASSES CAPACITIES RANGES JAN / OCT 2010 JAN / OCT up to 125 cm3 6.984 6.156 -11,86 from 126 to 200 cm3 381 285 -25,20 from 201 to 250 cm3 2.434 2.155 -11,46 from 251 to 500 cm3 4.177 4.676 11,95 from 501 to 600 cm3 9.515 6.303 -33,76 from 601 to 750 cm3 19.744 15.256 -22,73 from 751 to 1.000 cm3 21.927 20.518 -6,43 over 1.000 cm3 23.443 23.699 1,09 Total 88.605 79.048 -10,79 Data source: "Ministry for Transports and Infrastractures” – Developed by UNRAE for ANCMA

1 HONFROM ITALIA SH 300 Scooter 12.084 2 PIAGGIO BEVERLY 300 Scooter 10.127 3 PIAGGIO LIBERTY 125 RST Scooter 7.935 4 YAMAHA TMAX 500 Scooter 6.679 5 YAMAHA XMAX 250 Scooter 6.076 6 HONFROM ITALIA SH 150 Scooter 6.009 7 HONFROM ITALIA SH 125 Scooter 5.159 8 KYMCO DOWNTOWN 300 Scooter 5.085 9 KYMCO AGILITY 125 R16 Scooter 5.055 10 PIAGGIO VESPA GTS 300 SUPER Scooter 4.772 11 YAMAHA X-CITY 250 Scooter 4.335 12 PIAGGIO VESPA LX 125 Scooter 4.114 13 HONFROM PCX 125 Scooter 4.077 14 HONFROM SW-T 400 Scooter 2.365 15 PIAGGIO VESPA PX 150 Scooter 2.361 16 APRILIA SCARABEO 200 Scooter 2.274 17 LML STAR 150 Scooter 2.183 18 YAMAHA MAJESTY 400 Scooter 2.100 19 KYMCO AGILITY 200I R16 Scooter 2.068 20 LML STAR 125 Scooter 1.976 21 APRILIA SCARABEO 125 Scooter 1.965 22 SUZUKI AN 400 BURGMAN Scooter 1.938 23 KYMCO XCITING R 300 I Scooter 1.853 24 KYMCO PEOPLE GTI 300 Scooter 1.821 25 KYMCO LIKE 125 Scooter 1.521 26 APRILIA SCARABEO 100 4T Scooter 1.505 27 MALAGUTI CENTRO 160 Scooter 1.297 28 KYMCO PEOPLE S 200 Scooter 1.281 29 PEUGEOT GEOPOLIS 300 Scooter 1.215 30 SUZUKI SIXTEEN 150 Scooter 1.171


THEY SAY

THEY SAY

AN OVERVIEW OF

THE GLOBAL EMISSIONS STANDARDS SITUATION

of class 1 vehicles. This differs from test cycles used in Europe and China.

“A WAKEUP CALL FOR THOSE EXPORTING THROUGHOUT THE WORLD”

Doug Stabler

Doug Stabler, CHINAMOTOR Magazine's American correspondent tells it like it is!

This article may have a lot of technical information, but is very important for all of us in the ATV, Scooter, and Motorcycle Industry. If you, your lab, and/or company management are not aware of the new exhaust emission standards soon to be put in place and do not start preparing immediately, you could be forced out of business very soon. This is the 2nd article on this subject of what’s coming in our industry. Remember, these new standards are going to be implemented in many countries. It looks like factory decision makers should plan to introduce EFI (Electronic Fuel Injection) on all vehicles for all markets soon - change is coming. Once tighter emission numbers are demonstrated, Government Emission Approval agencies around the world will likely adopt the lower emission numbers that are achievable with EFI. In addition, EFI will improve fuel mileage for retail buyers, improve product reliability and deliver improved performance. So why not implement this new technology with all new vehicles….. now? BIG CHANGES COMING IN EUROPE Euro 3 is in now place Euro standards have been established for two wheel vehicles including: Class I: under 150cc Class II: over 150cc Euro 3 Class 1 exhaust emission standards are hydrocarbon (HC) at 0.8 gr/km, carbon monoxide (CO) at 2 gr/km and oxides of nitrogen (NOx) at 0.15 Useful life requirements are also part of Euro 3, requiring that vehicles satisfy exhaust emissions standards at the end of their useful life. Currently these standards can be met with a good quality carbureted 4-stroke engine and an effective catalyst system. However, meeting the standards does require proper carburetor and ignition timing calibration. Tougher Euro 4 standards beginning in 2014 Euro 4 exhaust emissions standards will be about 25% more stringent starting in January 2014.

These tougher standards will require a catalyst and, in most cases, EFI. In addition, certification for

80

THEY SAY

Euro 4 will require use of the “World Motorcycle Drive Cycle Test”, which better reflects actual driving conditions, but is tougher on emissions. EURO 5 beginning in 2017 adds new elements Heading beyond Euro 4, requirements will continue to get tighter, with new elements being added. Starting in 2017, the Euro 5 standards will require new Evaporative emission standards plus there will be OBD (On Board Diagnostics) requirements to detect emission system malfunctions that would increase exhaust emission levels. EURO 6 beginning in 2020 gets tighter in all respects Euro 6 further tightens exhaust emissions by roughly 20%. Evaporative emissions standards will continue and more complex Stage 2 OBD requirements will be introduced. As regulations become increasing stringent, it is likely that solutions using EFI systems with closed loop control and three-way catalysts will become commonplace. OTHER COUNTRIES WITH EXHAUST EMISSIONS STANDARDS Many countries outside the EU and United States

already have emissions standards in place. In fact, several other countries have adopted Euro standards, often after a delay of only a few years. However, it is impossible to predict the actions, and timing, of those countries in the future. Besides Europe and the US, countries with exhaust emissions standards include: Brazil (Euro 3), Chile (Euro 3), India, Indonesia, Japan (similar to Euro 3), PR of China (similar to Euro 3), Singapore, South Korea, Switzerland (Euro 3), Taiwan (government promoting EFI since 2004), Thailand (Euro 3) and Vietnam. USA: the Next Big Change in EMISSIONS STANDARDS? Will 2015 be the Big and Tough change that we are all afraid of, and will have to meet? The exact date and new standards have not been published yet, but I suspect the US will follow the Euro Standards that have already been announced. Changes in certification fuel to E-15 (15% ethanol) is being scheduled, and is expected to take effect by 2019.

Currently, these US standards can be met with good quality carbureted 4-stroke engines, without a catalyst. However, meeting the standards does require proper carburetor calibration and ignition timing applied to high quality engines. In all reality, many engines and carburetors currently produced for use in the Chinese market would not pass. Tougher and tougher exhaust regulation trends will make meeting future requirements with current engines and carburetors extremely difficult. Much work, including improvement to production quality and more will need to be done. Again….. Think EFI to pass, and make your life easier. Evaporative emissions standards

In the US there are three classifications of two-wheeled vehicles. Exhaust emissions standards vary by class. These are: Class 1: under 169cc (Most Scooters in the USA) Class 2: 170 to 279cc Class 3: 280cc and up Two-wheeled vehicles exported from China to US are mostly class 1 (under 169cc) but keep in mind, 4 wheel and 2 wheel off road vehicles come in all sizes from 49cc to 400cc mostly. Off road vehicles have tough emission and safety standards too. Exhaust emission standards Today, US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) and California Air Resources Board (CARB) Class 1 exhaust emission standards are hydrocarbons (HC) at 1 gr/km and carbon monoxide (CO) at 12 gr/km. The US test cycle is called the “FTP Drive Cycle”, modified with a lower maximum speed to reflect lower speeds


THEY SAY The US EPA evaporative emissions standard for gas tanks is 1.5 grams/meter2 for fuel tanks and 15 grams/meter2 for fuel lines. However, as a design-based standard, manufacturers can use metal or certified multi-layer plastic fuel tanks in addition to using certified low-permeation fuel lines without the need for additional testing. California has a different test procedure in that it uses a 2 grams/day SHED test. This may require a charcoal canister. OTHER REQUIREMENTS AND STANDARDS TO SELL INTO THE US Keep in mind, simply meeting the exhaust emission numbers are not enough. Proper procedures must be used for testing, and proper documentation is required to export to the US, as evidenced by recent enforcement actions. In addition, all safety standards set by the US Department of Transportation (US DOT) & Consumer Protection Safety Commission (CPSC) must be met. There is also the need to meet labeling requirements related to import regulations, emissions and safety. Something to keep in mind too is that it takes time to receive Government approval. Even though the lab work is done and the results show the vehicle should be approved, these Government offices can take a long time to give their blessing to bring your products into the country. This delay could put you out of business if you wait too long to act.

are not 100% built the way they are approved to be, they can stop your containers at the port and make you wait all the way into Bankruptcy. YOU NEED THE RIGHT PARTNER TO PROVIDE NEEDED TECHNOLOGY AND HELP to NAVIGATE THROUGH THE EMISSIONS MAZE Failure to use the correct technology could lock you out of key markets. Enforcement actions and penalties could cost you a fortune. You need a partner with cost-effective technology and the technical resources to help you meet these future emissions challenges. Support before and after the sale is also required to ensure ongoing compliance. Walbro Engine Management is the kind of partner that can help you navigate through the emissions maze. There will be more articles and information still to come over the next few months. Here is the Walbro web site if you want to dig around a bit…. http://www.walbro.com/ For more information, please contact Jeff Sensmeier Walbro Engine Management 520-877-3000 or; Wenjun Wang Walbro Engine Management +86 2226971640

If you are following the proper import documentation requirements, using the latest in emission control technology, are improving Fuel Efficiency, making a vehicle tougher for customers to tamper with air fuel mixtures, lowering Emissions and so on, don’t you think you will be looked at in a positive light for future approvals? ENFORCEMENT IS GROWING WHERE STANDARDS EXIST Typically enforcement of the variety of requirements (emissions, safety, labeling, etc.) affecting imported vehicles occurs at the port of entry, and it can take years to sort out violations. Recent enforcement actions in the US have resulted in large fines for companies not following the import requirements. In fact, enforcement is seen as a source of income, especially in California. CARB talks openly about using funds obtained through enforcement actions as a source of income to fund its programs. As past enforcement actions have shown, failure to comply can result in import delays at the port of entry, possible Product Confiscation and/or Government Legal action that could result in significant fines and penalties. If these Government offices believe you are cheating, turning in false lab results, or may be shipping vehicles into the market that

82

THEY SAY

IMPORTANT NOTE: Walbro Engine Management can discuss emissions regulations, both exhaust and evaporative, but is not a source for information regarding other areas of regulation such as DOT safety regulations, import labeling requirements, etc.

THEY SAY

THEY SAY

Who is James Ruesch? David McMullan English Man in China CHINAMOTOR’s European Correspondent He has stepped into motorcycle since 10 years ago. What will he tell us below here?

way to capturing the market share. What China needs is more people like James Ruesch. Men who can see the writing on the wall and help China to develop products that are recognized as the best in the industry rather than the worst.

Google the name and you will see that James Ruesch is either hailed as a fraud or scam artist duping dealers out of thousands or a man of vision who dared go up against giant motorsports manufacturers from Japan. Ruesch motor company was started by James Ruesch in 2007. At the time all sales in motorsports were declining except the exciting new UTV market. James Ruesch made the huge investment of developing the industry’s highest performance machine being offered by any OEM. In only three years, Mr. Ruesch was able to do what many before him had tried and failed. Ruesch Motor Company was able to establish a demand for a brand that was desired above the top 5 Japanese OEM’s. The task was not easy as he was forced to learn his way around china manufacturers, customs and ways of doing business. But in the end was able to provide a product that was superior. Unlike others that were pawning off cheap Chinese machines, Ruesch designed his

own machines and with the help of Weber Motors out of Germany was also able to offer the fastest machines in the world. James Ruesch also was strict about the dealers he allowed to carry the company’s machines. If dealers did not already carry a major OEM they were not allowed to carry RUESCH. They say that timing is everything in business and it couldn’t have been truer for Ruesch. He was able to build the highest performance machines in the industry. He had the support of German engineers, He was able to discern how to manufacture in China and was even able to win the support of competing dealers but the one thing he could not control was the economy. Dealers of every major OEM carried his

machines, the brand was a success but in the end the banks would have nothing of it. An investment of 3 years and millions later, the machines were not moving because banks were not lending. In 2009 the company knew it would be difficult to continue if the banks didn’t let up, but mid way through 2010 amongst hundreds of the country’s largest companies, Ruesch Motor Co was forced to close their doors. Not having the backing of Yamaha or Polaris, the company could not sustain operations. Yamaha sales declined 67%. They lost hundreds of dealers all over the country but due to sales in foreign markets and government contracts were able to avoid the path of Dodge, Hummer and many other motor companies.

Ruesch failed in the end as he would not agree to give control of his company and brand to wanting manufacturers in China despite his challenges back home. Many dealers who took on the brand have been hurt with the companies closing but one of the biggest victims in the whole scenario seems to be Ruesch. Ask him and he will say that business is business and if you’re going to be a leader in business you have to accept the good with the bad. Today everyone is faced with unusual challenges but tomorrow is another day. Many still blame Ruesch Motor Company just as thousands of dealers still blame Dodge but in the end both seem to be victims of an economy that’s beyond their control.

Despite all the successes RUESCH had to shut their doors and wait for another day. The business model proved to be sound, Ruesch also proved that dealers are looking for more than what their being offered. In many ways, Japan has turned its back on their dealers. You don’t have to look far to see how disgusted thousands of dealers are across the United States about the way they are being treated and ignored. On the other hand, China is coming on strong. There are all kinds of factories in China. Good ones and bad ones. The bottom line is that China manufactures for the world including Japan. They are smart and determined just like Japan was 40 years ago. The truth is that Japan has priced themselves out of many markets and China well on their

84

THEY SAY


THEY SAY

THEY SAY

CHINA vs JAPAN Who can be winner in this competition ?

Mike Badjin

Director of ALFAMOTO, http:// alfamoto.ua/ CHINAMOTOR’s Western European Correspondent THE GLOBAL MOTORCYCLE INDUSTRY IN THE BIGGEST UKRAINIAN BUYER’S EYES.

At November 1885, Gottlieb Daimler made and patented the first motorcycle («Reitwagen»), by setting a small engine on a wooden frame with wooden wheels. In the same year, a talented engineer and friend of Gottlieb - Wilhelm Maybach rode 3 km with top speed of 12 km / h.

Europe and America began to produce the first motorcycles in large numbers after WW I. After Second World War, the manufacturing center for motorcycles is gradually shifting from America and Europe into East Asia. Soon Japan has become a leader of motor industry and before the 1990s, led by four Japanese giants - Honda, Yamaha, Kawasaki and Suzuki, dominated on the world market. The first models of the Japanese industry were

86

THEY SAY

copies from American models. The quality was far from ideal, but ratio “price / quality” has allowed the Japanese factories to increase production very fast: from 1950 to 1960, approximately 100% per year. In 1958, China was able to produce only 167 pieces of two-wheeled vehicles with small displacement engines. If we compare this data with half a million products of Japanese industry, it was very difficult to see the potential production of motorcycles in China. News that came from China in 1958 were mostly about military actions involving the Chinese army, the Great Leap strategy and the war with sparrows. In 1965, production of motorcycles in Japan exceeded the two millionth level, China produced more than 5000 pieces of small motorcycles mainly for the armed forces. By the late sixties production growth stalled in Japan, almost left the motorcycles market brands Fuji, Daihatsu and Mitsubishi, but in the next decade, four major continued extravaganza occupation of the world market. In the1970s-1980 s, Japan produced more

countries in the world - China, accounted for only 1% of the global economy. State-owned enterprises contributed about 80 percent of China's GDP, while the rural communes were given another 20%. Private business did not exist. But in life of China has come a new leader, Mr.Deng Xiaoping and his famous phrase "color of cat does not matter, most importantly, that he would catch mice" were a harbinger of great changes in the economy and the history of communist China. Since 1980, cooperation began several government military ventures with leading of Japanese motor brands: First - Honda and Jialing, Yamaha and Jianshe, from 1985 Suzuki with Qingqi and Jincheng. In the same decade, there was a decline in production of motorcycles in Japan: In the record of year 1982, Japan has released more than 7 million motorcycles and scooters, China - only 200 thousand. In China, from year1985 to 1991, volume of production and sales has hovered around 1 million units per year. In 1985, Japan produced 4.5 million bikes and in the future, its share began to decline rapidly. After 1992, motor industry of China entered into 16-year period of rapid growth.

In 1993, China caught up and overtook Japan, which released 3 million. In 1995, China was producing into 3 times more than Japan. In 1997, production and sales volume of China exceeded ten millionth units and became more into 4 times than Japan. Despite the fact that in China, some middle and big cities have begun to prohibit or restrict the use of motorcycles, motor industry did not stop production, because the motorcycle's market has moved into the countryside and began a rapid period of expansion in the international market. Since the beginning of the 21st century, Chinese motorcycles are exported abroad in more quantity. In 2002, production and sales almost reached 13 million units. In the future, increased by two - three million annually, the production came to level with 20 million units in the middle of the first decade. 2005 year: China - 20 million, and Japan - less than 2 million. In 2007, the Chinese industry was producing motorcycles every month to two times more than the entire 1991 and in 2008 produced more than 27 million units of motorcycles. Of this total, more than 10 million units were produced in Chongqing, where is base of the most famous brands of Chinese industry. Products of Chinese industry have been exported into 195 countries and regions of the world and export volume exceeded

motorcycles, than all countries together. (about 4 million in 1975 and 4.5 million units in 1985). In 1970, production in China has exceeded the 7 thousand units of motor vehicles, and in 1978 reached 22 thousand units. 1978 is one of the most important dates in the rivalry between the two empires. Japan has shown in this year result of six million units, which is almost 300 times higher than China's figure. At this time, the foreign trade of one of the largest


THEY SAY

10 million units. In 2008, Japan was made a little more than a million units and in the same year, Japan has entered to the top twenty of the world's largest consumers of Chinese industry. In the prosperous year 2008, the top twenty were the following countries: Nigeria, Ukraine, Argentina topped the list, and good ratings were in the position of the United States, Russia, Germany, Italy and Brazil By quantity: Nigeria 1.5 million units, more than 600 thousand for Ukraine, United States - about 500 thousand, 250 thousand for Germany, Italy - 140 thousand, more than 120 thousand for Japan. The main suppliers of motorcycles, scooters, mopeds and ATVs, were the following plants: LIFAN, HAOJUE, JIALING, JIANSHE, JINCHENG, LONCIN, QIANJIANG, QINGQI, ZONGSHEN. Other well-known brands, such as: Bashan, Dayang, Tianma, KYMCO, Shineray and Wuyang, joint ventures with Japanese and European brands, such as Linhai-Yamaha, Honda-Sundiro, Zongshen-Piaggio reached record figures for production of Motor Vehicles. Production of motor vehicles in Japan from 80's and to this day has fallen by more than 12 times. At present, in 2011 Japan produced no more than 600 thousand units, and China was close to its record 2008 results. 30 years ago, China began to reform, before it had received humanitarian aid and could not feed their populations. Today, many Chinese factories for 20 - 30 years have been the largest

88

THEY SAY

enterprises in China, and thus in the whole world. Many of the above-mentioned Chinese brands individually produce more motorcycles, than all the Japanese plants combined. Broke all records for the QUANTITY, but not can have stop: the next frontier - achieve for acceptable average for consumer QUALITY - will be much harder...

ALFAMOTO: one the biggest importers of China-made motorcycles in Ukraine. ALFAMOTO came into motorcycle business 7 years ago and grew rapidly during the past years. Now it imported more than 200 containers of whole bikes each year except for huge quantity of motorcycle spares parts. For more information, please visit: http://alfamoto.ua/

David’s Post Box

The Englishman in China attempts to answer your questions

H

[email protected]

appy New Year! And welcome to a brand new year’s worth of Post Box and China Motor Magazine. Now that the festive season is over we can all settle down and speculate on the fortunes of the Chinese motorcycle industry for the coming year. One thing is for sure…export sales are growing year after year especially now in the developed western countries where consumers no longer have the spare income for Japanese, UK, European or American bikes! I receive many letters asking me when the busiest time for the motorcycle industry is. The simple answer is the first 2 months of any new year. January and February of 2011 will give us a good indication of how good or bad the following year will be. Now is the time to start scheduling which motorcycle shows,

QUESTION: Hi David, what is your favourite cruiser? I don’t mean Chinese I mean any one made in the world. —— Theo Hiddink Cape Town South Africa DAVID: Hello Theo, it’s the Yamaha Star Stryker although I also love the Ducati Diavel. QUESTION: Hi David, thanks for publishing my letter in the last edition of China Motor Magazine. I haven’t as yet heard from any Chinese factories, could you please give them a reminder that a British motorcycle importer is willing to pay good money for the right models? —— Stephen Harlow Liverpool UK DAVID: Hello Stephen, yes I will. Can any motorcycle companies that are ready and willing to produce and export motorcycles that will pass the EURO COC for the United Kingdom please contact me at [email protected] I will pass your details on to Stephen. By the way Stephen, I’ll continue to publish this letter until you get some replies. QUESTION: Dear David, Happy New Year from the Auvergne motorcycle importers association. We hope that you and your magazine can have a prosperous new year! —— Claude Rochet Clermont France

92

exhibitions and fairs to attend this year. If your country is hosting such an event let me know the details of it and I’ll try my best to fly out to it. I’m receiving a lot of mail regarding electric scooters and cars, to those of you who don’t know we also produce a magazine called ‘China E-Vehicle’ which deals in detail with all things pertaining to electric vehicles. Also we will be releasing a new magazine dedicated to auto spares in the near future, wite to me for information on this if you are interested. You can subscribe to the magazine using the details published within this magazine; alternatively, if you see our stand at any of the many motorcycle shows we attend come and ask us for a free copy, we don’t bite! And so on with this month’s letters…

DAVID: Many many thanks Claude! We wish the same for you and the association. Also thanks to all the people that have written to us to wish us good luck for the New Year, we at China Motor Magazine wish the same to you. Happy New Year. QUESTION: Dear David, although your magazine is called China MOTOR Magazine there are never any Chinese cars featured in it. Because you have MOTOR in the title of the magazine it would be easy to expand your interests in to cars as well. Do you think it’s something you will do in the future? —— Sile Javotte Montréal Canada DAVID: Hello Sile, of course it’s a good idea but there is already a Chinese English language magazine that deals with the car industry but we will be producing an auto spare parts magazine in the near future. China Motor Magazine has always just dealt with the motorcycle industry and will continue to do so. QUESTION: Hello David, there are so many Chinese motorcycle factories, do you think they would gain an advantage from cooperating with each other or even joining forces to create ‘super factories’? It could be a way of competing with the Japanese. —— Pedro Fernandez Manila Philippines DAVID: Hello Pedro, to tell the truth more and more of the Chinese

factories are cooperating in certain projects, especially the bigger factories such as Jialing, Jianshe and Qinqi. The situation in Japan started out with many factories involved in the market until eventually there were only the big 4 left, maybe (after many years) the same will happen in China. I feel that China doesn’t really need to compete properly with the Japanese factories as they look at completely different markets and different levels of quality and price. There is room for both Chinese and Japanese manufacturers in the world. QUESTION: Hi David, I just wanted to drop you a line and tell you how much I enjoy the magazine. I have been reading China Motor since I first picked a copy up in Milan a few years ago and have watched it progress and improve through the years. Keep up the good work and I hope to meet you at an exhibition somewhere in Europe some time. —— Trond Oslo Norway DAVID: Many thanks Trond; it’s always good to hear that we are pleasing somebody! I look forward to having a beer or two with you at some stage (maybe Milan) QUESTION: Dear David, I met you at last year’s Canton Fair and took a free copy of the magazine. Do you produce an online version? —— Steadman Harris Kingston Jamaica DAVID: Hello Steadman, at the moment we are trying hard to produce an e-magazine that is fast enough to be useful and we are also designing a new user friendly website. When we have finished I’ll put a message in the magazine advertising it. QUESTION: Dear David, as we are all aware most of the motorcycle factories in China make copy models of popular Japanese bikes. As the export industry in China moves from strength to strength I feel it need to adopt a design culture of its own. Can you tell me what are the Chinese motorcycle factories doing to further their design options? —— Billy Williams Perth Australia DAVID: Top Chinese motorcycle factories are now investing vast sums on original research and development and also forming cooperative alliances with many of the world’s ‘big guns.’ In recent years BMW, Peugeot, Harley Davidson, Piaggio, Yamaha and Suzuki have all committed to long term collaborations with

leading Chinese companies. It is mainly due to this influx of foreign motorcycle culture that the Chinese industry has begun to rethink its strategy, choosing to concentrate its efforts on improving quality to a standard that would be generally accepted by the western motorcycling public and thus breaking in to the mainstream market. On the style front (Chinese motorcycles may not have been the first choice of the fashion conscious) many top level Chinese factories are now engaging renowned motorcycle designers from Europe. A typical example of this is the Qingqi motorcycle company, they employ the Milan based Marabese Design company who boast Triumph, Yamaha and Piaggio among their customers. This is a welcome deviation from the all too ‘homogenous’ Japanese copies which have flooded the market in recent years and is representative of the wish of many Chinese motorcycle companies to attempt to discard the negative reputation previously attached to them. QUESTION: Hello David, how is it possible to tell if a company is an agency and not a factory? I’ve been advised to stay clear of agencies and to only go directly to the factories. Is there any advice you can give me? —— Martina Prague Czech Republic DAVID: Hello Martina, it is sometimes very difficult to tell between an agency and a factory. Some companies will claim to be factories and even have pictures of their factories on the website. I will always give the same advice. Visit the factory you intend to do business with, or better still, visit a motorcycle exhibition. There you can see many of the factories displaying their products and they will be happy to answer any questions you might have. Alternatively, keep a regular eye on the advertisers in China Motor Magazine, they are all reputable companies with fine traditions in the industry; we do not accept advertising from anyone we haven’t heard of or checked out first. Once again thanks for all of your questions and comments. If I haven’t printed them here I will reply to each one personally. To add your opinion to Post Box email me at englishmaninchina@ gmail.com Happy New Year!!!!!


Global Professional Motorcycle Exhibitions in 2012


2012年全球专业摩托车展会


Name 展会名称 Dealer Expo 2012 第45届美国国际机车产品贸易展 MOTOPLUS 2012 2012年土耳其国际摩托车及零配件展览会

Time 举办时间

Location 举办地点

Feb. 17th19th 2月17 日-19日

Indianapolis, USA 美国，印第安纳波利斯

Mar. 1st4th 3月1日-4 日

Istanbul, Turkey 土耳其，伊斯坦布尔

Exhibition Scope 展品范围 Motorcycles,Motorcycle Tuning,Accessories,Accessories for twowheeled Vehicles 摩托车，小型摩托车，配件，两轮配件

Motorcycles, Motorcycle spare parts and accessories, tires, helmets, batteries, decoration products, electronics mechanical system, engines, etc. 摩托车，摩托车配件、附件及零部件，车轮轮胎，头盔，电池电源，装饰产品，电子机械系统，发动机等。 INA BIKE 2012 Mar. 28th- Jakarta, Motorcycles and spare parts, automobile 2012年印尼国 31th Indonesia parts and system, automobile accessories, 际汽摩配展览 3月28 印度尼西 automotive electronics, tools, mold and 会日-31日亚，雅加达 machinery 摩托车零件及配件，汽车零部件及系统，汽车配件，汽车电子设备，汽车工具、模具及机械 MOTO PARK Mar. 30th- Moscow, Motorcycles, scooters, ATVs, spare parts and 2012 Apr.1st Russia supplies 2012年俄罗斯 3月30日-4 俄罗斯，莫摩托车，踏板车，ATV,摩托车配件，用国际摩托车及月1日斯科品零配件展览会 Taiwan Apr.12th- Taipei,China Motorcycles, Electric Vehicles, Motors for Motorcycle 15th Taiwan two-wheeled Vehicles, Replacement Parts, 2012 4月12 中国台湾， Motorcycle Apparels 2012海峡两岸日-15日台北摩托车，电动车，二轮车发动机，替换零摩托车展览会件，服装 Eicma China 2012 2012年中国国际摩托车及零部件交易会 94

Apr.15th- Guangzhou, Motorcycles, tri-cycles, electric vehicles,ATVs, moped vehicles, 17th China 4月15 中国，广州 snowmobiles, spare parts, equipment and maintenance supplies, general machinery 日-17日摩托车、三轮摩托车、电动车、全地形车、助力车、雪地车，零部件，设备及维护用品，通机等

Delegation Organizer 组团单位 Heliview International Exhibotion Co.,Ltd. 北京恒立伟业国际展览有限公司 HI-LIGHTING International Exhibition (Beijing) Co.,Ltd. 海兰基国际展览（北京）有限公司 HI-LIGHTING International Exhibition (Beijing) Co.,Ltd. 海兰基国际展览（北京）有限公司 Chongqing Suotong Exhibition Co.,Ltd. 重庆索通展览有限公司 HI-LIGHTING International Exhibition (Beijing) Co., Ltd. 海兰基国际展览（北京）有限公司

Name 展会名称

Time 举办时间


Delegation Organizer 组团单位

Exhibition Scope 展品范围

The 111th China Import and Export Fair 111届中国进出口商品交易会

Apr.15th- Guangzhou, Motorcycles, tri-cycles, electric 19th China vehicles,ATVs, moped vehicles, 4月15 中国，广州 snowmobiles, spare parts, equipment and 日-19日 maintenance supplies, general machinery 摩托车、三轮摩托车、电动车、全地形车、助力车、雪地车，零部件，设备及维护用品，通机等

Feria de las 2 Ruedas 2012 第6届哥伦比亚国际两轮车展

May 3rd6th 5月3日-6 日

Medellin, Columbia 哥伦比亚，麦德林

Motorcycles, electric vehicles, moped HI-LIGHTING vehicles, scooters, ATVs, UTVs, bicycles, International dirt bikes, spare parts and supplies Exhibition (Beijing) 摩托车，电动车，助力车，踏板车，ATV Co., Ltd. 及UTV，自行车，越野车；摩托车及自海兰基国际展览（北行车配件，用品京）有限公司

AUTOEXPO Africa 2012 2012年肯尼亚国际汽摩配件博览会

May 10th12th 5月10 日-12日

Nairobi, Kenya 肯尼亚，内罗毕

Automobiles, motorcycles,spare parts and accessories, batteries, electronics mechanical system, engines, tools, coating, safety system. 汽车、摩托车, 零部件及配件、电池电源、电子机械系统、发动机、工具、涂料、安全系统

Heliview International Exhibotion Co.,Ltd. 北京恒立伟业国际展览有限公司

AUTO EXPO Tanzania 2012 第15届东非（坦桑尼亚）国际汽摩配件展

May 20th22nd 5月20 日-22日

Dar es salaam, Automobiles, motorcycles, spare parts Tanzania and accessories, batteries, brake system, 坦桑尼亚， electronics mechanical system, engines, tools, 达累斯萨拉 coating, safety system. 姆汽车、摩托车, 零部件及配件、汽车加工产品、电池电源、刹车系统、电子机械系统、发动机、工具、涂料、安全系统


AUTIMECH 2012 2012年泛阿拉伯、非洲地区（埃及）国际汽车、摩托车及配件展

May 五月

Cairo, Egypt Automobiles, motorcycles, spare parts and 埃及，开罗 accessories, batteries, electronics mechanical system, engines, safety system， etc. 汽车整车，摩托车整车，汽摩配件、零部件，电子机械系统、发动机、安全系统等

Beijing Meorient International Exhibition Co., Ltd. 北京米奥兰特国际会展有限公司






Name 展会名称 Intermot 2012 2012德国科隆摩托车展

Delegation Organizer 组团单位 Oct.3rd- Cologne, Motorcycles, Motor Scooters, Electric China Chamber of 7th Germany Vehicles, Trailers, Accessories for twoCommerce for Import 10月3日-7 德国，科隆 wheeled Vehicles, Engines, Motors for two- & Export of Machinery 日 wheeled Vehicles, Electronic Equipment, & Electronic Products Garment, Leatherwear, Tools, Workshop 中国机电产品进出口 Equipment, Raw Materials… 商会摩托车，踏板车，电动车，拖车，两轮车配件，发动机，电子设备，服装，工具，原料，护具，自行车，配件，润滑油 Time 举办时间


Motorcycle Show Brazil 2012 2012年巴西国际摩托车展览会

Oct 10月

The 112th China Import and Export Fair 第112届中国进出口商品交易会

Oct.15th -19th 10月15 日-19日

Gulf Bike Expo 2012 2012年中东迪拜国际两轮车展

Oct. 18th- Dubai,UAE 20th 阿联酋，迪 10月18 拜日-20日

96

Sao Paulo, Brazil 巴西，圣保罗


Motorcycles, dirt bikes, ATVs, racing bikes, China Chamber of electric vehicles, Motorcycle production Commerce for Import equipment, testing equipment and & Export of Machinery maintenance tools; motorcycle engines, spare & Electronic Products parts, supplies and costume 中国机电产品进出口摩托车，越野摩托车，沙滩车（ATV），商会赛车，电动摩托车，摩托车生产设备、检测设备、维修工具，摩托车发动机、零配件，摩托车用品、服饰

Guangzhou Motorcycles, tri-cycles, electric 中国，广州 vehicles,ATVs, moped vehicles, snowmobiles, spare parts, equipment and maintenance supplies, general machinery 摩托车、三轮摩托车、电动车、全地形车、助力车、雪地车，零部件，设备及维护用品，通机等 Motorcycles, Bicycles, Electric bikes, Garment, Spare parts and accessories. 摩托车整车，自行车整车，电动自行车整车，骑行服装服饰，两轮车零配件及附件


Name 展会名称

Time 举办时间



EICMA 2012 2012年意大利米兰国际摩托车展

Nov 11月

Milan ,Italy Motorcycles, Electric Vehicles, Accessories 意大利，米 for two-wheeled Vehicles 兰摩托车，电动车，两轮车配件

Expo Moto 2012 2012年墨西哥国际摩托车及零配件展览会

Nov 11月

Mexico City, Mexico 墨西哥，墨西哥城

Motorcycles, electric vehicles, scooters, motorcycle spare parts, tires, engines, electricale quipment, motorcycle costume, supplies, lubricating oil, ect. 摩托车，电动车，踏板车，摩托车零配件，轮胎，发动机，电动设备，摩托车服饰，用品，润滑油等

HI-LIGHTING INT'L EXHIBITION （BEIJING）CO., LTD. 海兰基国际展览（北京）有限公司地址：北京市朝阳区广渠路九龙花园1号楼B座206 Add.:Bldg.1-B-206,JiuLong Garden,Guangqu Rd.,Chaoyang District,Beijing,China 电话（TEL）：+86-010-67758980、67758103、67755126 传真（FAX）：+86-010-67750064 邮箱(E-mail)：[email protected] 网址(Web)：www.hi-lighting.com

Heliview International Exhibotion Co., Ltd. 北京恒立伟业国际展览有限公司地址：北京丰台区南方庄1号安富大厦1602室 Add: Room1602,Anfu Tower,No.1 Nan Fang Zhuang,Fengtai District,Beijing,China. 电话（Tel）: +86-010-87614810 传真（Fax）: +86-010-67663025 邮箱（E-mail）: [email protected] 网址（Web）: www.heliview.cn

China Chamber of Commerce for Import & Export of Machinery & Electronic Products 中国机电产品进出口商会 (CCCME) 地址：北京市朝阳区潘家园南里12号楼9层

Delegation Organizer 组团单位 HI-LIGHTING International Exhibition (Beijing) Co., Ltd. 海兰基国际展览(北京)有限公司 Heliview International Exhibotion Co.,Ltd. 北京恒立伟业国际展览有限公司

Add: Room 904, Floor9, Building 12, Panjiayuan Nanli, Chaoyang District, Beijing 电话（TeL）: +86-010-58280808 传真（Fax）: +86-010-58280810，010-58280820 邮箱（E-mail）: [email protected] 网址（Web）: www.cccme.org.cn Beijing Meorient International Exhibition Co., Ltd. 北京米奥兰特国际会展有限公司地址：北京市朝阳区东四环中路60号楼远洋国际中心C座2302 Add: Flat 2302, Block C of Overseas International Center, No 60 on Middle of eastern 4th ring road, CHAOYANG district, BEIJING 电话（Tel）: +86-10-59601388 传真(Fax): +86-10-59601366 网址(Web): www.meorient.com Chongqing Suotong Exhibition Co., Ltd. 重庆索通展览有限公司地址：重庆市江北区建新北路8号红鼎国际名苑C座20-23 Add: Room 23, 20F, Tower C, Hondin International Mansion, No.8, North Jianxin Road, Jiangbei District, Chongqing, China 电话(Tel)：86-23-86815622 传真（Fax）：+86-23-86815623 邮箱(E-mail)：[email protected] 网址(Web)：www.suotongexpo.com


R Figures eport

Chinese Motorcycle Output, Sales & Exports in November 2011 Motorcycle Output & Sales in November

According to the statistics from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM), motorcycle output and sales continued to grow in November 2011, and sales saw minor increase month-on-month. The total motorcycle output and sales between January and November were 24.5472 million units and 24.5149 million units respectively, both figures went well above those of last year. November motorcycle output and sales in the Chinese motorcycle industry were 2.3985 million units and 2.3045 million units respectively, an increase of 5.42% and 0.52% month-on-month, and up 20.39% and 16.79% year-onyear respectively. The output and sales of two-wheeled motorcycles were 2.182 million units and 2.0883 million units respectively, up 5.74% and 0.18% month-on-month, and up 21.28% and 17.01% year-on-year respectively. The output and sales of motor-tricycles were 216,500 units and 216,200 units respectively, up 2.34% and 3.92% month-on-month, and up 12.13% and 14.72% from a year earlier respectively. The Chinese motorcycle industry's total motorcycle output and sales between January and November were 24.5472 million units and 24.5149 million units respectively, up 0.52% and 0.99% year-on-year, both figures well surpassed those of last year and achieved growth. Of which, the output and sales of two-wheeled motorcycles were 22.3944 million units and 22.374 million units respectively, output down 0.18% year-onyear and sales up 0.40% year-on-year. The output and sales of motor-tricycles were 2.1528 million units and 2.1409 million units respectively, up 8.52% and 7.68% from a year earlier respectively.

Motorcycle Exports of Chinese Motorcycle Manufacturers in November 98

Figures

According to an export survey on 91 Chinese motorcycle manufacturers made by CAAM, motorcycle exports had trivial decline in November of 2011. A total number of 877,000 units of motorcycles were exported in November, down 9.27% month-on-month, up 20.24% year-on-year. Total motorcycle export value reached USD 5.373 billion between January and November, up 33.24% yearon-year. Of which, motorcycle exports were 9.8271 million units, up 29.48% from a year earlier, and export value was USD 4.657 billion, an increase of 36.60% yearon-year. The exports of ATVs were 73,400 units, up 2.24% year-on-year, and ATV export value was USD 134 million, a surge of 15.83% from a year ago. The total number of engines exported was 2.6085 million units, up 26.07% year-on-year; engine export value was USD 329 million, up 26.85% year-on-year. Export value of motorcycle parts was USD 253 million, an increase of 1.87% from a year ago.

Exports Ranking of 5 Major Displacement Motorcycles in November 2011 The top five major displacement motorcycles in exports in November of 2011 were the 125 series (110ml＜displacement≤125ml), the 150 series (125ml＜displacement≤150ml), the 110 series (100ml＜displacement≤110ml), the 50 series (displacement≤50ml), and the 100 series (90ml ＜displacement≤100ml), and their respective exports were 299,000 units, 186,300 units, 129,000 units, 86,600 units, and 80,500 units. In comparison with last month, the 110 series experienced minor increase while others had various drops with the 100 series suffering the most decline. The total exports of the above 5 major displacement motorcycles in November were 781,400 units, accounting for 89.10% of the total motorcycles exported.

R Figures eport

Export Value Ranking of 5 Major Displacement Motorcycles in November 2011 The top five major displacement motorcycles in export value in November of 2011 were the 125 series, the 150 series, the 110 series, the 50 series, and the 100 series, and their respective export value were USD 148 million, USD 98 million, USD 55 million, USD 36 million, and USD 32 million. The 50 series and 110 series had some increases, others all suffered slumps. The total export value of the above 5

series, the 150 series, the 110 series, the 50 series, and the 100 series, and their respective exports were 3.5062 million units, 1.9811 million units, 1.2492 million units, 1.1293 million units, and 1.0408 million units, up 30.56%, 40.75%, 18.75%, 35.08% and 5.80% respectively year-on-year. The total exports of the above major displacement motorcycles between January and November were 8.9066 million units, accounting for 90.63% of the total motorcycles exported.

Export Value Ranking of 5 Major Displacement Motorcycles between Jan & Nov, 2011 The top five major displacement motorcycles in export value between January and November of 2011 were the 125 series, the 150 series, the 110 series, the 50 series, and the 100 series, and their respective export value were USD 1.692 billion, USD 1.013 billion, USD 526 million, USD 470 million, and USD 394 million, up 34.97%, 47.60%, 30.81%, 25.93% and 15.96% respectively year-on-year. The total export value of the above 5 major displacement motorcycles between January and November was USD 4.095 billion, taking up 87.93% of the total motorcycle export value.

major displacement motorcycles in November was USD 369 million, taking up 88.28% of the total motorcycle export value.

Exports Ranking of 5 Major Displacement Motorcycles between Jan & Nov 2011 The top five major displacement motorcycles in exports between January and November of 2011 were the 125

100 Figures

R

eport

Industrial Observation

KYMCO

Makes a Gorgeous

Transformation with the Help of HP

Industrial Observation 'biggest' company, namely the world's biggest IT service provider HP (Hewlett Packard). Mr. Lu Tianfu, the deputy manager of KYMCO IT department, recalled that they went all out to boost the transformation to adapt to the new emission standards. What's exciting is that KYMCO achieved the business transformation success quickly with the help of HP, and ushered in a new era of fast development.

KYMCO's Urgent Business Transformation

Taiwan with a population of over 22.7 million has the highest motorcycle population per capita in the world, and every 1.8 persons own one motorcycle. The Taiwan government officially released the Phase IV motorcycle exhaust emission standards in July of 2007 specifying that all motorcycles must install EFI engines after 2009 and those equipped with carburetor engines would be banned on the market. This policy is known as the harshest motorcycle exhaust emission policy in the world. Motorcycle manufacturers of Taiwan were in an uproar for a time, and felt that a new revolution of industrial patterns may have come. KYMCO would be the first big motorcycle manufacturer to be affected. At that time, most motorcycle distributors could only overhaul the traditional carburetor engines, and didn't have related technologies to overhaul EFI engines. The overhaul of an EFI engine needs the help of electrical devices. Engine's controlling elements are connected to maintenance devices via data cables, and then maintenance devices will give readings of the actual condition of the engine before the related parameters of the engine are adjusted. KYMCO was one of the motorcycle manufacturers which faced such a difficulty. Unlike most of the motorcycle manufacturers, the great scale of the company made it super hard to achieve business transformation. How to make the transformation successfully and quickly remained a task for Mr. Lu Tianfu adding the fact that KYMCO has hundreds of distributing stations and thousands of sales outlets and more than 3,000 employees.

F

acing the world's harshest motorcycle emission policy, Taiwan KYMCO (Kwang Yang Motor Co, Ltd.) made a successful transformation after more than a year's constant efforts, and won wide public praise within the motorcycle industry as a piece of new news revealed on October 26th, 2011

Sales outlets needed a technology upgrade, technicians needed training, and equipment should be able to endure the tests of harsh conditions. Many conditions needed to be satisfied, and the rich variety of IT service products on market had made Mr. Lu Tianfu indecisive. What kind of IT service provider was good for the business transformation of KYMCO after all?

As the largest motorcycle manufacturer of Taiwan, KYMCO has nearly 3,000 employees, over 570 distributing stations and more than 3,000 sales outlets, and its annual output capacity has exceeded 480,000 units. You can imagine how many difficulties that KYMCO faced as a big company during its business transformation. KYMCO achieved business transformation quickly and secured its position as a leader in the motorcycle industry by cooperating with another

104



R

eport



HP Customized Solutions to Defuse the Challenge

In order to cope with the challenge of business transformation, KYMCO didn't only need related IT products and also needed a supplier which could provide custom-made, fast and no-error services. So, KYMCO thought of HP. Mr. Lu Tianfu said, "We needed a competitive company in terms of price, service and technical support in order to construct our company's major platform--KYMCO engine overhaul system. HP's professional custom-made plan and fast and complete maintenance services met our needs, and their products made our IT system more efficient." HP has been distinguishing itself among solution providers with its custom-made services. The operation efficiency of client's system can be achieved maximally by the overall services. HP eventually provided a whole set of solutions based on the HP t5720 client server after a full study and evaluation of all needs of KYMCO. HP's overall solutions and all round services would assist

Taiwan's manufacturing giant KYMCO achieve business transformation soon from sales outlets to production lines and management systems. The HP t5720 client server has solid, durable body and reliable calculating ability. Its low energy consumption and long service life quality can also effectively reduce an enterprise's costs. Meanwhile, HP's client server can also provide outstanding safety quality—the problem of data loss no long exists as the confidential data and application programs are saved on the terminal servers; technicians at sales outlets need not to worry about data leaks as there are convenient safety lock and intelligent recognition system installed on the client server; HP t5720 client server forbids the unauthorised software installation and download to prevent the system from being crashed by viruses. KYMCO headquarters' central server can control the upgrade of all systems, and send signals to all client servers, so upgrade of all client servers can be achieved in a short time.

Fully Guarantee the Establishment of Engine Overhaul System

Based on the HP t5720 client server, KYMCO created its own 'KYMCO engine testing system' which can effectively test and correct engines produced. This doesn't only meet the needs of self application, but also lays a solid foundation for its future development. This engine testing system developed on the basis of outstanding technology has been operating for more than 3 years on the KYMCO motorcycle production line. KYMCO tried some other measures at first. For example, KYMCO allowed technicians at sales outlets to use PDA for engine overhaul. However, PDA has small screen and seriously affected technician's sensitivity in engine overhaul, so KYMCO began to consider replacing PDA with computers. However, ordinary computer can be easily affected by high temperature, damp weather and dusty working condition. The application of the HP t5720 client server has eliminated all these troubles as it has high temperature resistance, damp resistance, durable and easy maintenance features. It can fully guarantee the smooth and efficient operation of KYMCO engine testing system. So to speak, KYMCO has truly established a whole set of new testing systems to make it conform to the motorcycle manufacturer admission policy of Taiwan by cooperating with HP.

Dramatically Improves Clients' Sense of Experience at Sales Outlets

Currently, all client servers at KYMCO's sales outlets are connected to the engine testing system of KYMCO headquarters to achieve the testing results display: technicians at sales outlets only need to connect client server with the EFI engine's controlling unit via the optical fibre to conduct tests; and the testing results can be soon displayed on the 32-inch LCD clearly at the sales outlet. So to speak, this system has made engine testing more

106


efficient, and testing results more transparent by displaying on the LCD and the sense of experience of technicians and consumers have been greatly improved. Consumers' sense of trust in KYMCO is gradually enhanced via the advanced and scientific tests as engine overhaul now is fast and sufficient. Mr. Lu Tianfu expressed that the significance of establishing such a professional testing system for all distributors doesn't only lie in the preparation for the arrival of new generation engines, but also in improving the technical quality and sense of profession of our maintenance outlets. On top of the features of HP t5720 client server: easy to install, manage and maintain, HP's professional spirit, prompt response and excellent after service have guaranteed KYMCO IT system's stable and efficient operation, and also brought pleasant application experiences to clients. Over 1,000 KYMCO sales outlets have used the HP t5720 client servers since November of 2007. As HP's client server has dramatically boosted KYMCO's professional image and work efficiency, KYMCO decides to constantly upgrade client servers, and conduct in-depth cooperation with HP in the future so as to secure its advantage in the motorcycle industry.


R

eport


characterised and recreational motorcycles has come.

Lifan Motorcycle Adjusts Product Structure & Seeks Industry Upgrade

T

We all know that the 125cc to 150cc displacement economic motorcycles are mostly targeted for rural markets. It's learned that Chongqing, China's motorcycle base, sells about 10 million units of motorcycles (the majority is below 150cc) annually. "The current small

110


LF250-P, Made for 'Motorcycle Stans' Lifan officially unveiled its V-twin 250cc motorcycle LF250-P on the CIMAmotor 2011 in October. In comparison with Lifan's economic motorcycles which are sold at a price between RMB 6,000 and 7,000, the price of LF250-P is about RMB 16,800. This motorcycle is made for the 'motorcycle stans (stalker and fan)' in cities. Apart from super power performance and fancy appearance, LF250-P has an advantage that other large displacement motorcycles don't have, that is price advantage. "Price is our current ace card that cannot be deserted," Mr. Luo Daozhong was quoted as saying. Lifan adopts the 'price for brand popularity' strategy. For a similar product of same performance, the price of independent Chinese brand is 10% to 20% cheaper than that of the joint-venture brand. The price difference between a RMB 20,000 large displacement joint venture branded motorcycle and an independent brand motorcycle is about RMB 4,000. This is a great bargain. The consumers of independent branded Chinese motorcycle find that homemade large displacement motorcycles are not inferior to the joint-venture branded motorcycles, so they become to recognise Chinese independent branded motorcycles. They will naturally consider the homemade brands when they buy large displacement motorcycles next time. "Using a price advantage to achieve market popularity will work slowly to expand the market," Mr. Luo Daozhong was quoted as saying.

LF100-C he output and sales of the Chinese motorcycle industry have been sluggish since the beginning of 2011. Chinese motorcycle manufacturers are also gloomy. Lifan tries to cope with the deteriorating market by launching high-end motorcycles including large displacement motorcycles, characterised motorcycles and recreational motorcycles in 2011, and adopts flexible and variable sales policies and organises events and activities with the intention of finding a way out of the competitive low-end motorcycle market. According to the annual report, Lifan rose to number 2 in the Chinese motorcycle industry between January and September. It's such an estimable progress made by Lifan in the difficult situation of 2011.


displacement motorcycle market is like hell, either you quit or your rival quits," Mr. Luo Daozhong, the General Manager of Chongqing Lifan Industry Group Sales Co., Ltd., was quoted as saying. It's reported that large displacement and recreational motorcycle markets are expanding in Beijing. Mr. Li Bin, the Secretary General of China Association of Automobile Manufacturers Motorcycle Chapter, expressed that those who buy large displacement and recreational motorcycles are well off city dwellers. According to the statistics between January and October, the sales of large displacement motorcycles are on the rise against the general gloomy outlook of the Chinese motorcycle industry. China's large displacement and recreational motorcycle markets are new. Chinese motorcycle manufacturers should seize this great opportunity and adjust their product structure accordingly and occupy market shares as there's few competitor in this field. Like Mr. Luo Daozhong said, the era of large displacement,

LF100-C, a Distinctive & Playful Mini Motorcycle The LF100-C is a characterised motorcycle specially designed for city 'pressure (white collar) class' by Lifan. The LF100-C has a unique quality, mini black-and-white coloured body with jade green scorpion painting. These features make it look simple, low profile and fashionable. The light body and super power of the LF100-C make travel a pleasant and satisfying thing. A sense of unprecedented freedom can be felt by its rider. The wide tyres of the vehicle made it possible for young riders to ride on streets or in the wild. The multi-function vehicle has become very popular in the automobile industry these years; this has also fully affected the motorcycle industry. More and more young people begin


R

eport


Industrial Observation Brutale920

luxurious motorcycle consumers, for the other thing it can boost the industrial upgrade of the Chinese motorcycle industry by cooperating with MV Agusta in fields such as marketing and technology. Lifan and MV Agusta announced their official marketing cooperation in Beijing in July of 2011 to jointly expand China's large displacement luxurious motorcycle market. MV officially unveiled the F4R and Brutale920 at CIMAmotor 2011 in October and announced their sales on Chinese market. The price of F4R the maximal speed of which can reach RMB 300km/h is about RMB 380,000, and the price of Brutale920 which is named 'drug class motorcycle' by its global fans is about RMB 250,000. With the help of Lifan, MV Agusta's two super racing bikes MV Agusta Brutale 920 and MV Agusta F4 was able to be displayed on the 9th Guangzhou Auto Show. They were undoubtedly an eye feast at Lifan's exhibition booth. It's learned that the maximal speed of motorcycle models on display can reach 300km/h, and the sales of MV Agusta F4 which are made for non-racing consumers was about 4,500 units in 2010 in the world. According to statistics, China has at least 2 million stans (stalker and fan) for luxurious large displacement motorcycles like MV Agusta.

to buy distinctive and playful minimotorcycles. The LF100-C is absolutely a good choice.

MV Agusta Makes its Debut in Guangzhou, Occupying High-End Motorcycle Market Italy's top-end motorcycle brand MV Agusta is known as the motorcycle Ferrari, and has been dominating the motorcycle racing circuits for many years. China's the biggest motorcycle consumption country in the world; its high-end motorcycle market has broad prospects. It is MV Agusta's best choice to cooperate with China's motorcycle manufacturer Lifan. It's a win-win situation for Lifan to gain MV Agusta's dealership in China. For one thing, it provides an option for Chinese

112


Editor's Notes: Motorcycle culture rises along with the uprising of middle class in China. When people begin to pursue the characterised trend, motorcycles will then become a fashion other than just a transport. The current motorcycle consumption has turned to fields of recreation, travel and racing. The 1970s, 1980s and 1990s generations have become the major motorcycle consumption groups in China. In fact, this is the first step of Lifan's product adjustment. Mr. Luo Daozhong expressed that they would also launch compact motorcycles that can be put in the car boot to occupy market as well as large displacement motorcycles. at the Guangzhou Auto Show, Lifan also displayed its latest developed 150GY-3B and 250GY-2 which are designed for export. They achieved good sales results on the overseas markets. It's learned that Lifan would modify these two models for future sales on the domestic market. We can see that Lifan is detailing its different market orientations. Lifan will release more fashionable motorcycles for the younger generation in the coming five years. Mr. Luo Daozhong said that it is hard to maintain normal operation of exclusive motorcycle stores in cities as many cities 'ban the use of motorcycles'. The most efficient solution is to promote popularity on internet shops, and then organise potential consumers to see and experience motorcycles in nearby exclusive motorcycle stores. Lifan stated that it's thinking about opening an internet shop, and then set up exclusive motorcycle stores in first tier cities, such as Beijing.

MV-Agusta-F4 www.chinamotorworld.com 113

R

eport



250cc series motorcycle GT250R, which will go on sale in India next year.

Potential Hot 250cc Motorcycles in India

The motorcycle employs a 249cc engine which delivers 28.58Hp at 10,000rpm and peak toque of 22.68Nm at 8,000rpm. According to Hyosung, in addition, the motorcycle has a five-speed transmission and will become a major attraction in the 250cc motorcycle market in India.

in 2012

A

ccording to the latest news from the Indian media, India has become a large potential market for motorcycles in the current world, especially for a series of superbikes with a displacement of 250cc. The prospects for sales of these motorcycles are good mainly because Indian people prefer motorcycles to automobiles. Well-known motorcycle manufacturers in the world assemble in India to engage in production and

marketing. Those makers not only produce and market various kinds of high-quality motorcycles but also provide a special customisation service which means to meet customers’ requirements by designing motorcycles according to their requests. As a result, a batch of best-selling 250cc superbikes has been developed. These new products will appear in the India market in 2012. Here are the details.

Honda CBR250R Since Honda and Hero Moto Corp ended their twenty-year long cooperation, Honda has developed motorcycles with their own independent brand and the Honda CBR250R is the first all-new model launched by Honda Motorcycle Company. Honda CBR250R adopts a four-cylinder liquid-cooling 249cc engine which produces 25.8Hp at 8,500 rpm and a peak torque of 22.56Nm at 7,500rpm. Honda has promoted two versions of the motorcycle, one having the ABS system and the other not. A six-speed transmission is also installed in it. The top speed of a new motorcycle is up to 160km/h. It takes only 6.5 seconds to accelerate this kind of motorcycle from a halt to a speed of 100km/h. According to Honda, this motorcycle is also equipped with the most advanced technologies and spare parts. The presence of it in the India 250cc motorcycle market will be strong.

Hyosung GT250R Hyosung, a well-known motorcycle maker in South Korea, unveiled its partnership with India’s Garware Motors and began to launch various kinds of superbikes in India. Recently, it announced the launch of new

114


Kawasaki Ninja 250 R Kawasaki Motor named its new series of motorcycle as Ninja 250 R, these were mainly produced by Bajaj Auto. As soon as it is launched, the new motorcycle with both its appearance and parts will become a strong rival to Honda as well as other manufacturers. The motorcycle reportedly embarks a liquid-cooling eight-valve type dual overhead camshaft 249cc engine and uses fuel oil injection to deliver 32Hp and peak toque of 22Nm. According to Kawasaki, the motorcycle has a dual plate chassis and a six-speed transmission. The top speed of it is estimated up to from 160 to 170Km/h

Suzuki GW250 Series Suzuki Recently announced that it would launch the GW250 series of new motorcycles in India, confirming the long-time rumour. The company said the use of both locomotive technology and parts will make it a hot-selling model in the 250cc motorcycle market in India. The motorcycle embarks a 4-stoke liquidcooling 250cc engine to deliver 256Hp at 8,500rpm and peak toque of 24Nm at 7,000rpm. According to Suzuki, the new motorcycle is also called Sports Superbike in the Baby B King series, which is a few heavier than 250cc series of motorcycles of Honda Motorcycle Company, but is similar in that to the hot-selling launched by Suzuki Motorcycle Company. It will become a dark horse in the India market as well.


R

eport



Yamaha Fazer 250 Hiroyuki Suzuki is one of the main leaders of Yamaha Motorcycle Company. At present Yamaha gradually turns its eyes on the research, development, production and sales of all kinds of superbikes. Yamaha says that they will launch a new motorcycle with a 250cc engine named the Fazer 250 Series in India The new motorcycle embarks a dual valve 4-stroke air-cooled single overhead camshaft 249cc engine powered by gasoline. It is fullpowered and has large carrying capability. Yamaha says that the motorcycle is equipped with a high-performance transmission. It only takes 5.2 seconds to accelerate up to 60km/h.

New Concept of Managing

High-End Motorcycles

T

he 'China high-end, leisure and heavy motorcycle development white paper' compiled by Tongji University Communication & Transportation Engineering College released a research result saying that there's a good sign of development momentum and ample development potential for Chinese high-end motorcycles. However, the current 'centralised' motorcycle management mode in China can easily lead to the lack of drive for the Chinese highend motorcycle market. The way of decentralised management may become the new way for the development of Chinese high-end motorcycles.

Chinese High-End Motorcycles have Ample Development Potential China has the world's largest motorcycle population. The size of the Chinese motorcycle market is about half that of the world's total. However, most motorcycles in China are used as commuting vehicles; the presence of high-end, leisure and heavy motorcycles in China is still scarce.

116


During their research process, the researchers found out that the output of large and medium displacement Chinese motorcycles and the imports of large displacement motorcycles were growing gradually. The Chinese motorcycle output statistics showed that the output of large and medium displacement motorcycles was relatively low in July of 2011, but their output had a significant rising rate. The output of motorcycles with an engine capacity of over 250ml (especially between 250ml and 400ml) had an increase of 66.56%. The large displacement motorcycles (with an engine capacity from


R

eport



400ml to 750ml) surged by 2205.26%. This proves that Chinese motorcycle manufacturers have started to pay more attention to the market demands of high-end, leisure and heavy motorcycles, and have put in more capital and technologies into this area. This symbolises that the high-end, leisure and heavy motorcycles will have a strong drive and promising development potential in China. Such demands are generated by the growth of Chinese economy. Chinese people's living standard has been gradually improving and their lifestyles have become better with the booming Chinese economy. A certain number of Chinese people have made motorcycles their vehicles of leisure, recreation and sports rather than just transport tools. With such change in the functions of motorcycles, the demands for high-end, leisure and heavy motorcycles have been going up. Chinese motorcycle manufacturers begin to lay more importance on such demands. In addition, the implementation of National III emission standards has given great development space for technological innovation and products R & D of the Chinese motorcycle industry. Chinese motorcycle manufacturers, such as Loncin, CFMOTO, Jialing, and Qianjiang, have put in great efforts in motorcycle design & production. This shows that management policy has the direct guidance for the development of the Chinese motorcycle industry. It also proves that Chinese motorcycle manufacturers have started to pay more attention to the market demands for large and medium

displacement motorcycles, and have put in more money and technologies in this area. In essence, demands for high-end, leisure and heavy motorcycles in China are gradually forming, and developing steadily.

Centralised Management Mode Leads to Lack of Drive for HighEnd Motorcycle Market Although China has the world's largest motorcycle population, most of them are used as economical commuting vehicles. As there are more and more Chinese cities 'ban the usage or limit the use of motorcycles', Chinese motorcycle markets are mostly centralised in rural areas. This can easily lead to the lack of drive for China's high-end motorcycle market. Like other motorcycles, China has the same process for high-end, leisure and heavy motorcycles from their registration, usage management to scrap-page inspection both nationally and locally, and they all comply with the national and local management regulations and rules. The existing motorcycle management regulations and rules distinguish light motorcycles and motorcycles by the engine capacity of 50ml, and treat all motorcycles as transport tools with management measures that are stricter than that of cars. Such 'centralised' management modes have great impact on the Chinese high-end, leisure, heavy motorcycle market. First, the 'ban and limit on the usage of motorcycles' in many Chinese cities has directly affected the registration of high-end, leisure and heavy motorcycles there, and contained the demands for such motorcycles. Meanwhile, in terms of usage and management, there's no distinction between commuting motorcycles and recreational motorcycles. So, such management measures are not upgraded and detailed to go with the change of consumers' demands, and this makes China's high-end, leisure and heavy motorcycle market lack of development drive. Second, 'centralised' management mode directly affects the technological upgrade force of China's high-end, leisure and heavy motorcycle industry, and drags down

118


the overall development level of the Chinese motorcycle industry, and leads to the lack of development momentum.

The decentralised management way may become the new idea for the development of China's high-end motorcycle The High-end motorcycle has super quality and outstanding technological quality, and can spur the restructuring and upgrade of the entire Chinese motorcycle industry. As we all know, it is the most important thing to master the advanced scientific research achievement, the first-class manufacturing technologies, and the effective marketing means in the entire motorcycle industry. So, the solution to the development of the Chinese motorcycle industry lies in the development of the high-end motorcycle, and the development of high-end motorcycle lies in the management mode of traffic management sector to treat highend motorcycles on a differentiated and special basis. We found that the development orientation and living space of the motorcycle industry are largely shaped by the management policies of national and local governments by studying the development and the current management situation of both home and overseas motorcycle industries. European countries have maintained a positive attitude towards motorcycles. Their governments believe in the advantages of motorcycles in reducing traffic jams, tackling pollution and reducing fuel consumption. So, they have greatly advocated the concept of 'putting one more motorcycle on the road instead of one car', and made specific and designated measures for motorcycle safety and emission. This has greatly contributed to the sound development of the motorcycle industry. However, the bans on the use and limit the use of motorcycles in many Chinese cities have severely contained the development of the Chinese motorcycle industry. Motorcycle sports and leisure culture is just emerging, so its responding market is still small. Along with the merging of Chinese economy into the global economy, and the concept of the motorcycle as a commuting vehicle will begin to fade out under the dual pressure of policy and consumption environments. The sports, leisure, recreation and luxury motorcycles will be acknowledged by high-end Chinese consumers along with the entry of overseas high-end motorcycle products to the Chinese market. Adopting the decentralised management way may become the new idea for the development of China's high-end motorcycle industry.


R

eport



Mr. Jiang Xixiang, President of Harley-Davidson China

Number of

Harley-Davidson

Dealers in China to Double —— Interview with Mr. Jiang Xixiang, President of Harley-Davidson (Shanghai)

The 2011 annual symposium of China Automobile Dealers Association was held in Xiamen from November 30th to December 2nd. The Sina Automobile Reporting Team gave a panoramic report of the event via guest interview and micro-blog screen and other ways. SINA interviewed Mr. Jiang Xixiang, President of HarleyDavidson (Shanghai) on the spot; below is the content of the interview:

Sina: Hey, President Jiang, could you give us a brief introduction to Harley-Davidson, and what models are available in China? Mr. Jiang Xixiang: Harley-Davidson is the high-end, leisure and heavy duty motorcycle from America. It's different from the image of a motorcycle in the mind of a Chinese. Even though China is a big motorcycle producing country with a rough motorcycle output of 27 million units in 2010. However, about 90% of Chinese motorcycles are used as commuting vehicles. HarleyDavidson is used as a leisure bike. Harley-Davidson first set up its representative office in China in 2005, and then it established its subsidiary in 2010. There are currently 8 Harley-Davidson dealers in China. We offer 14 models of 5 major portfolios. The 2012 new models would arrive in succession in October and November. So, dealers have already begun selling 2012 new models. Sina: What's the sales performance of Harley-Davidson on the Chinese market over the past 10 months? Is there any major event?

120


Mr. Jiang Xixiang: Harley-Davidson sales had a rapid increase this year. It is a new thing in China as there are only 8 dealers, so our sales are not great in number. That's why you rarely see a Harley-Davidson on the road despite the fact that many colleagues and friends know the fame of Harley. Our sales this year is expected to


R

eport



a Harley-Davidson motorcycle. So, we want to establish this bond between potential clients and Harley-Davidson, and make them want to have a ride on the bike when they hear about Harley-Davidson. We have done a lot in this respect, and organised many test rides nationwide. Sina: I read that Harley-Davidson came to China in 2005. You just mentioned that this year's sales are expected to double that of last year, what is the exact number of the doubled sales? What's the plan for next year's dealer expansion and the estimated number of dealers in the next two years? Mr. Jiang Xixiang: Harley-Davidson never publishes its sales and its future dealer expansion plan in the world. However, Harley-Davidson knows that the China market holds the balance in the Asia-Pacific region, and is satisfied with the growth rate of China’s market over the past few years and Harley-Davidson has been giving long-term attention to the development of China’s market.

double that of last year by the end of this year. Sina: Netizens would like to know the nearest HarleyDavidson sales outlet around them? Will Harley-Davidson sales double in the future as there are only 8 dealers in China? Mr. Jiang Xixiang: Yes, our motorcycle sales will surge, so will the number of dealers. There are currently 8 dealers scattered in Dalian, Qingdao, Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu, Wenzhou, Xiamen and Suzhou of China. Sina: Speaking of sales outlets, is there any plan for Harley-Davidson brand promotion? Mr. Jiang Xixiang: Globally speaking, Harley-Davidson represents personality, passion and success. This is our global orientation for Harley-Davidson, as is same in China. Unlike other luxurious products and consumer goods, Harley-Davidson is the lifestyle of culture, travel and leisure. The biggest brand promotion activity in China will be like that of anywhere in the world, that is, the riding events held for clients.

122


Sina: You just mentioned Harley-Davidson brand, what is the orientation of Harley-Davidson in China? Mr. Jiang Xixiang: Many consumers name HarleyDavidson motorcycles and its augmented products as luxurious products. If luxurious products are taken as unnecessities, then Harley-Davidson is also an un-necessity as it is not a transport tool. Harley-Davidson is imported from America, so Harley-Davidson motorcycles are very expensive in China. Its Chinese consumers are usually those who are mature, economically strong, successful and with a quite unique personality. Sina: Harley-Davidson is an avant-garde brand; do you have any unique view about its internet marketing or micro-blog marketing? Mr. Jiang Xixiang: We organised many events with the intention of letting our clients experience HarleyDavidson motorcycles in person. Many potential clients know that Harley-Davidson is a motorcycle manufacturer, but there's no bond between this particular client with

Sina: What's Harley-Davidson's orientation on a mature Chinese market? When will be the best timing for Harley-Davidson? Mr. Jiang Xixiang: The fact that Harley-Davidson upgraded its China representative office to a wholly-owned subsidiary in July meant that Harley-Davidson had seen the development potential. Harley-Davidson China plays a role of a fast development market in the Harley-Davidson Asia-Pacific sector. There are some matured markets in this sector including Japan and Australia which are two major markets. China is an emerging market with fast development and growth rates. So, our orientation for China’s market is that China is a fast growing emerging market with great potential both in the Asia-Pacific region and also in the world. Sina: Where is the biggest market for Harley-Davidson? Mr. Jiang Xixiang: In North America. The Asia-Pacific region has great potential. Apart from China, India and other Asian countries will also become fast-development markets. Sina: China is a relatively new market for Harley-Davidson. What good experience does Harley-Davidson have in terms of controlling production costs? Mr. Jiang Xixiang: Currently, Harley-Davidson motorcycles on Chinese market are all imported. We haven't thought about manufacturing them in China. Sina: In my understanding and how Harley-Davidson strikes me, HarleyDavidson belongs to the modified vehicle class, is there any restriction for Harley-Davidson motorcycles to register in China? Because China has very strict rules regarding modified vehicles. Mr. Jiang Xixiang: Like what I just said, another major feature of Harley-Davidson motorcycle apart from its unique riding culture is its modification. Each and every Harley-Davidson motorcycle is different


R

eport


Industrial Observation and Shanghai for examples, we are glad to see that heavy duty motorcycles can register at the motor vehicle department, and are all road legal despite the fact that they are banned from some particular regions and at some particular time.

from another, because it's modified by its owner. HarleyDavidson provides a great deal of supplementary parts and spare parts for users to modify their bikes. There are laws in China That stipulate the modification standards for motorcycles, such as the noise of the exhaust pipe, restriction on engine capacity and so on. Most Chinese cities have banned the use or limited the use of motorcycles with varying degrees. Taking Beijing

The Reporter: Is there any promotion for HarleyDavidson motorcycle's modification culture? Mr. Jiang Xixiang: We are pretty concerned about this. Clients have strong requests to modify their motorcycles on some matured Harley-Davidson motorcycle markets. Harley-Davidson dealers have great strength, and their technicians understand Harley-Davidson sufficiently and can design different modification plans for clients right away. Harley-Davidson China needs to improve itself in this respect. We are expecting that the number of HarleyDavidson users will increase dramatically and consumers' understanding for Harley-Davidson will improve, users will explore their own ways of expression to modify their bikes. The technicians at dealerships should also further improve themselves, and design modification plans that

better conform to Chinese culture and better satisfy the needs of Chinese consumers. We are also trying to train our dealers in this respect. Xinhua News Agency: Which gap are you going to make up for? Or which market are you going to occupy? Markets can both refer to customers and regions. Mr. Jiang Xixiang: The first should be the promotion of motorcycle culture. The motorcycle has a history of 25 years in China, during which motorcycle played an important role in people's lives. However, motorcycles have disappeared in some cities due to some policies; people have gradually forgotten motorcycles. Harley-Davidson motorcycles bring a new fashion and prevailing practice to China; riding motorcycles becomes a kind of culture and living style, but not a way of transportation. As to different regions, we will consider, unlike car dealers, the implementation efforts of the ban on the use or the limit on the use of motorcycles, or whether the region has motorcycle riding atmosphere and climate. Similar to global customers, Chinese customers, although some of them have never seen a Harley-Davidson motorcycle, will also generate the desire of expressing individuality in their hearts once they touch Harley-Davidson motorcycles, feel their vibration, see their complete steel frame, and hear their roar. Although Harley-Davidson is an American product and Americans like to show individuality, I believe that Chinese people will also have the impulse to ride Harley-Davidson motorcycle if they get a chance to see the products in our 4S Store. Sina: The Chinese high-end motorcycle market begins to develop in recent years. What's the developing trend of high-end motorcycle markets in China in your opinion? Mr. Jiang Xixiang: I made an investment survey in Hainan a couple of weeks ago as an overseas international

124


company, during which I expressed my thoughts to a local official. The thought, which is very realistic, is that although Chinese high-end motorcycle industry just started to develop, and relative laws and regulations as well as people's understanding are not mature at the moment, I still believe that these will see great changes in the coming three to five years. If any province or any tourism-oriented province make the first move to integrate the issues of laws and regulations and tourism, and can allow people to ride high-end motorcycles like Harley-Davidson to travel, then all heavy duty motorcycle riding events in China and even world class riding events will possibly be held in this province. Harley-Davidson has more than one million members scattered in over 1,300 Branches of Harley-Davidson Owners Association around the world. These branches organise several big events each year; and each dealer in each country holds big events, all of which are guaranteed by clear open spaces and laws and regulations overseas. I hope China or any of its provinces will be a primary base for these events in the near future. For example, overseas big events can be held in Hainan and Yunnan, providing opportunities for overseas owners to experience Chinese regional and ethnic customs.


R Ultimate Builder Bike Show Dallas Results 2011 eport



It took “Big Hubless” owner Stalcup 13 months to create this radical bike in his garage at home. A master plumber by trade, Stalcup had never built a custom motorcycle before but had always wanted to. “Big Hubless” created a stir with its monstrous rear tire and hubless wheel. The back end features a special rear bearing to allow for the hubless rear. Stalcup said the motorcycle pivots left and right at the rear where it links up to the frame just behind the seat. The rear tire had to be put on the bike before it was complete and can’t be removed without tearing the bike apart, so you definitely don’t want to get a flat on this baby. Almost as impressive as his hubless wheel is the fact that Stalcup built his own ground-up custom for around $9500. Stalcup said he has a Honda CBR600 in the works where he’s rebuilding the back end and installing hydraulics. His new build will feature a single-sided swingarm that extends outward along with a front end that does the same. He plans on using the tranny to run a hydraulic pump to power the swingarm extension. The end result will be a naked café race-style bike. Moore’s Freestyle Class-winning motorcycle, on the other hand, is a more conventionally styled cruiser with a low-slung custom chassis, wide-swept bars and a heavily raked front end. The custom frame houses an 80 cubic-inch Harley powerplant fed from dual fuel tanks, which allowed Moore to keep the traditional tank mounted on the backbone extremely

R

ound 2 of the Ultimate Builder Custom Bike Show swept into Dallas as custom motorcycle builders from around the Texas Panhandle and beyond competed for cash, prestige, and an entry into the Sturgis AMD World Championships of Custom Bike Building. A diverse mix of motorcycles had their engineering and fabricating artistry displayed on the floor of the Dallas Convention Center as the customs shared center stage with new motorcycles being introduced by the OEMs at the Dallas IMS.

126


small. “Bad Influence” has its tall front hoop set out at a healthy rake on the end of a Springer fork. The front brakes are wired through the fork tube and the internal wiring on the bars keeps the build very tidy. There’s little visible wiring in the engine area as well, adding to its clean appearance. Three Two Choppers’ “AMFU” edged out Joseph Russell’s “Back in Red & Black” for first place in Hot Bike’s Modified Harley Class. This 1983 Harley FXE is a real brawler with its Shovelhead spooned tightly within a custom frame. The Shovel looks even better being fed

The work at Dallas ran the gamut, from a limited edition GG Quad to Dar Holdsworth’s latest interpretation of the 69 Chopper to super-powered Hayabusas with stretched swingarms. Larry Moore claimed top honors in the FreeStyle Class for his lowslung, ultra-clean 2009 Moore Custom with dual fuel tanks, but Bryan Stalcup’s “Big Hubless” created the most buzz amongst the crowd and snuck away with the “People’s Choice” award.


R

eport


Industrial Observation heavily modified the engine, swapping out its pistons, cams, and doing extensive head work. Kahanek and crew cut the back off the frame to create their own hand-built tail section with a cowling and to mount their own mono shock swingarm. They found a 1960 Benelli tank on e-Bay after drawing up a picture of the style of tank they wanted for the build. It has a GSX-R front end and looks like it’d be a blast to rip around on. Rick Fairless, a talented custom builder in his own right who also owns the popular biker hangout, Strokers Dallas, was one of the celebrity custom bike builders featured at the Dallas show. “The Ultimate Builder show is a really cool deal and Bob Kay who is a friend of mine, runs it and asked me if I wanted to be a featured builder where I could put a couple of bikes of mine in the show. I don’t enter my bikes into bike competitions but I’m happy to have some displayed here," said Fairless.

a modified swingarm. “Bad Influence” was built by the Coen Brothers, Jimmie and JC (not to be mistaken for Ethan and Joel). Arynn Akins improved his chances of winning the Performance Custom Class in Dallas by bringing both a customized 2009 Suzuki Hayabusa built by Syndicate Custom Sportbikes and a 2008 Yamaha YZF-R1 he built himself. The move paid off as his custom ‘Busa won took home top honors in the Performance Custom Class. “Midnight” is an appropriate name for this jet black bike with just enough shiny chrome tidbits to make it classy without being over-the-top. Akins had the rear end stretched-out with a custom extended swingarm so he could mount a fat rear tire on its backside. Its billet custom wheels are real attention-grabbers and light up at night. Grip Ace Digital Switches clean up the bars while custom hand and foot controls add to its appeal. by what looks like a Dennis Goodson air cleaner. Minimal and cool, Three Two gave it old school credentials by swapping out the battery for a Morris Magneto and by converting it to a kick start. The Narrow Glide front end sits in tight to the frame and its bars are situated like clip-ons. The rear section features a drop seat with an internal seat spring and

128


“One bike out there is a ‘65 Panhead chopper that I did years ago and it’s one of my favorite bikes that I have ever created," continued Fairless. "The other bike is a 1969 Triumph chopper with a coffin gas tank that we built several years ago and it came out really nice. Those are just two really beautiful bikes that belong to me and I have a lot of bikes but those are two of my favorites. You can see all my bikes that I own on display over at the Strokers Dallas store anytime." Winners took home cash prizes and get automatic invites to the last Ultimate Builder Custom Bike Show. Held during Bike Week in Daytona Beach. the finale pits the winners of each round against one other. Bike Week will also be the time when Motorcycle USA announces the winner of its customized 2011 Honda Fury, so mark your calendars for March 8-19 and join us on the white sandy beaches of Daytona!

Look hard and you’ll see the 1979 Iron Head Sportster at the heart of the winner of the Retro Mod Class, a bike called “Number 79.” The ‘79 Iron Head has been taken by owner Pat Kahanek and bike shop Primer Inc. Customs and converted into a cool café racer. It has a stock motor and frame, but they


R Road Testing eport

Road Testing

A

s early as in 1980s, the crossover dual-sport motorcycles became popular in Japan. Four major Chinese motorcycle manufacturers seized this sustainable business opportunity perceptively when the Chinese motorcycle market experienced the transition from transport motorcycle demand to recreational motorcycle demand, and launched their crossover dual-sport motorcycles in succession. The crossover dualsport motorcycle represented by Honda NX250 which has a great deal of fans in Japan, Hong Kong and some European and American countries, and the price for a second hand Honda NX250 once hit RMB 20,000. Their novel design, high efficiency power performance, comfortable riding experience and easy maneuverability are features that capture motorcycle fans' hearts. What's pitiful is that Chinese motorcycle manufacturers have been competing against one another in the cost performance of their products, and only a few crossover motorcycle models are released on the Chinese market by them. Today we are going to test-ride a crossover motorcycle, the Shineray XY200GY-9. Chongqing Shineray Motorcycle Company is an uprising star in the Chinese motorcycle industry. Shineray is outstanding in the R & D of dirt bikes. Apart from sending its Shineray International Cross Country Motorcycle Team to attend international sports events, it has also held many motorcycle cross country events in China. We can see Shineray's enthusiasm for motorcycle sports from this. Shineray motorcycles stand the tests of these sports events, and the experience it gained through sports events also helped Shineray improve the quality of its other motorcycle products. Shineray's X2 and X3 dirt bikes win wide public praise.

Test Riding the

XY200GY-9 130

Road Testing

By Gorden of CHINAMOTOR

The Shineray XY200GY-9 still inherits the sports features of Shineray's X models. Its covered petrol tank looks hale and strong. Its black, white and red combination colours and its dynamic pattern are elements that make it fashionable. It adopts the steel tube cradle frame which is proved to be excellent in the Shineray X models. Its 13L capacity petrol tank ensures the fuel supply for long-distance travel. Its net weight of 117kg (excluding fuel) is not heavy for a starter rider to handle. Long committed in the R & D of sports motorcycles, Shineray has its own advantages in designing seats and setting ergonomic specifications. Its seat, footwww.chinamotorworld.com 131

R Road Testing eport

Road Testing

XY200GY-9 rest and handlebar are designed perfectly. These features are very important for long-distance riding. Shineray XY200GY-9 adopts different engines. The bike we are test-riding today adopts a CG200 engine. The advantage of CG engine is its simple design. Its technologies are very mature and reliable as it's been used on Chinese motorcycles for many years. The CG engine responds promptly as soon as it's turned on. Twist the throttle hard twice and large noise can be heard from its exhaust pipe, indicating that the bike will dash off soon. Its first gear is very effective; a fast release of clutch can make its front wheel go up in the air. It has super great torque at low speeds section. Some people always think that it is natural for CG engine to have better torque at low speeds than that of YB or GS engines of the same capacity. However, the excellent torque

132

Road Testing

of CG engine also comes from its superb gear ratio and engine adjustment. Put it into third gear, and the engine seems at ease, and the smooth noise from its exhaust pipe indicates that it has even stronger power output. After a few rounds of tests, the average maximum speed of Shineray XY200GY-9 was about 95km/h, not bad for a crossover motorcycle. The engine noise of CG engine was not as bad as I had expected. A dirt bike should have loud noise to prove its power performance and form its personality. The riding comfortableness is crucial for a crossover motorcycle. As the saying goes you can't have your cake and eat it too. Its excellent-performing suspension system on flat road may not be as efficiency on dirt road. So, another important thing during the test-riding is to test its front and rear shock absorbing systems. Shineray XY200GY-9 adopts the hydraulic spring combined shock absorbers. Such shock

absorber combination proved perfect in the test-riding. Its front shock absorbers delivered outstanding shock absorbing performance when travelling over rocky and bumpy road. Its front absorbers reacted conservatively to a few slopes. Its rear shock absorbers showed good performance on flat road and maintained moderate balance for the bike, and displayed stable manipulation on straight and curve roads. After the entire test-riding, the test-rider had no obvious numb and limp feelings. A slight adjustment made to the hardness of its seat will effectively improve its comfortableness for long distance riding. In terms of its braking performance, Shineray XY200GY-9's front wheel uses the single disc (265mm in diameter) brake, and its rear wheel has two options: the drum brake or single disc brake. The motorcycle we are test-riding today has front disc brake and rear drum brake. Its braking performance is sensitive and effective at medium and low speeds. When its

speed reaches over 70km/h, its rear wheel skids slightly. But the braking performance is improved significantly with the harder application of its front disc brake. No such condition will happen for a motorcycle with front and rear disc brakes. In all, Shineray XY200GY-9 deserves the name of crossover dual-sport motorcycle. Features like steady engine performance, comfortable riding experience, easy maneuverability, right ground clearance and proper center of gravity, 2.9L/100km economical fuel consumption rate make it an excellent crossover motorcycle. Comparing with the classic crossover motorcycle Honda NX250, Shineray XY200GY-9 can meet rider's needs for commuting and transportation functions. It is more of a sports motorcycle, and is better to be used as a one-man-riding motorcycle. It's more suitable for a starter rider as his transport, and also a dirt bike at the same time.


Motorcycle

Culture & Racing

Chinese Rider Competes Against World's Top Riders

China Jincheng Motorcycle Team Heads for the 34th Dakar Rally A ceremony with the theme of 'Jincheng integrates in the world as a new power' marking the official departure of the China Jincheng Motorcycle Racing Team to the 34th Dakar Rally was grandly held in Nanjing of Jiangsu on December 18th,2011 Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AICC) Jincheng Group announced that China Jincheng Motorcycle Racing Team will continue to compete in the Dakar Rally 2012 as China's only motorcycle team. Its two riders are Mr. Wei Guanghui, who comes from Jiangsu Province, and had attended two Dakar Rallies (31st and 32nd) on behalf of Jincheng Team and successfully completed one rally, and the Argentine rider Mr. PASCUAL PABLO OSCAR, who

attended the 33rd Dakar Rally on behalf of Jincheng Team and established the best record for the Chinese team. Founded in 1949, Jincheng has been taking 'serving the country with aviation, strengthening military and prospering people' as its tasks during its 60 years' development, and had made outstanding achievements for China's national defense cause and economic construction. It has developed into a giant business conglomerate incorporating five major industries including the aviation electro-mechanical hydraulic industry, the light-duty power industry, the vehicle industry, the international business industry, and

Motorcycle Culture & Racing the production & service industry. It is a national high and new tech enterprise, the national 863 plan CIMS project application & model enterprise, and the national 'contract abiding & trustworthy enterprise'. Jincheng's motorcycle products enjoy exemption from export inspection, and Jincheng motorcycle is listed as a famous brand export commodity receiving key support and development" by Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation. 'Jincheng' is a 'China Famous Trademark', and is one of the most popular motorcycle brands in China. As a national enterprise, Jincheng Group is heading for the world, and actively engaging in global competition and cooperation, and striving to achieve the strategic upgrade from 'Jincheng of China' to 'Jincheng of the World', and making itself a first-class motorcycle manufacturer in China and a well-known international conglomerate. Entrusted by the State General Administration of Sports Car and Motorcycle Sports Management Center (SGASCMSM), and China Motorcycle Sports Association (CMSA), Mr. Hua Hongxing, member of the Jiangsu Provincial People's Congress Standing Committee and deputy director of educational, scientific and cultural committee announced on the ceremony that Jincheng has participated in the Dakar Rally for four consecutive times as China's only motorcycle racing team. Chinese motorcycle racing team and its members are not afraid of their strong rivals, and have the courage to fight against them. They compete against world's top riders at the rally. This doesn't only help shape Chinese riders' volitional quality greatly, but also helps improve their skills. Meanwhile, the fact that Jincheng racing bikes compete against some of the world's famous motorcycles including KTM, Yamaha, BMW, and Honda

motorcycles shows the strength and ambition of a Chinese self-owned motorcycle manufacturer, and fully proves Jincheng motorcycle's quality, and sufficiently reveals Jincheng's strength. Mr. Hua Hongxing expressed that Jincheng Group had put in a great deal of manpower, efforts and fund to organise racing teams for the Dakar Rally over the fast years. This has sufficiently shown Jincheng Group's great strength and brilliant perspective. Jincheng Group has established a benchmark for the development of China's car and motorcycle sports and Chinese motorcycle manufacturers by attending international motorcycle sports events. He wishes that Jincheng Motorcycle Racing Team and its riders do a good preparation job, and continue to carry forward the 'Dakar Jincheng' spirit of 'tackling all difficulties and perfecting teamwork, realising wonderful dreams and challenging life's extremes,' and achieve good results again. The President of AICC Jincheng Group Mr. Jiao Yusong hopes that Jincheng Team can greatly promote the 'Dakar Jincheng' spirit, and fight against strong rivals on the international racing tracks, and combat challenges and fully demonstrate their skills, and establish new records again for Chinese motorcycle sports and China's national manufacturing industry. AICC Jincheng Group Secretary of the Communist Party Committee Mr. Li Xiaoyi expressed his heartfelt thanks to the leaders of SGASCMSM and CMSA, and friends in the news industry and all those involved for their long-term

134

Motorcycle Culture & Racing


Motorcycle

Culture & Racing

support and care given to Jincheng Group. He looked back to Jincheng Team's four adventures in the Dakar Rally, and expressed his gratitude to all riders and supporting team members of Jincheng Motorcycle Racing Team. He hopes Jincheng Motorcycle Racing Team will greatly uphold the 'Dakar Jincheng' spirit, and popularize Jincheng brand on the international racing tracks, and establish the pleasant corporate image for Jincheng Group. Meanwhile, the 'Dakar Jincheng Spirit' should also be taken as Jincheng's internal corporate spirit and culture, and encourage Jincheng Group's staff to overcome difficulties and face all challenges during the enterprise's reform and development progress. It's learned that two riders of Jincheng Motorcycle Racing Team successfully completed two rallies of three events that Jincheng Team once participated, excluding the 30th Dakar Rally which was cancelled due to a terrorist attack. Jincheng riders established some historic records on the Dakar Rally for China. Jincheng Group managed to train five Dakar Rally riders through these races. The participation in the Dakar Rally also helped the technological improvement and R & D skill advance of Jincheng racing bikes. In order to adapt to the harsh racing environment of Dakar Rally, Jincheng greatly improves the engine performance of Jincheng racing bikes and enhances the long-term high-temperature endurance of their piston rings. Jincheng also improves the dust and sand

136


proof functions of the racing bikes' shock absorbers. GPS and emergency alarm system are installed on Jincheng racing bikes to guarantee riders' and the vehicle's safety. Jincheng also expands the petrol tank capacity of Jincheng racing bikes and installs three petrol tanks on each racing bike in order to ensure their long-distance capacity. In addition, there are cold weather gears and emergency water tanks installed on Jincheng racing bikes. Since the 33rd Dakar Rally, Jincheng Motorcycle Racing Team has employed Argentina's outstanding rider Mr. PASCUAL PABLO OSCAR. This doesn't only strengthen Jincheng's international image, but also effectively forms an emotional bond between Jincheng Group and South American people, expands Jincheng motorcycle's popularity and influence on South American markets, and boosts Jincheng motorcycle's sales on these markets. Jincheng Group's related responsible person told the reporter that Jincheng Motorcycle Racing Team is well prepared and all set to go for the upcoming Dakar Rally. Apart from modifying the Jincheng racing bikes, Jincheng Group also forms a big and strong technical and backup team to cater to the needs of its two riders. Mr. Wei Guanghui and Mr. PASCUAL PABLO OSCAR made good preparations for the upcoming rally in terms of understanding the route, physical training and desert adaptability training. Apart from the daily physical trainings like running with sandbags, and riding bicycles, Mr. Wei Guanghui specially went to Badan Jara Desert of Inner Mongolia in Mid-November for a half-month rally simulation training. During the training process, he specially carried out intensive trainings for the things he's not good at, and he concluded his disadvantage through his Dakar Rally experience. Meanwhile, he carried out rehearsals and practices in turn for the road conditions and possible problems that will likely occur during the approaching Dakar

Motorcycle Culture & Racing Rally. The Argentine rider Mr. PASCUAL PABLO OSCAR gives great attention to his physical exercise in daily life, and he still kept to physical exercises including swimming and running during the Chongqing News Conference in October for Jincheng Motorcycle Racing Team's participation in the 34th Dakar Rally. In order to further adapt to the upcoming Dakar Rally's complex racing route, Mr. PASCUAL PABLO OSCAR actively wore Jincheng's racing robe and participated in the over-7,000km-long motorcycle rally along the Andes Mountain held by Argentina, and he came third.

Rally will be held in Argentina, Chili and Peru from January 1st to 15th of 2012. The racing route will expand from the Atlantic coast through South America to the Pacific coast. Apart from the racing sections in Argentina and Chili which are used in the previous three rallies, four special racing sections in Peru will be added to the Dakar Rally 2012. The 9,000km-long racing route will start from Mar Del Plata of Argentina and extend to Lima of Peru. The racing route will be full of twists and turns. The winding and turning 'straight road' will give Dakar Rally 2012 a sense of 'long expedition'.

According to the official file of Dakar Rally, the 34th Dakar

A Brief Review of

Jincheng in Previous Dakar Rallies

Jincheng Group has successfully attended the Dakar Rally for three times. Jincheng's riders couldn't make the Dakar Rally 2008 as it's cancelled due to the abrupt terrorist attack in Africa. Jincheng participated in the Dakar Rally 2009 in the name of 'Jincheng New Power Team'. Jincheng's riders Mr. Wei Guanghui and Mr. Chen Jianguo presented the Dakar rally route as the first Chinese riders. However, they left the racing track regrettably in succession after only finishing the second and sixth sections due to reasons such as lacking of rally experience. Jincheng Group sent its 'Jincheng Motorcycle Racing Team' for the Dakar Rally 2010. Jincheng Group did a sufficient preparation after learning its lessons in Dakar Rally 2009, and selected riders with great efforts nationwide and

established a great technical and backup team to cater to the needs of the two riders. Jincheng's riders Mr. Su Wenmin and Mr. Wei Guanghui successfully completed the rally ranking 75th and 82nd after struggling and trundling through 14 racing sections. Jincheng Motorcycle Racing Team became the first Chinese motorcycle racing team that successfully completed the entire rally. Jincheng Team broke its duck for Chinese riders in Dakar rally, and made the Chinese red flag flying at the finishing line. Mr. Su Wenmin and Mr. Han Baohua attended the Dakar Rally 2011 representing China Jincheng Motorcycle Racing Team. Mr. Su Wenmin, who comes from Yunnan Province and attended Dakar Rally for the second time, successfully completed the rally ranking 69th, establishing the best achievement for Chinese riders at Dakar Rally. Mr. Han Baohua had to leave the rally pitifully at section eight for fuel shortage.


Motorcycle

Culture & Racing

HI DAKAR I’M FROM CHINA, I’M WEI GUANGHUI

Background: Mr. Wei Guanghui

was born in Nanjing in 1978, the city is well known as the capital city of 6 dynasties in China’s history. Wei is pretty much a star in China’s motorcycle sport, who will attend the upcoming Dakar Motorcycle Rally 2012 on behalf of China Jincheng Motorcycle Team, Bike No.94. Wei has ridden quite a few times in the races both in China and abroad, hereby is a brief review: Group 3rd in the Asia Pacific Championship 2001; rode up to 7028m of Mount Qomolangma in 2002 and 2003; 100-hour Motorcycle Enduro 2003, Wei set a Guinness World Record by 10000km; 2008 witnessed his first time attending Dakar, the same year, he ranked 2nd of 250cc Team in China Auto and motorcycle Rally around Taklimakan Desert; Wei attended Dakar 2009 representing Jincheng Motorcycle Team, finished 6 stages; attended Dakar 2010 again representing Jincheng, successfully finished the whole course and ranked 82nd; 2012 will witness his third time to challenge Dakar on behalf of Jincheng, and Wei is also the only Chinese motorcycle rider this time. CHINAMOTOR hereby would like to present our best wishes to him and also want to tell him:”Hey bro, Bon Voyage!” 138


By Zoe of CHINAMOTOR CHINAMOTOR: Why did you choose rider as your occupation? Is it solely out of loving riding bikes or any other reasons? Wei Guanghui: In fact, I love the feeling when I am in the racing course, and I am looking for achieving breakthroughs every day, it is not easy to give you a very detailed description what the feel is like, I am not that much a talking person, anyway, it makes me feel extremely fulfilled every time when I made even a tiny new step. Besides this, I love bikes and I spare quite some time to study and rebuild bikes whenever I have nothing urgent at hand. CM: In China, Motorcycle Rider, as an occupation, has not enjoyed that much popularity as it does in other countries, have you ever suffered from the pressure from the outside, say, from family? Wei: Actually, they have been always very supportive to me, they are very

Motorcycle Culture & Racing alike me, also love bikes, especially my son, I think he will also choose rider as his future cause, at least, riding will be his biggest hobby. CM: What role does motorcycle play in your life? Wei: Motorbike is my loyal friend and everyday companies me. I ride bikes almost every single day except the rainy days. I ride it to practice, to commute, to travel, to meet friend, and it brings me everywhere, I only drive car in the rainy days. CM: Can you please tell us how you started the Dakar Rally? There are quite a huge number of Dakar fans out there abroad, but it is much less known in China, why did you decide to attend it? Wei: It was back in 2004 when I saw the Live Broadcast of Dakar on TV, I remember I was thinking that it must be a great thing if I could make it to the rally myself. Then I started to ask around how to apply for the event. After several months’ effort of our team, we found a sponsor in Guangdong. After that, we tried to contact with the Dakar organizer and Chinese Motorcycle Association, and they gave us a lot help in this regard. I hereby also would like to say thanks to the Chinese Agent of Dakar Rally, they are really really helpful. CM: As the most risky motorcycle rally, what is Dakar’s biggest challenge? Which one is the most challenging stage and how to deal with it? Wei: It is hard to tell you which stage is the most challenging, I can only tell you that every single day during Dakar is a completely new day, you will meet various challenges from different aspects, sometimes I have to ride on plateau, where oxygen is less than the lower place, both bikes and riders will have trouble, you need to make a lot daily practice to get used to this. Riders will spend long time riding in the desert, where it is quite cold in the morning, but the sand temperature will reach up to 60 Celsius Degree at noon, the desert is one of the biggest challenges for many riders. You can not ride fast due to the soft sand and it is just too hot. The key of successfully getting through the difficult stages is to familiarize yourself with the course and make the right choice while choosing the routine.

Wei Guanghui and his son are training on the dirt road

CM: Did the team make any special preparations for the new Peru stage? What are the major training programs before the Dakar?

Wei: Desert covers a great part of Peru stage, we spent some practicing in Badain Jaran Desert in Inner Mongolia, and I also made some special practice accordingly, including the small muscle group training, strength training, jogging and cycling, just name a few here. CM: Dakar is considered as an event solely belonging to men, but there are still some female riders, and some of them are doing really great and ranked at the front, do they have any special advantage comparing to male riders? Wei: Yes, some of them are really great riders and most of them are from European countries and we have a certain distance comparing to them, such as the rejuvenating program, daily training, bikes, logistics, riding skill and experience. CM: Which one do you think is the deciding factor at Dakar, the bike’s performance or the rider’s skill? Wei: Both, actually they are just like two sides of a coin, cannot segregate from each other. It is quite impossible for a great rider to get good score on a shitty bike at a race like Dakar. If the bike is excellent and the rider is a bit disqualified, he is also unable to win, for example, it is quite easy to get lost in the immense desert. CM: What is your biggest gain in the before Dakar events? Wei: I think it should be experience, I have already get used to the road condition, the climate, have learnt how to make special preparations for different conditions, how to read road map correctly, how to deal with the urgencies, etc.


Motorcycle

Culture & Racing

CM: You have attended Dakar 3 times representing Jincheng Motorcycle Team, 2012 will be your 4th time, can you please tell us something about the co-operation with Jincheng? Wei: The logistics support of Jincheng Team is becoming better and better along years, it will be even better if we can make the according practice earlier and use the same Dakar bike to do the everyday practice. On the other side, we are also seeking for more supporting fund for better service and guarantee. CM: According to your opinion, where exists the gap between us and the top-class teams? Wei: To be honest, there exists a big gap, such as the physic strength, bike’s performance, logistics support, rider’s skill and experience. But, we are catching up fast, you can see that we are making progress each year. CM: How do you think of the significance of Dakar to the image of Jincheng motorcycle? Wei: Being able to participating in the event itself is already a strong proof of the quality, no other Chinese motorcycle companies make the step yet. Dakar is also a great occasion to increase the global brand awareness of Jincheng.

140


Motorcycle Culture & Racing Jincheng Motorcycle Team Rider Mr. Wei Guanghui drew the attention of both domestic and abroad media, and CHINAMOTOR also met and talked to his loyal fans and supporters at Jincheng Dakar Launching Press Conference. They are a group of young people cherishing strong passion for motorcycles. They initiated special columns for Dakar and Wei Guanghui in well known socializing website in China, and made their own efforts to spread the motorcycle culture, tell people their passion and expectation for motorcycles in China, this huge relatively sterile land of motorcycle culture. They are the image of the people who will draw the fabulous picture for China’s motorcycle culture in the upcoming future.

Interview of GM of JINCHENG GROUP IMP. & EXP. CO., LTD. After the Dakar Launching Press Conference, CHINAMOTOR made a brief interview of Mr. Sun Shuping, General Manager of JINCHENG GROUP IMP. & EXP. CO., LTD., we talked about several hot topics in its overseas market.

CHINAMOTOR: I heard that the Nigerian market share of Jincheng has met some grave challenges. Nigeria’s motorcycle market is at the transferring stage from 2-stroke to 4-stroke, which means that the market will turn to some more environment-friendly products. I think this will bring certain impact to the AX100 models of Jincheng considering its enormous market share in this area, how will Jincheng deal with this transition? Mr. Sun Shuping: Yes, you are right about the overseas market shock suffered by Jincheng, we are meeting some challenges in certain markets, but our gross export volume still increased by 20% from January to October. About the transition from 2-stroke to 4-stroke, this is actually the competition result of different interest groups. GAZATTE is the motorcycle association under the Environment Ministry of Nigeria, and most of its motorcycle company members don’t have 2-stroke models. These members convince the officials of the association to talk to the government and exaggerate the pollution of 2-stroke bikes. To some extent, these people demonized the 2-stroke bikes. Actually the sales of 2-stroke bikes are quite stable in some rich countries such as Saudi Arabia. Nigerian authority did not yet issue such a document banning these bikes, only GAZATTE released a notice to its members and the customs also hasn’t received the relevant documents yet. Because Jincheng’s market share is big in the local market, we have to be very cautious to any potential regulation amendments, we can not afford the price caused by our negligence. Jincheng has developed 4 models to replace the old ones, and they will be put into mass production very soon. We still have firm faith in Nigerian motorcycle market.

CM: Do the Indian brands bring challenges to Jincheng’s Nigerian market share? Sun: It is true that the Indian motorcycle technology has been very mature, and they make very durable bikes, and most of the bikes are affordable for the local consumers. Their development in African market has been pretty fast in the past few years. Bajaj is the best Indian brand, it really brings some challenges to our market share in Nigeria. We need to be very careful to deal with these new competitors. CM: How is Jincheng’s market performance in South America? Are you planning to explore some new markets? Sun: Our southern market is very good, Jincheng has established joint-venture plants in Argentina and Columbia years ago, and the sales are increasing steadily. However, there is a serious problem we have to deal with great patience and caution, that is many people choose to purchase anything by credit, and this is quite normal in some Southern American markets, it requires the companies of high anti-risk capacity. The credit will easily become dead debt if one company is unable to put these risks under certain control. CM: Will Jincheng expand its product spectrum such as enter the high-end bike market? Sun: We have built co-operation with Piaggio, we are producing two scooters from them, one is 125cc and the other is 250cc, both were sold in Europe @ EURO 4000-5000. As to the heavy bikes, we don’t plan to touch the field yet.


Motorcycle

Culture & Racing

2011 China National Motorcycle Cross Country Championship

Wuyi Round Completed —Sponsored by XMOTOS

Motorcycle Culture & Racing this year. The presence of 6 world's top stunt dirt bike riders presented for a wonderful visual feast audiences. The surprise also came from that almost 50 riders gathered with world's top class motorcycles like Harley-Davidson and BMW from local and surrounding areas to cheer for the race before the final was held in the morning of October 23. It is apparent that Wuyi's four years' successful hosting of the National Motorcycle Cross Country Championship has deeply influenced the motorcycle users and fans in its surrounding areas. It has also proven that the Motorcycle Cross Country Championship itself is pretty successful while it is appealing enough to attract the participation of motorcycle fans. The National Motorcycle Cross Country Championship Wuyi Round Second Final officially began at 9:10 am October 23. As usual, the China-made 110cc group was the first to begin. Two junior riders of Yunnan Giant Real Estate Motorcycle Team Mr. Bao Tao and Mr. Liang Hanlin dashed out and held the lead as soon as the race began. Mr. Peng Yongming from Nanhai Motorcycle Association Team followed them closely behind. Along with the proceeding of the race, Mr. Bao Tao's gradually secured its leading position. Mr. Peng Yongming couldn't overtake Mr. Liang Hanlin who was in the second position after a few attempts of overtaking. Finally, Mr. Bao Tao first crossed the finishing line with a speed 16 seconds faster than the runner

T

he 2011 China National Motorcycle Cross Country Championship Wuyi Round & International Invitation Tournament Second Final were held in Wuyi in the morning of October 23. It's the fourth year for Wuyi to hold the National Motorcycle Cross Country Championship. In the past four years, Wuyi steadily improved the event standard and its influence on its surrounding areas, and turned Wuyi into a ecological city featuring fashionable life style with its rich hot spring resources. “Bathing in the hot spring, and watching the motorcycle race” have become an attractive image of Wuyi. While maintaining the usual high-end racing event standards, Wuyi also made a sufficient preparation in creating the racing atmosphere 142



Motorcycle

Culture & Racing

up and won the crown of the homemade 110cc group second final. His teammate Mr. Liang Hanlin came second and Mr. Peng Yongpeng came third. Adding up the results of two races, the top 3 individuals in the Wuyi Round China-made 110cc group race were Mr. Bao Tao, Mr. Peng Yongming, and Mr. We Ke from Leike Jingling Team. The group champion was taken by Mr. Peng Yongming's team. In the following 250cc group race, a situation of three rivals in confrontation showed up after the start as Mr. Li Yong and Mr. Dong Fei from Zhejiang XMOTOS Team, and Mr. Zhang Jixing from Chongqing Yu'an XGJAO were jammed together. The three of them delivered a splendid fighting show. Half way through the race, Mr. Zhang Jixing bumped into Mr. Li Yong while trying to overtake him, and both of them fell. Mr. Dong Fei took the gold opportunity and secured its leading position. After that, Mr. Zhang Jixing and Mr. Li Yong continued to tangle together, and Mr. Zhang Jixing was later on involved in a traffic collision, so he didn't surpass Mr. Li Yong, but was overtaken by his teammate Mr. Su Jian. At last, Mr. Dong Fei, Mr. Li Yong and Mr. Su Jian won the top three positions of the homemade 250cc group race. In terms of the total results at Wuyi Round, Mr. Dong Fei and his Zhejiang XMOTOS Team won the individual


champion and the group champion of the homemade 250cc group race. Followed by them was the professional 85cc A+B group race. The race began, and Mr. Gao Songyao and Mr. Yang Jiadong from Yunnan Giant Real Estate Motorcycle Team did their best to maintain their leading positions with their teamwork advantage. Mr. Pu Yang from the Moto Star Team did not get much chance to overtake them. There was once

a time Mr. Pu Yang managed to overtake Mr. Yang Jiadong and gained the second position, but he was too hasty to make many mistakes. Finally, Mr. Gao Songyao and Mr. Yang Jiadong crossed the finishing line as top 2 winners, and Mr. Pu Yang had to accept the fact of being number three. The champion of B group was won by Mr. Yan Weiqiang from Zhejiang

144


BSE Team. Mr. Gao Songyao and Mr. Su Shu from Zhejiang BSE Team took the individual champions of the professional 85cc A group and B group races. Yunnan Giant Real Estate Team and Zhejiang BSE Team were the group champions of the professional 85cc A group and B group races.

was proved to be much better than that of the Chinese. VanlentinTeillet from France and Ross Beaton from Belgium had been in the lead from the beginning and they were quite relaxed in the competition. The competition of Chinese riders was mostly among Mr. Xu Jianhao and Mr. Yang Jie from Yunnan Giant Real Estate Team and Mr. Peng Tianwei from Shunde Beijiao Team. At last, the French rider VanlentinTeillet crossed the finishing line with a great advantage, and won the champion of the Wuyi International Invitation Tournament, and Mr. Xu Jianhao also took the crown. In accordance to the total results of the two races, Mr. Xu Jianhao won the individual champion of the professional 125cc group race, and his team Yunnan Giant Real Estate Team won the group champion.

The last race was the expected professional 125cc group race. The participation of cross country expert riders from France, Belgium, Australia and New Zealand greatly improved the levels and the intensity of the race. Not long after the beginning, the strength of foreign expert riders

After Wuyi, the National Motorcycle Cross Country Championship will go to its third round, the Xixiang of Shanxi Round from October 28 to 30. The cross country motorcycle competition will be passionately held at the beautiful hometown of tea. www.chinamotorworld.com 145

Chinese Enterprise

Chinese Enterprise

Jinan Qingqi

-One of the Oldest Motorcycle Brands in China

T

he Jinan Qingqi Motorcycle Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as Jinan Qingqi), with total assets of more than 1.4 billion RMB, was established on November 25 1993. It is a state-owned large-scale listed company of the China South Industries Group Corporation and is a motorcycle production enterprise in the Bulletin of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology of the People's Republic of China. The Company, which is mainly

146

Chinese Enterprise

focused on the production of motorcycles, motorcycle engines, parts, general machines and die casts, has complete product R& D and design and professional manufacturing capacity, and it also owns the production capacity of aluminum die-casting and frames, the R & D and production capacities of engines and motorcycles. As the birthplace of China's first civilian motorcycle, Jinan Qingqi began to produce "Qingqi" brand motorcycle

in 1964, which is one of the oldest motorcycle brands in China. In 1985, Jinan Qingqi introduced Japanese Suzuki technology and produced China's first scooter, so Qingqi is the cradle of scooters in China and always leads the development of Chinese scooters. In 1999, "Qingqi" was named into the first batch of "Chinese Famous Trademarks" in Chinese motorcycle industry; in 2006, Jinan Qingqi cooperated with France Peugeot and set up a joint venture company, becoming the only motorcycle company in China which owns both Japanese and French advanced technologies. By the end of 2008, "Qingqi" brand motorcycles had 12 million units produced and sold, becoming one of the major motorcycle and engine suppliers in the world. The Company has advanced motorcycle and engine assembly lines, quality testing line, machining line, paint production line, stamping and welding production line and low-high die-casting production line and the first-class sets of machining equipment in Asia, with its hardware strength staying ahead in the industry. Now, Jinan Qingqi has formed an annual production capacity of 800,000 motorcycles and 1 million engines.

Jinan Qingqi has a national enterprise technical centre and a joint-venture design company, and has strong independent R & D ability in engine power, complete vehicle manufacture and power products. Since 2002, Jinan Qingqi has successively launched 13 products with independent intellectual property rights and 59 products which have won international certifications including European EC and American DOT/EPA; it is one of the motorcycle manufacturers in China that most products have independent intellectual property rights and export certifications. Jinan Qingqi attaches importance to international market development and international technological project cooperation, and its export to European and American markets is in the front rank in Chinese motorcycle industry. With the supports of its parent company—the China South Industrial Group Corporation and Shandong Provincial Government and Jinan Municipal Government, Jinan Qingqi formally started the relocation project in 2009, which is a major opportunity for Jinan Qingqi to achieve great-leapforward development. Through relocation, Jinan Qingqi will form a modernised motorcycle manufacturing enterprise with advanced technology, rational layout, beautiful working environment, high level of informationisation. By then, the annual output will reach 1 million units; the hardware and management level will be comprehensively enhanced; the development power will be strengthened and the market competitiveness will be promoted. Jinan Qingqi will take a firm step towards the goal of becoming the world first-class motorcycle manufacturer, and it is confident of providing users with more satisfactory products and service! www.chinamotorworld.com 147

Chinese Enterprise

Chinese Enterprise industry whose motorcycle patent products are most practical, best known and best selling. The Yingang Group has been adopting the concept of 'letting consumers enjoy the pleasure and value repay'. It supported a dozen enterprises which have over RMB 100 million assets each and thousands of enterprises which have over 10 million assets each, and helped millions of consumers prosper, and created a great fortune and invisible value for the society. Yingang Group has won many titles and awards including 'the 8th China Patent New Technology New Product Exposition Gold Award', 'the Best Programme in the China 15-Year Achievements Patent Exhibition', 'Top 50 of the Chongqing Industrial Enterprises', 'Chongqing Municipal Level Enterprise Technology Centre', 'Chongqing New & High Tech Enterprise', 'Chongqing Famous Trademark', and 'Top 10 Exporters in Beibei District of Chongqing'. Yingang has successfully gained the verifications of 'China CCC Compulsory Verification', 'China PhaseIII Environmental Protection Products Certification', 'ISO9001:2008 Quality System Verification', 'ISO14000:2004 Environmental Management System Certification', 'Euro E-MARK Verification', 'American EPA Verification', and 'Chongqing New & High Tech Product Certification' and so on.

In the future, the Yingang Group is looking to fulfill its mission of 'assisting the society for prosperity, creating & enjoying a brand new life, revitalising national brands'. Yingang hopes to create more value repay for those staff and consumers who trust and give support to Yingang, and them to enjoy the passion and pleasure brought by Yingang Motorcycles, and make our nation proud of Yingang Group for becoming a worldwide enterprise.

Yingang Motorcycle a Benchmark for Independent Brand Innovation in the Chinese Motorcycle Industry

E

stablished in 1990 with total assets of RMB 1 billion and an area of over 500 acres, the Chongqing Yingang Science & Technology (Group) Co., Ltd is an enterprise specialising in the R & D, manufacturing and sales of motorcycles and engines. Yingang successfully carried out the differentiation strategy over the past ten years, and became the benchmark for independent brand innovation in the Chinese motorcycle industry with the motorcycle top patent technologies including 'energy-saving device', 'front control dual brake' and 'ECS'. Yingang then became one of the professional motorcycle manufacturers in the Chinese motorcycle

148

Chinese Enterprise


All of the displayed products pics and specifications are provided by their makers, if you would like to get access to more details, please send your requirements to [email protected], our team will answer your questions or make the necessary connections. Please visit www.chinamotorworld.com for more

YX150-23

HJ125T-2A Tel: +86-23-67183225 Fax: +86-23-67183000 / 111 E-mail: [email protected]

Shineray Motorcycle Co., Ltd.

Shineray Motorcycle Co., Ltd.

Tel: +86-23-65733900 Fax: +86-23-65733901 E-mail: [email protected] www.shineray.com

Tel: +86-23-65733900 Fax: +86-23-65733901 E-mail: [email protected] www.shineray.com

chongqing Yingang Science&Technology (Group) Co.,Ltd.

chongqing Yingang Science&Technology (Group) Co.,Ltd.

XY125-10D

Tel: +86-20-82699808/82699878 Fax: +86-20-82681102 http//:www.haojin.com.cn E-mail:[email protected]

XY200GY-9

GUANGZHOU HAOJIN GROUP CO.,LTD.

CHONGQING YINXIANG MOTORCYCLE(GROUP)CO., LTD.

YG110-19A

YG110-5A TEL:+86-23-68327888 FAX:+86-23-68327509 E-mail:[email protected] Postal Code:400709

150

Display

TEL:+86-23-68327888 FAX:+86-23-68327509 E-mail:[email protected] Postal Code:400709


QM250GY-D

SL100T-T zengcheng benma industrial CO., LTD.

Tel: +86-20-61723666 Fax: +86-20-82777636 Http://www.sanlg-motor.com.cn E-mail: [email protected]

Jinan Qingqi Motorcycle Co., Ltd. TEL: +86-531-86599753 86599756 86599757 FAX: +86-531-86986806 86599889 Http://www.qingqi.com.cn E-mail: [email protected]

SK250

HK125/150-7 KAWAI MOTOR INDUSTRY(GUANg ZHOU) CO., LTD. TEL: +86-20-61714657 FAX: +86-20-61714657 E-MAIL: [email protected]

HESHAN GUOJI NANLIAN MOTORCYCLE INDUSTRY CO., LTD. TEL:+86-750-8828890 http://www.senkemotor.com

FAX:+86-750-8826309 E-mail:[email protected]

YY50QT-7C

YY50QT/100T-8A BENZHOU VEHICLE INDUSTRY GROUP CO.,LTD.

E-mail:[email protected] Web:www.benzhougroup.com Tel:0086-576-84716005 Fax:0086-576-84735989

152

Display

BENZHOU VEHICLE INDUSTRY GROUP CO.,LTD.

E-mail:[email protected] Web:www.benzhougroup.com Tel:0086-576-84716005 Fax:0086-576-84735989


JP250-2J

JP250E-5 CHONGQING JIALING-JIAPENG INDUSTRIAL CO., LTD.

Http://www.jiapeng.cn E-Mail: [email protected] Fax: +86-23-65183906 Tel: +86-23-65181163

CHONGQING JIALING-JIAPENG INDUSTRIAL CO., LTD.

Http://www.jiapeng.cn E-Mail: [email protected] Fax: +86-23-65183906 Tel: +86-23-65181163

SK125(X)

ZJ110-R ZHUHAI ZHUJIANG VEHICLE CO.,LTD. TEL: +86-756-3980600 FAX: +86-756-3980693 E-mail:[email protected] Website:www.zjmt.com

HESHAN GUOJI NANLIAN MOTORCYCLE INDUSTRY CO., LTD. TEL:+86-750-8828890 http://www.senkemotor.com

FAX:+86-750-8826309 E-mail:[email protected]

NIO

GRACE Zhejiang Taizhou Wangye Power Co., Ltd.

Zhejiang Taizhou Wangye Power Co., Ltd.

TEL: +86-576-84067877 FAX: +86-576-84067866

TEL: +86-576-84067877 FAX: +86-576-84067866

154

Display

Spare parts & maintenance

Öhlins Launches World's First Aftermarket Mechatronic Suspension to USA

H

endersonville, North Carolina: Öhlins Racing AB has the world's first aftermarket electronic suspension system (ESA), designed to replace the electronically adjustable suspension on the BMW R 1200 GS ESA. With its Öhlins TTX shocks and Öhlins ESA ECU, it's the most advanced mechatronic suspension system available, from its dynamic mechanics to its autonomic electronics. Öhlins' mechatronic suspension system will be revealed to the USA market at the Long Beach, California IMS show this weekend, December 9-11. It will be on display at the Öhlins USA booth, number 1560, mounted and functioning on a 2011 BMW R 1200 GS ESA. Also on display will be new product for sportbikes, MX bikes, and American V-Twins from Milwaukee. At the forefront in the development of electronically adjustable suspension, this latest mechatronic suspension system was developed out of Öhlins extensive experience with creating one of the World's first production electronic suspension systems, found on the Ducati Multistrada. Equally, it evolved from Öhlins' historic win in World Superbike with a Yamaha YZF-R1 fitted with electronic suspension in 2007, piloted by Noriyuki Haga. Öhlins' performance reputation complements BMW's heritage of quality, giving riders an appropriate upgrade for their touring needs. The mechatronic system from Öhlins interacts directly with the R 1200 GS ESA's primary ECU, plugging directly into the existing user interface. The kit includes front and rear TTX shocks, a wiring harness, and a dedicated ESA ECU, utilizing the OEM display and rider controls for adjustment. As evidence of its smart-as-heck intelligence, the Öhlins mechatronic system features a semi-active function, automatically adjusting the suspension damping in relationship to the motorcycle's speed. With the latest technology of twin-tube TTX shocks mated to a brilliant ECU, the mechatronic system from Öhlins provides a double upgrade: an athlete-grade suspension mated to head-of-the-class electronics. Using the BMW controls on the handlebars, the Öhlins system allows the rider to choose between BMW's multiple driving modes

158

Spare Parts & Maintenance

and damping levels, along with various spring pre-load settings on the rear shock. But that's not all. In 'Comfort' mode, the Öhlins ECU monitors the bike's speed, and when it exceeds 80kph (49mph) the suspension's damping is automatically altered to the firmer 'Normal' setting. When the speed exceeds 120kph (74mph), the damping is further increased to 'Sport' mode, for a more sporting controllability. When the speeds decrease, the damping reverts back to its original settings through the intermediate 'Normal' mode. This feature makes Öhlins' ESA replacement system the World's first autonomic aftermarket suspension system. The Öhlins mechatronic suspension system also allows riders to customize the spring rate on their R 1200 GS ESA through fitment of new springs as well as have their shocks fully serviced and maintained by one of the many specialist Öhlins Centers across the USA. The Öhlins BMW R1200GS ESA replacement system is now available, at the incredibly low MSRP of $3,279.00. Öhlins USA distributes and services the world's leading performance suspension for automobiles, motorcycles, ATVs, and snowmobiles. Öhlins develops its proprietary and innovative suspension components at the highest levels of racing from openwheel car racing, to Moto GP, to off-road competition on two and four wheels. Öhlins USA also provides training for service centers and dealers. (www.motorcyclistonline.com)


India Metro Tyres Develops Tubeless Tyres for Motorcycles with Continental

A

ccording to the latest news from an Indian media, India's famous tyre manufacturer Metro Tyres will provide tubeless tyres for motorcycles in technical collaboration with Continental AG of Germany. It is learned that Metro Tyres has been supplying all kinds of tyres for motorcycles and scooters, but the tubeless tyres for motorcycles are its new products. Metro Tyres will mostly be responsible for the R & D and design of tubeless tyres whereas Continental will provide related technical support after the establishment of their cooperation. The newly designed tubeless tyres will be manufactured at Metro Tyres' plant in Ludhiana where it has invested Rs 30 crore for capacity expansion. Besides these, Metro Tyres has invested another Rs 50 crore in other plants for the production of tubeless tyres. Metro Tyres is looking at working with OEMs to increase tyre sales. In order to fulfill its sales target, Metro Tyres also asks its cooperation partners to find potential clients for itself. It is said that

162


Metro Tyres will also eye to highend motorcycle market, but no further information has yet been released. The fact that India's annual motorcycle sales maintain a 10% to 12% growth and motorcycle exports at 29% increase will be good factors for Metro Tyres to grow and prosper. Metro Tyres' current monthly output is 200,000 units, and annual output capacity is as high as 2.4 million units. However, its tyre production capacity will be further increased to 500,000 per month after the establishment of their cooperation. Metro Tyres expressed that its turnover 2012 will reach as much as Rs.600 crore, and the figure will reach Rs.1,000 crore in four years.


The Comprehensively Designed SCM Controlled Ignition for Motorcycles

A

n ignition system plays a vital role in the operation of a petrol engine. The ignition force must be strong enough to ignite the gas mixture inside the cylinder. Ignition timing or ignition advance angles are also major parameters affecting the engine's performance. Every ignition advanced angle matches each given working condition of the engine. Early or late ignition will directly affect the fuel efficiency and power performance of the motorcycle engine. So, the key of designing is to acquire the engine's best ignition advance angle and control the engine's best ignition timing. Currently, overseas large displacement sports motorcycles have already adopted the SCM (single chip microcomputer) controlled technology, such as Honda, Kawasaki and Suzuki which had released motorcycles with such technology. However, China's ignition advance digital

164


control technology still lags behind the levels of developed nations. In fact, China has just begun to apply this technology to car engines, let alone motorcycle engine.

ensures the best ignition. Please see chart 1 below for the work flow of ignition system. The amplifier on the signal processing unit is used for amplifying collected signals to meet the requirements of digital signal amplitude. Waveform transformation and waveform shaping circuit are designed to transform the amplified signals into the TTL format to be recognised by SCM. SCM's INT0 pin receives signals and INT0 pin controls the operation of its internal timer T0 and accurately calculates the width of the positive impulse which is fed to the INT0 pin, and then calculates the best ignition advance angle via the pulse width, and after that output the signal to the power amplification high pressure igniter to complete ignition. Meanwhile, SCM calculates the engine revolution through pulse signal circle and displays the engine revolution on LCD.

1. The Formation of Inductive Ignition System with Digital Control

2. The Working Principle of the SCM Controlled Ignition Advanced Angle

The inductive ignition system with digital control is mostly made up of hall element, signal shaping circuit, SCM (single chip microcomputer), power amplification high pressure igniter and LCD (liquid crystal display). Hall element acquires the signals from the engine's working strokes and the signal processing unit (signal amplification, waveform transformation and waveform shaping) sorts out the signals. Digital ignition acquires the law of the engine's best ignition advance angle via a SCM controlled circuit. Digital ignition

The engine's magneto has two motorcycle hall elements, one is mounted at the place of the maximal ignition advance angle, and the other is placed at the top dead point of the cylinder. So, SCM has two reference points when collecting signals. The piston travels slowly when the engine first starts, and there's not sufficient pressure inside the cylinder. The internal pressure reaches its highest point when the piston travels to the top dead point of the cylinder, and now is the best ignition

Spare parts & maintenance timing. The engine's ignition timing will change with the working condition of the engine. The higher the revolutions of the engine, the bigger the ignition advance angle gets. The best ignition timing triggers the maximal energy liberation; otherwise et engine will have bad power output and acceleration. Too big ignition advance angle is a waste of energy as a part of energy is wasted during the negative working stroke. Finding the most appropriate ignition advance angle is the key to achieve maximal power output of the engine and consume the least fuel. 2.1 The Selection of the SCM's Working Frequency The engine revolution can reach as high as 10000r/min when the motorcycle is at its highest speed, and the ignition advance angle should be the biggest at this time. The cylinder stroke and cylinder bore vary from different displacement engines. The maximal advance angle of 250ml engine is 15°, and it should be guaranteed that the spark ignites twice for each 5°, and the output power of the SCM should be at least 2×（360/5）×10000＝1440000Hz/ min. The ordinary SCM can fully meet this requirement as its working frequency is 12MHz.

166


2.2 Difference between New Igniter & Ordinary Igniter The difference between he new igniter and the ordinary igniter is that: the ordinary igniter focuses on when to ignite whereas SCM controlled ignition focuses on when not to ignite. That is to say ignition is stopped only in the minority of time during engine operation. We can see in chart 2 that the SCM ignition system increases the ignition strokes and exhaust strokes so that the gas mixture can be sufficiently combusted, and insufficient combustion and spark carbon deposition are successfully avoided. At least 6 ignitions are ensured within the maximal ignition advance angle during high engine revolution, and high frequency ignition is kept during the exhaust stroke so that unburned gas mixture can be fully combusted and carbon deposition can be stopped from forming on spark plug. 2.3 SCM Controlled Ignition Advance Angle Two hall elements gather the signals of the engine before shaping and amplifying them, and then the signals are sent to the SCM for analysis. The time difference of signals provided by these two hall elements can reflect the engine revolution as the shorter the time difference is

the higher revolution the engine gets. Meanwhile, LCD displays the engine revolution. SCM knows which speed section (low speeds, medium speeds and high speeds) the engine is at, and adjusts the ignition advance angle accordingly. All sensors of the engine monitor and collect loads, engine revolutions, vehicle speeds, and water temperature and so on, and send them to the computer for analysis, and the SCM will calculate and decide the responding ignition advance angle. The biggest advantage of the SCM controlled ignition system is that it can evaluate the comprehensive working condition of the engine. When the engine temperature gets too high, engine oil is too low and vehicle speed is too high, acceleration will harm the engine, so SCM will control the igniter to keep engine working at low speeds section to stop engine from being damaged. At this point, no matter how hard the rider accelerate, the engine revolution will not rise (the prerequisite of engine revolution increase is the change of ignition advance angle). Tests proved that when SCM evaluates the engine's working condition is bad, it will control ignition, for example, the Suzuki 250ml motorcycle's highest speed is 40km/ h when the SCM controls ignition, and Honda 400ml motorcycle's highest speed is about 55km/h when its igniter is controlled by the SCM. In a word, using SCM to control the engine working condition is an unavoidable trend in the future. Intelligent chips will analyse engine working conditions and control engine's performance to keep it from being damaged. Moreover, with the application of SCM, many electrical products can also be easily installed on motorcycle, such as touchable combination lock, remote control, clock, digital cruising device and so on.


I

The Maintenance of Motorcycle Chain Wheel & Chain

n terms of structures, motorcycle chains can be classified into roller chain, sleeve chain, toothed rubber belt chain, and sealed chains (O-ring sealed chain and X-ring chain). In terms of the place where the chain is used, motorcycle chains can be classified into chains used inside the engine and outside the engine. The chain used outside of the engine is the transmission chain to drive its rear wheel (commonly known as driven chain); most of the driven chains are roller chains (some particular chains, like 219H or 95MA are also used as driven chains). The chains used inside the engine are mostly sleeve chains, such as the timing chain, balance chain, and oil pump chain (used on large displacement motorcycles). High quality motorcycle chains include motorcycle roller chain, all sets of motorcycle sleeve chains, motorcycle toothed rubber belt chain and motorcycle sealed chains. O-ring sealed chain is a high performance transmission chain specially designed for racing motorcycles. It has O-ring seals to keep its

168


oil inside, keep dust and dirt out of the chain. There are original colour with shot-peening chains, gold coloured chains (electroplated with brass), and sliver coloured chains (electroplated with nickel). Of the gold coloured and sliver coloured chains, some are partly coloured, and others are totally coloured. There is lubricant inside the chain to keep it lubricated, and reduce chain wear-and-tear, and prolong its service life. The 'O'-ring also has sealing performance to keep dirt and dust from getting inside the chain.

How to Adjust Motorcycle Chain Correctly 1. After adjusting the chain in accordance to the scale inscribed on the vehicle frame, use your eye to check if the front and rear chain wheels are in line. If the front and rear chain wheels are not in line, adjusting the chain in accordance to the inscribed scale is not misleading. Vehicle frame and rear wheel fork are vulnerable and may be deformed by force. So it's important to do so with your eye and make sure they are all in line (it's best to take off the chain cover),

Spare parts & maintenance correct it if there's any problem to avoid future trouble. 2. Adjust the tightness of the chain timely, and normally maintain the tightness between 15mm and 20mm. Check the condition of the chain bearing often, and inject lubricant regularly. The working condition of chain bearings is harsh, and poor lubricant condition can damage them. The damaged chain bearings can cause the rear chain wheel go sideways, and increase wear and tear on the chain wheel and chain, and may even cause the chain to fall off the chain wheels often. 3. Remember to always check the clearance between the rear wheel fork buffering rubber coat and the rear wheel fork, and also the clearance between the rear wheel fork and rear wheel fork axis. It requires a demanding horizontal clearance and free movement space for the rear wheel fork and the vehicle frame to stay together and contribute to the shock absorbing performance of the rear shock absorbers. The rear wheel fork axis connects the rear wheel fork with the vehicle frame, and the buffering rubber coat is also installed between them. The quality of homemade buffering rubber coat is not so good, and the rubber coat can be worn soon. Once the rubber coat is worn, the rear wheel of the motorcycle will go sideways under the driven force. The worn degree of the rubber coat determines performance of the rear wheel. There's a strong sense of vibration felt due to the worn rubber coat when

170


accelerating or decelerating the vehicle. This is one of the major reasons for motorcycle chain and chain wheel damage. Perform checks often and replace it when necessary. 4. Replace the chain wheel and chain with quality substitutes (appointed maintenance stations provide quality parts), and this can prolong the service life of the vehicle. Never use shoddy chain wheels for the sake of saving money, as this never will save money, but cause trouble. 5. Clean and lubricate the chain and chain wheels regularly, increase maintenance and care for the chain and chain wheels after travelling in rainy, snowy days and on muddy roads in order to prolong their service life. The products of a good chain maker have significant meanings for our life.

MIC launches detailed tire guide for consumers

Pakistan MSPIDA: High taxes encourage smuggling

T

he newly-elected vice chairman of All Pakistan Motorcycle Spare Parts Importers and Dealers Association (MSPIDA), South Zone, Nasir Maqbool has urged the government to reduce import duty on motorcycle spare parts from existing 35 percent to 20 percent to curb its smuggling. Speaking at a meeting of the association, he pointed out that at present the importers of motorcycle spare parts were paying 80 to 85 percent taxes including 35 percent import duty, 17 percent additional duty and 16 percent sales tax.

T

he Motorcycle Industry Council is now offering the motorcycling community an in-depth tire guide. Developed in conjunction with leading motorcycle tire manufacturers, this extensive, 20-page street tire guide is designed to assist motorcyclists with tire selection, inspection, maintenance and more. Not only does the inaugural MIC Tire Guide help riders choose the correct tires for their particular motorcycle and riding style, it also provides information on proper inflation, the hazards of overloading a motorcycle, and recognizing when it's time to replace tires. The MIC Tire Guide also helps riders better understand and utilize sidewall information, and includes color photos, technical diagrams and charts outlining speed and load ratings. Also included are tire-mounting suggestions, a primer detailing the differences between how motorcycle tires and car tires work, and tips for dealing with a tire failure. Finally, a Tire Replacement Log and a Load Limit Calculator are added for convenience. “At the MIC, we believe that motorcyclists should have a thorough understanding of how their tires work, including how they differ from car tires, and how the available traction can change from moment to moment," said Tim Buche, MIC President and CEO Tim Buche. "This sort of awareness can prompt riders to be more diligent in inspecting and maintaining their tires, and also in replacing their tires at the right time. Overall, the MIC’s goal with this manual is to provide a guide that helps motorcyclists avoid premature tire wear, damage and ultimately, crashes.” Individuals can download and print single copies of the MIC Tire Guide for free by visiting http://Mic.org/tireguide.cfm. Packs of 25 can be ordered for an introductory price of $19, plus tax and shipping. For larger quantities, contact the MIC for special pricing. Additionally, the MIC is working with tire distributors and retailers on establishing further, more widespread, distribution channels for the MIC Tire Guide. (Source: www.dealernews.com)

He said that high rate of taxes was an incentive for smugglers to boost their illicit trade and causing the government loss of revenue. He claimed that import of spare parts through legal channel had declined whereas smuggling of the parts was on the rise. Nasir Maqbool said that the increase in smuggling was destroying the local motorcycles spare parts industry. He opined that the reduction in import duty would not only result in increase of government revenue but would also help curb the smuggling and encourage import of the parts through legal channels. He assured the members of the association that he would make all out efforts to convince Finance Ministry's and Federal Board of Revenue's (FBR) authorities that lowering taxes and duties was the only solution to curb smuggling of motorcycle spare parts. (Source: www.brecorder.com)

To make sure that you receive your copy of China Motor Magazine every month follow the instructions below. Choose the country you would like to delivery to from the list below,

Cost of Magazines

Express

US$54

RMB￥380

Zone

COUNTRIES AND REGIONS

Postal Cost

Total Amount / year

1

Cambodia, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Macau, Malaysia, Mongolia, North Korea, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam

US$116

US$170

2

Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil, Brunei, Burma, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Denmark, Dominica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Fidschi, Finland, France, Germany, Gibraltar, Greece, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, India, Ireland, Italy, Jamaica, Laos, Luxembourg, Malta, Mexico, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, New Caledonia, Norway, Pakistan, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Portugal, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Switzerland, The Bahamas, Trinidad and Tobago, Turkey, UK, United States, Uruguay, Vanuatu, Venezuela

US$196

US$250

3

All other countries and regions except Zone 1,2, and 4

US$326

US$380

4

China Mainland

RMB￥220

RMB￥600

Follow the instructions below for payment: Can you please email us to inform us when you would like your subscription to begin. Also please supply us with your name, company name, full address with post code, and telephone number.

Details of Subscription Payment:

Bank Account Name: Chongqing Huilong Culture and Media Co., Ltd. Bank Name and Address: Bank of CHINA, Chongqing Branch, Jiulongpo Sub-branch Account Number: 1130 1204 4644 Swift Code: BKCHCNBJ59A Tel: +86-23-68960918 Fax: +86-23-68960788 China Business: [email protected] International Business: E-mail:[email protected] Europe and Africa:E-mail: [email protected] Asia and Oceania:E-mail: [email protected] South Americas and North Americas: E-mail: [email protected]

If you encounter any problems please contact us on one of the email addresses or the telephone number above. 178