When American Suzuki announced it was filing for Chapter 11 and dropping out of the U.S. automobile market last November, its counterparts in Canada said it would continue to sell cars for that market. It now appears that will only last for one more year, as Suzuki Canada announced it would also stop selling cars following the 2014 model year to focus on its powersports operations.

The move wasn’t entirely a surprise. Canada is a much smaller market than the U.S. According to the Financial Post, Suzuki sold about 5,500 cars in Canada in 2012, representing a 0.3% share of the market. By comparison, American Suzuki says it sold  1,764 cars in February 2013 alone, and that’s with customers knowing the company is quitting the business. Importing cars to Canada costs a lot of money and the sales do not appear to justify the expense.

The reason for the delay was likely because Suzuki Canada already had an order for a supply of 2014 models from the parent company, Suzuki Motor Corporation of Japan. Suzuki Canada says that it and the parent company came to this decision after  “monitoring market conditions carefully and, after reviewing the long-term viability of automotive production for Canada”  following the American Suzuki announcement. Continue Reading »

Earlier this week, we wrote about reports in the Italian media of a delay on deliveries of the 2013 BMW R1200GS because of an issue with the suspension. Transport Canada has now issued a recall notice on BMW‘s new GS – the third to come from the Canadian government agency – that would explain the delay.

According to Transport Canada, the threaded plugs securing the fork tubes to the upper triple clamp may come loose over time on some units. This may cause a fork tube to detach, posing a serious crash hazard. According to MotorradOnline.de, the issue was discovered during BMW’s internal testing, after a GS was put through 60,000 km on the test bench.

The solution seems simple enough. BMW will crimp-lock the fork tubes’ threaded plugs, creating a more secure connection. Continue Reading »

Transport Canada has announced a recall for the 2013 BMW R1200GS due to a potential risk of leaking transmission oil. As yet, no recall has been announced for the U.S. market by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, but we expect one shortly.

According to Transport Canada, transmission oil pressure on certain BMW R1200GS units may get too high, resulting in a leak in the output shaft sealing ring. An oil leak directly in front of the rear tire could result in a loss of traction and stability, potentially leading to a crash. Continue Reading »

Triumph has issued a recall for the Canadian market for the 2011-2012 Daytona 675 and Street Triple because the wheel bearings were provided by an unapproved supplier. At the moment, the recall is only for Canada and no recall has been announced for the U.S. market. Triumph North America operates both in Canada and the U.S. however, so a similar recall for the U.S. should be announced shortly by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

According to Transport Canada, certain units of the Daytona 675 and Street Triple may have been installed with wheel bearings from an unapproved supplier. Triumph lacks sufficient information about the wheel bearing supplier and its quality control standards and as such, Triumph is not entirely confident the bearings meet the durability and performance specifications required for the two models. Continue Reading »

Back in September, Yamaha revealed a special “Race Blu” livery for a the YZF-R1, YZF-R6 and the YZF-R125 for the European market. Yamaha promoted the new color scheme with Jorge Lorenzo and Ben Spies sporting the colors on their leathers and M1 race bikes at the Misano and Aragon MotoGP rounds.

North American consumers were left out, however, getting a Team Yamaha Blue and White version instead for the R1 and R6 (the R125 isn’t offered here either). Not that there’s anything wrong with the Team Yamaha versions. They do however lack the Race Blu’s darker blue hue and the matching wheels. Yamaha later added a Race Blu option for the XJ6, XJ6 Diversion, FZ8 and Fazer8 for Europe.

Of those models, only the FZ8 is offered in the U.S., but only in black, meaning the Race Blu color is still not offered for the American market. That isn’t the case north of the border. Continue Reading »

The Suzuki Inazuma is coming to Canada, according to multiple reports. The entry-level motorcycle was displayed at a recent dealer meeting in Mont Tremblant, Quebec, though it appears Canadians may have to wait as bit longer for the Inazuma to arrive in showrooms.

According to Canadian sites CMGOnline and MotorcycleMojo, Suzuki is in the initial stages of introducing the 248cc streetbike to Canada, so a 2014 launch may be more likely than 2013 availability. As yet, there is no word of American Suzuki also deciding to import the Inazuma to the U.S.

Twin-cylinder motorcycle was first introduced in China last October as the GW250 and will be arriving in European showrooms this November as the Inazuma. It is powered by a fuel-injected 248cc SOHC parallel Twin engine. According to Suzuki, the European-spec Inazuma claims 24 hp and 29.5 ft-lb. at the crank. Even accounting for some losses through the powertrain, it should be an improvement on the 15.4 hp and 11.6 ft-lb. from the air-cooled Suzuki TU250 we dyno’ed for our 2009 250cc Shootout. Continue Reading »

Transport Canada has announced a recall for the 2012 Honda NC700X and (Edit: the recall now includes the NC700S, which is also available in Canada). At this point, the recall is only for the X model and only in Canada, but a similar recall may come from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration for the U.S.-spec Honda NC700X.

According to Transport Canada, the outer plates on the links of the drive chain may not have received proper heat treatment. As a result, the drive chain may break during use. Should this happen while the motorcycle is in motion, the motorcycle would suddenly lose drive force, potentially leading to a crash.

Honda Canada dealers will inspect the drive chains on NC700X units and, if necessary, replace the drive chains with ones that received the proper heat treatment. The Transport Canada recall affects 440 units. Continue Reading »

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Canadian Kawasaki has confirmed it will offer the new 2013 Kawasaki Ninja 300. We will likely have to wait until Kawasaki‘s “Ninja Times Square Takeover” on Sept. 13 before learning about U.S. availability but with the new bigger, little Ninja announced in Canada, a U.S. launch is all but certain.

Internationally, Kawasaki will offer both a Ninja 300 and a Ninja 250. The 250 has been updated with new ZX-inspired bodywork and optional ABS, all of which is also carried over onto the new Ninja 300. Kawasaki Motor Corp. U.S.A. thus has two little Ninjas to choose from, and though we still have to wait for official news, it’s likely they will opt for the larger model to face off in the suddenly competitive small-displacement sportbike market against Honda’s CBR250R.

The Canadian-spec Kawasaki Ninja 300 will be fuel injected, and an impending U.S. model will be as well. In recent years, Kawasaki’s North American operations offered only carbureted 250s while a fuel injected version was available for other markets. With a new model, it’s finally time to bring EFI to North American Ninjettes. Continue Reading »

Transport Canada has issued a recall notice for the 2012 Ducati 1199 Panigale due to an incorrect screw used in the rear suspension.

At this point, the recall is only in Canada and the U.S.’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has not yet issued a similar recall, but considering Ducati North America operates in both countries, a U.S. recall is likely to follow in the next week.

According to Transport Canada, an incorrect screw may have been used to attach the swingarm to the rear suspension linkage. If the connection fails, the linkage may disconnect from the swingarm, potentially causing the 1199 to become unstable, creating a crash hazard. Continue Reading »

BMW has started production of its new C600 Sport and C650GT but still hasn’t officially released pricing information for its two new maxi-scooters. BMW Canada however may have let slip pricing for the C650GT: CA$11,900

BMW Motorrad Canada is holding a contest to give away a C650GT, and the contest rules list the scooter’s MSRP. Of course, the $11,900 price tag is subject to change, especially as the scooter isn’t expected to arrive in Canada until late 2012 as a 2013 model. Still, the tentative pricing gives us an idea of how much the scooter will cost in the U.S. Continue Reading »