Over the past few years, especially since the height of the economic crisis, more and more women have turned to motorcycling both as a way to save on fuel costs, but also to experience the joys of the open road. In an article recently published by Consumer Reports, some tips are provided for women looking to enter the sport for the first time.
Honda‘s subsidiary in India is opening a new technical center to develop new models for that market. The new research and development center is the first for Honda to focus only two-wheeled vehicles, and the first in all of India to feature an advanced wind tunnel to test vehicle aerodynamics. The goal, for Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India (HMSI) is to eventually introduce a new model to India every quarter.
The new technical center is the first Honda facility to integrate design, engineering, purchasing and quality control all under the same roof. The 2.5-acre facility in Manesar, India, will employ 200 engineers from Honda Research and Development India and HMSI associates. Continue Reading »
Piaggio announced a net profit of 46.3 million euros (US$63.3 million) over the first nine months of 2011. That represents a slight dip from the 46.7 million euros (US$63.8 million) over the same period of 2010, but still respectable numbers in the face of a shrinking market for motorcycles in Europe.
The decrease in profit comes despite a 2.0% increase in net sales, with Piaggio taking in 1.20 billion euros (US$1.64 billion) over the first three quarters. Piaggio also cited restructuring expenses and exchange rate effects as reasons for the 0.8% decrease in profit.
The U.S. motorcycle industry saw a 4.6% decrease in year-on-year sales over the first six months of 2011, thanks mostly to a 17.3% drop in ATV sales. Motorcycle and scooter sales however saw a 1.7% bump in the first half .
Unfortunately, most of that gain in two-wheeled vehicle sales was due to a strong first quarter that saw a year-on-year increase of 7.2%. Second quarter motorcycle and scooter sales totaled 156,215 units, down 1.6% compared to 158,686 units sold in the second quarter 2010.
Compiled by the Motorcycle Industry Council, the figures represent sales over the six months ended June 30, 2011, from 19 reporting manufacturers: Aprilia, Arctic Cat, BMW, Buell, Can-Am, Ducati, Harley-Davidson, Honda, Husaberg, Kawasaki, KTM, Moto Guzzi, Piaggio, Polaris, Suzuki, Triumph, Vespa, Victory and Yamaha.
WNYC’s Jim Colgan produced this short documentary to show the trials and tribulations that scooter riders have to endure on the mean streets of New York city. One of the big problems facing riders in NYC is the lack of dedicated motorcycle/scooter parking, the department of transport in the city installed its FIRST dedicated motorcycle/scooter parking area on July 30th of this year, about the size of one car… Continue Reading »
