INDUSTRY INFOBITES

VINTAGE JAPANESE MOTORCYCLE CLUB HOLDS NATIONAL RALLY

The Vintage Japanese Motorcycle Club of America (VJMC) recently celebrated its annual national motorcycle rally in Eureka Springs, Arkansas. This year’s event, which took place June 23-25, featured a special celebration, as it marked the club’s 45th anniversary. One hundred sixty members enjoyed three days of riding, bike shows and camaraderie with their vintage Japanese motorcycles. VJMC is the premier worldwide club dedicated to the preservation, restoration, and enjoyment of vintage Japanese motorcycles (20 years or older) and the promotion of the sport of motorcycling.

For more information visit www.vjmc.org or call (763) 420-7829.

JAPANESE BIG FOUR CUTTING MODELS TO COMPLYWITH EMISSIONS REGULATIONS

It has been revealed that Honda, Yamaha, Suzuki, and Kawasaki will discontinue approximately 20 models by the end of this year, representing roughly 10 per cent of the 190 models offered by the four manufacturers.

Nikkei reports that Honda is scrapping approximately 10 of its 80 current models in response to strict emissions standards that will be introduced across Japan in the fall. Among the models going the way of the dodo include the CB400 Super Four, the Benly scooter, and the full-size Gold Wing series.

Japan’s new emissions standards are modeled after the Euro 5 laws in effect across the European Union and have applied to all new models from the end of 2020 and will impact all existing models in November. Complying with the new regulations will necessitate bike manufacturers installing upgraded catalytic converters or redesigning engines. The costs involved in making some models comply are simply too high to justify for Honda, Yamaha , Suzuki, and Kawasaki.

FTCTAKES ACTION AGAINST HARLEY-DAVIDSONAND WESTINGHOUSE

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is taking action against motorcycle manufacturer Harley-Davidson Motor Co. Group LLC and Westinghouse outdoor generator maker MWE Investments LLC for illegally restricting customers’ right to repair their purchased products. The FTC’s complaints charge that the companies’ warranties included terms that conveyed that the warranty is void if customers use independent dealers for parts or repairs. The FTC is ordering Harley-Davidson and Westinghouse to x warranties by removing illegal terms and recognizing the right to repair, come clean with customers and ensure that dealers compete fairly with independent third-parties.

AMERICADE ANNOUNCES NEW DATESFOR 2023

Americade 2023 will take place one week earlier than normal, May 30-June 3, starting the Tuesday after Memorial Day. Americade 2023 will celebrate a historic milestone, its 40th event, featuring a number of special additional live music, entertainment and motorcycle attractions.

“Laconia will be celebrating a big milestone too, their 100th, next year,” said Christian Dutcher, Americade’s Director, “and having two major events overlapping during special years doesn’t make any sense.

So, we’re going to slide Americade earlier to give each event a little elbow room.”

Americade 2022 featured the most factory demos of any event in the U.S. and in 2023 Americade will likely feature even more. Kim Knupp, National Events Manager for Yamaha said, “This is exciting news. It’s a great move for Americade and will increase attendance. It opens up opportunities for those who want to go to both events but currently can’t.” Additionally, national brand vendors fully support the move as well. “I support it 100%,” says Melissa Auclair, of Mustang Motorcycle Seats. “Not only will it bene t the vendors, but it will also bene t the customers.”

FINALLY, A FLYING VEHICLE

Since before The Jetsons, we’ve been promised that someday soon we’d all be tooling about in ying cars, and now that dream may be about to take off. The Japanese company A.L.I. Technologies has been taking their XTurismo ying machine on the road, or over it, premiering their nished object for the Top Marques Monaco 2022 in June, an event that showcases supercars, hypercars, exclusive motorcycles, and other forms of unique transportation.

Whether you call it a hoverbike, a ying car, or some combination of the above, the XTurismo looks like a sportbike ran over a drone. The XTurismo’s claimed curb weight is 300 kilograms, or a hair over 661 pounds. It’s 3.7 meters long by 2.4 meters wide by 1.5 meters high (approximately 12.1 feet by 7.87 feet by 4.9 feet), has a range of approximately 30 to 40 minutes, a top speed of 80 kilometers per hour (just under 50 mph), and has a rated load capacity of 100 kilograms (or 220 pounds). The company is currently accepting preorders for the 200 initial XTurismo Limited Edition units it plans to produce, at a cost of ¥ 77,700,000, or about $610,710.

45 YEARS? IT SEEMS LIKE YESTERDAY

Gold Wing Road Riders Association founders Paul Hildebrand and Shirley Stevens-Garcia announced during Wing Ding opening ceremonies that the organization will be closing. American Honda is saddened by the news and thanks the GWRRA for its dedication to one of Honda’s most iconic models. Founded in 1977, the GWRRA grew through the heyday of motorcycle touring to the point that it eventually had approximately 80,000 members in 53 countries, and with over 800 active chapters managed by 4,000 volunteer leaders. Headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona, the GWRRA has called itself “the world’s largest single-marque social organization for owners of Honda Gold Wing/Valkyrie motorcycles,” and it adopted the motto “Friends for Fun, Safety and Knowledge.” A dedicated, family-like group that published its own magazine (Wing World, whose September issue will be the last), the GWRRA worked hard to improve the image of motorcycling and prided itself in being a not-forpro t, nonreligious, non-political organization whose members covered a broad spectrum of backgrounds, but who were uni ed by a love for owning and riding Honda’s legendary touring model, the Gold Wing.

The GWRRA will of cially close on July 31. In the interim, it will offer prorated refunds on prepaid memberships.

“For nearly ve decades, the GWRRA has set the powersports standard for a grassroots organization based on a single model, and Honda will be forever grateful for the enthusiasm the club’s members demonstrated and generated for the Gold Wing,” said Bill Savino, American Honda Senior Manager of Customer Engagement. “While the GWRRA’s closure is undeniably the end of an era, we want to make sure their members and all Gold Wing enthusiasts know that Honda remains committed to the Gold Wing model and these customers for years to come.” ,