INDUSTRY INFOBITES

YAMAHA SUPPORTS LAND ACCESS WITH $350,000 IN GRANTSFOR FIRST HALFOF 2021 Yamaha Motor Corp., USA announced the Yamaha Outdoor Access Initiative (OAI) second quarter grants, totaling more than $115,000. The powersports industry’s leading land access program has contributed more than $350,000 in 2021 alone, delivering crucial funding to grassroots ef-

forts across the country, aiding in protecting and improving access to public land for outdoor recreation. Projects in the current funding cycle support the development of new off-road riding areas and popular trail systems requiring maintenance to remain open and safe for ATV, Sideby-Side (SxS), motorcycle, and snowmobile enthusiasts.

“After over a dozen years and $4.5 million donated, Yamaha is steadfast in making our efforts to support powersports enthusiasts and outdoor recreation,” said Steve Nessl, Yamaha’s Motorsports marketing manager. “Ensuring individuals working in resource-limited areas have what they need to maintain and improve entry to public land for recreation is why the Yamaha Outdoor Access Initiative exists, and we’re continuing to put in the time and energy to address situations posing a threat to everyone’s ability to get out and enjoy outdoor spaces.”

The second quarter 2021 Yamaha OAI grants totaling more than $115,000 were awarded to the following organizations: Anthracite Outdoor Adventure Area: Northumberland, PA, City of Elephant Butte, New Mexico, Northern Timber Cruisers: Millinocket, ME, Range, Riders ATV Club: Nashwauk, MN, Stay The Trail: Arvada, CO, Twin Cities Trail Riders: St. Paul, MN.

Yamaha OAI is also expanding its partnership with the Recreate Responsibly Coalition (RRC), delivering signage to public land managers seeking to educate visitors on appropriate, responsible use while enjoying trails and riding areas. Those interested in applying for the signs funded by OAI to RRC can simply complete a form @ YamahaOAI.com.

KAWASAKI HYBRID MOTORCYCLE PLANS

Kawasaki has announced plans for a future range of hybrid and battery-powered bikes with the rst models hitting showrooms in the near future. Along with this announcement, Kawasaki took the wraps off a hybrid prototype that it has been dropping hints about since 2020, which displays how the technology will be applied to evolutions of existing gas-powered machines.

Kawasaki stated that by 2035 every major model it sells in developed markets will be either fully electric or a hybrid. In the short term, the company vowed to have more than 10 battery-electric and hybridelectric motorcycle models in showrooms and will be launching an average of 16 new models a year by 2025, including the battery-electric and hybrids, and by then the company will have launched 15 new offroad models as well. This is a much different outlook from when Kawasaki unveiled an electric prototype several years ago with no plan for a production bike.

Kawasaki hasn’t of cially revealed any details of the hybrid prototype as of yet, but it appears to use the parallel twin engine from either the Ninja 250 or Ninja 400, and a large electric motor is tted above the gearbox. with the battery is a 48V unit.

DUCATI RECOVERSFROM COVID “Ducati closed the rst nine months of the year with sales volumes that are already higher than the full year 2020, both for the bikes and for after-sales products like clothing, accessories and spare parts,” notes Francesco Milicia, Ducati VP Global Sales and After Sales. Q3 was extremely positive with Ducati

delivering 49,693 motorcycles all over the world and nearly 7,500 in the US. In fact, at the end of the rst nine months of 2021, the company has already exceeded the sales volumes obtained in the whole 2020. The media can say what they want, but the numbers speak for themselves: The third quarter of 2021 was the best in Ducati history! Growth was up +3% over the same period of 2020 and +25% compared to 2019. At the end of September, the biggest market for motorcycles delivered remains Italy (7,954), followed by the United States (7,475) and Germany (5,627). Top selling models remain the Multistrada V4, which was in rst place throughout 2021, followed by the Scrambler 800 family, the Street ghter V4 and the Monster close behind.

90° SOUTH – ROYAL ENFIELD QUESTFORTHE POLE

For 120 years, Royal En eld has maintained the legacy of building simple, authentic, motorcycles that are engaging and fun to ride. Riding through time and tough terrain since 1901, Royal En eld has emerged victorious in excursions that test the endurance of man and machine. To commemorate this, Royal En eld will take on yet another ambitious endeavor—a rst-of-its-kind motorcycle expedition that will attempt to reach the geographic South Pole to the Amundsen-Scott Pole station. In this ambitious trek to push the boundaries of motorcycling possibilities, two Royal En eld riders (Santhosh Vijay Kumar, Lead - Rides & Community, Royal En eld; and Dean Coxson, Senior Engineer – Product Development, Royal En eld) will undertake a 39-day journey across Antarctica on a 478-mile (770 km) ride from the Ross Ice Shelf via the Leverette Glacier on expedition-ready Royal En eld Himalayans, set to commence on November 26, 2021, beginning in Cape Town, South Africa.

Watch the Video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Nvh8hymLFU

HONDA’S GIANT PLANSFOR MINI ADVENTURER

Honda is working on a small-capacity Africa Twin to muscle in on a lucrative segment of the adventure bike market. The new twin will be one of three models based on a modular platform.

The news is exciting for adventure riders because there’s a large gap in Honda’s range between the 250/450cc off-road focused CRFs and the much bigger 1100cc Africa Twin.

The Honda Africa Twin is a well-balanced adventure bike that’s perfect for two-up travelling but it does have its drawbacks: it’s big, it’s heavy, and it’s also expensive. All of this is off-putting for younger riders and Honda know this, which is why they’re looking at something new.

The basis for the new bikes will be an evolution of the NC series, which includes the NC750S and adventure styled NC750X. The engine will

be enlarged to 790cc, which should provide a boost in power and torque. Like the 1100, the mini-twin will have the option of a DCT gearbox as already exists on the current NC models. A new 790cc adventure bike would put Honda right in the middle of the increasingly competitive middleweight adventure bike segment that includes the BMW F850GS, the new Triumph Tiger 900s and the Yamaha Ténéré 700 as well as the KTM 790 Adventure.

MONTICELLO, NY COPCHARGEDWITHTASINGMOTORCYCLIST… FROMMOVINGPOLICECAR!

A former Monticello Police of cer has been arrested and charged with ring a taser from his moving police car at a moving motorcyclist without legal justi cation and provocation, causing the motorcyclist to lose control of his vehicle and crash.

Sullivan County District Attorney Meagan Galligan said Thomas Benjamin, 47, of Neversink, has been charged with reckless endangerment as a felony and of cial misconduct and coercion as misdemeanors.

The DA’s Of ce and Sullivan County Sheriff’s Of ce conducted the investigation into events that occurred on September 18. Monticello Police Chief Rob Mir said his department conducted a use of force investigation during which Benjamin was suspended and ultimately resigned. Mir then decerti ed him as a police of cer.

Benjamin Greenwald, the attorney for the motorcyclist, said he is “deeply troubled by the circumstances” of the incident and the actions that immediately followed, but “my client and I are pleased with the thorough and transparent criminal investigation into this incident, led by the FREE WHEELIN’ Continued from Page 3 switched to remote work everywhere possible. People updated their home technology and workplaces rushed to provide remote work options and hardware. Demand for microchips went up. Way up.

Also, motorcycles are coming with increasingly complex built-in computer systems. They need more chips. New models already in the pipeline pre-pandemic were designed with the expectation those chips would be available.

But during the pandemic, motorcycle manufacturers simply shut down their plants.

Semiconductor manufacturers adjusted their output.

Now demand has skyrocketed and the supply chain is struggling to catch back up

Covid’s impact on trade has also left empty shipping containers stranded in some parts of the world and a shortage of them where they’re needed, pushing up shipping costs and causing delays.

These delays had knock-on consequences as all four Japanese brands build some of their line-up in the USA and some are still waiting for components to arrive from Japan.

Remember the Suez Canal issue when, on February 9th, a cargo ship ran aground and shut the main east-west canal down for weeks? Yamaha had many complete bikes on the Ever Given itself, and the ship was impounded in Egypt until July 12th .

Who needs Moore’s Law when we have Murphy’s?!

The microchip shortage for the motorcycle industry is expected to continue into 2022 or even 2023. Though it sounds ominous, the good news is that demand continues to climb for motorcycles, which is a welcome thought for motorcycle manufacturers and dealerships – when and if they start getting a steady supply of the many new machines that are waiting to come to the showrooms around the world.

Perhaps it’s time for the United States to stop trying to be ‘Woke Up’ and to simply ‘Wake up.’ ,

WHATCHATHINKIN’ Continued fron Page 4 socks are warm, comfortable and dry, as Merino wool actually wicks the moisture away from your skin. Because of this, I nd that I can wear these socks a few days before washing. A bit pricey (usually around $20/pair) but since you can actually reduce the amount you need, they are totally worth it. Plus, this is a present, so stop being cheap.

And the ultimate gift, which will certainly keep on giving, is a day or two of rider training. As you know from reading these pages, we are annual attendees at Reg Pridmore’s CLASS in Virginia (VIR). Two days spent with Pridmore and his talented crew are the best investment one can make for your motorcycling enjoyment and safety. There certainly are many other rider training courses of every ilk, so do some research and I’m sure this present will bring much joy to whomever receives it, even if it’s a self-present.

Enjoy your holidays, whatever you celebrate, and we’ll see you on the road very soon. , Resources First-Aid kits: www.REI.com • Tire Plug kits: www.stopngo.com • External Power Supply: www.themicrostart.com/xp-3 Tire Pressure Monitor: www.garmin.com • Warm and Fuzzy socks: www.smartwool.com • www.pearlyspossumsocks.com Rider Training: www.classrides.com

ON THE MARK Continued from Page 5

It was on that stretch through the deep forest that I was left to my own devices for perhaps a half hour without seeing or being passed by another rider. At one point I stood to negotiate some ruts or a water crossing or rocks and I realized that I was dancing with a capable partner, albeit one made of aluminum, steel, and plastic. The sun shone intermittently through the trees and the breeze blew the rst falling leaves of autumn across the trail. Nothing else existed in my continuum - no media or polemic intruded. It was just me and the bike and the trail and the concentration required to navigate.

And as I stood on the pegs, listening to the growl of the little four-stroke, the words of the song came to me easily; “Dancin’ with my sel-elf, oh oh oh, dancin’ with my sel-elf.” ,