Basket Case

For some reason, Yamaha’s earlier machines don’t get the same name recognition as vintage Hondas (with the possible exception of the XS650 line). That doesn’t mean they weren’t important in the history of motorcycling, though, and it doesn’t mean they’re undesirable. Just the opposite, in fact. Because there’s less hype over vintage Yamahammers, you might actually find a good deal on one. Need proof? Check out this 1970 Yamaha HS1, for sale in New Hampshire. This two-smoker was built with a 90cc engine to get around the Japanese domestic market’s 100cc restrictions, or so the rumor goes. That might have endeared it to buyers in its home country, but in power-mad North America, a 90cc wasn’t the stuff of dreams for most riders. As a result, while Honda’s CB750 went down in legend as the world’s first Japanese superbike, this HS1 spent its days as part of a dealership collection. The tiny, mighty HS1 is powered by an air-cooled, 90cc, two-stroke parallel twin that breathes in through a pair of the smallest carburetors you’ve ever seen and out through a two-into-two exhaust. The engine is mated to a five-speed trans that delivers power to the rear wheel via a chain final drive. The suspension is pretty standard—forks at the front and two shocks aft—and the brakes are drums front and rear. This bike’s ad claims the machine was rated for 10 horsepower—not that you’re going to be buying this for drag strip runs or highway commuting. This particular example does appear to have lived an easy life, and it seems the dealership did a basic freshening-up before it went on the market. The ad says the carbs were cleaned, and the intake and breather hoses replaced. The odometer only shows 3,000 miles; visually, it’s obvious the bike has been used, but it appears to have been well taken care of. The ad also says the current seller, who bought it from the dealership collection, has ridden it, so it should be in running order, more or less. Best of all? The price is $1,000 at the time of posting. No doubt it’ll rise in the days ahead, but this is a vintage machine, in good condition, that almost anyone can afford. The classic motorcycle scene has seen quick rises in pricing lately, but for now, a clean machine like this is still within most riders’ reach. Let's block ads! (Why?) Source

Norton’s “Stuart Garner” era came to an end on April 17, 2020, when Indian manufacturer TVS Motor Company announced it had officially bought the company and part of its assets. Norton’s intellectual property was included in the deal which technically gives TVS carte blanche to use it as it pleases. So what will TVS do with Norton and its bikes? The simple answer: absolutely nothing. Indian media Car and Bike had a chat with TVS Motor Company Joint Managing Director Sudarshan Venu about the company’s most recent move to get the lowdown on what the transaction will mean for the “buyee”. According to Venu, their plan with Norton is pretty much to let it do its thing. This means that Nortons will continue to be produced in the UK—though not in Donington Hall—and that most of the existing staff (designers, engineers, line workers, minus the former managers) will keep their jobs. “The strong design team and assembly team is coming over to us, and we will look to leverage their strength and work with them to deliver more bikes of this storied brand. In Europe, the location is in Derby, in Donington Hall. We will move to another new location very soon, in the same region. The idea is to continue with this very talented team to get the brand back to its original glory, and take it into the future," Vanu told Car and Bike. Despite its expertise in affordable, mass-produced, small displacement motorcycles, TVS has no intention of applying its model to Norton. The brand will remain premium and will continue to produce mid-size to large-displacement motorcycles. In fact, by the sound of it, the company will continue to bank on the existing 650, 961, and V4 platforms. We suggested yesterday that cheap, Norton-branded motorcycles would likely make people willing to forget the whole debacle. Now that we know that TVS’s only intention is to take over and let Norton do what Norton does best (aside from the alleged fraud), it makes me wonder how that’s going to go. How trusting will potential buyers be considering all the horror stories that came to light during the company's investigation? It’s the beginning of a new era for the brand but the people will remember the scandal for a long time. Would you buy a Norton now that TVS has taken over? Source: Car and Bike Let's block ads! (Why?) Source

If your childhood didn’t involve LEGO, you definitely missed out. You only need a couple of blocks to make some magic happen. Thankfully, nobody really outgrows LEGO—there’s no socially acceptable age limit to enjoy a good build. It’s no wonder the toy manufacturer also creates designs for big kids. From a Michael Keaton Batmobile to a James Bond Aston Martin DB5 to an Imperial Start Destroyer to the Millenium Falcon—LEGO is like Ben and Jerry’s ice cream flavors: try to find one that doesn’t exist. We're even occasionally treated to a motorcycle model. Bikes such as the BMW R 1200 GS and the Harley-Davidson Fat Boy have been immortalized in plastic bricks. You will now be able to add a Ducati to your collection without clearing out space in the garage. The toy maker unveiled the latest addition to its garage: a new Ducati Panigale V4 R Technic set (Legos with screws, pretty much). The kit is made of 646 pieces and the model is 12 inches long so you don’t have to squint too much to see the details. From the “spider web” front brake disc to the aerodynamic winglets and gills to the Ducati Corse logo—all the bike’s subtle sized down details are there. 20 Photos According to the company, this set even comes with a two-gear transmission which is apparently a first for a LEGO Technic motorcycle set. The kit will retail for $69.99—a fraction of the full-size bike’s $40,000 price tag—and according to the LEGO US website, it will be available for purchase on August 1, 2020. An early release would have been nice to keep us busy while we’re stuck home but it’s ok, we’ll still be happy to own a Ducati for less than $100. Let's block ads! (Why?) Source

Honda has been keeping busy for the past few weeks. The manufacturer recently unveiled the latest addition to its family, the Super Cub-based CT125 during the company’s virtual bike show. The CB-F Concept was also showcased on the digital stage, hinting at a new vintage aesthetic for the brand. New motorcycles and designs aren’t the only reason Team Red has been creating a buzz: rumors of new models being developed have also been abounding. A few weeks ago, talks of a mid-sized Africa Twin resurfaced after a few months of hiatus, suggesting that there could soon be a proper midweight ADV coming to the lineup. Another rumor suggest that the CBR1000RR-R could be getting a midsize variant. However, the story that seems to be keeping everyone on the edge of their seat is the one regarding a 1100 twin-based, big-displacement Rebel. That rumor first surfaced at the beginning of March 2020, following Young Machine’s report on the matter in its April 2020 issue. The Japanese publication seems to have the right connections since its predictions have been pretty accurate until now (think about its early reports about the upgraded Africa Twin and the Kawasaki ZX-25R in 2019). Interestingly, our colleagues at Motorcycle News have now boarded the Rebel 1100 boat as well, reporting on the model with conviction rather than supposition. The team seems adamant that the 1,082cc twin unveiled in the 2020 Africa Twin in September 2019, will undoubtedly underline a new, bigger Rebel charged with the mission of stepping on Indian and Harley’s toes. According to MCN, the new model will not only feature the new twin but also high-end components which will allow it to compete with the other premium cruisers currently on the market. It even goes as far as to suggest that the model will be unveiled at EICMA this upcoming November. Considering we have yet to hear from Honda about this particular story, for now, the Rebel 1100 remains nothing more than a rumor, albeit a very loud and noisy one. Sources: Motorcycle News, Car and Bike, Young Machine Let's block ads! (Why?) Source

We’ve known since the end of March, 2020, that Norton Motorcycles owes millions of pounds to its creditors. At long last, Norton administrator BDO filed its official “Statement of Administrator’s Proposal” report with the UK’s Companies House. That means any interested parties can now read the entire document for themselves. This report was filed on March 23, 2020, and made publicly available on April 7, 2020. Besides the amounts owed to secured, preferential, and unsecured creditors, here are the most important things we learned from this summary: Norton’s own directors were already looking for a purchaser for the business as of November 2019, prior to the company formally going into administration in January 2020. Needless to say, the directors did not find a buyer. 331 parties expressed interest in buying the business, of which 242 were trade and 89 were investors. All were of course required to sign NDAs, but only 169 actually returned those NDAs. In total, 29 formal offers to buy the business were received. Best and final offers were required to meet a deadline of March 25, 2020, but no further details are available at this time. Any results will be provided in the next Joint Administrators' report to creditors. According to company records, there were 69 motorcycles in Norton’s possession or at third-party locations when the administrators came in. However, this accounting proved inaccurate, so BDO created its own breakdown. Here’s a screencap taken directly from the report: A total of 466 customers previously paid deposits for new Norton motorcycles that they have not received, according to the company’s records. "These monies were not ring-fenced in a separate bank account and therefore no funds are available to return to impacted customers from this source,” reads the BDO report on this matter. These customers are considered as part of the “Unsecured Creditors” class. In terms of payout from any money available, it goes in order from Secured Creditors (which is Metro Bank, in this case) to Preferential Creditors (Employees), then to Unsecured Creditors and finally to Shareholders. As previously stated in the earlier summary, it is unlikely at this point in time that anyone other than Metro Bank will recoup any of their money. The Norton Stripped Bikes debacle is also addressed. “At the date of the Joint Administrators' appointment, the Company held nine motorcycles on behalf of customers, in order to undertake necessary repairs which were covered under the previously provided warranty. A number of these motorcycles had been stripped of parts without the authority or knowledge of the owners and it has been alleged that this may potentially have been over and above what was necessary to undertake the agreed warranty repairs. Due to the Administration, the Company was unable to return these motorcycles to their original condition or undertake any repairs under warranty. The Joint Administrators continue to investigate the circumstances of these events and continue to liaise with any impacted parties." Here’s another bit I found particularly interesting, and which I’ll quote directly: “The Joint Administrators have a duty to investigate the affairs of the Company, to establish if there are any actions that can be pursued for the benefit of the creditors as a whole, and also to investigate the conduct of the director. In this latter respect, the Joint Administrators must submit a confidential report to the Secretary of State regarding the conduct of all directors and shadow directors during the three years before the administration." The report also mentions a forensic business team it has brought in to more fully investigate this matter, after which it says, “If creditors wish to bring to our attention any matters that merit investigation, they should contact the Joint Administrators c/o BDO LLP 5 Temple Square, Temple Street, Liverpool, L2 5RH quoting reference 00324560.” That text is toward the end of the report. However, before we get to the summary of the administrators’ proposals, I’d like to quote a bit from the very beginning of the report because it tells you exactly what to expect. Under the heading “Achieving the Purpose of the Administration,” it says: “The first objective is rescuing the Company as a going concern (i.e. restructuring the Company's business, resulting in the survival of the Company). Due to the extent of the Company's known liabilities (including sums owed to Holdings), it is not considered that the Company will be rescued as a going concern.” [Emphasis mine.] Now that we’ve hit the salient points of this report, it’s not difficult to see why BDO came to that conclusion, and why it now proposes either continuing administration of the company as it has done for the past two months, or else entering into Creditors’ Voluntary Liquidation or dissolution of the company. Where does that leave things? It’s only a matter of time before we know if any of those 29 offers made for Norton is accepted. If not, liquidation of assets or dissolution seems likely. Exactly how long we’ll need to wait to learn more isn’t clear. However, it’s worth noting that once the company went into administration, things have moved pretty quickly ever since. Source: UK Companies House Let's block ads! (Why?) Source

The Philippines is no stranger when it comes to reports of corruption and government malpractice in practically every single one of its functions. Unfortunately this has taken a turn for the worst for the local motorcycle community, as a well loved motorcycle manufacturer has closed its doors permanently. It claims that the move was done due to corruption in the form of bribery on the part of the local and national government. Ace Motorcycles is a British owned motorcycle manufacturer and importer sourcing OEM parts from China, and other parts of the world. They have operations in other Asian countries, as well as most European countries. They occupied a space that had a very useful niche for Filipino motorcyclists, producing affordable motorcycles with displacements ranging from 250cc to 400cc, with models in the scrambler and retro-styled segment, as well as adventure and dual sport bikes. As some of our readers are aware, the Philippines has a law wherein only motorcycles with displacements of 400cc and above are allowed access to the freeways, or expressways as they’re colloquially referred to. With Ace’s 400cc models being priced very low, they were accessible to those on a tighter budget, allowing people to have a personal mode of transport capable of taking them across multiple cities and provinces by way of the expressways, which was significantly cheaper than getting even a used car. Due to Ace Motorcycles’ core values of conducting business in an honest and trustworthy manner, it was with regret that they informed their customers that their shop had been permanently closed, and that the Philippine business had been sold. “We have had to make this hard decision after we found it impossible to carry out importing motorcycles in an honest and trustworthy manner,” said Ace Motorcycles in their Facebook page. Ace Motorcycles however, assured their customers that service, spare parts, and technical support will still be available for their bikes. Additionally, those interested in their motorcycles can still purchase their bikes whilst stocks last. Registration of these bikes would still be addressed, and a representative of the company can still be contacted for additional support. Lastly, Ace Motorcycles, in the same Facebook post, extended their gratitude towards their loyal customers who have patronized the brand since its entry to Philippine shores in 2017. They did, however, state that they hope to reopen shop in the future when “bribery, corruption, and bureaucracy are less prevalent.” So there you have it, an unfortunate end for a brand that had so much potential to bring affordable mid to high displacement bikes to the masses. It just goes to show that the plight motorcycle startups in the Philippines have to go through can sometimes be too much to bear. Let's block ads! (Why?) Source

In a war effort-like kind of movement, an increasing number of motorcycle manufacturers are stepping up and getting involved in fighting the coronavirus. Some, like MV Agusta, Yamaha, and Benelli, have donated precious personal protection equipment (PPE), masks, ventilators, and respirators to hospitals and organizations that need it the most. Others like Pirelli and Dainese contributed financially. For some companies, pitching in means adapting their activities to the needs of the health crisis we’ve been enduring for a little over a month now. On the car side of the industry, manufacturers such as Ford and General Motors have paired up with healthcare equipment suppliers to help assemble and manufacture critical equipment such as ventilators and respirators. BMW has now announced that it will join the ranks by turning its production over to masks. In a press release, BMW announced that it will soon be able to produce “several hundred thousand masks per day”. Leading up to this decision, the company had already handed out 100,000 masks from its own stock. On Wednesday, it added yet another 50k masks and a million gloves to the list with the promise of an additional million face masks coming within the next two weeks of April. In addition to the refocused activities, the manufacturer announced that its facilities in Europe, North America, and South Africa will remain closed at least until April 30, 2020. This announcement follows a string of recent big moves by the manufacturer over the past week. BMW announced that it will opt out of Intermot and EICMA on April 1 before unveiling the all-new R18 on April 3. On the customer front, the company has postponed any new vehicle pickup from the BMW Welt to May 3, 2020, and will also provide customers with extended warranties. Source: BMW Let's block ads! (Why?)

UPDATE APRIL 6, 2020: MotoGP, Endurance World Championship, and MotoAmerica have all announced additional schedule changes for 2020. Let’s dive in. MotoGP: The 2020 Shark Helmets Grand Prix de France, originally scheduled for the weekend of May 15 through 17, 2020, has been postponed. No new date has been announced yet, since this situation is extremely fluid right now. However, the fact that they’ve said it’s postponed rather than canceled outright indicates hope that it will be rescheduled at a later date. Speedweek and Northern Talent Cup: Speedweek was originally scheduled to take place at Oschersleben from June 4 through 6, 2020. The first round of the Northern Talent Cup was also scheduled to take place as a supporting event. Both Oschersleben events have now been canceled, and the first round of the NTC is now scheduled to take place at Sachsenring from June 19 through 21, 2020. #RidersAtHome campaign: The FIM governing body that oversees both MotoGP and WSBK announced its #RidersAtHome initiative on April 1. The campaign is meant to encourage all types of riders around the world, from professionals to everyday commuters, to share messages of support and behaving in a responsible manner to take care of each other. In the official release, the FIM said, “Even though riding is still permitted in some countries – the FIM is requesting that ALL riders keep their motorcycles parked in order to reduce the risk of accidents and injuries that could take up valuable healthcare resources during a period when they are already under great pressure.” Endurance World Championship: The 8 Hours of Oschersleben was originally scheduled at the culmination of Speedweek, on June 6, 2020. Due to a ban on public gatherings, this race has been canceled and will not be rescheduled for 2020. The next EWC gathering will now be the Suzuka 8 Hours in Japan on July 19, 2020. Additionally, the Bol D’Or in Le Castellet, France from September 19 through 20, 2020 will now be considered the fifth event in the 2020 EWC calendar. If this calendar remains unchanged, it will be bookended by Bol D’Ors. MotoAmerica: The series already rescheduled its initial COTA opening round in accordance with the MotoGP COTA weekend; both events will now take place in November 2020. That meant Road Atlanta was to host the new MotoAmerica season opener from April 17 through 19, 2020. However, that event has now been rescheduled to July 31 through August 2 instead. Shortly after that announcement, MotoAmerica announced the cancellation of the Virginia International Raceway round originally scheduled for May 1 through 3, 2020. This race will not be rescheduled. As things currently stand, the revised MotoAmerica season is scheduled to kick off at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin from May 29 through 31, 2020. MotoAmerica is working toward having 10 events on its 2020 schedule, and plans to issue calendar updates in the future. UPDATE MARCH 25, 2020: The FIM and Dorna have announced another calendar change for the World Superbike series. WSBK Racing: The Pirelli Dutch round of the 2020 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship is now postponed. It was originally scheduled for the weekend of April 17 through 19, 2020. It has now been moved to the weekend of August 21 through 23, 2020. WSBK Streaming: Meanwhile, WorldSBK is also bringing archival racing entertainment to everyone who’s sitting at home trying to wait this thing out. On Monday, March 16, it released Essential WorldSBK Races Volume 1, a collection of five of the sport’s most iconic races ever, available for free streaming wherever and whenever you are right now. Even more WSBK streaming: If that’s not enough, during each weekend of this break, WorldSBK will be releasing a full round of WorldSBK racing available to stream for free. This will include all practice sessions and races associated with that race weekend, available from Friday to Monday of that week. It’d be nicer still if you could watch them any time during the following week, but it’s still a pretty sweet deal. Did I mention that it’s free? I’m hardly going to complain about that. UPDATE MARCH 20, 2020: Two race organizations have issued letters of encouragement to fans in the wake of this ongoing pandemic. One additional major race rescheduling has occurred. Le Mans 24 Heures Motos: Although previously postponed to September 5 and 6, the 24 Heures Motos race has been rescheduled again for August 29 and 30, 2020 instead. The reason for this change is because the 24 Hours of Le Mans is now postponed until September 19 and 20, 2020. In order to ensure both events have plenty of time to run smoothly, moving the 24 Heures Motos race forward by a week was necessary. MotoGP and WSBK: Dorna Sports CEO Carmelo Ezpeleta released a public letter encouraging the series paddocks and fans alike to stand strong and stay safe throughout this pandemic, and said he looks forward like all of us to when race seasons are in full swing. At this time, no further race rescheduling has been announced. However, MotoGP.com is now streaming ALL its content for free via MotoGP VideoPass! The free trial lasts until April 27, 2020, so if you’re missing racing, you have plenty of archival races, documentaries, and interviews going all the way back to 1992 to keep you busy. MotoAmerica: According to the latest statement issued March 17, 2020, the only race weekend that has been rescheduled so far is the COTA round with MotoGP, which will now run November 13 through 15, 2020. As it stands, the 2020 MotoAmerica season opener is still scheduled to take place in Braselton, Georgia at Road Atlanta during the weekend of April 17 through 19. This makes it just about the only national-level American sport series that is not postponing or rescheduling April events. UPDATE MARCH 18, 2020: At this time, many series have announced postponements or cancellations as a result of the global COVID-19 pandemic. We have two new announcements to add to the list. North West 200: The race has now officially been postponed. It may be rescheduled at a later date that is yet to be determined, although race organizers said it would be “very difficult” to do so. Autosport also reported that the Cookstown 100 may be rescheduled for September 2020, pending pandemic considerations going forward throughout the year. Additionally, the Ulster Grand Prix in August may not go ahead due to financial problems rather than any reason related to public health. Northern Irish sanctioning body The Motorcycle Racing Association (Ireland) Limited has suspended all off-road racing events indefinitely for the foreseeable future, according to the Belfast Telegraph. British Superbikes: Official testing at Silverstone, which was originally scheduled for April 1 and 2, 2020, has now been canceled. The opening round of the 2020 BSB season was originally scheduled for April 10 through 12 at Silverstone, and will now be postponed until later on in the year. No additional information regarding a new date is available at this time. PM UPDATE MARCH 16, 2020: The 2020 Isle of Man TT has now officially been canceled. It will not be rescheduled this year, IOM government officials said. UPDATE, MARCH 16, 2020: Some American and Northern Irish 2020 race calendar changes have now been made public. Also, there’s a possible contingency plan being floated if the 2020 Isle of Man TT has to be rescheduled. Please note that so far, as of March 16, 2020, the 2020 IOMTT is still planned to go forward as scheduled according to race organizers and the IOM government. Here are new details, listed by event: North West 200: The annual road race as originally scheduled for May 2020, is now “in major doubt” according to the Belfast News Letter. The event, originally scheduled to kick off with a ‘Meet The Riders’ evening, has already had both the launch and that rider meeting postponed. A race organizer meeting is taking place today, after which more about the 2020 NW200 and its potential postponement will likely be announced. Other Republic of Ireland road racing events, as well as rugby and other sporting events, have already been postponed. Isle of Man TT: According to an official statement on the IOMTT website dated February 26, 2020, preparations are still underway for the 2020 fortnight of racing to proceed as scheduled. However, an IOM resident started a petition to get the 2020 IOMTT canceled due to COVID-19 concerns. That petition has 1500 signatures so far. One possible contingency plan for the 2020 IOMTT has been discussed, according to the Belfast News Letter. If the 2020 TT does end up being postponed, organizers may opt to hold it in August 2020 in place of the Classic TT and Manx GP. Monster Energy Supercross: The remainder of the 2020 Monster Energy AMA Supercross championship has been postponed until further notice, according to an official announcement released on Twitter. Ten races for the 2020 season have been completed so far, with seven still remaining according to the original calendar. American Flat Track: The Daytona 200 and Daytona TT, which were both originally scheduled to take place over the weekend of March 14 and 15, 2020, have both officially been postponed. The Daytona 200 will now take place as part of Biketoberfest 2020, which runs from October 15 through 18. Meanwhile, the Daytona TT will be rescheduled at a future date, according to the official Twitter announcement from AFT. MotoAmerica: At this time, apart from noting on its Twitter feed that its COTA weekend would continue to support MotoGP at COTA, and would therefore move with it, the MotoAmerica organization has not moved to cancel or postpone any events on its 2020 calendar. On March 13, it tweeted out a link to the AMA’s complete non-statement on COVID-19, which basically tells you to wash your hands and listen to the CDC, but offers little in the way of actual guidance beyond what literally everyone is already saying. British Superbikes: At this time, no calendar changes appear to have been made for 2020. However, at the time of writing, UK prime minister Boris Johnson is scheduled to have an emergency cabinet meeting and is expected to announce new country-wide measures in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Sky News. No additional changes to MotoGP, WSBK, or FIM EWC calendars have been made since our last update. Original article from March 12, 2020 follows: The 2020 international motorsport calendar continues to shift and change due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM), International Road-Racing Teams Association (IRTA), and Dorna collectively announced that the Argentina MotoGP round originally scheduled for April will now be rescheduled for November. Meanwhile, the FIM and Dorna announced that both the Spanish and French rounds of World Superbike had now been rescheduled for October. The Argentina MotoGP round will now take place from November 20 through 22, 2020. It had originally been scheduled for April 17 through 19, but that plan is officially no more. As the 2020 MotoGP season currently stands, the new season opener will be the Gran Premio Red Bull de España at the Circuito de Jerez-Angel Nieto on the weekend of May 1 through 3, 2020. Both the FIM and Dorna also announced that as far as the World Superbike 2020 calendar is concerned, the Pirelli Spanish Round is now rescheduled for October 23 through 25. Previously, it was marked down for March 27 through 29. Additionally, the Pirelli French Round has now moved to the weekend of October 2 through 4. Previously, France was scheduled for September 25 through 27. Many professional racers are taking this additional time to do lots of dirt riding, as you’ve no doubt seen if you follow any of them on social media. That’s an impressive rooster tail! You probably won’t see air like this on any MotoGP tracks this year (at least, we hope not). Here are links to all the official series calendars: MotoAmerica isn’t an international series. So far, the only change officials have announced is that the Circuit of the Americas rounds previously scheduled to take place over the MotoGP COTA weekend have also been rescheduled for the new MotoGP COTA date in November. We’ll keep any future schedule updates for MotoAmerica within this post, too. As I’m sure everyone reporting any type of news has repeatedly mentioned, this is an ongoing and evolving situation. To keep everything simple, we’re making this post a one-stop-shop for 2020 race calendar updates going forward, and we’ll include dates on our updates so you can make sure you have the most current information available. Sources: MotoGP, WSBK Let's block ads! (Why?)