AMD's 'International Night'

AMD's 'International Night' to be staged on INTERMOT's Trade Visitor Day

THIS year's INTERMOT Expo will see the return of AMD's popular 'International Night', from 18:30 to 20:00 pm on Wednesday October 1st at the Dealer Lounge Business Centre of the Koelnmesse exhibition centre.

This year also sees the AMD World Championship of Custom Bike Building make its INTERMOT debut - guaranteeing the largest international trade and consumer custom bike show audience ever seen; it also marks the Cologne debut of Big Bike Europe in advance of the second stand-alone BBE being staged there in September 2015.

The show is open to the media on Tuesday September 30th, with Wednesday October 1st being a Trade Day, and Thursday October 2nd to Sunday October 5th open for all visitors.

Since the move to Cologne from Munich in 2006, this is the first time that INTERMOT has promoted a specific Trade Visitor Day, with consumers only able to gain access by trade invitation.

Promoted by AMD and sister publication International Dealer News, and hosted by INTERMOT and the show's sponsors, International Night is unique - the only 'meet & greet' business reception specifically for industry professionals (of all kinds) and is unique in the motorcycle industry.

The 'Cologne Show' has always been regarded as the world's primary international motorcycle industry expo, and with the backing of AMD and IDN this is your opportunity to meet colleagues from the industry in a relaxed environment as the show closes (at 18:00 hours) on the special Trade Visitor special day.

In 2012, INTERMOT underlined its position as “the most significant motorcycle industry international business platform” with the number of trade visitors increasing to 55,000 – with a record proportion of those trade visitors (43 percent) being from outside Germany, and an 8 percent increase in the number of countries represented.

That year also saw the introduction of the Business District, which was developed to bring together a number of expo initiatives that had been developed for trade visitors in prior years. This year it is once again located between halls 4 and 5, with the Dealer Lounge as the central meeting point.

In addition to AMD and IDN, the business district is being supported by other motorcycle industry trade magazines in Europe such as World of Bike and Bike und Business in Germany, British Dealer News in the UK, L’Officiel in France, Moto Dealer News (Italy) and Moto Taller (Spain).

Additional trade initiatives operated by INTERMOT include the Dealer Card, which provides show access privileges and the online Matchmaking365 service, which is an expo visit experience optimizer – it enables trade visitors to gain an overview of the suppliers of selected product groups in the run-up to the fair, establish valuable business contacts and place targeted requests.

This year sees the international motorcycle industry celebrate the 50th anniversary of its expo involvement with the city of Cologne, and highlights and a timeline from past shows will be showcased along with an “old timer” exhibition.

www.intermot-cologne.com

Ross Tomas - our friend

Ross Tomas - our friend

Like everyone who knew him and his parents, all of us here at AMD Magazine were deeply saddened by the recent news about the death of a very special young man.
Ross Tomas, the son of 'Kiwi' Mike Tomas and Carolyn Tomas, was tragically killed in a motorcycle accident on July 22nd, in Riverside, California (outside Los Angeles).
We became friends with Ross because for many years he used to travel with his parents to the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally and work and 'hang out' with us at the AMD World Championship for the week.

Ross Tomas (left), seen here at the AMD World Championship at Sturgis with
his mother Carolyn and father Mike

We used to love having him as a part of our team, we used to enjoy his company and friendship immensely.
His father, of Kiwi Indian Motorcycle fame, as an ever present competitor at the Championship, and Ross was a hard working, energetic and witty young man with bags of good attitude and enthusiasm.
We here at AMD all have our fond memories, the cameo moments on which his personality is indelibly stamped, but at this time our hearts and minds go out to his parents.
Ross leaves them with a gap in their lives that can never be filled, but with an albeit far too short lifetime of memories and love that can never be taken away.

God bless.

Comment: By AMD Editor-in-Chief Robin Bradley

Headlines are a potent return on investment for Wall Street's mergers and acquisitions vultures
As the August edition of AMD went to press, in advance of the unveiling of the 2015 Harleys, speculation was flying around the internet (that well known place where facts go to die) that the 2015 Harley model range will see a return for the Road Glide.

Rather surprisingly dropped for this year, spy-shots scooped by certain online media outlets appear to suggest that the brand has been given the "Rushmore" treatment and other context-sensitive upgrades - not least integrated hard bags and frame mounted fairing. Further speculation suggests that the twin-cooled Twin Cam will migrate to base model level on the 'new' Road Glide.
I am also writing this month's column just days before Harley's 2014 second quarter and first half year-to-date fiscals were unveiled. Currently stock market advisories are being kind to the Motor Company, so the expectation is of another modest, sequential step back towards pre-recession unit numbers and earnings.

However, some of the feedback I have had to my May piece ("Harley-Davidson could be vulnerable to the vultures"), also written just before Harley released numbers, their first quarter numbers, has been interesting.

They have varied from the "to all intents and purposes Harley is already owned by speculators," right through to "Harley would never let that happen."

In point of fact it may well be that Harley's race away from the bottom and the measures it embraced to get its earnings and balance sheet back in order suggest that making ready for a takeover, hostile or otherwise, may well have been part of the game-plan.


time really is money for investment capital
 
For those whose management contracts and investment advice are incentivized to benefit from a scrabble for shares, the short-term hurt for short-term gain school of management is exactly the one that is commonly deployed by corporations preparing themselves for acquisition.

We have already been seeing the sharks of mergers and acquisitions sector feasting on tasty morsels (in the scheme of things), and as the recovery deepens, the next stage of the cycle sees circling for tasty treats morph into the audacious - the kind of eat-all-you-can feeding frenzy that makes rock-stars out of the suits, the kind that makes their tribe purr in admiration, the kind that sets agendas and makes reputations.

As deals go, forcing Harley to the block would indeed be a headline grabber - just look at the mainstream reaction to the news about the 'LiveWire' going live. Sure, it was a slow news week, but nonetheless Harley coming into M&A play would indeed be news, and often that is the limit of the pay-off needed for venture-vultures to justify getting it raised up the flagpole.

Selling metal and delivering dividends aren't the only way for investors to make a buck - ROI only depends on stock price movement, not value. One often hears so-called analysts talking about this or that stock looking like it has "value" - in their context all that means is headroom, headroom in the context of the capital concerned, regardless of the realities of the business concerned.

Stock analysts and venture capitalists analyze "value" in the context of balance sheet math and investor sentiment, not in the context of list price per BHP or handling in the turn on a wet road.

To the vultures it matters not a jot that Harley-Davidson makes motorcycles, all that concerns them is that they can make a defined turn on the cash they use to buy stock within a defined time frame.

Where investment capital is concerned time really is money, and timing is the inexact science that divides the hero from the zero. The competitive pressure on an investment in a motorcycle manufacturer is much more likely to be coming from the projected ROI timeline in alternate investments in pharmaceuticals, aerospace or construction than from the competitive pressures being exerted by a rival motorcycle manufacturer.

On the day I wrote this, Harley’s stock price had been bouncing between $66.03 and $66.75, that's around a one percent variance on a pretty typical, average trading volume - meaning that at the time of writing it was pretty stable. For the prior 52 weeks though it had bounced between a low of $54.83 and a high $74.13 - that's a variance of around 25 percent - is that stable?

In mergers and acquisition terms Harley's market capitalization of $14.55 bn puts right bang in the middle of the M&A cross-hairs at this time - right in the "Goldilocks" zone ... neither tasty morsel nor eat-all-you can.

The high point for Harley's stock in the past twelve months came around the end of April, after its steady climb from an August 2013 low had been interrupted by some first quarter turbulence.

At present their stock price is enduring a three month downslide that, though leaving it closer to its high than its low, nonetheless represents that kind of graph that will have the watchers of such things starting to get twitchy about how close the company is to optimum opportunity.

Regardless of the realities of the balance sheet, the earnings history and potential, even if the time is not yet right, or the company not yet ripe for a bid, even if there isn't a fast buck to be had, Harley could just as easily fall prey to a fast headline for someone wanting to add lustre to their résumé.

Lehman Trikes

Victory Cross Country trike from Lehman and Champion

LEHMAN Trikes has combined with Champion Trikes to introduce the CrossFire LLS for Victory Cross Country models. This new model of trike features LLS independent suspension, standard parking brake, large six-cubic foot trunk, optional accessories and full warranty. 

“The CrossFire LLS was inspired from many requests by Victory riders who love the Cross Country, but are in a position where a trike would be more beneficial to their lifestyle and riding needs,” says Craig Arrojo, owner of Lehman Trikes USA and Champion Trikes. “We have put a great deal of strategic design into the CrossFire to meet the desires of our Victory customers and are excited it will be offered as a full warranty, complete touring trike.”
The combination of Victory’s Freedom 106 engine and Lehman’s LLS independent suspension provides a dependable, comfortable and powerful ride in town or touring on open roads. 

Thanks to Lehman’s unique supply agreement with Victory Motorcycles, owners of the CrossFire LLS will also receive a full factory warranty which includes Lehman’s three-year, unlimited mileage warranty as well as the retained Victory one-year warranty on all motorcycle parts unaffected by the trike conversion. 

Lehman Trikes USA, Inc.
Spearfish, South Dakota, USA
Tel: 605 642 2111
sales@lehmantrikes.com
www.lehmantrikes.com

Erik Buell Racing

EBR introduces new 1190SX ‘Superfighter’ sportbike

FOLLOWING the successful launch of the acclaimed 1190RX superbike, Erik Buell Racing (EBR) has introduced the EBR 1190SX, described by the company as "a true naked streetfighter-style sportbike with uncompromised Superbike race-bred performance and handling".
Sharing the 1190RX’s V-twin engine (rated at 185 crankshaft horsepower and more than 136 Nm of torque) the 1190SX is said to deliver "the highest performance available in the streetfighter category".

EBR founder and Chief Technical Officer Erik Buell is described as being no stranger to streetfighter-style sportbikes, having defined the category in production manufacturer terms with the introduction of the S1 Lightning in 1995.
In what may be a sideswipe at the recent unveiling of a 'Roadster' design concept by BMW, Buell says that “the streetfighter classification, which was so revolutionary when we first came to market, is now being used by marketing people for all sorts of motorcycles, including some thinly-disguised standard bikes that have de-tuned or obsolete powertrains. So, perhaps the appropriate new name for a bike like the 1190SX is ‘Superfighter’."
The company goes on to say that "with so many components carried over from the EBR 1190RX Superbike, the 1190SX is a genuine high-performance motorcycle with a racing heritage. True to its ‘streetfighter’ designation, however, the 1190SX is designed to be a dominating street machine. 

"Featuring an athletic upright riding position and wider handlebars for nimble handling, and minimalist bodywork for lower weight, the 1190SX is equally at home carving canyons on the open road or taking on the concrete canyons of the city. As with all EBR sportbikes, the 1190SX features many Erik Buell signature innovations to optimize handling and performance, such as fuel in the frame for lower weight and centralized mass, hubless wheels and perimeter brake rotors for lower unsprung weight, and EBR’s proprietary Controlled Swirl Induction (CSI), which improves power and fuel economy, while lowering exhaust emissions".

ERIK BUELL RACING
East Troy, Wisconsin, USA
Tel: 262 642 1627
info@ebracing.com
www.erikbuellracing.com

Motorcycle Storehouse

Latest additions to Motorcycle Storehouse range

MOTORCYCLE Storehouse is now stocking the MMB Gen-2 Ultra Mini speedometers. This latest speedo from MMB is just 48m in diameter and the housing is 33mm deep, whereas the Gen-1 was 50mm deep. The electronically driven speedo is available with black or white face in a 'Basic' or 'Target' design in kph or mph, and with a choice of white, yellow, blue or red LED illumination. 

The Gen-2 Ultra Mini speedometers come with integrated LED lights in red warning, blue high beam, green neutral and green turn signal. An extra large waterproof LCD display is used to inform the rider on switchable kph/mph distance, two trip counters, two trip time counters, date, time, ambient temperature in Celsius or Fahrenheit, battery voltage and fuel reserve as a symbol.
Originally designed for use on ‘94-up H-D models equipped with stock electronic transmission driven speedometers, the Gen-2 can be used in many custom applications since the speedometer can be used with inductive and Hall-effect sensors with npn output, Reed-sensors and induction sensors (VRS). Calibration can be done manually by entering a known number of sensor pulses or automatically by riding a certain distance. Connectors that fit the rear side of speedo are included along with a comprehensive installation manual. 

Among the Küryakyn range of products stocked by Motorcycle Storehouse is the ECE approved 7in LED headlamp unit. While the unit has previously been available, it is only now being offered with ECE-approval and with the option of left-side drive for use in the UK. Said to provide more light than a H4 bulb while using less power, the light fits all FLHS, FLHX, and FLHR (excluding 2014 FLHR and C, and FLHRSE), ‘11-‘14 FLD and all trike and Softail models with 7in headlamps and standard connectors.

Motorcycle Storehouse has now also added the Mueller internal throttle grip to its stock list. This internal throttle uses four roller and two bearing sleeves and is machined to the tightest tolerance to create the smoothest action possible. Supplied with a universal throttle cable with PTFE inner lining that can even be run through the most extreme Z-bars, without adverse effects to control smoothness, there are two versions are available, one for use with metal throttle grips and one closed for use with rubber throttle grips to prevent the rubber contacting the moving internals of the throttle.

MOTORCYCLE STOREHOUSE
Bedum, NETHERLANDS
Tel: +31 (0)50 303 9775
info@mcseurope.nl
www.mcseurope.nl

Belt Drives Ltd.

Softail chain drive primary features 'Competitor' clutch

BELT Drives Ltd has designed its CDCS-1-90 chain drive primary kit, which features the company’s Competitor clutch, specifically for use on ‘90-‘06 Softail models.
The Competitor clutch is said by the manufacturer to offer instantaneous and absolute transfer of power to the rear wheel. 

The patented seven-plate Kevlar clutch provides at least 60 percent more clutch surface than stock, and the nine-spring pressure plate provides varying spring pressure needed for use with both stock and highly modified stroker motors.
The complete primary drive kit includes a Diamond primary chain, compensator sprocket, compensator nut, clutch springs, shoulder bolts (for chain drive only), hardware kit for chain drive, pressure plate, adjusting screw, main shaft hub nut, chain drive clutch kit, and nine-tooth starter pinion gear.

BELT DRIVES LIMITED
Anaheim, California, USA
Tel: 714 693 1313
info@beltdrives.com
www.beltdrives.com

CTEK Power Inc.

MXTS 40A charger

CTEK has launched its MXTS 40, which it describes as a powerful smart charger and battery support unit that can provide up to 40A, to meet the demand for fast charging and battery support from workshops and showrooms.
The MXTS 40 offers rapid charging with a powerful eight-stage charger providing optimum charging in the shortest possible time, and has selectable modes for all battery types including calcium, gel and AGM (including start/stop types) to ensure that a safe, fast charge is delivered meeting the needs of the individual battery type.
The MXTS 40 also provides a range of highly accurate constant voltage settings to avoid ECU damage due to voltage fluctuation during programming. It can supply up to 40A of clean and constant current, protecting against disruption to the diagnostic process with a voltage range of 13.6 – 14.8V.

The user interface provides information through the unique CTEK eight-step charge progress indicator LEDs which are complemented by an additional LED display that gives read-outs of important charge parameters including current, voltage and amps charged.
A CTEK spokesman said: “There is ever increasing demand for chargers capable of providing powerful battery support when flash programming work is being undertaken. There is also a great need for a safe and versatile charger with the ability to deliver a rapid charge for both workshop and showroom applications. With powerful and quick charging capability and great functionality, the MXTS 40 meets these requirements perfectly, making it an essential piece of equipment for the workshop or showroom.”

CTEK POWER INC
Twinsburg, Ohio, USA
Tel: 330 963 0981
support@smartercharger.com
smartercharger.com