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Tuesday 30 August 2016

News Briefs



BRP has reported revenues up by 3.5 percent to CAN$929.9m for the first three months of its current financial year to April 30, 2016. Gross profit was down by -8.8 percent to CAN$194.1m due to adverse exchange rate conditions and a 25.8 percent increase in operating expenses - largely blamed to provision for some of the several unfavorable CanAm lawsuit findings against it.

In France Paris city authorities have now followed through on their plan to ban motorcycles built before June 1st 2000 from the city’s streets between the hours of 8:00am and 8:00 pm, Monday to Friday. The ban takes effect from September 1st this year and is part of a slew of measures Paris is taking in response to EU threats of fines over air pollution issues there that, apparently, mean that Paris’ air pollution is even worse than that notoriously seen in Beijing!

Headed up by former Yuasa executive Linda Barton, the Coppel, Texas based Universal Power Group (UPG) has Standard Conventional, Premium Dry Charge AGM and Platinum AGM, LFP and V-twin specific batteries available in its ‘Kinetik’ brand program of powersports specific batteries. Specifically designed with rugged construction for the rigors of V-twin applications, their Platinum VRLA (Valve Regulated Lead Acid) batteries with AGM separators are said to be maintenance-free for all Harley models since 1964.

Fort Lauderdale, Florida based Travertson Motorcycles (Christian Travert and Tim Cameron) are best known for their pioneering motorcycle and trike designs, including the famed ‘V-Rex’ Harley V-Rod engine bike and ‘Striker’ reverse trike design. Our thanks to Nicole Travert for news that they are importing and selling the noted French made EMC line of shock absorbers. Featuring a patented 3-tube design, their ‘Custom line’ products are fully adjustable, heavy duty gas shocks ideal for heavier weight motorcycles.

Although reported to be only worth some 1,000 or so units a year, Indian Motorcycle last year joined Harley (and a plethora of other large displacement manufacturers) in the rush for market presence in the so far largely low-cost, low cc powered two-wheel market in the Indian sub-continent. Parent company Polaris already has manufacturing joint ventures there, and Indian has now opened a seventh dealership in the architecturally noted Le Corbusier planned post-independence metropolis of Chandigarh in the Punjab.

North Dakota Harley dealers Bill and Brenda Houim are to open a second store, Black Magic Harley-Davidson, at Williston, ND., some 120 miles from their Minot based Magic City H-D facility.