Galfer: Best known as the originators of the ‘Wave’ rotor, the Barcelona, Spain based manufacturer offers brake pads, lines, hoses and rotors for the majority of motorcycle segments, including Harleys – with OE replacement and performance upgrade options available. Check out the popular ‘Skull’ rotor design, which is selling really well in the custom and V-twin markets, and look for a new ‘Beehive’ inspired Hex-Tech design coming soon; www.galfermoto.com
Marolotest: The French motorcycle workshop equipment manufacturer Marolotest celebrated its 60th anniversary this summer with an open-house and party for distributors, vendors, press and local dignitaries. Best known for its wide range of advanced design workshop lift options, Marolo is a favorite with authorized Harley dealers and aftermarket shops. The company also offers the space-saving ‘FlatLift’, only 8 cm (3.2”) high in its lowest position, it was specifically designed for heavier models with low ground clearance and provides easy access for technicians; www.marolotest.com
Newfren: Based near Turin, Italy, Newfren is one of the market’s leading brake pad, disc and clutch plate manufacturers. Founded in the 1950s by Alessandro Barbero, Newfren were innovators and early adopters of a number of new brake technologies - such as bonded friction material, gravity and high pressure die casting and brake shoes without rivets. The revolutionary glues that Barbero developed are said to have “changed the production of brake shoes forever”. The company is still in family ownership - with Valter Barbero at the helm - and in recent years they have invested heavily in new manufacturing technology at its soon to be ISO 14000 environmentally certified 65,000 sq ft facilty/100,000 sq ft site. Indeed, ahead of industry requirements where environmental manufacturing and compound formula requirements are concerned, Newfren has been granted UNI EN ISO 9001-2000 certification for its quality control systems and ABE certification from the German KBA for many of its products. The company says it offers “the most complete catalog of aftermarket parts for motorcycle and scooter brake shoes and clutches in Europe,” and although Newfren may not be a familiar name to many Harley and aftermarket dealers, the company has applications for Harley-Davidson and Indian models, including late model Softails and Tourers; www.newfren.com
BC Battery Controller: A division of specialist Italian manufacturer Forelettronica, the ‘BC’ range of battery chargers and maintainers includes Pro Grade and consumer applications for the heavy duty charging and diagnostic requirements of Harley batteries; www.batterycontroller.it
TecMate: The market leading OptiMate range of battery testers, conditioners and chargers is as broad as it is deep, as versatile as it is reliable and as high-tech as it is ergonomic. Its USB accessories and 'charge' into the Li-ion battery care sector have set them apart from rivals in recent years, and with products such as its Solar Charger program, the company’s technology and grasp on the fundamentals of what dealers and riders need will continue to set them apart in the future too. Exclusively distributed in the United States by Parts Unlimited and Drag Specialties; www.tecmate.com
MIPS: Developed by Swedish neurosurgeon Hans von Holst and Peter Halldin of the Swedish Royal Institute of Technology, MIPS (Multi-Directional Impact Protection System) is an “ingredient brand” and technology that is becoming widely adopted by leading motorcycle helmet brands (MSR, Answer, Kabuto, Thor, Bell, KYT, Fly Racing, Scott, Alpinestars, Troy Lee Designs and more) that protects the brain from rotational motion. A low friction layer allows a sliding movement of 10-15 mm in all directions, reducing the rotational motion (kinematics) to the brain during angled impacts to the head. Rotational motion is a combination of rotational energy (angular velocity) and rotational forces from angular acceleration that both affect the brain and increases the risk for minor and severe brain injuries. MIPS says that its added protection system has been “proven to reduce the rotational motion when implemented in a helmet by absorbing and redirecting energies and forces otherwise transmitted to the brain”; www.mipsprotection.com
Harley-Davidson: In Europe the decision by Harley to ‘eat’ the tariff-driven price increases imposed by the EU (in response to America’s steel and aluminum tariff increases) has been HUGE. The decision to protect dealers and brand enthusiasts from the Macro Economic silliness will no doubt come back into its balance sheet in years to come as the Motor Company looks to ride its many more roads towards 50 percent of sales being international. EICMA saw considerable appreciation for the debut of the production-ready Livewire in a market that “gets it” where brand values, electric power and urban mobility are concerned; www.harley-davidson.com
Showa: The well-known Japanese suspension manufacturer continues to develop its aftermarket product line with new electronically controlled steering damper and vehicle adjustment technologies. Showa EERA ‘HeightFlex’ is an electronically controlled height adjustment technology that will be available for a wide range of models, including Harley applications; www.showa1.eu
Cardo: The market-leading rider communications specialist has joined forces with respected audio brand JBL – a division of the Harman Group - and one of the most respected names in the top-end audio industry. With embedded audio software technology developed by JBL specifically for Cardo at its Los Angeles audio labs, Sound by JBL now gives riders the highest standard of audio quality in Cardo’s latest generation of Packtalk communication systems, including the Freecom 4+, “establishing a new standard of audio quality for motorcyclists. Cardo can justifiably claim to have reinvented motorcycle audio performance by introducing the next generation Dynamic Mesh Communication platform, improved ease-of-use with industry-first one-step natural voice commands, allowing riders to simply say “Hey Cardo” without having to press any buttons, and the always on device reacts instantaneously. The Dynamic Mesh technology that underpins the Cardo Packtalk concept allows up to 15 riders to join and leave communications and conversations with fellow riders over a distance of up to 5 miles without the network crashing and the riders needing to re-establish communications because it doesn’t use the conventional “cascade connection chain” technique. Instead it is, quite literally, a “dynamic mesh” that allows any rider to join and leave at any time; www.cardosystems.com