New York based MiddleGround Capital, who bought Race Winning Brands from Kinderhook in November 2021, has continued to add to the RWB portfolio. The "operationally-focused private equity firm that makes control investments in North American middle market B2B industrial and specialty distribution companies" has funded the acquisition of TPT Solutions (TransGo, RevMax and Transmission Specialties) to add to an RWB brand line-up that includes Wiseco, Rekluse, ProX, Manley Performance and JE Pistons. It is its second RWB add-on acquisition since November 2021 - having also acquired PAC Racing (performance springs) to the roster.
Honda Motor Co., Ltd. has signed a joint development agreement in the area of Lithium-Metal secondary batteries with SES Holdings Pte. Ltd., a U.S. (Boston) based EV battery research and development company. SES plans to list on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) via a special-purpose acquisition company (SPAC) transaction, and through the PIPE (private investment in public equity) offering by the SPAC, Honda plans to acquire approximately 2% of the shares of SES AI Corporation.
Tom Moore has left his role as GM at Los Angeles H-D to become GM at Kirkwood, Mo., based Doc's H-D.
Husqvarna Motorcycles has extended its partnership with Boise, Idaho based Rekluse through 2022. Owned by Race Winning Brands (of Wiseco fame) and now in its 20th year, the clutch component manufacturer will "continue to support Husqvarna's global racing efforts."
Honda Motor Co., Ltd. has made a strategic investment in California based Helm.ai "to strengthen its software technology development in the areas of artificial intelligence (AI) and computer vision technologies," stating that "Helm.ai has key strengths in the area of AI-based image recognition technologies advanced through unsupervised learning." Founded in 2016, Honda and Helm.ai have been working in collaboration since 2019 through Honda Xcelerator, Honda's a global open innovation program of Honda.
Polaris has donated nearly $120,000 to off-road organizations with T.R.A.I.L.S. Grants. The 13 nonprofit organizations that were awarded a Spring 2022 T.R.A.I.L.S. grant received awards ranging from $6,000 to $10,000. The grants will support the development, improvement and expansion of trails, and help to educate riders on safe and responsible riding practices.
'Ride With Us', the MIC's "multifaceted market expansion program, heads into its second year, having inspired more than 2.3 million potential new riders through social media and putting more than 700 people on motorcycles for their first time through its Moto Intro experiences in 2021." It will, however, need to replace the public facing opportunity provided for it with the cancelation of the IMS Outdoors event series for 2022.
National Powersport Auctions (NPA) has "stepped up" its Strategic Partnership with the National Powersports Dealer Association (NPDA). "NPA believes that dealers are critical to the future of powersports," said NPA CEO Jim Woodruff. "They are at the front lines of the consumer experience that fuels our industry. We share NPDA's PURE (Promote, Unite, Represent, Educate) vision and belief that our industry is better when we all work together." Additional NPDA supporters include Find It Now, Law Tigers, LiquiMoly USA, Performance Brokerage Services and WPS/HardDrive parent company Arrowhead Engineered Products.
Ducati owner VAG's (Volkswagen Audi Group) Spanish subsidiary SEAT is the latest automotive brand to try its hand at PTW electrification with the launch of the 'MO' eScooter 125. It is powered by a 9 kW rear wheel electric motor, with peak power equivalent to a 125 cc Scooter, 240 Nm of torque for a stated 0-31 mph acceleration time of 3.9 seconds, 59 mph top speed and 85 mile range from the 5.6 kWh Li-ion battery pack.
In response to test rider and customer feedback, Harley has added a Screamin' Eagle Quick Shifter to its accessory options for 2022 and up Pan America models. To our knowledge, the company has not yet formally confirmed whether or not it is also compatible with other Revolution Max models, namely the Sportster S.
Sources: AMD, IDN, FT, Reuters, PSB, MPN, BDN, MCN, AP, Bloomberg, MSNW, Electrek, electricmotorcycles.news, RideApart.com, Motor1.com, Cycle World, motorbikewriter.com