In case you were wondering about the lack of news from Bonneville this year - that's because the 2022 AMA Land Speed Grand Championship was canceled. The AMA announcement came on August 14, just 10 days after SEMA had praised the conversation and restoration efforts at the Salt Flats. It was flooding that caused the abandonment of FIM Land Speed World Record chasing for 2022. The event's assessment team, led by Bonneville Motorcycle Speed Trials (BMST) promoter Delvene Reber, reviewed current conditions of the Bonneville Salt Flats both by air and on the ground on August 12 and 13, and determined that all track locations and alternatives were still flooded. With between 4 and 10 inches of water in many places the team determined that there was no possibility the salt would be sufficiently dry in time for track preparations and operations to begin.
US specialist motorcycle dealer education and sales and marketing agency Brands That Shine (Jessica Shine) has added further to its burgeoning portfolio with a deal to represent British specialist R&G in the United States. R&G is one of the world's leading specialist crash protection product manufacturers offering Aero frame sliders, engine case covers, crash bars and fork protectors and is an official partner of the 2022 MotoAmerica Championship as well as sponsoring two teams in the Series - Team Hammer and Tom Wood Powersports. MotoAmerica has given its official approval for R&G engine case covers, lever guards and tank sliders. Look for R&G at AIMEXPO 2023 (Feb 15-17, Las Vegas).
The news from the Isle of Man TT this summer was mostly of tragedy - with five racer deaths recorded - the worst since 1989 - but in among the tragedy a reminder of why we are all drawn to racing like moths to light bulbs! MCN reported that Dean Harrison (DAO Racing Kawasaki) is reported to have recorded a lap speed of 131.767 mph (with a lap time of 17:10.817) in the third qualifying session for the TT on the iconic 37.3-mile public roads course.
ACEM, Brussels, has stated that registrations of new motorcycles in five of the largest European markets (France, Germany, Italy, Spain and UK - responsible for some 80% of the European total) showed a slight decrease of -0.5% (532,980 units) during the first six months of 2022. Some of the largest European motorcycle markets registered increases, including Germany (117,800 units, +1.7%) and Spain (91,870 units, +10.7%). Registrations decreased in France (108,000 units, -6.4%), Italy (161,500 units, -2.8%) and the UK (532,980 units, -0.5%).
Temecula Harley-Davidson and BMW in California has been sold by former owner Andre Lecompte to Rami Yanni, who now has a seven-dealership group (Wise Riders Inc.). H-D of Yuba City was the first, acquired in 2016, with Redwood, Reno, Orange County, Coronado Beach, Death Valley and now Temecula H-D being added since. Wise Riders is a subsidiary of the Wise Auto Group - established in Northern California in 1914.
Avon Lake, Ohio sound and heat management specialist DEI Powersports recently partnered with Indian Motorcycle of Orange County (IMOC) after Powersports Manager John Gabriel stopped by the dealership to show off DEI's new heat shield liner for the '22 Indian Chief. The heat from the exhaust system can become uncomfortable, especially riding in slow traffic. Not wanting to disrupt the attractive lines and appearance of the exhaust, DEI's heat shield liner kit insulates the outer heat shield, without disturbing the looks of the bike.
Sources: AMD, IDN, FT, Reuters, PSB, MPN, BDN, MCN, AP, Bloomberg, MSNW, Electrek, electricmotorcycles.news, RideApart.com, Motor1.com, Cycle World, motorbikewriter.com