Arrowhead Engineered Products (AEP - the Blaine, Minnesota based owner of WPS, HardDrive and All Balls among others) has opened a new 'Mega Warehouse' at Portland, near Nashville, TN. Said to feature "advanced logistics technology to enhance service and delivery capabilities," the 540,000 sq ft aftermarket parts distribution facility will employ 400 people full-time when fully commissioned. AEP says this will take its North American fulfilment and distribution center network number to 22 locations.
H-D is looking for a new CFO already. Gina Goetter joined H-D in 2020, but has now left to "accept an opportunity outside the company." David Viney will serve as Interim CFO and Treasurer until an executive search concludes.
The National Motorcycle Museum (Anamosa, Iowa) has announced that it will be closing its doors for good at the end of business day 5:00 p.m. on September 4, 2023. Based on John and Jill Parham's collections and many loanee bikes, the conceptual origins of the museum lay in the original National Motorcycle Museum at Sturgis that John and Jill had generously funded and, ultimately, rescued from bankruptcy and moved to Anamosa in 2000.
The 2023 French GP at Le Mans will mark the 1,000th event in the history of the championship. MotoGP was the world's first motorsport world championship, having begun in June 1949 on the notorious Snaefell Mountain course on the Isle of Man. That first 500 cc race was won by Briton Harold Daniell on a Norton, ahead of another Briton, Johnny Locket, also on a Norton, and Irishman Ernie Lyons third on a Vellocette. At the end of a six-race frost season (IOM, Switzerland,) Assen in the Netherlands, Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium, the Clady Circuit in Ulster/Northern Ireland and Monza, another Briton, Leslie Graham, took the first ever Motorcycle GP Championship title on an AJS, with the Gileras of Nello Pagani and Arciso Artesiani in second and third place in the standings. At the end of that first season, the top 20 consisted of five Nortons, four AJS, three Gileras and Moto Guzzis, and two each of Vellocette and Triumph. There were 12 British riders in the top 20 final standings, six Italians, and one rider from each of Ireland and New Zealand.
Ideanomics owned Energica has announced that its Energica Inside division has entered into two separate partnerships - with French consultant Phenix Air Corp and Czech manufacturer Pure Flight - to develop all-electric solutions for ultra-light and light category aircraft.
Norton has started to make deliveries of its new, re-engineered V4SV - the 185 bhp, 1,200 cc V-four luxury sports bike that got caught up in the fallout from the collapse of the Garner era Norton farrago before the brand was bought out of bankruptcy by Indian conglomerate TVS and rehomed at a new production facility at Solihull, Birmingham, in England. Deliveries of its new Commando variants are also underway in this, Norton's 125th anniversary year. (BDN)
Germany has reached a deal with the EU on the future use of combustion engines that breaks an impasse between Berlin and Brussels, or more specifically between German auto makers and the environmental lobby, by the EU agreeing to allow some combustion engines beyond 2035. The bloc and its largest economy had been at odds over the planned 2035 phase-out of CO2-emitting cars. Germany had wanted assurances that new combustion engine cars can be sold beyond the deadline if they run on e-fuels - a request supported by parts of Germany's powerful car industry. Vehicles with internal combustion engines can still now be newly registered after 2035 if they fill up exclusively with CO2-neutral fuels.
MV Agusta's restructuring has been completed following the final decision of the settlement with the creditors under Italian law ("Concordato Preventivo in Continuità Aziendale"). In its judgment of December 29, 2022, the court in Varese declared the proceedings to be over. The judges had previously determined that all outstanding debts to creditors and all obligations arising from the settlement had been settled in full. The company explicitly points out that this result was only possible thanks to the strong commitment of the Sardarov family. Four years ago, the Russians took control of the company and have provided financial support since the settlement began in 2017. Since then, more than € 180m has gone into restructuring business practices, paying off all debt, supporting MV Agusta's day-to-day operations and ensuring a solid business plan for future growth. In November 2022, KTM AG, a subsidiary of PIERER Mobility AG, took a 25.1% stake in MV Agusta Motor SpA as part of a capital increase and thus holds a blocking minority stake. (B&B)
Never slow to spot an opportunity, Philadelphia based Comoto has jumped in to be title sponsor of the 2023 AMA National Adventure Riding Series with its Revzilla retail brand. "The series currently offers 13 two-day events across the country and is designed to meet the needs of adventure riders looking to explore off-road terrain on their motorcycles," says AMA COO James Holter. "Revzilla's involvement increases much needed and valuable support for the AMA and our chartered organizations that deliver challenging and inspiring events for adventure riders across the country."
Sources: AMD, IDN, FT, Reuters, PSB, MPN, BDN, MCN, AP, Bloomberg, MSNW, Electrek, electricmotorcycles.news, RideApart.com, Motor1.com, Cycle World, motorbikewriter.com