New Zealand based EV bike maker UBCO has filed for bankruptcy protection. Known for its 2x2 all-wheel-drive bikes, UBCO has been a well-respected entrant in the EV space. While it is not known whether its prior involvement with the now liquidated Tucker Powersports distributing operation is the direct cause of its problems, it can't have helped. An exhibitor at AIMExpo in recent years, the company was not slated to be at the Las Vegas show in February this year. RideApart reports that UBCO's funding is said to have dried up, with the startup now in receivership, having burned through a previously raised $70m in investment funding. Production has been suspended and all employees 'let go'.
The MIC reports that before leaving office President Biden signed the Expanding Public Lands Outdoor Recreation Experiences (EXPLORE) Act, which will increase public land access, address barriers for veterans and people with disabilities, streamline small-business permitting, and more. "The EXPLORE Act will supercharge the outdoor recreation industry," said Jessica Wahl Turner, President of Outdoor Recreation Roundtable. "This transformative new law will help ensure every American has access to world-class outdoor experiences – from their backyards to the backcountry – while supporting the businesses, workers, and communities who make those experiences possible." The bill was introduced in 2024 by Representative Bruce Westerman, Chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee. The MIC supported the bill and wrote to the committee last year, stating: "Passage of the EXPLORE Act will help ensure that our nearly $50bn powersports industry, and the recreation economy generally, continues to grow and serve our ever-expanding constituencies."
In January 2025, RideApart reported that the US Federal Trade Commission, together with the state attorneys general of Illinois and Minnesota, officially filed a federal lawsuit against John Deere over ongoing 'Right to Repair' complaints. The suit alleges a decades-long throttling of both farmers' and independent repair shops' abilities to repair and/or maintain equipment manufactured by Deere. Such actions are prevented, says the suit, by increased computerization of Deere machinery through increased reliance on electronic control units (ECUs), which are then only accessible via special software tools that John Deere also controls access to.
Rekluse and Wiseco are to continue as Official Partners of Progressive American Flat Track with a two-year renewal for the 2025 and 2026 seasons. Sister companies under the Race Winning Brands (RWB) umbrella, Rekluse and Wiseco, boast a long tradition of involvement in the sport. Rekluse formally came on board as a partner of Progressive AFT an official capacity in 2017 with Wiseco following suit the following year. Both brands will up their support of the series this season with the introduction of two new awards that will feature at each round. The Rekluse Clutch 'Move of the Race' awards a $250 product certificate to the AFT Singles presented by KICKER rider who pulls off the best racing maneuver or save in any given Main Event. The Wiseco Warrior Award will see the Mission AFT SuperTwins pilot who overcomes the most adversity during the event rewarded with a $250 product certificate.
