Dainese - Following its 'near death experience' in the hands of successive Private Equity ownerships, the 2025 announced sale of Dainese Group to London based "distressed asset" specialists HPS Investment Partners and Arcmont Asset Management has now been given the green light by EU regulators. The deal includes AGV Helmets and TCX Boots. Lino Dainese sold the apparel business he had built to Bahrain based Investcorp for a reported 'Enterprise Value' of € 130m. in 2022. In turn, Investcorp 'flipped' it to American conglomerate Carlyle Group in 2022, for a reported € 630m. The deal with HPS/Arcmont is reported to have been a debt-for-equity swap for a nominal fee of € 1.
In Europe, Livewire is fighting for its life and responding to growing competition, such as from the Honda WN7, by significantly reducing the price of the One to € 14,790 (approx. USD $17,500). The One is stated as offering a continuous output of 63 kW (86 hp) and standard range of approx. 160 km. The brand had already significantly reduced the prices of its S2 model temporarily in late summer 2025. Last year, 66 LiveWire motorcycles were newly registered in Germany, with 12 more added in the first two months of 2026. Believe it or not, this gives the Harley-Davidson subsidiary a current market share of around 24% in the electric motorcycle segment in Germany. Considered a pioneering model and - excluding competitor Zero - the One was originally the first electric motorcycle on sales in Germany from an established manufacturer.
Memphis Shades has added a 3" version of its popular BRL Race Bubble Vented Windshield "for performance-driven riders who want even more functionality out of their race setup. Bringing the same track-inspired aerodynamics and style as our original 4" BRL Race Bubble, this version features a built-in vent that improves airflow." It fits 2015-2023 Road Glide Fairings.
International - The 2026 annual Distinguished Gentleman's Ride is slated for Sunday May 17. Uniting classic and vintage styled motorcycle riders from all over the world to raise funds and awareness for prostate cancer research and men's mental health. Founded 15 years ago in Sydney, Australia by Mark Hawwa, the event is generously supported by Triumph Motorcycles and is said to have raised USD $7.6m in 2025 with 127,000 participants in 1,038 Cities across 108 countries. www.gentlemansride.com
DEBT I - Government bond yields are the cost that Governments have to pay on the debt they owe. The debt costs for G7 nations have surged following the COVID-19 pandemic and Russia's invasion of Ukraine, as central banks raised interest rates aggressively to tame surging inflation. Elevated longer-term borrowing costs also reflect that investors want better returns to compensate for the risk of holding the debt. The Iran war is the latest challenge. At the end of Q1, the UK, where Benchmark 10-year yields in March hit their highest since 2008, pays the highest among peers at 4.84%. However, the US is closing in on an unwelcome leadership where the fiscal drag created by debt is concerned with 10-year yields now at 4.32% (from 0.67% at the end of March 2020). Source: Reuters.
DEBT II - Government debt is roughly equal to or higher than economic output across the G7 economies, with the exception of Germany, Europe's biggest economy. Since the 2008 global financial crisis, the 2011-12 euro zone debt crisis and the 2020 pandemic all saw G7 economies post increased debt levels, hurting growth and raising spending. A key metric is the Debt-to-GDP ratio (G2D), which has grown for all G7 economies since the 1980s. With the exception of Japan, which is an 'outlier' in G2D ratio terms, peaking at over 250% in 2020, and Italy (150% in 2020), each of the other five G7 nations has seen their ratio continue to deteriorate since the pandemic (USA, UK, France, Germany and Canada). The United States is now forecast to have overtaken Italy and be close to a 150% G2D ratio by 2030 - second only to Japan, whose ratio is expected to continue to improve, and Italy, who will replace USA as having the third highest ratio. Source: Reuters.
DEBT USA III - Higher post-pandemic borrowing costs are feeding into governments' interest payments as they refinance low-cost debt at higher market rates. While well below historical peaks for many countries, interest payments as a share of output have risen steadily across most G7 countries recently, notably in the United States. In fact, interest payments across OECD countries, which include the U.S., already topped defense spending in 2024. As at Q1 of 2026, IMF data shows United States interest payments on public debt as a share of GDP having risen to a post-1980 high of 4.0%; ahead of Italy (3.9%), Canada (3.5%) and the deteriorating but debt-shedding UK economy at 2.8%. Source: Reuters.
