Issue #236 Cup Run Over
Written by John Fuller   
Monday, 03 December 2007
As manufacturers fight for a bigger slice of the motorcycle sales pie, markets such as dirt bikes, that at one time were of no interest to the big players, now have BMW and possibly Harley-Davidson, investing in the category. BMW has just acquired the Husqvarna brand of motorcycles and, in addition to the new acquisition, the company has a new Enduro off-road bike set for a 2008 release.
Harley-Davidson is also rumoured to be working on its own off-road motorcycle, possibly in conjunction with Utah-based ATK which is said to have bought 480 tons of motorcycle parts from the liquidation of US motorcycle company, Cannondale. ATK now sells modified Cannondale bikes under its own brand.
More likely however is that Buell, Harley’s sportbike arm, will kick a four-stroke 450cc motocrosser out the door for the 2009 model year.

APRILIA HAS HAD A TOUGH TIME ENTERING THE CANADIAN MARKET with its RXV and SXV race models as reliability issues stemming from quality control are dogging the models. But, when running, these V-Twin machines are untouchable for pure giggles as they produce more horsepower than anything else in the class.
For 2008, Aprilia has promised a pre-delivery inspected machine and a more refined motorcycle out of the crate, a gesture that will save the consumer and dealer several hours of set-up time. Hopefully we will see Aprilia grow to be a mainstay in the developing Canadian Enduro market.

KTM NORTH AMERICA
ANNOUNCED IN SEPTEMBER PRESS
release that it has begun distributing Husaberg Motorcycles, which has been owned and manufactured by KTM Sportmotorcycles AG since 1997.
According to the press release KTM North America will form a separate distribution division that will consist of dedicated sales, parts, accessories and technical departments.
“We are looking forward to growing our sales and bringing new, innovative machines to the off-road enthusiast looking for a high quality European niche product,” said Jon-Erik Burleson, president of KTM North America.
MEANWHILE, KTM CANADA INC. HAD AN ANNOUNCEMENT OF ITS own, also in September. The corporate entity says it and one of its top dealers, Quebec’s Enduro KTM, have entered an association with the Quebec Motorcycle Medical Intervention Unit (UIMMQ)—an emergency medical intervention program that is unique to Canada.
The brainchild of retired Canadian Forces officer Daniel Massé, UIMMQ is a non-profit organization staffed by volunteer health professionals equipped with KTM Adventure models who provide first response emergency medical services at events in the province of Quebec.
“Our KTM Adventures are equipped with state of the art emergency medical materials,” said Massé. “The  response to our organization is so good that an eventual integration of UIMMQ into the provincial health network may be considered to reduce critical delays to patients waiting for  transportation to hospitals.”

THE WORLD IS A RAPIDLY CHANGING PLACE WITH NEW LAWS and
liability issues that make businessmen weep, particularly when the business is selling high liability products such as motorcycles. We see it in the bikes we ride:  restrictors, limiters and baffles all control our speed and increase our safety. But do we really need imposed limiters, or could we behave if we were given maximum power? Judging by history, it definitely lowers the odds to have some limits, but stupid is stupid and the individual who pins the throttle without “due care” will probably encounter trouble with or without built-in limiters.
Age is always a factor in behaviour, no matter what the subject, but motorcycles, because they are based on technology, are more affected than most other things. Regarding off-road machinery, technology plays an even bigger role because traveling over broken terrain requires more skill and attention than simply spinning a wheel over pavement. A streetbike needs only to run and keep up with traffic to accomplish its task, whereas a dirtbike has to deal with ups, downs, overs, and unders and traction limiting situations.
The basic dirtbike design platform has been set for a while but, with each year, the new models become ever more technical. Strangely, it’s not something you can always see. Though the parts may look similar, each component has grown more refined and technology these days is stellar. A modern front fork or brake caliper may not look much different than it did 40 years ago, but because of improved metallurgy and production things are very different where performance is concerned. Lighter and better is the task assigned  designers by corporate executives as their market research dictates. Small increments of change in cylinder incline angles or frame geometry will always affect the connected areas of the machine. Remember, “hand bone is connected to the arm bone?” Luckily, the available technology provided in this age of electronics makes the job easier. Today, suspension technology is in the Penthouse suite as top quality performance gets pumped up higher every year. Frames are built of numerous metals and alloy compositions, some even bonded together with glue, and because it’s all in the right proportion it works better than before.
In other words if the platform is a basic setting and a computer can give designers most calculations, combined with retrieved data taken from racing or R&D, all of a sudden it becomes obvious we are paying for more than meets the eye when we’re buying a dirtbike. And in the end the bike is finally built, then put in the gloved hand of a rider who will drown it in a river or smash it into the ground.
The biggest head-scratch for the manufacturers is that riders always want to go faster and faster to catch their buddy riding the other bike brand whose designer worked a little harder that year to perfect his craft. So when you go for your next off-road ride think about how much technology was put into it. 
One aspect often overlooked by dirtbike riding enthusiasts who are gaga over the latest motorcycle is its ease of maintenance and reliability. Being engulfed in a motorcycle way of life, I do all my maintenance, a task that was very difficult to learn correctly for a guy who took many years to learn to change a tire and tube on a bicycle (I was eight years old). When you are able to work on something it gives you a broader understanding of the machine and today’s off-road bikes and most street bikes are not user friendly if just an oil change is your idea of service. Reliability is top notch these days, which complements very high performance levels. Parts are more expensive now and labour at the shop is probably $100 per hour, but seldom will you have a problem. If you do it may cost less to change the whole component.
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