Saturday September 26th 2020
Sammy was doing a bit of MX last week at the Blackfoot Park event in Calgary - Not his chosen sport - but looks like he had fun on the Beta Canada Thumper. ( Not sure who took the pic)
And here is another Beta rider - Michel Belanger winning the ATAQ Trial recently- that’s a pretty good climb.
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And now for some rather startling Industry news >>
The news is out and official – Harley Davidson, the iconic American motorcycle manufacturer is ending its operations in India for good. Harley’s inability to capture the insanely popular cruiser segment in India despite its enviable brand history and recognition will go down as one of the biggest manufacturer flops in the ultra-competitive Indian premium bike segment. But this very move paints a clearer picture of the current state of Harley Davidson as a company and why the future of the brand seems bleak.
Let’s go back in time to 2014, Harley had just launched the much-awaited Street 750, assembled in an all new plant in India and was destined for greatness in the local market. Or, so it seemed. The shift in public preference to cruisers and retro bikes wasn’t in full swing back then and any hopes of Harley initiating the change were put to bed when they launched the bike at a starting price of Rs. 4,10,000 ($5500). While that might not seem like a lot to European and American bikers, the fact that you could get a Royal Enfield Thunderbird for about the third of the price means that Harley was simply non existent on buyers’ shopping lists. Add to that the insane number of quality control issues and the overall lack of desirability of the product meant they couldn’t sell a lot of bikes.
But the issue with Harley Davidson at the moment goes way beyond the Street 750 and India. To put it simply, they are too reluctant to adapt or embrace change. Manufacturers put in a lot of effort to lock young and first-time buyers into their brand, and to do so in emerging markets like India usually involves teaming up with local giants like TVS or Bajaj to develop an accessible entry level model or use their might to reach out to a wider base. KTM and Kawasaki used this model to perfection, and are now the most popular foreign bike manufacturers in the country. BMW has used this model with relative success, and other iconic brands like Triumph are expected to follow suit.
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Did you know that the De Haviland Mosquito that was one of the fastest twin engined light bombers in World War Two, was constructed out of Balsa wood? very light and with two powerful Merlin engines, it could out run most fighters of the day. - It was used in low level raids on a number of targets, but also flown by famous Dam Buster’s leader Guy Gibson in what they called a “Pathfinders” role for the heavy bombers. - Sadly it was in one of these that Gibson was lost on a flight late in the war.
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Gord Rinke from Alberta stopped by yesterday to pick up his new TRRS 300 - Couldn’t wait to try it out in the back yard - all he could say was “WOW” - Not a bad review considering that Gord has been riding his 2017 model with much success . Yes New bikes really do “Turn you on” - He pulls off some perfect “Floaters”
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For the vintage enthusiasts!! - This one from 1921.
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With the year 2020 being somewhat of a lost call for Motorcycle sport - It’s interesting to watch what is going on at both the World and local levels.
The FIM have sanctioned a few Road races and this is good - but of course with no spectators -Â there is no money for sponsors. so we will have to see how this plays out.
The same thing applies for all other Motorcycle sports - although !! a loop hole might mean we can hold a Trials event at Ross Rathbone’s place on the Thanksgiving long weekend (This will not be called “An Event” - just a gathering of friends)
( He has built some Pretty big stuff )
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The first signs of winter - but no this is not Canada - it’s the Highlands of Scotland.
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Your video for today >>
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