Motorbike Tyres
Figures from the Motor Cycle Industry Association reveal that sales were buoyant in March. “It is extremely positive to see that the motorcycle market was up by an impressive 18.2 per cent last month following February’s -3.6 per cent decline”, said Stephen Latham, Head of the National Motorcycle Dealers Association (NMDA) which represents motorcycle retailers across the UK.
Avon Tyres has launched a motorcycle tyre fitment promotion for the 2014 riding season. From 1 April to 30 June, customers buying a pair of Storm 3D X-M, 3D Ultra Sport and 3D Ultra Supersport tyres from approved Avon stockists will get £20 off the fitting fee, or £10 off for one tyre. Avon motorcycle tyres are designed, developed and manufactured in Melksham, Wiltshire.
The Pirelli Diablo Rosso II has been chosen as original equipment for MV Agusta’s Rivale 800 and Brutale 800 Dragster models. The latest models from the Varese, Italy based high performance motorbike manufacturer will fit the Pirelli tyres in sizes 120/70 ZR17 (front) and 180/55 ZR17 (rear) to its Rivale 800, while the Brutale 800 Dragster will run on 120/70 ZR17 (front) and 200/50 ZR17 (rear) Diablo Rosso IIs.
Mitas has announced that it will extend its range of Sport Force tyres for sport and touring motorcycles. One new rear and two new front tyres will be added to the range, first introduced in September 2013 with three rear sizes and one front size. The Mitas Sport Force includes technologies such as OGT 3D (3-D Optimum Groove Technology); SCT (Strong Carcass Technology); and an FEA (Finite Element Analysis) optimised footprint. The new sizes will allow riders of models from BMW, Honda, Kawasaki, Yamaha and more to fit Mitas Sport Forces.
Dunlop says the latest rear touring tyre its motorcycle portfolio, the D407T, will be fitted as original equipment on all 2014 Harley-Davidson Touring models that feature black sidewall tyres; the tyre, which was designed in cooperation with Harley-Davidson, will be supplied for the Road King Classic, Street Glide, Electra Glide Ultra Classic and the Ultra Limited. The D407T also fits all 2009-2013 Harley-Davidson Touring models.
High on the programme for Pirelli UK this year is to capitalise on the Angel GT’s selection as ‘tyre of the year’ by Britain’s largest motorcycle publication, Motorcycle News. Pirelli is promoting the accolade via its dealers and directly to customers by various means. This coverage will build on the strong promotion the sports tyre will gain through on and off-track advertising connected with the MCE British Superbike Championship (BSB) and through Pirelli’s global Facebook pages. Motorcycle News’ choice for tyre of the year was announced last September.
An all-new tyre designed from a clean sheet of paper is something of a rarity. Evolution is more typically the way forward, and every manufacturer worth its salt engages in ongoing product testing to evaluate how new technology and design can be applied to improve a tyre. Within Michelin’s motorcycle and scooter tyre business, the result of this ongoing development work is seen in the two to three new products it brings to market each year. And 2014 will be no different.
On 10 March, three new sizes will join Bridgestone’s Battlax Hypersport S20 Evo sport radial tyre range. These include one front and two rear sizes, in dimensions popular on 250cc and other light/middle weight motorcycles. Bridgestone will initially launch the tyres in Japan and will then introduce them in other global markets.
The two-wheeler tyre market in Indonesia is set to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 17.98 per cent 2013-2018. That’s the view of a new report published by Research and Markets in January. According to the report’s writers one of the key factors contributing to this market growth is the strong demand for two-wheelers. The two-wheeler tyre market in Indonesia has also been witnessing growing demand for replacement tyres, which is likely to be based on the growing size of the domestic two-wheel vehicle parc.
As Iranian business envoys court representatives of the various global markets at the 2014 World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, details of the country’s recent tyre market development have also emerged. Of course, the Iranian enterprise bigwigs have been intent on smoozing with the self-styled “masters of the universe” in order to make business in-roads now that certain automotive and petrochemical economic sanctions have been lifted by the west. During a recent interview with the BBC one such envoy described Iran as a very developed and highly educated market poised for further development, but it also has to be said that the geo-political environment makes things complex.
For 2014, Maxxis International aims to make motorcycle tyre sales more rewarding than ever – and to accomplish this, it has revised its UK dealer pricing policy and made entry into its fully-supported ‘Elite Dealer Program’ even easier. By doing so, the company says dealers can benefit from lower trade prices and healthy profit margins, along with aggressive marketing and Maxxis’ rewards scheme.
Austrian motorcycle manufacturer KTM has extended its commitment to Maxxis by selecting the tyre maker as original equipment supplier to its new Freeride range. Maxxis also supplies its FIM approved MaxxEnduro to KTM’s EXC range of bikes.
Avon Tyres will display its latest motorcycle tyres at the 2014 Motorcycle Trade EXPO show, which gets underway on Sunday 19 January at the Birmingham NEC and runs until 21 January. During the exhibition, Avon will debut new sizes in its Storm 3D X-M hypersport range as well as the new whitewall Cobra radial, which is the original equipment fitment for the 2014 Triumph Thunderbird LT.
A motorcycling blogger and his family have fitted the Avon Distanzia to their two Triumph Bonnevilles and single-cylinder Yamaha XT660R for their holiday circumnavigating the globe. Aad Schram, his wife Jeannette and son Mike are currently in South America, and are uploading dispatches from their adventures, which began in 2012, to popular website earth-roamers.blogspot.com. Aad […]
Pirelli will be an official “motorcycle tyre” sponsor of US championship the Monster Energy AMA Supercross for the 2014 to 2016 seasons and sole tyre supplier for the Toyota/Yamaha/JGRMX and BTO Sports-KTM teams. By signing a multi-year agreement with championship promoter Feld Motor Sports to be an official sponsor and through its support of riders Josh Grant, Justin Brayton, Andrew Short and Matt Goerke, the Italian tyre maker hopes to enhance its brand profile in the North American market.
If you would like the latest news from the Chinese tyre industry in Chinese, visit our partner site TyrepressChina.com. Or click below to continue on Tyrepress.