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It has been two years since the news broke out about Harley-Davidson announced a collaboration with the Chinese brand Qianjiang Motor (QJ Motor).

The agreement sees the two produce a small-displacement and affordable motorcycle for the Asian market.

Fast forward to 2021, a new image of a cruiser recently made its way online, and it looked suspiciously familiar.

Dubbed the Qianjiang SRV300, the motorcycle is scheduled to be on sale in China but will be rebadged as a Harley-Davidson for other Asian markets.

According to reports, the SRV300 is powered by a 296cc V-twin capable of producing 30hp and was inspired by Harley’s Iron 883 with a teardrop tank, single-seat, round headlamps and extended rear fender.

MotoGP: Quartarao Wins In Portimao, Claim Championship Lead!

Fabio Quartararo grabs his second win of the 2021 MotoGP season with a spectacular ride on Sunday in Portimao.

The Yamaha factory rider now leads the championship standings after Johann Zarco crashed out at Turn 10, ending his chance of adding the 40 pts he claimed after two races in Qatar.

Despite starting from pole, Quartararo had to fight his way up from sixth place after losing his spot after Turn 1.

However, after just three laps, he was back in contention, piling the pressure on Suzuki’s Alex Rins and Pramac’s Zarco.

The 21-year old managed to overtake his opponents and lead the pack, with only Rins able to chase him down.

However, heading into the final five laps, Rins lost his front grip at Turn 4 and immediately crashed out of the race, giving Quartararo a comfortable win.

Meanwhile, Francesco Bagnaia bagged his second podium of the season as he finished runner-up, followed by defending champion Suzuki’s Joan Mir.

Speaking to the press after the race, Quartararo admitted he feels confident with the YZR-M1 pace.

“I knew that we had a little bit extra pace compared to Alex [Rins]. He was running so fast but he made a mistake.

“But honestly, the pace that we set today was unexpected from myself, but it feels great to enjoy this track, this unique track,” he said.

Apart from an improved Factory-spec, Quartararo admitted he is mentally stronger than last season.

“Yamaha made a big step compared to last year. But for me mentally I feel stronger.

“Last year after Aragon we more or less lost the opportunity to fight until the end with Joan [Mir] for the championship. I was even more frustrated that we lost that moment.

“But I’ve learned a lot. When the bike was not going so great, I was always thinking negatively, but I totally changed this, and now I’m always thinking positively, which I think is great,” added the 21-year-old.

Norton Motorcycles was on the brink of a total disaster under the former CEO, Stuart Garner, due to a pension scandal dating back to January 2020.

However, the British brand is now on the verge of a solid return under new ownership, India based motorcycle manufacturer TVS Motor Company.

With the current workforce currently expanded and a new model launch is in the works, Norton now seeks to produce 8,000 units of motorcycles thanks to a new facility in Solihull, West Midlands.

According to the new CEO, John Russel, the 75,000 sq. ft is build ready for future expansion and is a drastic improvement over the old Donington Hall facility.

“The environment people worked in was appalling, it’s rare for a country house with a call centre in the garden to turn into a motorcycle factory.

“So we had to move, and it became an emergency when the COVID arrived since the building did not comply with health rules.

“We are over 110 people now, and we have major capabilities that we did not have before. TVS has big ambitions for Norton.

“They want to make it the brand it should always have been and this can only be done by doing things right, therefore with investment,” he explained.

Norton is planning to bring the new Commando 961 as soon as possible.

(source: Le Repaire Des Motards)

American Honda Motor Co. has issued a recall on the 2021 Honda CBR1000RR-R Fireblade SP due to a faulty installation of the rear cushion connecting plates.

The recall involved a total of 89 units of the all-new Fireblade SP.

According to documents filed, the rear cushion plates was installed incorrectly and may cause the plates to break.

An incorrectly installed plate can break, hence increases the risk of a crash.

If the plates break, the rider will suffer a sudden drop in the ride height of the motorcycle, which eventually could lead to an accident.

All 89 units of affected Fireblade SP will have to make an appointment with an authorized Honda Powersports dealer to perform inspection and replacements.

(source: Honda)

KTM sales recorded a drop of 3.4 per cent at the end of 2020 after selling 270,047 units of motorcycles worldwide.

The slight drop was due to the coronavirus pandemic that struck the world early last year as compared to 280,099 units sold in 2019.

 

However, KTM reports revealed a 1.8 per cent increased (with 265,321 units) in global motorcycle production despite the production in Austria decreased by 12 per cent to 160,098 units.

Nonetheless, the Austrian manufacturer is set to grow in 2021 with the help of its Chinese counterpart, CFMoto, who is set to produce the 790 Duke and 790 Adventure in China.

According to KTM, CFMoto will assemble the company mid-range motorcycle starting this year with the China brand will also be producing their own lineup based on the KTM parallel-twin engine.

CFMoto recently revealed the all-new 800MT, an adventurer tourer motorcycle powered by the same engine found on the 790 Adventure.

Marc Marquez made his long-awaited return at the Algarve Internationa Circuit, 265 days after he last rode his Honda machine.

However,  the Spaniard quickly showed his brilliance with immense speed after almost a year absence.

The Repsol Honda was the third-fastest in FP1 and secured a provisional Q2 after finishing FP2 as the sixth-fastest rider on the grid with only 0.473s off pacesetter Francesco Bagnaia.

“It was a great day, a great feeling and honestly speaking I go out on the first run – the track was not so good, but immediately I felt good on the bike,” he said. “In the morning, in terms of feeling, I felt better than in the afternoon because I was fresh. The arm was fresh and I had power.

“Then already in the afternoon, I struggled a little bit more to warm up the arm, and I start to feel the arm was a little bit more tired. Apart from that, we are in a much better situation than what we expected before the weekend.

“I don’t know how, because I don’t understand what’s going on. I’m just riding the bike, trying to follow my way.

“The lap times are coming; it’s not the most important thing, but they are coming in a good way. But it’s true the main question mark for me – the speed is there – so it’s about how the arm will react during the weekend when I get up tomorrow.” explained Marquez.

It was apparent that the 28-year-old rider was pushing the RC213V to its limit.

Marquez was nothing short of spectacular during the final lap in FP2 as the rider managed to save his ride on the way into Turn 8.

“The last lap was a little bit crazy, I didn’t like the last lap, but I had a nice save.

“But it’s my riding style, I don’t know. It’s true with the new tyre I’m struggling a little bit more than with the used tyre. [On the used tyre] the bike becomes softer, the lap times are slower and I feel much more comfortable.

“But with new tyres everything is more stiff, and specifically in that corner – I think it was Turns 6 and 7, that change of direction – my head said it was time to go in on Turn 7, but the body didn’t follow what I wanted.

“I just slid a little bit, was a save but I created the slide to finish the turn because it was the last lap and I didn’t give up the lap. Things [like] that of course with more laps on the track I will improve.” he added.

Portuguese GP continues on Saturday with the Qualifying round.

(source: Motorsport)

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