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LiveWire is targetting an ambitious projection of 101,000 sales within the next four years despite selling only 387 units in 2021.

What began as Harley-Davidson’s first electric motorcycle, the LiveWire, then became the American motorcycle company spin-off brand.

While the bold move garnered a lot of attention, LiveWire got off to a slow start, with just 387 units of the LiveWire One sold globally last year.

However, under the new Jochen Zeitz administration, the company is confident the target of 101,000 sales is achievable with the help of an upcoming model, the LiveWire Del Mar.

The Del Mar – built in partnership with Taiwanese scooter manufacturer Kymco – will join the LiveWire One in the next few months, along with a third model, expected to be introduced by year-end.

While LiveWire retains a modest target at the end of 2024 with just 15,736 units, the company aims to sell more than 50,000 LiveWire models by 2025, leading to 100,000 units by 2026.

As a reference, the parent company, Harley-Davidson, sold more than 200,000 motorcycles in 2021.

At this point, we are unsure whether LiveWire can materialise the sales target, but it does measure the company’s commitment to electrify the future.

Road racing legend, Michael Dunlop will pilot the Ducati Panigale V4 R at the 2022 Isle of Man.

Dunlop signed with Paul Bird Motorsport (PBM) Ducati Team ahead of the 2022 IOMTT, however the ongoing pandemic forced organizers to cancel the 2020 and 2021 edition.

Nevertheless, the 2022 season is set to return on May 28 with Dunlop staying with PBM Ducati.

However, to adapt to the Panigale V4 R after a two-year absent, Dunlop will ride the Borgo Panigale machinery at Northern Ireland’s North West 200 happening on May 12 to 14.

Regardless, Dunlop is still regarded as one of the favourites in the Superbike pack, as he currently has 19 IOMTT wins to his name.

If the 32-year-old rider managed to pulls of another win, Ducati will be the seventh winning manufacturer to partner the Northern Irishman after Yamaha, Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki, BMW and Paton.

Harley-Davidson has suspended the shipment of new motorcycles to Russia amid the country’s invasion of Ukraine.

The decision supports America’s sanctions against Russia’s invasion of its neighbouring country.

2021 Harley-Davidson Road Glide Special

Harley-Davidson officially joins various large companies in suspending their business with the country, including General Motors, Ford, BMW, and most recently, Volvo.

Although the Milwaukee-based firm has around ten dealerships in Russia, Chris Hodson, senior analyst at Edgewater Research, stated that the country is not an essential market for the brand.

“Russia is not that significant of a market, to begin with.

“Any units that have been earmarked for Russia can be diverted elsewhere,” he said.

Regardless, Europe still remains the second biggest market for Harley-Davidson, after the United States.

(Source: Reuters)

The KTM 1290 Super Adventure is KTM’s flagship adventure tourer; hence, the bike comes with a hefty price tag.

Moreover, the 1290 Super Adventure is KTM’s answer to ward off Ducati’s Multistrada V4 and BMW’s R 1250 GS challenge.

The 1290 Super Adventure is equipped with the most technologically advanced feature, including Bosch radar-assisted technology – that allows functions like adaptive cruise control and blind-spot detection – to ensure it’s on par with the rest of its rivals.

However, the advanced technology puts the 1290 Super Adventure on the pricey spectrum, which subsequently impacted the sales of the Austrian bike.

Moreover, why would you spend RM132k on a KTM when you can get the Multistrada V4 for just RM3k extra and the R 1250 GS for a lesser price?

This brings us to the latest reports by a German publication, Motorrad Online, which claimed that the folks over at Mattighofen are rumoured to be working on a base model 1290 Super Adventure, hoping it could compete with its rival price tag.

According to the report, KTM is working on an ‘affordable’ version of the 1290 Super Adventure devoid of the fancy electronic suspension and the radar-powered adaptive cruise control.

Further speculation suggests that the base 1290 Super Adventure could be a more off-road capable ADV than its higher-spec model.

While the news sounds enticing, none of this has been confirmed by KTM. However, the prospect of a ‘cheaper’ 1290 Super Adventure could still be in the cards. 

Malaysian rider Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman is set to begin his title defence at the 2022 Asia Road Racing (ARRC) with a new helmet.

The 37-year-old rider has officially signed with SHARK Helmets Malaysia – the official distributor of Shark Helmets in the country.

Azlan will wear the SHARK Race-R Pro FIM GP helmet for the upcoming 2022 ARRC season, according to SHARK Helmets Malaysia.

The SHARK Race-R Pro FIM GP features a shell built using reinforced COVA RS (Carbon On View & Aramid Intégral Structure) to fully meet all requirements of the new FIM Intégral #1 standard.

The new 100% Carbon Aramid structure also offers increased resistance to abrasion and compression and enhances the anti-delamination performance.

Apart from the new helmet, Azlan will also compete in the Asia Superbike (ASB) 1000 category with a new partner, former Moto2, Moto3 and CEV rider, Adam Norrodin.

Adam was recently announced as the newest addition at TKKR Racing, with both riders set to compete on board the new BMW S 1000 RR.

Royal Enfield launched two special edition 650s to commemorate the company’s 120th-anniversary celebration.

According to Royal Enfield, a limited run of Interceptor 650 and Continental GT 650 will go on a flash sale on Monday, with only 120 units (60 each) are made for the European market.

The special edition motorcycle comes in a unique ‘Black Chrome’ finished and a blacked-out engine and silencers – a first from the company.

Royal Enfiled also threw in all sorts of accessories, including screens, engine guards, heel guards and bar end mirrors.

However, the unique part is the cast brass tank badge which is entirely handmade, in collaboration with the Sirpi Senthil family, regarded by Royal Enfield as a ‘multi-generational artisan’.

The cast brass also displays the unique serial number of each bike.

The special edition Continental GT 650 is priced at GBP8,350 (RM46k), while the Interceptor 650 is available for GBP8,150 (RM45k).

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