EVENTLIST Minister backs Wheels to Work 1-3 March 2013
Carole Nash Irish Motorbike and Scooter Show RDS, Dublin
tel 00353 1 490 0600;
ruth@sdlexpo.com 9-10 March 2013
Carole Nash MCN Scottish Motorcycle Show Royal Highland Centre, Edinburgh
info@livepromotions.co.uk
26-29 March 2013 Inabike
Jakarta, Indonesia
www.inabike.com;
info@gem-indonesia.net
27-28 April 2013 Carole Nash International Classic Motorcycle Show
Stafford County Showground tel 01507 529430;
www.classicbikeshows.com
10-12 May 2013 Big Bike Europe
Messe Essen, Germany
www.bigbikeeurope.com
11-12 May 2013 Carole Nash Great Scottish Bike Show
Lanark Agricultural Centre tel 01507 529430;
www.classicbikeshows.com 18-19 May 2013
BMF Peterborough MotorCycle Show
Peterborough Arena
www.thebmfshow.co.uk 26 May 2013
Southern Classic Show and Autojumble
Kempton Park Racecourse, Surrey tel 01344 883961;
www.ejp-enterprises.co.uk
6-7 July 2013 BMF Kelso Bikefest
Borders Union Showground, Kelso
www.thebmfshow.co.uk
14-15 September 2013 BMF Tailend Peterborough Motorbike Show
Peterborough Arena
www.thebmfshow.co.uk
Plans to create a national network for the industry’s Wheels to Work scheme came a step nearer last month when Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) minister Richard Benyon described it as “a mainstream solution to rural transport problems” in a keynote speech at the inaugural annual conference of the Wheels to Work Association (W2WA) .
The minister, who said describes himslef
as a big fan of Wheels to Work, said the scheme had the potential to provide local solutions to local requirements, adding “it ticks all the boxes for Defra’s rural priorities of economic growth, rural engagement and quality of life.” He concluded: “We want Wheels to Work to be a mainstream solution for transport problems.” Launched last year with a government grant of £50,000, the W2WA will co- ordinate efforts to build a national network of centres where mopeds or lightweight
motorcycles will be loaned or hired to people aged between 16 and 25, making it easier for them to get to work, training, or college, in areas where no public transport is available. Steve Kenward, chief executive of the
Motor Cycle Industry Association, told conference delegates, which included senior officials from the Department for Transport, that Wheels to Work has been set a delivery target of providing transport for 12,000 people a year. “The motorcycle community has a phenomenal opportunity to support those in the transport help sector through these schemes, and the potential to get 12,000 individuals to work,” he said. Nicky Bassett-Powell, the national
co-ordinator of the W2WA, added: “By highlighting Wheels to Work in the government White Paper announcing the Local Sustainable Transport Fund, the Department for Transport has rekindled
Defra minister Richard Benyon.
interest in Wheels to Work from local authorities and several are now researching ways of setting up their own schemes.” More information is now available on the
W2WA website: www.
wheels2workassociation.org. Snow impacts on January sales of big bikes
As widely anticipated, heavy snow over most of the country hit over-500cc motorcycle sales hard in January, new registrations dropping by 24 per cent to only 1250 machines, compared with 1654 in January last year. Of the top ten selling brands, only Triumph and Ducati
improved on last year. Thanks largely to new model introductions, Triumph sales increased by 27 per cent to 303, while Ducati put on five per cent, its dealer network selling 102 new machines.
In a month when even Honda saw sales drop by 42 per cent to only 209 units, Harley-Davidson and BMW faired comparatively well, with Harley sales down by only eight per cent to 121 machines and BMW losing 24 per cent to 118 units sold. In contrast, Suzuki over-500cc registrations plunged 65 per cent to only 49 units and Kawasaki dropped 43 per cent to 121. Yamaha sold 122 bikes, down 33 per cent, and KTM sales were down 27 per cent with 41 bikes sold.
Redundancies at Duke Marketing BMW R1200 last year’s
The leading British purveyor of motorcycle sports and heritage DVDs, most famous for its exclusive rights to Isle of Man TT video coverage, has been forced to sack 15 members of its workforce. These are the first redundancies that the Manx-based company has made in 30 years of trading. Managing director Peter Duke says his business has been hard
Harley-Davidson stand at the MCN London show.
The MCN-promoted London Motorcycle Show at ExCeL (15-17 February) put a brave face on the current economic climate, claiming 36,777 visitors over the three days. With the notable exception of Suzuki, all the main manufacturers had a presence there. A number of new models and face-lift models made first appearances. There was also an increased emphasis on machines compliant with the new licensing laws.
A new move was the categorising of exhibitors into ‘zones’. Adventure touring has long been a strong theme at ExCeL, sharing one end of the hall with a large zone for custom bikes. Other zones pursued other themes. The smallest was probably the most popular with George Beale giving well-attended twice-daily talks about his Honda-6 replicas. He concluded the talks by firing up an example.
Trade visitors need to act swiftly if they want to take advantage of remaining corporate hospitality opportunities at the 2013 Isle of Man TT, Classic TT and Manx Grand Prix. The Glencrutchery Road grandstand has already sold out for all four race days and tickets for the official Fanzone grandstands at Creg Ny Baa, Ballacrye, Crosby Jump, and the viewing platform at Rhencullen, are all now limited availability on several days. Due to the demand, organisers are adding another 280-seat
TT VIP tickets in demand
Fanzone grandstand at the end of the competitors’ return road in Nobles Park. Tickets went on sale on 18 February. Interest in TT VIP hospitality has been considerable. Senior race day is sold out and Wednesday race day packages are close to a sell-out. Packages for the Saturday and Monday race days are also selling quickly. Contact:
www.iomtt.com or 01624 694456/ 640000.
20 MARCH 2013
hit by the loss of retail outlets in the UK high street, beginning with the demise of Woolworths in 2008 and the recent failure of HMV, and the move to digital downloads. The redundancies were announced at Duke’s Douglas operations centre on 25 January and affect a range of jobs at the company, including marketing, sales staff, and delivery drivers. In recent years Duke Marketing has been trying to counter its distribution difficulties with online sales via
www.dukevideo.com
Aixam signs five dealers
Fowlers of Bristol are among the first group of five dealers to sign up for the Aixam Coupe S, the car that can be driven by 16-year-olds on a full moped licence. Classed as a light quadricycle because it is restricted to 30 mph and weighs under 350kg, the Aixam became legal for road use on 19 January and was on show at Motorcycle Trade EXPO (20-22 January) where it created a lot of dealer interest. Justin Bond, UK manager for French manufacturer Aixam
Mega, says that as well as Fowlers, Pro-Bike (Newbury), Horderns Motor House (Chapel-en-le Frith), United Garage (St Day, Cornwall), and Rossefield Motors (Bradford), have all taken on the franchise. “We are really pleased to have a range of different types of dealer selling the Coupe S across the country and we will be adding more in the
coming months,” said Bond, who added
that he was now looking for dealers in the London area where the car is well-suited to urban driving. Commenting on Fowlers’ decision to sell the Coupe S,
showroom manager Rod Veck said: “We’ve always been prepared to look at new things on the market. Our initial impression is that it’s really well made. We are pleasantly surprised at the quality of finish and spec. Some parents prefer their kids to start with a car, so this gives us a different option to sell to them.”
The 2013 BMW R1200 GS has a tough task on its hands to be as popular as its predecessor.
popular adventure
top over-125cc seller For the third year running, combined sales of the BMW R1200 GS and its R1200 GS Adventure variant made BMW’s
sports
machine the UK’s best-selling motorcycle over 125cc in 2012, with a total of 1742 machines sold by the dealer network. BMW also continued its dominance of the touring sector in 2012. The R1200 RT, K1600 GT and K1600 GTL were the three top best-selling motorcycles, respectively. As a result, BMW Motorrad’s share in the touring sector increased to 49.5 per cent. These figures, combined with
strong sales of the updated S1000 RR supersports, and across the full model range, saw BMW retain an overall market share of 12.4 per cent. BMW ranked as the third best-selling manufacturer of over-500cc motorcycles in the UK. Adrian Roderick, general manager for BMW Motorrad UK, said: “The R1200 GS and Adventure are as popular as ever. Even in the final year of the air-cooled R1200 GS, with
an updated model
announced for this year, the 1200cc GS variants outsold not only their rivals, but also any other motorcycle over 125cc.”
Business news
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