Pleased Hump Day from the wBW group!
Immediately, we’ve bought a neat handful of stories from almost each nook of the Powersports business:
- CCM’s preparing for a world debut into new markets.
- Yamaha’s V4 engine: After we can anticipate a debut, and what this engine means for future bikes in Yammie’s manufacturing strains.
- Harley-Davidson misplaced their large lawsuit and will likely be compelled to pay an insane 56% in tax levies for HD bikes in Europe.
- Ducati’s capped at 200,000 bikes per yr, and we now know why.
Let’s begin with CCM, as a result of that HD lawsuit is burning a gap in my display…
CCM Declares Intent to Increase Internationally
…Together with a “Three-12 months Mannequin Plan”
The final time we chatted about CCM in correct type, it was 2022 and the company had just put out a titanium-framed Spitfire in commemoration of their Golden Anniversary. Immediately, it seems that Clews’ Competitors Bikes are raring to observe in Buell’s footsteps, with current updates to the itinerary together with an eventual push into world markets, per CCM’s Managing Director imparting the next:
– Jason Broome, Managing Director, CCM (Motorcycle Sports) |
Why this random stretch throughout the border into new territory, you ask?
Apparently, CCM is nicely conscious that their present 600cc engine is just not but compliant with Euro5+ requirements, labeling the alignment with such an emissions compliance to be “a posh and difficult course of.”
Immediately, CCM income off of the Bike Single Automobile Approval (MSVA) course of by which their bikes could be bought within the UK; it’s a fairly prolonged course of that requires a DVSA examiner to conduct a radical inspection of the bike, and this technique of bringing CCM bikes to the UK has been shrinking CCM’s buyer base (hence the corporate’s drive to supply one thing new to their neighborhood).
“New” stuff purportedly features a new engine inside the subsequent two years or so, in addition to the discharge of “Mission X,” an journey idea brainchild with CCM’s present engine set to debut round Q2 of subsequent yr (2025).
For these of you questioning, the street prepared model of CCM’s Mission X idea is anticipated to be round £13,995 plus OTR. Componentry will embrace retro Dakar rally styling similar to spoked rims, a chunky gasoline tank, and a small head fairing alongside a USD fork that includes long-travel suspension that’s mated to a single-shock system on the rear of the bike.
As for Mission X’s worth, CCM is anticipating its new journey bike to take up about half of the corporate’s constructing capability. This interprets to about 300 bikes a yr, although the quantity may very nicely develop with the corporate’s talks towards worldwide market gross sales.
– Jason Broome, Managing Director, CCM (Motorcycle Sports) |
Broome’s life like outlook gives a contemporary tackle timelines and expectations for mannequin success in a motorbike model, particularly when contemplating given the nebulous (and infrequently risky) dangers related to going worldwide:
– Jason Broome, Managing Director, CCM (Motorcycle Sports) |
Individuals, would you prefer to see CCM’s single-cylinder Spitfire on Western shores?
Yamaha Confirms V4 Engine for the MotoGP Circuit

Inline-4 Various Anticipated to Seem in 2025
And so it goes: A fantastic bike is printed, variations are celebrated by the next years, specs are tweaked, componentry swapped out and introduced again, performances lauded, recollects initiated, enhancements made, and, ultimately, the bike falls from grace or withdraws from the streets attributable to financial system, market and emissions motion.
Such was the case of Yamaha’s R1, arguably one of many best supersport bikes ever produced. R1 Riders are nonetheless chasing the solar about our good circuits, but our markets proceed to mourn the lack of that unmistakable inline-four scream slapping in opposition to nation street straightaways.
For the latter group, we get to offer updates on what could be very prone to be Yamaha’s inline-four different: a V4 engine on the cusp of a MotoGP circuit debut.
There’s quite a lot of discuss wafting in regards to the nice internet in terms of this engine; a lot of what I discovered was extra rumour, so I’ll follow Alex Rins’ contributions (sourced from Visordown) for max accuracy right here:
- Yamaha is presently the one producer in MotoGP to make use of an inline-four engine.
- Yamaha’s frequent struggles by the hands of their opponents – Ducati, Aprilia, and KTM, to call a number of – imply that the change to V4 configuration will permit the corporate to stay aggressive with different producers utilizing an analogous engine (to nice impact).
- Yamaha has introduced a slew of skills to their MotoGP group, with fairly a number of engineers and technicians hailing from Ducati.
- F1 engine advisor (Luca Morini), beforehand of Aprilia, was one among Yamaha’s new members to suggest the change to V4 energy.
- The brand new V4 engine was anticipated to be revealed at Jerez, however it wasn’t prepared in time.
- After some delays, the V4 is presently anticipated to debut on the Sepang Shakedown take a look at in February 2025.
Many are beneath the agency perception that this V4 engine will translate – ultimately – to a road-going streetbike able to round 800cc’s of american. Typical turnaround time from MotoGP grid to street-ready manufacturing debuts can take wherever from three to 6 years and past, so solely time will inform what Yamaha has in the way in which of manufacturing plans for his or her incubating V4.
How do you’re feeling Yamaha’s V4 will carry out in comparison with the earlier inline-four?
Levy Legal guidelines: Why Harley-Davidson Misplaced their Large EU Tariff Lawsuit

… and Why America’s Iconic Bike Model is About to Get Extraordinarily Costly in Europe
Again in 2021, we coated that Harley Davidson was attempting to relocate their bike production to avoid paying extra duties in the EU on their bikes. The European Parliament Commerce Committee wasn’t pleased on the time, citing the next grievances to the press:
– Bernd Lange, European Union Commerce Committee Chairman (RideApart) |
No matter what you may or may not have seen in a Harley-Davidson press release, we now know that, as of across the third of December of this month, the European Courtroom of Justice isn’t permitting ANY firm “to flee extra duties until relocation is economically justified.”
Given Harley simply tried to maneuver manufacturing to Thailand, its’protected to say the corporate is NOT justified – and now, Harley-Davidson’s going to should pay a hefty +56% tax on every bike that they attempt to convey into Europe.
Ouch.
We wish to have the ability to convey essentially the most correct sourcing to your lap, so we’re dropping a quote from Global Tax News under, and we’ll even embrace the official Appeal Dismissal from European Union Law, contemporary out of the courts, only for you:
“In June 2018, the Trump Administration imposed extra import tariffs of 25% on metal and 10% on aluminum. In response, the EU applied countermeasures, together with extra duties on bikes of US origin. In a Kind 8-Okay, Present Report, filed with the US Securities and Trade Fee (SEC), Harley Davidson introduced that it might relocate the manufacturing of sure bikes destined for the EU from the US to its manufacturing facility in Thailand.
The relocation would, in accordance with Harley Davidson, outcome within the bikes’ being granted Thai origin, thereby exempting them from the extra EU duties. This was additionally confirmed by the Belgium customs authorities in a binding origin info (BOI). Subsequently, the European Fee ordered the Belgian customs authorities to revoke the BOIs. In line with the European Fee, the relocation doesn’t outcome within the imported bikes’ being granted Thai origin as a result of utility of the so-called “anti-avoidance” provision outlined in Article 33 of the Delegated Act of the Union Customs Code (DA UCC).2 Article 33 DA UCC holds that any processing or working operation carried out in a foreign country or territory shall be deemed to not be economically justified whether it is established on the idea of the out there details that the aim of that operation was to keep away from the applying of measures like extra import duties. Which means the manufacturing doesn’t confer origin standing, and relying on the composition of the enter supplies, the extra duties on US bikes might on this case nonetheless be imposed. Harley Davidson subsequently sought annulment of the choice to revoke the BOI, initially on the Basic Courtroom and now on attraction on the Courtroom of Justice. Following the Basic Courtroom’s choice, the Courtroom of Justice has additionally dismissed the declare.” – December 3, 2024. (Global Tax News) |
In line with the official Attraction dismissal, the Courtroom discovered that Harley-Davidson didn’t show adequate financial justification for his or her tried shift in manufacturing to Thailand, so the EU Courtroom of Justice upheld the European Fee’s choice to disclaim Harley-Davidson’s request for decrease tariffs.
We’re instructed that the Basic Courtroom of the ECJ has additionally declined to listen to an attraction, so we will depend on Harley’s unlucky demise to be closing.
No take-backsies means Harley bikes are about to get very costly for our neighbors throughout the pond.
We’ll hold you posted on what this new consequence means for Harley-Davidson bikes headed for Europe; within the meantime, keep tuned… and Individuals, don’t take your HOG without any consideration!
How a lot does it price you to experience a Harley bike within the EU?
Business Insider: Why Ducati Sells Underneath 200,000 Bikes Per 12 months

“The Message to These Who Take a look at You Needs to be Clear”
In a world the place extra is best, Ducati continues to push for the mentality that exclusivity is King… particularly as a high-profile bike model.
Ducati’s long-reigning CEO, Claudio Domenicali, was quoted to MotoSprint as having imparted the next mindset:
– Claudio Domenicali, CEO, Ducati (Motorcycle Sports) |
The CEO’s push for a restricted availability of bikes has, to date, labored to the model’s benefit; with a whole lot of hundreds of thousands of {dollars} locked into Ducati mannequin gross sales, Group Pink has been capable of help an expensive quantity of specialised occasions, every providing exhibiting new ranges of what it means to Ducati to be a “Ducatisti.”
On the Ducati group’s facet of issues, the facility of silence is an actual a part of market positioning for everyone:
|
Lately, Ducati confirmed off their new 2025 Panigale V4, that includes the long-lasting Desmosedici Stradale V4 engine, a powerhouse able to 1,158cc of american, or 215.5 hp (160 kW) @ 13,000 rpm and elevated torque figures to 93.7 lb-ft (127 Nm) @ 9,500 rpm.
Massive congrats to Ducati, and we will’t wait to see what’s subsequent in retailer for the corporate!
Do you experience a Ducati?
*Media sourced from CCM, GPOne, Harley-Davidson and Ducati*
Trending Merchandise