Iron Horse Final

     So, where do we go from here, at least as far as motorcycles are concerned?  The next few years are going to be a time of change for the motorcycle industry, just as they will be for the auto industry.  To start with each year the European Parliament tests the water on instituting a one hundred rear wheel horsepower limit on motorcycles sold in countries belonging to the European Union.  If this proposal ever gains traction (in my opinion it is a certainty) it will forever change the industry.  Companies like Ducati, and Aprilia would be devastated, since they are loaded with 100+hp models, but the carnage wouldn’t stop there.  The Japanese, and BMW also have lineups now packed with bikes over the magic 100 mark and a ban like this would certainly cause some panic.  Oh, and by the way in case you haven’t noticed whatever Europe does the United States feels obliged to follow along like a pet dog, so don’t think we are immune to horsepower regulation.  Granted, just like in the old days Harley and Indian are the only real American contenders and since Harley only has only one model, the water cooled V-Rod / Night Rod it can’t be too worried.  Indian has many models clocking in over 100 HP proposed limit but with a little de-tuning they could easily comply.

     The Japanese, German, and Italian manufacturers are really the ones with the problem (Gee, Japanese, German, Italian, seems to me I’ve heard of that trio before?) and if you look closely they have begun to quietly prepare for the seemingly inevitable legislation.  BMW now has six models and two scooters all under the 100 hp limit, Honda has the “Grom” and the “Metropolitan” which is a new updated version of the venerable “Honda Super Cub”.  Along with these models the Supersport class is full of lightning fast six hundred cc motorcycles that rival the one liter bikes for speed and performance but only exceed the 100 hp by a marginal amount that could be brought under the limit with very little trouble.  Even that great Italian builder Ducati is beginning to hedge their bets with a very affordable and compliant model called the “Scrambler” which to their delight has also been a tremendous success.

    Then there is the off brand “Scooter Market” while having its ups
and downs has never the less been phenomenal with major makes like the Vespa LX 150, Honda Ruckus, Yamaha Zuma, Suzuki Burgman all selling well especially in Europe where the traffic and city street width is conducive to smaller vehicles.  But to find the king of scooter sales you have to look to Asia, where brands that we have never heard of sell literally millions of units per year with huge production facilities located all over Asia.  As a matter of fact wherever you find a developing nation you will probably find people taking advantage of the economy and utility the scooter provides.

     Now you say, “but what about electric motorcycles?”  Well, I am glad you asked, by the way for those of you who cherish the sound of your throbbing V-Twin super cruiser you should just
stop reading from here on because you aren’t going to like it.  The age of the electric motorcycle is already upon us, firms like “Zero, and “Brammo” lead the way for now but that is all about to change as nearly every major motorcycle manufacturer is now planning to market models in the very near future.  Having a much better weight to horsepower ration than automobiles gives motorcycles the advantage of maintaining great performance without necessarily sacrificing range like so many of the four wheeled vehicles do.  Maintenance is also only a fraction of what the internal combustion engine requires, for those of you who have seen the 2006 movie “Who killed the electric car”  will realize that the reason GM canceled production of the electric car was simply survival.  As stated by the head of service for the division, “the only thing we did to them for service was rotate the tires and fill the windshield washer.”  Or in other words, if it doesn’t require parts, you can’t sell parts and if you can’t sell parts, you and your dealers will starve!

     But that was then and now is now and there is no holding back the electric revolution, all we need now is to have one more great leap in battery technology for it to happen.  I suppose it will be for the best, but there is a big part of me that will miss the melodious sound of a four stroke motor as it purrs down the highway.  Hey!  maybe I’ll invent an auxiliary sound system for motorcycles!  Nay, bad idea, I bet Harley is already working on one.