Happy Hump Day from the wBW team!
Today, we’ve got a neat handful of news from nearly every corner of the Powersports industry:
- CCM’s getting ready for a global debut into new markets.
- Yamaha’s V4 engine: When we can expect a debut, and what this engine means for future bikes in Yammie’s production lines.
- Harley-Davidson lost their massive lawsuit and will be forced to pay an insane 56% in tax levies for HD bikes in Europe.
- Ducati’s capped at 200,000 bikes per year, and we now know why.
Let’s start with CCM, because that HD lawsuit is burning a hole in my screen…
CCM Announces Intent to Expand Internationally
…Including a “Three-Year Model Plan”
The last time we chatted about CCM in proper form, it was 2022 and the company had just put out a titanium-framed Spitfire in commemoration of their Golden Anniversary. Today, it appears that Clews’ Competition Motorcycles are raring to follow in Buell’s footsteps, with recent updates to the itinerary including an eventual push into global markets, per CCM’s Managing Director imparting the following:
– Jason Broome, Managing Director, CCM (Motorcycle Sports) |
Why this random stretch across the border into new territory, you ask?
Apparently, CCM is well aware that their current 600cc engine is not yet compliant with Euro5+ standards, labeling the alignment with such an emissions compliance to be “a complex and challenging process.”
Today, CCM profits off of the Motorcycle Single Vehicle Approval (MSVA) process by which their bikes can be sold in the UK; it’s a rather lengthy process that requires a DVSA examiner to conduct a thorough inspection of the bike, and this method of bringing CCM bikes to the UK has been shrinking CCM’s customer base (hence the company’s drive to offer something new to their community).
“New” stuff purportedly includes a new engine within the next two years or so, as well as the release of “Project X,” an adventure concept brainchild with CCM’s current engine set to debut around Q2 of next year (2025).
For those of you wondering, the road ready version of CCM’s Project X concept is anticipated to be around £13,995 plus OTR. Componentry will include retro Dakar rally styling such as spoked rims, a chunky fuel tank, and a small head fairing alongside a USD fork featuring long-travel suspension that’s mated to a single-shock system at the rear of the bike.
As for Project X’s value, CCM is expecting its new adventure bike to take up about half of the company’s building capacity. This translates to about 300 bikes a year, though the number could very well grow with the company’s talks toward international market sales.
– Jason Broome, Managing Director, CCM (Motorcycle Sports) |
Broome’s realistic outlook provides a fresh take on timelines and expectations for model success in a motorcycle brand, especially when considering given the nebulous (and often volatile) risks associated with going international:
– Jason Broome, Managing Director, CCM (Motorcycle Sports) |
Americans, would you like to see CCM’s single-cylinder Spitfire on Western shores?
Yamaha Confirms V4 Engine for the MotoGP Circuit
Inline-Four Alternative Expected to Appear in 2025
And so it goes: A beautiful bike is published, variations are celebrated through the following years, specs are tweaked, componentry swapped out and brought back, performances lauded, recalls initiated, improvements made, and, eventually, the bike falls from grace or withdraws from the streets due to economy, market and emissions movement.
Such was the case of Yamaha’s R1, arguably one of the greatest supersport bikes ever produced. R1 Riders are still chasing the sun about our good circuits, yet our markets continue to mourn the loss of that unmistakable inline-four scream slapping against country road straightaways.
For the latter group, we get to provide updates on what is very likely to be Yamaha’s inline-four alternative: a V4 engine on the cusp of a MotoGP circuit debut.
There’s a lot of talk wafting about the great web when it comes to this engine; much of what I found was more hearsay, so I’ll stick with Alex Rins’ contributions (sourced from Visordown) for maximum accuracy here:
- Yamaha is currently the only manufacturer in MotoGP to use an inline-four engine.
- Yamaha’s frequent struggles at the hands of their competitors – Ducati, Aprilia, and KTM, to name a few – mean that the switch to V4 configuration will allow the company to remain competitive with other manufacturers using a similar engine (to great effect).
- Yamaha has brought a slew of talents to their MotoGP team, with quite a few engineers and technicians hailing from Ducati.
- F1 engine consultant (Luca Morini), previously of Aprilia, was one of Yamaha’s new members to recommend the switch to V4 power.
- The new V4 engine was anticipated to be revealed at Jerez, but it wasn’t ready in time.
- After some delays, the V4 is currently expected to debut at the Sepang Shakedown test in February 2025.
Many are under the firm belief that this V4 engine will translate – eventually – to a road-going streetbike capable of around 800cc’s of yank. Typical turnaround time from MotoGP grid to street-ready production debuts can take anywhere from three to six years and beyond, so only time will tell what Yamaha has in the way of production plans for their incubating V4.
How do you feel Yamaha’s V4 will perform compared to the previous inline-four?
Levy Laws: Why Harley-Davidson Lost their Massive EU Tariff Lawsuit
… and Why America’s Iconic Bike Brand is About to Get Extremely Expensive in Europe
Back in 2021, we covered that Harley Davidson was attempting to relocate their bike production to avoid paying extra duties in the EU on their bikes. The European Parliament Trade Committee wasn’t happy at the time, citing the following grievances to the press:
– Bernd Lange, European Union Trade Committee Chairman (RideApart) |
Regardless of what you may or may not have seen in a Harley-Davidson press release, we now know that, as of around the third of December of this month, the European Court of Justice isn’t allowing ANY company “to escape additional duties unless relocation is economically justified.”
Given Harley just tried to move production to Thailand, its’safe to say the company is NOT justified – and now, Harley-Davidson’s going to have to pay a hefty +56% tax on each bike that they try to bring into Europe.
Ouch.
We want to be able to bring the most accurate sourcing to your lap, so we’re dropping a quote from Global Tax News below, and we’ll even include the official Appeal Dismissal from European Union Law, fresh out of the courts, just for you:
| “In June 2018, the Trump Administration imposed additional import tariffs of 25% on steel and 10% on aluminum. In response, the EU implemented countermeasures, including additional duties on motorcycles of US origin. In a Form 8-K, Current Report, filed with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Harley Davidson announced that it would relocate the production of certain motorcycles destined for the EU from the US to its manufacturing facility in Thailand.
The relocation would, according to Harley Davidson, result in the motorcycles’ being granted Thai origin, thereby exempting them from the additional EU duties. This was also confirmed by the Belgium customs authorities in a binding origin information (BOI). Subsequently, the European Commission ordered the Belgian customs authorities to revoke the BOIs. According to the European Commission, the relocation does not result in the imported motorcycles’ being granted Thai origin due to the application 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 another country or territory shall be deemed not to be economically justified if it is established on the basis of the available facts that the purpose of that operation was to avoid the application of measures like additional import duties. This means that the production does not confer origin status, and depending on the composition of the input materials, the additional duties on US motorcycles may in this case still be imposed. Harley Davidson subsequently sought annulment of the decision to revoke the BOI, initially at the General Court and now on appeal at the Court of Justice. Following the General Court’s decision, the Court of Justice has also dismissed the claim.” – December 3, 2024. (Global Tax News) |
According to the official Appeal dismissal, the Court found that Harley-Davidson did not demonstrate sufficient economic justification for their attempted shift in production to Thailand, so the EU Court of Justice upheld the European Commission’s decision to deny Harley-Davidson’s request for lower tariffs.
We’re told that the General Court of the ECJ has also declined to hear an appeal, so we can count on Harley’s unfortunate demise to be final.
No take-backsies means Harley bikes are about to get very expensive for our neighbors across the pond.
We’ll keep you posted on what this new outcome means for Harley-Davidson bikes headed for Europe; in the meantime, stay tuned… and Americans, don’t take your HOG for granted!
How much does it cost you to ride a Harley bike in the EU?
Industry Insider: Why Ducati Sells Under 200,000 Bikes Per Year
“The Message to Those Who Look at You Has to be Clear”
In a world where more is better, Ducati continues to push for the mentality that exclusivity is King… especially as a high-profile motorcycle brand.
Ducati’s long-reigning CEO, Claudio Domenicali, was quoted to MotoSprint as having imparted the following mindset:
– Claudio Domenicali, CEO, Ducati (Motorcycle Sports) |
The CEO’s push for a limited availability of bikes has, thus far, worked to the brand’s advantage; with hundreds of millions of dollars locked into Ducati model sales, Team Red has been able to support a luxurious amount of specialized events, each offering showing new levels of what it means to Ducati to be a “Ducatisti.”
On the Ducati team’s side of things, the power of silence is a real part of market positioning for everybody:
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Recently, Ducati showed off their new 2025 Panigale V4, featuring the iconic Desmosedici Stradale V4 engine, a powerhouse capable of 1,158cc of yank, or 215.5 hp (160 kW) @ 13,000 rpm and increased torque figures to 93.7 lb-ft (127 Nm) @ 9,500 rpm.
Big congrats to Ducati, and we can’t wait to see what’s next in store for the company!
Do you ride a Ducati?
