Fast Motorcycle Industry News

Hero MotoCorp To Buy Ducati? The Indian motorcycle and scooter manufacturer is in talks with several banks on raising funds for a potential acquisition of the Italian motorcycle maker Ducati Holding SpA. Private equity firm Investindustrial Holdings SpA, is looking to sell Ducati, and expects €1 billion ($1.32 billion) or 3 times its initial investment, the Financial Times had this month reported. Since last year Honda Motor Co. is no more part of a joint venture that prevented Hero MotoCorp, formerly known as Hero Honda Motors Ltd., from aggressively tapping overseas markets. Two weeks ago Hero entered into a partnership with Erik Buell Racing, where Hero would sponsor two EBR teams in the AMA Pro Racing National Guard Superbike Championship in return for technology and design support for future models.

Virginia State Prohibits Motorcycle-Only Checkpoints. Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell signed into law H.B. 187, which was introduced by Delegate C. Todd Gilbert (R-Shenandoah). The new law, which takes effect July 1, prohibits law enforcement agencies from establishing checkpoints where the only vehicles subject to inspection are motorcycles. The measure was introduced after the Arlington County Police Department set up a motorcycle-only checkpoint during the Rolling Thunder ride on May 28, 2011, that brings awareness to prisoner of war/missing in action (POW/MIA) issues. The American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) opposes motorcycle-only checkpoints and has been tracking the discriminatory practice since it first appeared in New York several years ago.

2011 Sturgis Rally Final Numbers. It took 7 months for the motorcycle rally to tally the final numbers netted by the 2011 edition. Wow…Last week, Sturgis City Manager Daniel Ainslie said that the ncome was $1.4 million, while expenses were about $900,000. and that the cit netted nearly $240,000 for last year’s rally. 200,000 was put into the cty’s general fund and $40,000 given o local rally charities. Most of the rally’s income comes from vendor fees, property rentals, sponsorships and advertising revenue. Rally Department Director Brenda Vasknetz says the 2012 rally will feature a new attraction on Main Street called the South Dakota Experience. Details to be announced…very slowly, I guess…

 

5 Responses to “Fast Motorcycle Industry News”


  1. 1 BadMonkeyMW Mar 8th, 2012 at 9:40 am

    Kudos to Virginia’s Governor for outlawing these blatantly unconstitutional, discriminatory Nazi checkpoints. Hopefully this will set a strong precedent to make these practices illegal in other states. I went through the set up Georgia had last year on the way to Daytona and it was a fucking joke.

  2. 2 burnout Mar 8th, 2012 at 10:37 am

    Fredp, get off your back pocket and buy Ducati already!!…………………….Virginia has problems but THANKFULLY the Gov is using the common sense we expect our elected officials to have!! peace

  3. 3 Luis Mar 8th, 2012 at 4:08 pm

    I hope that if the indians buy ducati they’ll bring back the supermono! Also when I lived in NYC 11+ years ago the cops were already checkpoint crazy under the guise of them either “checking for stolen cars” or “DUI”. I was expecting to need “my papers” just to get around

  4. 4 TexBagger Mar 8th, 2012 at 9:37 pm

    Motorcycle checkpoints? Really? Florida should learn from this crap of singling out bikers and motorcycle riders as they have insisted on doing in the past. Ridiclous State Troopers pulling over bikes only. C’mon man, quit picking us apart for being on cycles of any kind. Storm troopers? Who enacted this crazy checkpoint law for bikers only? I know they did it in the past, how was the ride to Daytona this year? Did the cops pull over Bikes only?

  5. 5 rob Mar 9th, 2012 at 11:01 pm

    HR 904 is the bill to stop fed money for moto only checkpoints. Call,write and e/m your congressman(or woman). if you don’t tell them,they won’t support it………..

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Cyril Huze