An electric Zero motorcycle (Photo: Zero Motorcycles)
You can tell riding season is here by the fact that there's too much news to keep up with. Here are a number of items that I've run across recently. The headlines to each of these are links so you can read the full story.
Honda unveils all-electric scooter, China in sights (Reuters)
Honda Motor Co unveiled on Tuesday an all-electric scooter that will mark its first attempt at mass-marketing zero-emission motorbikes, with an eye to eventually taking on rivals in the massive Chinese market.
Motorcycle Thefts Down 13 Percent in 2009 (National Insurance Crime Bureau)
The latest report from the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) shows that motorcycle thefts in 2009 are continuing their downward trend. A total of 56,093 motorcycles were reported stolen to law enforcement in 2009, down from 64,492 reported in 2008, a 13 percent drop.
The top five makes stolen last year were: (1) Honda, 13,688; (2) Yamaha, 11,148; (3) Suzuki, 9,154; (4) Kawasaki, 5,911; and (5) Harley-Davidson, 3,529. Combined they accounted for 43,430 thefts, or 77.4 percent of the total.
Motorcycles with antilock brakes have fewer fatal crashes and lower insurance losses than bikes without antilocks (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety)
Antilock brakes for motorcycles are working as designed to reduce the chances of crashing, removing some of the risk that comes with riding on 2 wheels. A new study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety indicates that motorcycles with antilocks versus without are 37 percent less likely to be in fatal crashes per 10,000 registered vehicle years. Bolstering this finding is a separate analysis by the affiliated Highway Loss Data Institute (HLDI) of insurance claims filed for damage to motorcycles.
466 Million Electric Two-Wheel Vehicles to Hit the Road by 2016 (Pike Research)
While the electrification of the automobile has captured strong attention over the past few years, a significantly higher volume market opportunity lies with a different kind of EV – the electric two-wheel vehicle. According to a new report from Pike Research, unit sales in this category, which includes electric bicycles, motorcycles, and scooters, will grow at a rapid pace over the next several years. The cleantech market intelligence firm forecasts that more than 466 million e-bikes, e-motorcycles, and e-scooters will be sold worldwide during the period from 2010 to 2016.
Comments
Thieves don't want to take a chance that the Harley they are stealing belongs to some big burly biker dude with chains for jewelry and another chain holding up his jeans (unless the Harley is painted with purple flowers and then the thieves can probably assume that Harley doesn't belong to a big burly biker dude).
Oh but Patty, I know a woman here in Texas with a Harley painted very similar to yours and her Old Man is a big burly biker dude. Ha!
When you steal a Harley, you can never tell who lives at home.
Good one, Sharon. My man is indeed a big burly Harley dude that I think most people would think twice about crossing. So maybe even purple Harleys with flowers are safe.
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