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Mark Hinchliffe·
NewsMotorbike news
··1 min read

BMW joins motorcycle manufacturing halt

Brazil BMW Motorrad factory manufacturing

The coronavirus pandemic has halted motorcycle manufacturing in the USA and Europe with BMW Motorrad the latest to temporarily stop assembly lines.

BMW Motorrad has halted manufacturing at its Spandau factory n Berlin and G 310 production is now only hold after the TVR plant that makes them in India shut down on 23 March 2020 for two weeks.

The company has also closed its Munich HQ and two museums.

In Australia, BMW’s GS Safari has been postponed from this month until May 24-29.

The recent 2016 BMW GS Safari was a huge success with 200 riders traversing the glorious off-roads of the Great Dividing Range around the NSW-Queensland border and hinterland. joins recall
GS Safari in doubt

A spokeswoman says the event will “most definitely go ahead in May”, but we think that’s unlikely given the pandemic expected to be at its peak then.

“We are aware that medically we will still be in the midst of dealing with the COVID-19 virus Australia wide however under advisement the current travel restrictions will have changed which will allow us to run the event as planned,” the spokeswoman says.

Click here for other motorcycle event cancellations.

Manufacturing halt

Break in new harley-Davidson engine factory
Harley’s Pilgrim Rd engine factory

Several motorcycle factories have closed across Europe while Harley-Davidson joined the temporary closure to clean its factories after a worker tested positive at their Milwaukee engine plant.

Ducati has extended its factory closure until March 25 and Brembo and Yamaha have closed their European factories until next Monday.

Moto Morini, KTM, Husqvarna and GasGas had already closed their factories in Italy and Austria.

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The Piaggio Group – owner of Aprilia, Moto Guzzi and Vespa – closed its factories last weekend for a “deep clean” and returned to production this week.

Meanwhile, MV Agusta in Lombardy, the epicentre of the Italian coronavirus contagion, continues with a reduced workforce.

All these manufacturing halts may not have an immediate effect on motorcycle supplies, but could result in longer term delays, especially on spare parts.