The cicadas are in full swing, heat rays are in their moment, and heat waves are pressing down on all sides to herald the summer solstice.
Sounds like a great excuse to get away from it all and swing over two wheels for an hour of eight, yeah? HAPPY WORLD MOTORCYCLING DAY, BABY!!! Hope the day’s cruise is a good one.
We’ve got a list of newsies waiting for whenever you’re back in town with that wince-worthy sunburn. Topics up on today’s roster include the following:
- MV Agusta’s committing to 10,000 bikes a year (15,000 max)
- CAKE’s resurrected under new ownership (cue the zombie arms)
- Triumph finally revealed the bike inspired(ish) by Elvis’s “Memphis Gang”
- Adventure Rider Bike Week Festival is nigh, and Royal Enfield is rolling into Shakespeare’s old playgrounds (literally, on both counts) with their Himalayan 450 and a slew of activities for the masses
Here we go, Goonies.
Will PIERER Push for 100% Ownership of MV Agusta?
MV Agusta Aims for Annual Sales Goal of 10,000 Motorcycles
While PIERER Mobility’s 50.1% part in MV Agusta’s success carries the usual complexities of bike brands changing hands, one thing’s for sure: MV Agusta’s got more support than ever before.
More support, more potential for bikes.
Case in point: According to GPOne, MV Agusta’s planning on ramping bike production to 5000 bikes by the end of this year. With a medium-term sales target estimating 10,000 bikes (and a maximum production limit of 15,000 bikes), MV Agusta’s struggles appear to be over, with one exception.
Will PIERER Mobility acquire more of MV Agusta, like they did with Husqvarna and GASGAS? If they do, what does that mean for MV Agusta bikes?
As always, PIERER board member Hubert Trunkenpolz is ready and willing to answer the tougher questions:
| I assume that we will talk about the next tranche of shares in two years’ time, as a few agreements are due to expire. With the Sardarov family, we have a pleasant second shareholder who are happy that we are now running the company… But at some point, shareholder Sardarov will come and suggest that we offer the next tranche. There are already letters of intent as to how this can be done, but we are under no time pressure.
It was important for us to become the majority shareholder and gain control of the MV Agusta company, because otherwise you can’t restructure it. This step has been taken, it’s working. In this respect, the current situation is totally okay for us.” – Hubert Trunkenpolz, Director / PIERER Mobility board member, PIERER Mobility (GPOne) |
Long story short, PIERER is cool with the 50.1% ownership – they needed that much to restructure MV Agusta – but talks have already begun on what a further majority stake would look like.
Are you excited about the potential of PIERER Mobility claiming full ownership of MV Agusta?
Electric Everything: CAKE’s Apparently Back
…And under new ownership, too.
Back in the beginning of February, we covered CAKE’s failure to lock in C-round investors, as well as their subsequent filing for bankruptcy. Since then, the company has been relatively quiet, perhaps partially due to the massive recall conducted on their Kalk model due to battery cell failure.
Put poetically, CAKE’s been handed the wetter end of the umbrella for some months now – so what’s this news of CAKE under new ownership?
According to CAKE’s own press release, all company assets and intellectual property are now in the hands of a Norwegian marque called Brages Holding AS. This poses a big question: What does Brages Holding see in CAKE, and why Norway?
Well, I’d consider purchasing an electric vehicle too if I lived in a country like Norway that gave EVs unfettered use of bus lanes, zero tolls, and zero taxes on EV purchases (with a 25% VAT tendency in Norway, that’s huge).
Of the automobiles sold in Norway in 2023, 85% were registered as electric cars (The Verge).
Digernes, owner of Brages, has also released the following quote to CAKE’s platform:
| “As a car retailer in Norway, we have witnessed how fast the electrification shift can go when people set their minds to it. Now, we believe the transformation in the micro-mobility sector will accelerate as well.
When we first connected with CAKE as a retailer, we fell in love with their products, the design, the craftsmanship, and the story behind CAKE. Our goal in acquiring CAKE was to evolve the brand. We aim to scale CAKE by building a robust retailer distribution network and transforming a remarkable Swedish initiative into a Scandinavian success.” – Espen Digernes, owner, Brages Holding AS (CAKE) |
As for CAKE’s current state, we’re told that the brand’s previous lineups of EV bikes are once more on the market, and its headquarters have reopened and are ready for business.
What do you think will happen to future lineups of CAKE machines?
Ain’t No Saint: Triumph Reveals Bonneville T120 Retro
Design based on Elvis Presley Charitable Foundation bike
It was only a short while ago that Triumph put out a plea to the masses, requesting aid in finding any number of the motorcycles associated with Elvis Presley – specifically, the machines Presley was purported to have purchased for his buddies, the Presley-coined “Memphis Gang.”
While we haven’t yet received an update on how Triumph’s doing on all that, we DO have a front-row view of the tribute bike Hickley’s just put out in commemoration of the King
According to Triumph, the design scheme was inspired by the J Daar custom Bonneville that was made for the Elvis Presley Charitable Foundation and, by extension, Elvis Presley’s ’68 Comeback Special performance.
We’re told there will only be 925 of these bikes, each one given a number on a gold disc and a signed certificate of authenticity. As a nod in the direction of their attempts to find the Memphis Gang bikes, Triumph’s limited Bonneville T120 will also carry a phrase known to both Presley and the gang on an emblem on the front fender: “Taking Care of Business in a Flash.”
Beyond that, expect purchase of this bike to carry forward the continued perks of Triumph’s can’t-stop-won’t-stop Bonneville T120.
Are you keen on an Elvis Presley limited edition Bonneville T120?
Royal Enfield’s ‘Basecamp’ is Coming to Adventure Bike Week Festival
The Himalayan sets out for Warwickshire Shenanigans
Any time that Royal Enfield shows up at an event, you want to be there, if only for the vibes – and I’m not just richocheting off of my own vibes with RE to give the reecommendation.
All nice-nice aside, Royal Enfield is backed by a formidable (read: loaded) parent company, Eicher Motors. Put this with the fact that the company’s largest stakeholder is the brand’s 20,000-odd workforce, and you are getting a ride from a close-knit and well-supported team that backs Royal Enfield’s products with their own money.
Anyways.
According to Visordown, Royal Enfield is attending the annual Adventure Bike Festival in Warwickshire, UK, to set up a “Basecamp” experience around their new debutante, the Himalayan 450. From June 28-30, riders can pick the brains of core team members who contributed to the bike’s creation and attend masterclasses, demonstrations in the GoPro arena, and test rides (both on-road as well as off-road).
Those of you wanting the latter, just know that it comes with free hot and cold beverages.
Y’all have one week to sign up, so here’s the website link,and have a great time.
Are you excited about the UK’s Aventure Bike Rider Festival 2024?