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Harley-Davidson Confirm Plans To Go Fully Electric

Harley-Davidson has steadily developing its own electric programme over the last few years with the LiveWire becoming the firm’s maiden voyage into electrification.

Harley-Davidson CEO, Jochen Zeitz confirm plans to go fully electric in the future.
Harley-Davidson spin-off brand, the LiveWire proven to be an ideal step towards electrification.

At first, the LiveWire came with a USD30,000 price tag before it was substantially reduced to USD21,999 after Harley-Davidson decided to spin off LiveWire into an independent brand in 2021 with the original LiveWire sold as LiveWire One.

Harley made another big move early last year by taking the LiveWire public which resulted the company revealed it’s product line for the future including the S2 Del Mar.

Unlike the LiveWire One, the S2 is LiveWire’s middleweight electric bikes developed in partnership with KYMCO.

The S2 – inlcuding S3 and S4 in the pipeline – showcased Harley’s dedication towards sustainability and a cleaner future.

That said, Harley-Davidson Chairman and CEO, Jochen Zeitz admitted that the brand will go fully electric in the future.

“At some point in time, Harley Davidson will be all-electric. But that’s a long-term transition that needs to happen. It’s not something you do overnight. It’s a natural evolution that needed to happen,” ,” Zeitz told design publication, Dezeen early this month.

Turning a company with its unique cruiser heritage into a full blown electric brand might not be something that a Harley-Davidson purist wants to hear.

However, Zeitz admitted that the company intend to do so by honouring the past, whatever that means.

Suzuki GSX-S1000GT Announced As Top Selling Sports Tourer In The UK

Suzuki might be out of world championship racing but the brand is no doubt continue to remain relevant to this day.

Suzuki sold more than 700 units of the GSX-S1000GT in UK last year.
The GSX-S1000GT is available in Malaysia for RM85,700.

In a latest announcement, the House of Hamamatsu has confirmed that the GSX-S1000GT has been the best-selling sports touring machine in the UK in 2022.

Despite only went on sale in April, Suzuki managed to sold 781 units by end of last year making it the top-selling sports tours touring motorcycle.

In addition, Suzuki anticipated that the number could reach 1,000 unit by end of March this year.

“Of course, we’re delighted with the popularity and success of the GSX-S1000GT. It was launched to high praise in the autumn of 2021, and we were seeing a huge number of reservations and orders before the bike had even arrived in dealerships.

“Despite that, and though it presented challenges, we managed to keep up with demand and we’re on course to top 1,000 sales by the end of its first year on sale, which is a fantastic achievement and something we’re all pleased with and proud of,” said Suzuki Great Britain head of motorcycles, Jonathan Martin.

Although it was build based on the heavily revised GSX-S1000 frame and powerplant, the GSX-S1000GT brings an altogether different vibe.

With optional panniers, comfy riding ergonomics, and an all-new electronic system, the GSX-S1000GT could be Suzuki’s ultimate sport tourer motorcycle.

At the heart of the motorcycle sits the same inline four-cylinder 999cc Euro5 engine you get from the GSX-R1000 and is detuned with revised cams, new air-box, and new exhaust to deliver 152hp @ 11,000rpm and 106Nm @ 9,250rpm.

Major electronics upgrade is a new electronic actuated throttle and Suzuki Intelligent Ride system that brings together riding modes, traction control and most importantly, cruise control system.

The Suzuki GSX-S1000GT is also currently available in Malaysia for RM85,700.

Next-Gen Aprilia RSV4 To Feature Variable Valve Timing

Aprilia is set to join the likes of Ducati, Yamaha, Kawasaki and Suzuki by introducing its own variable valve timing (VVT) system as confirmed by latest patent application submitted by parent company, Piaggio Group.

The patent – based on the Aprilia RSV4 – showcased a non-electronic VVT system that works similar to Suzuki’s GSX-R1000 whereby the system depends on centrifugal force to move the ball bearings located on the drivel wheel of the intake camshaft.

However, while the GSX-R1000 VVT works on 12 ball bearings, the upcoming RSV4 will used only three.

Despite that, we expect the system to worked well similar to any VVT technology available on modern two-wheels.

That said, Aprilia is working on a mechanical-based VVT as compared to electronics, currently adopted by Ducati, Kawasaki and Yamaha.

However, the new system could also be applied to other Piaggio-owned brand, including Moto Guzzi.

Aveta Rolls Out All-New VZR250 In Malaysia – 250cc Single, 24hp

Coming in new for the Malaysian market is the entry-level Aveta VZR250 sportsbike which is dubbed to be the most affordable quarter-litre motorcycle in its class.

The VZR250 is Aveta’s eight model introduced in Malaysia.
The entry-level sportsbike is fully assembled in Malaysia.

Priced at just RM14,998, the VZR250 makes 24hp and 21Nm from its single-cylinder 250cc DOHC 4-stroke engine. Power is delivered to the rear wheel via a manual six-speed transmission with chain final drive.

According to Aveta, the VZR250 offers precise fuel consumption thanks to its electronic fuel injection (EFI) system).

Stopping power consist of dual disc brakes with radially-mounted 4-pot brake callipers at the front and 2-pot brake callipers at the rear.

Unfortunately, while the rest of its competitors features ABS (anti-lock braking system), the VZR250 relies on CBS (combine-braking system) commonly found in smaller-capacity machines.

The CBS system works by activating both the front and rear brakes when engaging the rear brake.

According to our sources in Aveta, the VZR250 is assembled locally in Malaysia and is rebadge from the Taro GP1 motorcycle currently available in other global markets.

The Aveta VZR250 is available in Jet Black, Fire Bird Red and Air Force Blue.

CONFIRMED: The 2023 Honda XL750 Transalp Is Coming To Malaysia

The all-new middleweight adventure bike from Honda, the XL750 Transalp is coming to Malaysia.

The Transalp features the same parallel-twin engine as the Hornet.
Fitted with Showa’s suspension at the front and rear with Pro-Link swingarm.

The confirmation news came from BikesRepublic’s sources in Boon Siew Honda during the launch of the new ADV160 in Penang, yesterday.

While there is no official launch date announced yet, it could possibly make its way here early 2024.

Mechanically, the Honda XL750 Transalp features an all-new parallel-twin engine that makes 90hp and 75Nm. That said, the Transalp slots in between the 74hp Tenere and 105hp 890 Adventure.

Similar to Honda CB750 Hornet, the XL750 Transalp features a 270-degree crank and a new airbox which Honda claimed to offer a low-end beat and top-end howl.

However, the ride-by-wire system has been explicitly tuned to best suit the bike’s touring and off-road ability.

Electronically, the XL750 Transalp gets four riding modes (Sport, Standard, Rain and Gravel and User), each of which can be selected while on the fly thanks to a lefthand switch cube.

BMW Motorrad Malaysia Previews The CE 04 – Official Launch In March, RM60k Est

In line with BMW Motorrad Malaysia’s plans for urban mobility, the CE 04 electric motorcycle officially debuts in Malaysia.

Powering the CE 04 is a liquid-cooled electric motor that produces the equivalent of 42hp and 62Nm.
The CE 04 is capable of hitting 0-50km/h in just 2.6 seconds.

Set for an official launch in March, pricing the fully electric motorcycle is estimated to be around RM60k.

BMW Motorrad opens its new chapter in electric mobility by introducing the all-new CE 04 two years ago in Europe.

The CE 04 is proof that BMW continues its pursuit of electromobility strategy for urban conurbations.

The CE 04 is powered by an electric motor capable of producing 31kW (42hp) and able to reach 0-50km/h in just 2.6 seconds.

Despite build as an urban commuter, BMW claimed the CE 04 has a maximum speed of 120 km/h while able to cover up to 130km thanks to a lithium-ion battery with a capacity of 60.6 Ah (8.9 kWh).

According to BMW, the CE 04 is mounted with a permanent magnet electric motor located in the frame between the battery and the rear wheel.

As an added convenience, owners can charge the battery via a regular household socket, a wall box or at every public charging station.

BMW claimed that the charging time is around 4 hours and 20 minutes if the battery is completely flat, but owners can opt for a quick charger that cuts down the charging time to just 1 hour and 40 minutes.

However, if the battery level is at 20 per cent, the charging time to 80 per cent will take just 45 minutes.

Interestingly, like every petrol-powered BMW motorcycle, the CE 04 also offers Automatic Stability Control (ASC) as standard and Dynamic Traction Control (DTC) as an optional package.