International Dealer News IDN 145 October/November 2018 | Page 18

news ROOM
“The bearable
lightness of
LeoVince”
EXHIBITOR
Developed in collaboration with its
Racing Department, the new LV-10
Titanium by Italian exhaust specialist
LeoVince has a muffler and collector
made using very pure, very light and
very strong grade 1 titanium.
Hand TIG welded in a control chamber,
the ‘Titanium’ achieves a 29 percent
weight reduction compared to
stainless steel and delivers “high
ductility, strength and corrosion
resistance”.
Applying experience gained in the
Moto 2 and Moto 3 championships,
the company says the LV-10 Titanium
“expresses the maximum in racing
technology applied to a tailpipe
designed for standard bikes” and is
available as an approved fitment for
street bike applications.
The LV-10 Titanium exhaust has a
sanded finish with a laser-etched
LeoVince logo and is being unveiled
for select models at EICMA.
www.leovince.com
Suzuki global
unit demand
+11.9 percent Q1
Suzuki has announced that net
sales revenue in motorcycle
business for the first quarter of
its 2018/2019 financial year
(the period to June 30, 2018)
increased by 2.7bn yen (+4.4%)
to 64.3bn yen for the quarter.
Worldwide sales were +11.9
percent at 423,000 units,
thanks in large part to
increases in India, the
Philippines and elsewhere in
Asia.
Sales volumes in Europe were
up by approx. 1,000 units at
around 16,000 units for the
first quarter, and also up by
1,000 units to 12,000 units for
the first quarter in north
America.
Consolidated net motorcycle
sales revenue was -1.4 percent
in Europe at 12.1bn yen for Q1,
but up by +2.7 percent to
64.3bn yen worldwide.
18
60 years of Marolo
With its origins going back to
1958, French workshop specialist
Marolo Test is celebrating its
60th anniversary this year and
welcomed its worldwide
distributors, partners and press
to its Cholet headquarters near
Nantes in July.
Started by Paul Marrolaud, the
company was established to
design, produce and sell what is
believed to have been one of
the first dynamometers
specifically for the PTW market -
a test bench for mopeds - with
one of the first motorcycle-
specific test benches in the
industry introduced in 1973.
In 1987 the company developed
the first in what would go on to
become one of the best selling
and technically advanced
EXHIBITOR
workshop lift programmes and a
complementary range of
equipment for workshops and
franchise dealers with turn-key
service shop installations, in
manufacturer colours if
required.
In 2008 the company launched
its MaroloBio environmentally
friendly workshop parts
washers, and after a 2009
factory extension went back into
the dynamometer market in
2010 in collaboration with
Fuchs.
Fast forward to 2018, and the
company employs around 20
people at its 2,500 sq m facility,
with annual sales in excess of
5m euro, more than 25 percent
of which is exported. Marolo
Test sells to 10,500 customer
accounts in more than 60
countries.
www.marolotest.com
Durability testing
The durability tests required by
contemporary emissions regulations
have proved to be a difficult, time-
consuming and expensive undertaking
for exhaust manufacturers the world
over.
Akrapovic has added to its equipment
list with a Durability Dyno that is
specifically designed for the kind of
mileage accumulation required by
compliance standards and for
advanced
exhaust
system
development.
“This advanced and innovative
machine is an ideal addition to the
Akrapovic family, and it represents an
important upgrade for the world’s
leading high-performance exhaust
manufacturer in durability testing of
INTERNATIONAL DEALER NEWS - OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2018
EXHIBITOR
exhaust systems for motorcycles.
“Until now, all in-depth tests for
motorcycle exhausts have involved
durability analysis on the road and at
race tracks, but the addition of this
machine means that more tests can be
performed on the Durability Dyno under
controlled conditions. Parameters
monitored include power, back
pressure and temperature cycles”.
The company says that it will still test
on-road and at the track, but the fully
autonomous 200 kW durability
motorcycle chassis dyno has its own
automated fuelling system, so there is
no need to stop the bike and refuel it,
allowing for extended runs to fully
assess the durability of every exhaust.
The bike is “ridden” by a fully
EXHIBITOR
automated robot with a throttle
actuator developed in-house, meaning
there is no need for a human rider on
the bike. The dyno can run defined
speed and load cycles to provide
complete mileage accumulation. A full
spectrum of cameras and sensors
make a broad range of tests and
analysis available, and it can be set to
perform with wind speeds up to 200
km/h. It also has an impressive
ventilation system, and in cold
weather conditions it uses excess heat
from the bike’s engine to heat up the
incoming air.
Akrapovic says that this is a brand-new
service that it is able to supply to its
partners, including its OEM customers.
www.akrapovic.com