company Buell, stating the global recession and subsequent lack of sales as the cause behind their decision. Although the announcement came as a shock to many, the writing had been on the wall for sometime. Two months earlier, in September 2009, Buell

Ducati is blowing economic gloom into the weeds with muscular financial results. But the rest of the European bike industry appears to be misfiring badly. Ducati’s sales revenue for the first nine months of 2008 grew by 25 per cent year-on-year to £346m and net profit shot up b...

.While the global market for 500cc-plus bikes is down 50 percent on its pre-recession levels, Triumph's sales from June 2010 to June 2011 have actually increased 7 percent – and that's after the firm had already posted an increase the previous year. More than 48

I've sat through enough manufacturer' presentations recently to know that we're in trouble.Ignoring the still booming Asian markets, the rest of the motorcycle World is in free-fall. Even looking at the figures optimistically we're still only selling half the volumes we were in p...

BMW has revealed that worldwide it sold 104,286 bikes in 2011- beating the firm's 2007 record of 102,467.The latest numbers show a 6.4% hike compared to 2010's sales which were already impressive given the tough time the motorcycle market has been having, particularly in the trad...

YAMAHA has announced UK prices for the 2010 Fazer8 and FZ8: £8799 for the half-faired bike and £7799 for the naked FZ8.Sitting between to the company's existing FZ1 and XJ6 range, Yamaha's high pricing of their new 800s has come as a surprising sting, as many expected the 'wallet...

A RECENT Bonhams automotive auction saw six bikes fetch over £65,000, including an 1894 Hildebrand & Wolfmüller which went for over £100,000.The auction was held at the Imperial Palace hotel where a packed auction room of international buyers from around the US and overseas bid ...

DARK TIMES at Benelli. Many staff at the factory in Pesaro on Italy’s Adriatic coast are working part-time. Production has been scaled back to about 1000 bikes this year as the Chinese owners review the future of the still unprofitable marque.It’s all a far cry from the positive ...

Meanwhile, insurance premiums have soared for sportsbikes and Cliff Richard hits number one with a cover of Smack My Bitch Up. Scary. But it could happen and at the morning roll call of motorcycling in this apocalyptic horror, naked middleweights like the new Speed Four could be ...

FRENCH MOTORCYCLE manufacturer Voxan has gone in to receivership - that's the latest news from Europe this morning.Sources say the decision to place Voxan into receivership was made after the French factory has announced the cessation of payments.The Chairman of the Board has req...