As all the time, the beginning of 2025 has introduced a ton of motion within the moto trade, persevering with with this week’s listing under:
- Kawasaki’s engaged on a two-stroke that’s headed throughout the pond to England!
- KTM’s restructuring efforts now included the stepping down of the face of KTM, CEO Stephan Pierer.
- Honda’s received huge plans to take over half the motorbike market by 2030… whereas staying true to their carbon neutralization objectives within the subsequent decade.
- Honda can be getting extra comfortable utilizing motorbike fairings long-established from non-edible corn.
Let’s take a sniff round this Workforce Inexperienced two-stroke, we could?
Rumor Has It: Kawasaki’s Engaged on a Two-Stroke
Social Media Teaser Contains Potential for the Return of the KX™250
It’s been virtually 20 years since Kawasaki final got here out with a brand new two-stroke filth bike – and this yr may simply be the yr for off-roaders to rejoice!
The hullabaloo hit the fan not too long ago when Motorbike Information coated a brand new tease on social media (by way of Instagram). To the myriad of feedback of riders asking for Kawasaki to “deliver again the two-stroke,” Kawasaki is proven to reply thus:
“We Heard You.”
If Workforce Inexperienced is definitely pondering of what we’re pondering they’re pondering of, then this upcoming bike is the primary two-stroke filth bike that Kawi’s put out since 2007 (2006 if it’s the 125), and we’re about to get the next power-to-weight ratio than your typical four-stroke engine that has potential to be lighter and cheaper to fabricate than the competing platform.
Estimations from the general public additionally embrace the chances of “gasoline injection, pressured induction, or perhaps a camshaft and accompanying valve association to mechanically regulate inlet and exhaust circulation.”
In fact, that is all rumour till Kawasaki is extra forthcoming with what they’ve deliberate for his or her return to the two-stroke class. Keep tuned!
You may learn extra about Kawasaki’s two-stroke teaser right here:
The Legalities: An Replace on KTM’s Chapter
CEO Stephan Pierer Steps Down
The European Union’s largest motorbike maker is at present sorting via a barrage of restructuring methods; ought to they succeed, KTM could emerge with minimal scarring.. till then, modifications are inevitable.
The most important change between in the present day and after we final coated KTM’s monetary difficulties features a new backside within the Chief Govt chair. Protection from Motocross Motion Journal tells us that Stefan Pierer has stepped down from his function as KTM CEO, permitting Co-CEO Gottfried Neumeister to step into the function of Chief Govt.
Previous to this transformation, In a current interview with Cycle World, KTM CEO Stefan Pierer mentioned that the corporate is “engaged on a plan to restructure our debt and to enhance our profitability.”
Right here is the abstract of what’s been occurring thus far (excerpt from Ben Purvis’s article on CycleWorld):
| “The corporate entered its present state, a course of known as “self-administration” below Austrian regulation, again in November 2024 after months of considerations because the share worth of its father or mother group, Pierer Mobility AG, took a nosedive throughout 2023 and 2024. After peaking at over 90 CHF (Swiss francs) per share in 2022 (round $100), Pierer Mobility’s share values dipped under 9 CHF ($10) in November 2024.
… In November, three corporations within the Pierer Mobility group filed for self-administration, which permits the present administration to stay in place and offers safety from collectors for 90 days, throughout which period corporations want to attract up a restructuring plan that’s accepted by a majority of these collectors to fend off chapter. These corporations have been KTM AG (the primary a part of KTM) in addition to KTM Elements GmbH and KTM F&E GmbH (the R&D arm of KTM). Since then, one other Pierer firm, Avocado GmbH, additionally a part of the KTM group and a provider of software program companies to the opposite components of KTM, has began insolvency proceedings.” – Ben Purvis, “KTM Chapter Replace” (Cycle World) |
At present, KTM is in a gray zone state for future doings with MotoGP (past their 2026 contract); primarily based on the positive print, KTM wouldn’t be capable to depart MotoGP earlier than 2026 with out penalty, so there’s a powerful probability that the Home of Mattighofen will proceed in MotoGP till the tip of their contract.
Purvis additionally makes point out of an engine freeze that’s slotted for the MotoGP 2026 grid, so it’s additionally affordable to imagine that KTM would want to align with that deadline within the face of their very own rising requirements.
You may learn extra about KTM’s present monetary state and its restructuring plans right here:
Business Insider: Honda Units Aim to Take Over Half of the Motorbike Market
New Initiative to Improve Massive Crimson Bikes within the Southeastern Hemisphere
Massive Crimson is dreaming greater than ever with sights set on India and the Southeastern Hemisphere – and who can blame them? A better quantity of lower-displacement machines means a extra accessible pool of bikes for the native markets – and for Honda, which means that 40% of the motorbike market may very well be comprised of Honda machines as quickly as 2026.
In line with Honda’s current press launch, Honda has a worldwide manufacturing capability of over 20 million bikes yearly. By the tip of the 2025 Monetary 12 months, Massive Crimson is estimating that they are going to be making 20.2 million bikes, which is roughly 40% of the worldwide motorbike market. For Honda, which means that they may dominate half of the motorbike market worldwide by 2030 – and that features electrical bikes in there, by the way in which.
What’s attention-grabbing is that these gorgeous figures are finally forecasted to plummet, and Honda is the forecaster. Listed here are the info in chronological order:
- It’s 2025, and Honda has hit 20 million models yearly; this interprets to round 40% of the complete world motorbike market.
- Honda is estimating that they are going to make up 50% of the worldwide motorbike market by 2030.
- Honda additionally estimates that they are going to be making 4 million electrical motorbike models by 2030.
- Honda is aiming to be absolutely carbon-neutral by 2040.
- Except Honda pivots with nice alacrity into growth efforts for EV bike manufacture or turns to alternate strategies of two-wheeled solutions within the title of carbon neutrality, Honda will lose cash within the years between 2030 and 2040.
- Pursuant to the above and assuming Honda will maintain quick to their 2040 aim, Honda must convert the vast majority of their 50 million-odd bikes into electrical bikes by 2040, or else watch gross sales drop from 50 million bikes every year to our guess of someplace below the 20 million unit mark.
Honda believes that carbon neutrality will assist it to remain forward of the competitors and to proceed to develop its market share; to this impact, it’s assumed that Honda is bolstering their efforts within the Southwestern Hemisphere as a result of lower-displacement, lighter autos are simpler to transform to electrical, thus preserving as a lot of the market’s accessibility as doable.
To study extra about Honda’s plans for the approaching quarters, take a look at their EOY Monetary assertion right here:
How Corny: Honda Makes use of Corn to Create Sustainable Fairings
Plant-Based mostly Bodywork to Help within the Model’s Clear Initiative
People have discovered an alarming variety of makes use of for the yellow-kernelled grain recognized to many as “corn” – and whereas many people may deal with it like a vegetable in our culinary adventures, one bike firm has determined to transform the stuff right into a bio-based polycarbonate resin made by the Mitsubishi Chemical Group that can be utilized to make motorbike fairings.
The fairings are known as “Durabio fairings,” and so they’re one of many extra outlandish concepts that Honda has adopted for themselves (CAKE’s paper-based fairings got here shut). In line with protection from MCN, Honda has moved ahead with plans to begin utilizing Durabio fairings on their bikes this yr, with “corny” bodywork being simply one in all many ways in which Honda has been trying to repurpose waste.
Check out what Honda’s American Vice President mentioned of Honda’s reclamation strategies again in 2023 (courtesy of MCN’s contributions):
– Joseph Jay, Honda America Vice President (MCN) |
So, how good are these corn-based fairings?
Apparently, they’re top-tier; Nye Davis tells us that one in all ‘Durabis traits is excessive transparency, permitting the manufacturing of the stuff to lead to a “excessive normal of end with out the necessity for a visit to the paint store – and regardless of being made out of corn, it received’t degrade into compost both.”
For those who’re nonetheless questioning in regards to the weirdness of this tech, Nye reminds us that Durabio and recycled plastics exist already on the next Honda fashions:
- Africa Twin
- NC750X
- Forza 750
- X-ADV
What do you assume? You may learn extra about Honda’s corn-based fairings right here:
*Media sourced from Prime Velocity, ADV Pulse, and Honda*
