Insidebikes Review of 2009
Added on Thursday, December 31st, 2009 by Carole Nash Editor | No Comments
Insidebikes Review of 2009
It’s been a tough year for the motorcycle industry but there has still been plenty to report on in 2009 - and not all of it has been doom and gloom.
As the global recession continued to stifle the industry, manufacturers in Japan, the USA and Europe all felt the effects and one famous name even left the scene entirely.
Harley-Davidson, who had struggled more than others following the near collapse of the motorcycle market in the USA and the writing-off of previous bad debts, introduced a number of cost cutting measures which included the closure of Buell Motorcycles, ending 26 years of history. On 30 October, the 136,923th and final Buell rolled off the production line in East Troy, Wisconsin.
Moto Guzzi were another manufacturer facing difficulties in 2009, having gone into voluntary liquidation in October after failing to meet their reported break even figure of 2,000 unit sales. The manufacturer later had to fend off rumours that the factory had closed for good.
In December, KTM posted a €84.1M loss for the last financial year and even Yamaha struggled to appease the bank manager, with their figures in January revealing a £327m loss just for the final quarter of 2008.
Honda cut back on costs by, amongst other things, deciding against opening a stand at the NEC Bike Show whilst, with 2009 barely over a week old, Kawasaki announced that they would be quitting MotoGP: Cue lots of legal wrangling and heavy negotiations as both Kawasaki and MotoGP promoters Dorna tried to save both face and cash.
In the UK, the implementation of the new motorcycle continued to be a thorny issue. After being delayed in 2008, the new test, which relied on the opening of dedicated centres, finally came into force in April. It was soon slammed as a “disaster” however by the BMF as well as readers of Insidebikes and MCN after a series of accidents performing certain new manoeuvres and extended delays in the opening of test centres.
In London, bus lanes were opened up to bikers as part of a congestion-busting plan by mayor Boris Johnson but there were protests in the capital as a group of motorcycle campaigners marched on Westminster to oppose the authorities introduction of motorcycle parking charges.
In an attempt to encourage more people to take to life on two wheels, leading bike insurance broker Carole Nash lent their support to the “Get On” campaign, which offers those hoping to take up motorcycling an opportunity to have a free taster course before committing to the expense of training and testing.
In the world of sport, it was also a tough year for most involved in MotoGP although Valentino Rossi and Yamaha won’t be complaining.
Rossi took his ninth title in 2009 whilst Yamaha recorded a clean sweep of championships in 2009, taking the MotoGP, World Superbikes, World Supersport and British Superbike titles.
Cost cutting was very much the name of the game in 2009 however, with Kawasaki’s withdrawal providing a big wake-up call to those who felt that motorcycling would avoid the financial problems that hit F1 so clearly. Even with a host of hastily arranged cost cutting changes, Sete Gibernau’s Grupo Francisco Hernando team lasted just eight rounds of the season whilst the end of the season saw the Hayate team leave the scene as Kawasaki ended their support of the semi-private team.
For the Brits on the international scene, it was a mixed year. James Toseland had a nightmare season that eventually saw him lose his MotoGP ride to Ben Spies, who claimed the World Superbike championship in his rookie season. Cal Crutchlow had a better year in World Supersport however, claiming the world championship and a ride alongside Toseland in WSB for 2010. Another Brit who experienced some success was Bradley Smith, who finished second in the 125cc championship.
MotoGP also arrived at Donington for what could be the final time, with the British Grand Prix moving to Silverstone for 2010. Donington’s problems continued over the course of the year due to a failed attempt to attract F1 racing, with the company behind famous circuit going into administration.
Leon Camier completely dominated a British Superbike championship in which it was apparent from an early stage that there was only going to be one winner, going on to claim the championship with a record-breaking 19 race wins.
On the Isle of Mann, history was made with the first ever TT event for electric motorcycles, with the first zero-emissions event won by Rob Barber.
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