INDUSTRY INFOBITES

Volcon Inc. the rst all-electric, off-road powersports company, began collecting dealer applications in North America last year to showcase and sell its innovative, industry-leading off-road vehicles. In just 160 days, 365 applications were submitted by interested dealerships across the country.

The very strong initial response from dealers reinforces Volcon’s anticipated demand for electric powersports in the market and the eagerness of consumers seeking a quality off-road vehicle that offers a deeper connection to their outdoor adventures and lifestyle. Based in Round Rock, Texas, Volcon joins many major electric vehicle manufacturers near Austin, Texas, an area that is poised to become the electric vehicle capital of the world. Volcon was founded with the mission to enhance the outdoor experience while reducing the industry’s environmental footprint so that adventurers and workers alike can enjoy the outdoors and preserve it for generations to come. Volcon produces all-electric, off-road vehicles that are designed to elevate the adventure experience and help people get things done at work and on the home front. Volcon’s rst product, the innovative Grunt combines a fat tire physique with high-torque electric power and a near-silent drive train which started shipping in September of 2021. Future models include the Runt, which is a youth-sized version of the groundbreaking Grunt. The Stag and Beast will be Volcon’s venture into the rapidly expanding world of UTVs and are expected in the future as the company continues to expand. For more information, please visit: www.volcon.com

Amidst the doom and gloom of both winter weather and the lingering effects of the global pandemic, it may come as a surprise that 2021 was one of the strongest years for motorcycling in well over a decade, with new bike sales worldwide on an upward swing and more people joining the two-wheeled fold. Anecdotal evidence from training schools here and across the pond re ected a huge surge of people wanting to get into motorcycling and now the latest data con rms it. Ducati reports that 2021 was their best sales year on record, up globally an impressive 24% on 2020, which was heavily impacted by Coronavirus, but also a massive 12% up on 2019. And it’s not just Ducati celebrating success either, with BMW announcing 2021 was their best-ever year of global sales - jumping 14.8% from 2020. Despite concerns an exit from the European Union might hinder growth in the UK, motorcycle sales there increased by 26.6%, spurring a 9.3% rise in registrations.

With 2021 being the rollercoaster that it was, supply chains around the world have been hit with a crisis of limited product availability: “Starting in 2020, companies reacted to the economic downturn by cancelling production plans for the next year, only to be blindsided by an upswing in demand prompted by rapid vaccine rollouts and scal support for rich-world household spending,” explains a report from KitCo. “At the same time, virus containment measures and infection clusters triggered labor shortages and factory shutdowns, just as consumer spending was shifting from services to goods.” Right around this point was when the Powersports market saw an especially huge surge in sales; people had nowhere to go, so they bought bikes and other toys to have fun locally. Today, restrictions are consistently looser than ever, thanks to the milder Omicron variants -- and with the loosened limitations come a tentatively positive upswing for the market -- an upswing that, if we’re lucky, will mean an end to supply shortages and the healing of damaged income streams, predicts webbikeworld.com. “At some point during this year, we will see a more ‘normal situation’,” says Soren Skou, head of shipping giant Maersk, who predicts employees will soon return to work at ports, in ating demand for shipment services and thereby contributing to the mending of at least one sector of the supply chain. For consumers, we’ve seen vehicle costs rise by over 10-15% the past couple of years due to product shortages and supply chain issues, and this will likely continue until a more permanent solution is found.

Analysis of corn-based ethanol production from end-to-end yields some potentially bad news for this biofuel. While riders have long understood that ethanol can have ill effects on our bikes, a new study published in the “Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences” found that it may have other downsides, too. Ethanol was supposed to be environmentally advantageous as compared to gasoline, but in the study, researchers dove deeper into how the U.S. Renewable Fuel Standard’s outcomes were measuring up to the country’s goals. Instead of simply limiting its observations to any one part of the corn-based ethanol production and consumption processes, researchers gathered data on all parts of the ethanol production cycle. Upon taking important things like land use changes, fertilizer increases, and the like into account, researchers reported findings that corn-based ethanol is 24% more carbon-intensive than gasoline production. If these numbers are even remotely accurate, it’s concerning. “It basically reaffirms what many suspected, that corn ethanol is not a climate-friendly fuel and we need to accelerate the shift toward better renewable fuels, as well as make improvements in efficiency and electrification,” lead study author and scientist Tyler Lark said in a statement. This study’s release comes shortly before the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is expected to propose updated 2023 requirements to the country’s biofuel policies.

A recent study has found that MotoGP riders blink far less than non-racers, with one test subject going 9 minutes without blinking! During the rst round of the 2021 MotoGP season, Pramac Ducati rider Johann Zarco set a new series top-speed record of 225 mph. At that speed, riders cover 330 feet in one second. The average blink takes 0.15 seconds, so riders traveling at that top velocity are effectively blind for nearly 50 feet of track. That sounds like a terrifying prospect to us mere mortals, but a study between LCR Honda and Italian pharmaceutical company Si helps explain how MotoGP riders’ eyes function in such extreme conditions. Conducted over six MotoGP seasons (2015-2021), Grand Prix riders would undergo tests prior to the race and 30 minutes following the checkered ag. The dual-test method revealed that rider reaction times and pupil performance remain in “Race Mode” for an extended period. All racers easily exceeded the normal 4-6-second blink interval, and despite the stressful conditions, none of the subjects exhibited red, dry eyes or in ammation. The results may be fascinating, but Si co-owner Carlos Chines believes this is just the beginning of a broader, long-term study. (next page)

BACKROADS • APRIL 2022 “We basically want to continue researching the differences between ‘normal’ eyes and those of MotoGP riders,” revealed Dr. Chines. “We also want to investigate the relationship between concentration and blink rate. From these results, we expect to understand whether one can work with little tricks, exercises, or eye drops to counteract fatigue, dry or sore eyes, and deterioration in vision.” ,

FREE WHEELIN’ Continued from Page 3 Some women riders do their very best to keep the women riders in their own world. Riding for some of them is more about being a female rider, than just being a rider. Over and over again I see articles, books and websites that are aimed just at women; and although they might simply be promoting women riders – there may be an unexpected outcome with all this. One very prominent woman that has been in the industry for decades once said to Shira, “So many of these women feel the need to be Mother Hens; I wish they would just go riding!” Many times I see a rally that sound like it would be fun – but like many organizations – they had what appeared to be a good idea, but somewhere along the way the road and route got muddled. There are some really great rallies out there aimed towards women, and as long as men are welcome as well I have no issue with these and want them to succeed and have an awesome time. But there have been some rallies that we were told straight out that Shira was welcome but me? Not so much. Really? Let me ask you girls – What if I held a Men’s Only Rally? The Holy Shit would hit the fan, wouldn’t it? But that would never happen. Like I said – I love women. And, so do the guys I ride with. So, for me as a rider and publisher that has been encouraging women to ride for decades, it would be good to see a lot less “Us vs Them” and more riders just riding… be they boys, girls, or whatever. See you on the road. ,

WHATCHATHINKIN’ Continued from Page 4 a split stay in West Dover, VT and a couple of nights in New Hampshire over a long weekend. Later in the year, our fall festivities will include a couple of stops back in Pennsylvania and a weekend in West Virginia with the return of the Backroads Bowling Bash. Polish your ball, shine your shoes and get your team together, this is going to be some kind of good fun! Filling in the blanks Brian and I hope to head to the BMW rally in Missouri. Our initial plan was to try and ll in some of the missing baseball parks on our list during the ride. Unless major league baseball and their players get their shit together – it’s ALWAYS about the money – we may have to change our stops from ball parks to whatever the good Dr. O’Life has found for us. What’s on your plate? We certainly hope you’ll join us for one or all of our rallies. More importantly, I wish you great adventures, smooth travels and long, sunny days in the saddle. Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year. He is rich who owns the day, and no one owns the day who allows it to be invaded with fret and anxiety. ~ RWE ,