MotoNYC - NYC Motorcycle Blog

Ohio-based Honda of America Mfg., Inc. today announced that it will discontinue production1 of motorcycles in spring 2009 as part of a global strategy that will focus the company on its leader role in Honda’s North American automobile operations.

The 450 Marysville Motorcycle Plant associates will remain key members of the Honda of America team that produces cars, light trucks, engines, and major components in Ohio. There will be no layoffs.

The move reflects a global Honda strategy for production of certain larger motorcycles. All motorcycle production from the Marysville Motorcycle Plant and the historic Hamamatsu Factory in Japan will be consolidated in 2009 at a new motorcycle plant in Kumamoto, Japan. The new plant will serve as Honda’s global leader with advanced motorcycle production technologies. Both the Marysville and Hamamatsu plants produce medium- to large-size motorcycles.

“Our goal is always to achieve outstanding customer satisfaction,” said Akio Hamada, president & CEO of Honda of America. “This move allows us to improve the competitiveness and appeal of our products by applying the latest technologies and production systems at one efficient location.”

“This was a complex decision tied to the important role that Honda in Ohio plays within our North American automobile operations,” Hamada said. “We will focus our associates’ abilities on our goal to produce cars, light trucks and engines in Ohio that are of the highest quality and value for our customers.”

Honda of America set a company record for auto production in 2007 with the manufacture of 701,317 passenger cars and light trucks at its two Ohio assembly plants.

The diverse and challenging roster of vehicles produced in Ohio includes the Honda Accord Sedan and Coupe, Civic Sedan, natural gas-powered Civic GX, Element and CR-V, and the Acura TL Sedan and RDX sport utility vehicle. The Accord, Civic and CR-V ranked among the top 10 best-selling vehicles in America in 2007. In addition, Honda produced more than 1.1 million automotive engines and 719,861 transmissions in Ohio, as well as a number of other vehicle components.

Underpinning the decision is Honda’s investment of approximately $11 billion in North American auto production operations. Associates at Honda of America have played critical roles in supporting the startup and management of auto plants in Alabama, Canada and Mexico, transmission plants in Ohio and Georgia, an all-terrain vehicle plant in South Carolina, as well as Honda’s 7th auto plant in North America, currently under construction in Indiana, and a new auto engine plant under construction in Canada. Experienced associates from Honda of America will continue to play this “leader” function role.

Hamada sees the decision to re-direct the focus in Ohio on automobile operations as an opportunity. “Our motorcycle plant associates in Marysville are dedicated and focused on customer satisfaction. They will strengthen the rest of Honda of America with their knowledge, experience and tremendous spirit,” Hamada said.

The Marysville Motorcycle Plant opened in 1979 as the first Honda plant in the U.S. Last year, it produced approximately 44,000 Gold Wing touring and VTX cruiser bikes. The plant formerly produced all-terrain vehicles and transferred that responsibility to Honda of South Carolina Mfg. and the Kumamoto Factory in 2005.

The Marysville Motorcycle Plant was the catalyst for Honda’s production operations in North America. The plant’s success provided the foundation for Honda’s expansion into automobile production in central Ohio and North America.

Honda employs more than 13,000 associates at five production plants in Ohio, and employs 15,000 associates across the state. Total capital investment in Ohio exceeds $7 billion, and Honda purchased $6.7 billion worth of parts from Ohio companies last year.

In addition to the Marysville Motorcycle Plant, Honda of America operations include the Marysville Auto Plant, East Liberty Auto Plant and the Anna Engine Plant. Honda Transmission Manufacturing of America also is based in Ohio. In 2007, Honda purchased more than $18.8 billion in parts and materials from 650 North American suppliers. Last fall, Honda of America marked the 25th anniversary of the startup of auto production in Ohio with the launching of the all-new 2008 Honda Accord.

INDIANAPOLIS -The American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) announced the election results for corporate members of the Board of Directors following the Association’s two-day Board meeting in Indianapolis, February 15-16.

New members elected at the corporate members meeting on February 16 were Wayne Curtin, Harley-Davidson Motor Company; Nick McCabe, Ducati North America; and Jim Williams, Kawasaki Motors Corporation. Curtin and Williams replace the corporate members from their respective companies who had previously announced their intention not to seek re-election - Ken Sutton of Harley-Davidson Motor Company and Croft Long of Kawasaki Motors Corporation. Andy Goldfine of Aerostich/Riderwearhouse was re-elected to another term.

The newly elected corporate members join Southeast Region incumbent Carl Reynolds of Danville, Virginia and Northeast Region member Joseph Bromley of Warrington, Pennsylvania, each of whom was recently elected from the general membership.

During the Board meeting, Jeff Smith of the North Central Region submitted his resignation and the board passed a unanimous resolution recognizing Mr. Smith’s contributions during his seven years of service as a Board member and wished him well in his new endeavors.

Stan Simpson of the South Central Region was elected to the position of chairman. Carl Reynolds was elected vice chairman, Jon-Erik Burleson was elected assistant treasurer and Jim Williams was elected assistant secretary. These Board members sit on the executive committee, along with at-large executive committee member John Ulrich of Roadracing World Publishing.

The AMA Board of Directors consists of 12 members. Six directors are elected by the general membership in their respective regions and six corporate directors are elected by the corporate membership. Board terms of service are staggered to provide continuity during member changeover. The complete roster of board members follows (listed alphabetically). Vacant seats will be temporarily filled by appointment until the next election in 2010. Officer positions are indicated next to their respective names.

Indianapolis - The American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) provided an update on the Association’s ongoing effort to find promotional partners for its professional racing series after the conclusion of the organization’s board meeting in Indianapolis, which concluded Saturday, February 16.

“The AMA received a number of proposals in response to our call for bids,” said AMA President and CEO Rob Dingman. “We are following a defined protocol with our governing board to thoroughly review each bid. At this point, no decisions have been made but the process is moving forward as planned.”

Dingman stressed that secrecy was a necessary part of the proceedings. “It’s very competitive and we must ensure the sanctity of the review process. As we consider our options, our first priority must be the health and well-being of the AMA and its 290,000 members. When all is said and done, professional racing promotion will improve motorcycle racing, and that’s a good thing for the AMA and its members who race.”

The Aprilia Superbike, the bike which from 2009 will bring the Noale based company back to four-stroke racing, has been unveiled for the first time during the Piaggio Group Convention in Milan.

After the success in the 2007 World Championships with Aprilia riders and bikes dominating the 125 and 250 classes (winning all four titles, a repeat of the 2006 performance), the Veneto company gave a preview of the eagerly awaited RSV 4 “Race Machine”.

An extraordinary preview to a privileged audience of more than 1,200 dealers attending the International Piaggio Group Convention.

Four cylinders, 1000 cc, power of well over 200 HP in the race version, the new bike due to make its road debut by the end of 2008 will mark Aprilia’s return to the World Superbike Championship in the 2009 season.

The Aprilia RSV 4 is driven by the most revolutionary and powerful engine ever built by Aprilia. A four-cylinder one litre 65° V engine - a layout making it unique among all the world’s production engines - in which the most sophisticated engine engineering is combined with top quality materials and the most advanced electronic control technology.

The Aprilia engine in fact uses integral ride-by-wire technology, opening up new frontiers in managing such a powerful engine, with almost infinite possibilities for controlling power output and traction.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Mary Peters is urging Congress to allow states to divert federal money now used for motorcycle training and awareness to instead promote the use of motorcycle helmets, the American Motorcyclist Association reports.

Peters sent letters to House and Senate leaders this week asking for the change.

Ed Moreland, AMA Vice President for Government Relations, expressed concern that diverting federal motorcycle safety funds to promote helmet use could harm rider training courses and motorcycle awareness programs that are already underfunded in many states.

“Helmet use is certainly one part of a comprehensive approach to motorcycle safety,” said Moreland. “But this step is a direct raid on funds that were appropriated by Congress to address the specific safety concerns of the motorcyclists’ rights community. Furthermore, the use of motorcycle helmets is already advocated in existing motorcycle safety initiatives.

“Funding for rider-training courses is frequently under threat in cash-strapped states, and cutting the same-size pie into thinner slices is not the comprehensive, thoughtful, national motorcycle safety strategy we need.”

Moreland also expressed concern that Peters’ proposal could contradict sections of transportation bills passed in 1998 and 2005 that ban the use of federal motorcycle safety funds to lobby state legislatures in favor of mandatory helmet laws and could effectively reverse those bans.

The AMA strongly advocates the voluntary use of helmets by adults, along with other appropriate safety gear, and does not oppose laws requiring helmet use by minors. But the Association believes adults should be allowed to make their own decisions about when to wear a helmet.