ROAD NEWS
E BY GUM LAD
Wayne Gardener, the Aussie who became the 1987 MotoGP World Champion, has released his own brand of electric bikes. Now based in Monaco, a tax-friendy principality in Europe that is home to a bunch of past and present racers, Gardener says it has long been
a dream to do this, recalling his youth, racing around Woolongong( Australia). Limited in numbers to start with, it is among a number of e-bike brands that are performance orientated. So, when does an e-bike cross the line and become a motorcycle? Someone had to ask …
WINTER BLUES
On a less than exciting note is the gloomy sales data from the first half of 2025. We all realise that times are tough at the moment. Butter is worth more per kilo than most precious metals and the housing market stats look like they ' ve been dragged through the bush by a wild boar. Sadly, this economic slap is also being felt by those that we love to visit – motorcycle stores. Sales are down by around a quarter, yep, 25 %. Numbers like that, decreasing margins and relentless pressure from other essentials has created a perfect storm. And here lies the catch. There are much better ways to become wealthy than by owning a bike shop.
It is a passion-driven industry, for better or worse. The stores that are still trading, and we have lost a bunch, are owned and staffed by believers in motorcycling. It is not just here in NZ either but we’ ll just focus on our back yard for now. So, what can we do to help? Other than bike sales, which, if you are thinking about, please follow through, there is the bread and butter( gold) of servicing your bike. Maybe it is a good time for us to ponder what the world would be like if bike shops went the way of Banks and that contact was lost( I’ m looking at you, Banks. No personal contact equals no loyalty). Remember, the shortest day has passed, and Summer is clawing its way relentlessly towards us.
96 KIWI RIDER