GIVI Magazine - Maggio 2016

ENGLISH TEXT TODAY THE UNEXPECTED IS HAPPENING AND THE UK IS THE CENTRE OF A PHENOMENON THAT TOUCHES THE WHOLE OF EUROPE: The return to the classic style, the nostalgia for the lines dictated by the first ‘British bikes’. The old trend has become the new trend and motorbike and accessory producers, including GIVI, have brought back the ‘café racer’ style to satisfy customer demand. A vast authentic movement that sees also young people interested in motorbikes. A trend that once more puts in the forefront that taste of freedom that only riding a motorbike can give you. Aware of the importance of this phenomenon, GIVI continues to update its catalogue in line with this trend, which apparently interests the whole of the Old Continent. Examples are the Oldster 10.7 helmet and the 100AL/ALB, A800N screens... After all the company has always proven to be able to keep up with the times! Givi Magazine May 2016 - Givi Dossier  37 RETURN TO THE CLASSIC THE PASSION IN THE FIELD OF TWO WHEELS IN THE UK IS WELL KNOWN BY ENTHUSIASTS THE WORLD OVER. THE HISTORY OF MOTORCYCLING ON BRITISH SOIL HAS BEEN LONG AND CYCLIC, INFLUENCED BY PASSION, REBELLION AND ADVENTURE. AND THE BRITISH SCHOOL TO THIS DAY CONTINUES TO DICTATE A CERTAIN STYLE. TO UNDERSTAND THIS PHENOMENON LET’S START FROM THE BEGINNING. The two wheels appear in the UK in the early twen- tieth century as a practical mechanic aid element to replace horses in work tasks. It was not until the early 20s when motorcycles began to acqui- re the first hints of a distinctive object of identity and character. One of the first personalities that influenced this development was the Welsh T. E. Lawrence (Lawrence of Arabia) whose voyages at full speed on the legendary Brough Superior (an extrapolation of classic Rolls Royce of the time to the motorcycle market) were known throughout the country during the thirties. His death from injuries on his head after a motorcycle accident would be the precedent for studies on the need to implement the use of helmets on the bike. With the advent of World War II were the first black leather bikers, who, as standard-bearers of the anti-system movement, turned their mo- torcycles into a symbol of rebellion. It was in this period when the militarization of the motorcycle took place in England: up to 400,000 motorcycles were manufactured for military purposes in the UK (mainly communications and linking works). It was also during these years when the mythic Tourist Trophy on the Isle of Man lived its peak: an extremely dangerous race (up to 240 pilots killed in its history), in which mechanicals was ta- ken to the limit and that even the Nazis used for propaganda during the forties. The phenomenon of Road races does not stop there: the fever for Road races in England extends to the present and is evident in its up to 10 races per year, which have attendance from all over the world. After disuse of these motorcycles after the war, they became a means of transportation (very ac- cessible and cheap), resulting in a boom of mo- torcycles in the UK during the 50s and 60s Many young people found in motorcycling an escape from the society they knew before, and, influen- ced by films like “The Wild One” by Marlon Brando, they began to cluster in bars like the Ace Cafe in London. Thus, the Cafe Racer movement and the Ton Up Boys were born: “Rocker” riders riding full speed through the north of London who customi- zed their motorcycles in their own way (removing everything that was not necessary and emphasi- zing on speed). The natural evolution of this mo- vement was the rise of the Mod in the 70s: young people wearing suits, riding Italian scooters during the day and attending clubs at night (legendary rock bands like The Who and The Kinks have their origin in this movement). Aggressiveness and ex- treme rebellion, coupled with the relationship of these groups with the world of drugs, violence and “bad life” submerged the motorcycle world in a popular conviction that, along with other factors (such as the fact that Japan found the the key to making better motorcycles with fewer resources, the lack of innovations and the extreme classicism of the sector) would make sales drop sharply and leave motorcycles aside from the British imaginary for a while (always aside from competition where enthusiasm never dropped). The sale of motorcycles in England peaked in 1979, just before starting a precipitous drop in the 80s, justified by growth in the sale of used cars (which, by becoming ever cheaper, lowered the value of motorcycles as ‘cheap transportation’). For almost 10 years the motorcycling market lived historic lows until the mid-90s, when the market started to recover, resulting from the new positioning of the motorcycle as an element of entertainment and daily transportation (with the emergence of mo- dern scooters), something that has helped much traffic congestion, over-use of public transport, and the identification of the motorcycle with an escape from daily stress. During the 2000s took place the total revival of the two wheels as objects of entertainment, gene- rating large sales of sportive and touring models, especially aimed at veterans bikers (people retur- ning to the motorcycle after many years traveling by car), at the same time that scooters and mo- peds resurface as an element of tendency among the youngest. As in many other sectors of the industry, the eco- nomic crisis has had a negative effect on the sale of motorcycles, generating a fall of around 30% in registrations, although the downward trend has been slowing in recent years. An important fact is that, despite falling registration, the number of mo- torcycles in use has remained constant and even increased for the last couple of years, so we can say that the motorcycle remains a popular means of transport in the UK. The current trend in the world of motorcycling in England for the past years has been marked by na- ked and sports bikes in the urban areas, as well as trail/adventure motorcycles that function as luxury vehicles among the medium-age British public. We arrive at the present, where the unexpected is just happening: there is such a nostalgia for the classic and cafe racer style that the old trend has become a new trend and manufacturers have brought the cafe racer style back to life to satisfy demand of the customers. What began as a dero- gatory style in the past, has now become a great influencer and authentic movement that portrays freedom, speed and passion on two wheels like no other. Aware of these trends, GIVI keeps adapting its ca- talog to the new needs and trends of the British market, trying to give the best and most complete service to the British motorcyclist.