Can Honda Interest Gen Y in the 2014 CTX700s?

Americans less than 30 years old seem to have substantially less interest in cars and motorcycles than their elders.  I have had this discussion with various representatives of the motorcycle industry before.  What is it that will get Gen Y away from high tech toys so that they can focus some attention on the latest two wheelers?
What if Steve Jobs had designed a motorcycle?  Unlike most major motorcycle OEMs, Jobs didn’t believe in market research, customer surveys, etc.  He believed Apple could figure out what people wanted to buy, even though they had never seen it, or imagined it.  Maybe it will take this type of approach to product design to get Gen Y interested in two wheelers.

I am not implying that the new 2014 Honda CTX700 and CTX700N, announced at the end of last week, represent the magic pill that will get young people interested in motorcycles again.    Honda is thinking outside the box, however, and combining features that will appeal to new riders, including a very low seat height (28.3″), unintimidating power delivery and available automatic transmission.
These new models are reminiscent of Honda’s poorly received (at least in this marked) DN-01 and, going even further back, Dan Gurney’s motorcycle design, the Alligator.  In addition to the low seat height, the CTX700N (naked) pictured above, as well as the CTX700 (faired, below) are powered by a 670cc parallel twin, first introduced by Honda in the NC700 bikes last year.  These are not horsepower monsters, rather emphasizing smooth, low-end power delivery.
The brakes and suspension are fairly basic.  The suspension is non-adjustable, and there is only a single disc up front (thankfully 320mm in size).  The two machines will weigh rough 480 pounds wet.
The CTX700N will be priced at $6,999 or $7,999 with the DCT automatic, and ABS.   It will be available in Candy Red or Black.  The CTX700 is a bit more expensive at $7,799 or $8,799 with DCT and ABS.  The CTX700 comes in Candy Red or Pearl White.
Honda says these models are just the first in a new line of CTX models to be introduced in the future.  CTX stands for comfort, technology and experience.

2014 Energica Electric Motorcycle Preview

Coming ahead of the EICMA show November 15-18, 2012 in Milan, Italy, CRP Technologies offered a live web-streaming introduction to the Energica electric superbike set to hit markets in the United States and Europe in 2014.

In the preview from Casa Enzo Ferarri Museum in Modena, chief engineer Giampier Testoni offered some insight into the first production electric motorcycle made in Italy. According to Testoni, the Energica will have a range close to 80 km (around 50 miles) when ridden in sport conditions, and according to Energica spec sheets is estimated to reach closer to 150 km (around 93 miles) when ridden with less of a heavy hand. That may be difficult since it is claimed to be capable of a top speed over 130 mph. Testoni added that acceleration tests still need to be conducted to get a fair estimate of the measured quickness of the electric superbike.

For a spec-sheet comparison between the Brammo Empulse: According to Brammo's claims the Empulse has the ability to reach just over 100 mph top speed and has a peak range of 121 miles. The Energica will definitely have to improve on battery life if they hope to be competitive in the States, especially considering the fact that the top-end Brammo currently retails at $18,995. The Energica is listed at over $22,000 at the moment, making this a luxury item that many will likely appreciate from afar, especially in light of the still slow economic recovery.  There's no information yet on the life cycle of the Energica battery in the press provided, but the mark set by Brammo is an alleged 1500 cycles to 80% capacity. The time necessary to charge the Energica will also be a crucial factor in whether this newcomer to the burgeoning electric motorcycle segment will be a lasting contender.

In response to a question about the use of a tube-frame chassis, Testoni explained that it made for a lighter bike overall as well as a faster development turnaround than an aluminum frame. There’s still plenty of road and dyno testing to be done before we can put these claims to task, but this is shaping up to be an important segment in the electric motorcycle market and one that we will be paying keen attention to.

Other items worth noting on the Energica spec sheet are the radial-mount Brembo calipers up front as well as the Sachs fully adjustable rear shock and Marzocchi fully adjustable front fork. The company also plans to offer a number of mechanical and cosmetic upgrades to the bike and verified that the white color scheme shown would not be the only one available to consumers.

CRP is already accepting advance reservations for the Energica with a deposit of just over $600.