Royal Enfield is investing 50 million euros in Spanish manufacturer Stark, which builds an electric MX bike, as a quicker route to developing its own battery-powered machines. We reported in October last year that Indian giant Hero is investing in Zero as a quick buy-in to electric bike technology – now it seems that Eicher Motors (EML) – Royal Enfield’s parent company – is also looking west for electrics. Stark Future currently makes the Varg, an electric motocross bike which claims more power than a typical 450cc MX machine. Now Royal Enfield’s parent will gain a 10% stake in the Spanish company and pave the way for a partnership that will include, “collaborative research and development in electric motorcycles, technology sharing,

Sammy Miller’s museum has just completed the restoration of an 1898 Quadrant – at 125 years old it’s one of the oldest surviving British motorcycles there is. It features a French-made Le Brutus engine with period automatic inlet valve, offering 1.5hp. Unusually, it has a two-speed transmission with shaft final drive at a time when most bikes stuck with a relatively crude single-speed belt-drive set up. Starting is via bicycle-type pedals and as with any veteran machine, the rider has to cope with several controls to keep the engine happy, including mixture and ignition timing adjustments. The Quadrant is the oldest bike on display at Sammy Miller’s New Forest-based museum, which is well worth a visit. Another recent restoration – much

A motorcycle which converts into a skidoo or snowmobile? Not as daft as it sounds, with parts of the UK possibly becoming snowbound before Christmas. Canadian manufacturer Daymak has launched the Combat, which can swap its wheels for a snow-friendly track-and-ski chassis. In motorcycle form, the Daymak Combat looks like a fat-tyred monkey bike. Designed more for off-road terrain than tarmac (it’s not actually road legal), it’s powered by a 5Kw electric motor which peaks at 19Kw (nearly 19bhp). The 4.8KWh battery is what you’d expect for a 125cc-equivalent bike, though Daymak claims a relatively modest 50-mile range, and the top speed is limited to 44mph. Converting the Combat to snow use doesn’t look like a five-minute job, with the front wheel and

We’ve heard it said before, but has the death of the two-stroke been exaggerated? For road bikes perhaps, but Italian engine maker Motori Minarelli still thinks there is life in the stroker, at least for enduro machines – it has unveiled a new engine which it says meets Euro 5 emissions standards (Euro 5 is the fifth iteration of European emissions limits that have got steadily stricter since the original Euro1 came in 1999.) The company showed the new single-cylinder 300cc engine at the EICMA show in Milan. Said to be based on Yamaha’s YZ250 power unit, which is designed for enduro use, Minarelli’s version has been designed in-house and features electronic fuel injection and electric start. The University of Modena

Motorcycles in the EU may be subject to new end-of-life legislation on recycling and reuse. Targets for recycling, and the safe disposal of certain fluids and heavy metals, are set by the End-of-Life Vehicles (ELV) Directive, which until now has not included motorcycles, but the European Commission is considering lumping them in with cars. The Directive prevents the use of certain heavy metals such as cadmium, specifies the de-pollution of fluids and specific components, and requires vehicles to be recycled at treatment facilities (ie not at home). Its current target for recycling is 85%, and in 2019 the EU average for recycling vehicles was 86.9%. The Federation of European Motorcyclists (FEMA) has hit back at plans to include motorcycles in the ELV

A helmet with integrated airbag – it sounds like something dreamt up by cartoonist Paul Sample for the long-running Ogri saga in Bike magazine during the 1970s. But 50 years on, it could be a reality – Italian helmet manufacturer Airoh has announced a prototype airbag helmet, which was unveiled at the Milan Show in November. Airbag systems are well established and relatively affordable in vests, jackets and leathers, but they have never been applied to a helmet until now. Airoh has teamed up with Swedish safety firm Autoliv, which specialises in airbag systems, having previously developed airbag vests as well as other inflatable systems designed to fit the front of motorcycles. Italian engineer Roberta Descrovi did the original research on