The purchase includes all necessary intellectual property rights, tooling/fixtures, parts inventory, and manufacturing management software/hardware systems. 2 Wheel Ventures has also secured the company's manufacturing plant and former key personal.
In 2007, Ridley Motorcycle Company successfully licensed 2 Wheel Ventures to market the company's brand on apparel and accessories. The license expanded in 2009 to include parts and technical help.
"The Ridley brand stands for non-traditional motorcycle innovation. Not only was Ridley focused on the models it became famous for, but there are also hundreds of innovations that were never introduced to the market. Our intentions are to finalize development on those technologies and bring them to market while continuing to service and support the thousands of Ridley motorcycles already on the road," company president Jay Ridley said about the company he helped co-found in 1995.
"The past two years have been extremely challenging for our industry. With the rapid growth Ridley was experiencing in 2005, 2006, and 2007, the company over leveraged itself in order to meet demand for its products. When the credit market began to crash in 2008 it was almost impossible for the company to overcome its debts."
2 Wheel Ventures is committed to reorganizing the company's assets, providing parts, reconditioning pre-owned Ridley motorcycles and technical support to Ridley Owners, Dealers, and Service Centers. As the market conditions improve, 2 Wheel Ventures will evaluate the option of restarting production of new Ridley motorcycles.
With 2010 barely started, manufacturers are already starting to gear up for the next model year. Belgian company Ridley are the first to give us a sneak peek at some of their 2011 range, in the form of their new cyclo-cross bikes.
After all, they have good reason to be proud of their 'cross line-up – Czech rider Zdenek Stybar, from the Ridley-sponsored Fidea Team, won January's World Championships aboard the brand’s flagship X-Night model.
We checked out the new X-Night and triple-butted alloy X-Ride at Boulder Cycle Sport's (BCS) spring team night. The Colorado shop, while small, is steeped in the sport and one of Ridley’s top 'cross dealers in North America. Co-owner Brandon Dwight is a two-time masters 35-39 national champion and runs a large club team.
“It seems like every year as ’cross gets more popular in the US, people are making it their priority for the year; it’s not an afterthought,” he said. “Now people are thinking about their bikes, their tyres, their wheelsets and their training programs as soon as the season ends, because they want to prepare for next year.”
This year Dwight did his racing on two Ridley X-Nights. The new model features two revisions – internal seatstay routing for the rear derailleur cable and the option of a commemorative Stybar world championship graphic package.
The most impressive development, however, is the new price, which is 20 percent lower than last year at $2,395 (all UK prices TBC). A complete SRAM Red-equipped model with FSA cockpit and HED clincher wheels will cost you $4,000.
Ridley's X-Night is available with this world championship graphic package
Steve Bobusch, Quality’s Bicycle Products euro sales group territory manager, was on hand to answer questions about the new models. He didn’t have a clear answer to why the 2011 pricing sees such a dramatic cut, but said: “We're continually working with Belgium to set the prices correctly."
Ridley’s new US pricing extends across their 'cross model line for 2011 and we can only imagine that their road models will follow suit, though they won’t announce changes until the autumn trade shows.
The second-tier carbon fibre X-Fire frame doesn’t change for 2011 except in price where it comes down from $2,695 to $2,495 for a complete bike built with SRAM Rival, FSA cockpit components and a Fulcrum Racing 7 wheelset.
Ridley's second-tier X-Fire frame is unchanged for the new model year
The new-for-2011 X-Ride model, which was first publicly seen at Frostbike, just two weeks ago, features a triple-butted 7000 series aluminum tubeset with the same build kit as the X-Fire for $1,995.
The new frame features the same stout 4ZA Oryx carbon fork and tapered steerer design as the X-Fire, which offers ample mud clearance and braking without shudder. Bobusch said the new alloy bike is roughly a pound heavier than the X-Fire, with the same parts spec.
The 2011 Ridley cyclo-cross line is rounded out by the entry level X-Bow, which is based on the same frame as the 2010 Crossbow. The X-Bow is built with a Shimano Tiagra group, Truvativ ’cross crank and a traditional 32-spoke box section wheelset, and comes in at $1,395.
The 2011 X-Ride features a 1.5in lower headset bearing and tapered carbon steerer tube
At the BCS team night, Leffe and Duval beers provided by Belgian clothing suppliers Vermarc and looped race footage on the shop’s flat screen TVs helped to stoke members up for a season that’s still seven months away.
“Most of the people who were there were already Ridley owners and they’re just fanatics for the brand and for the sport so they were just there to be ’cross geeks for the evening,” said Dwight.
Taking styling cues from the early 1900's, these Ridley Motorbikes harness some two-stroke juice.
The first ever Ridley Motorbikes were formally introduced in an unveiling today in the company's hometown of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The model line features vintage style motorbike kits that bring back the fun, ease, and vintage styling of the early 1900's. One by one the new models were introduced by Clay Ridley. In all, Ridley introduced five models including a limited production model marking the company's new line of vintage motorized bicycles, the Desert Patrol MP.
The claimed 120mpg efficiency ain't half bad. And if you do run out of gas, you can always pedal your lazy butt home.
Ridley will be offering two engine kit options. The model 48 kit includes a 49cc- two stroke engine that is capable of speeds around 24 mph. For those a little more daring, the model 49 kit includes a 70cc- two stroke engine that is capable of speeds around 33 mph. Both motors are EPA compliant and offer an estimate 120 mile per gallon efficiency.
"This is an idea we have been contemplating for several years" commented Jay Ridley, Vice President of Ridley Motorcycle. "As a novelty- this is the ultimate toy. The motorbikes have a real vintage look that will leave people scratching their heads." Ridley began R&D on the project earlier this year with production starting November 1st.
So what if the top speed is 33 mph... It beats walking to work!
Bicycles and engines are sold separately. Bicycle kit MSRP $1,440.00. Model 48 Engine kit MSRP $559.00. Model 49 Engine kit MSRP $559.00. Shipping in the lower 48 states $175.00.
Ridley Automatic Motorcycles are most notably known as the manufacturer of high quality American made fully-automatic motorcycles. Ridley's Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) allows the rider to cruise without manual shifting or clutching.
Personality is the vital spirit of this years’ Auto-Glide Limited. The custom styling and unique features set the ‘09 Limited apart from the rest. It is the first ever Ridley to feature an electronic fuel gauge. That along with its custom black and black cherry paint, and tan leather seat make this a true collectors piece. Ridley Motorcycle Company will soon introduce its new line of fully automatic transmission motorcycles for 2009.
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