Do electric bikes pose a threat to exhaust manufacturers?

WHAT WILL electric motorcycles mean for our industry? It’s an often asked, rarely answered question.



But it’s not something that fazes Paolo Termignoni, chief of SC-Project Exhaust’s technical department, as I found out on a visit to the company’s Milan-based factory yesterday.

Termignoni, son of Termigoni exhausts founder Luigi, moved to SC-Project when his father’s company was sold. He now oversees the manufacturing of every exhaust made by the company, from stock slip-ons to Marquez’s RC213V full race system.

In an industry that relies on conventionally fuelled motorcycles to survive, you would be forgiven for thinking that electric motorcycles pose a real threat to SC-Project.

But Termignoni believes that as long as there are passionate riders, there will be petrol-powered motorcycles.

“I don’t think electric bikes pose a threat to our industry. For the moped and urban mobility, the e-scooter is ok but for the passion of the motorcycles, I don’t think that’s a problem,” he said with Fabio Campanile, of the company’s press department translating.

“There is nothing linked with passion in electric bikes – a real rider wants to feel the vibration and sound of the bike.”

“And the technology is not ready either. It may be the future but it's a long way away, a lot more than 30 or 40 years...”

Keep an eye out for the full feature on our tour of SC-Project.