Composites Give Sleeker Look to Motorbikes

Compared to metal, LeoVince believes composites are easily affordable and better-looking.

Since 1954, LeoVince USA has best been known for its work with motorcycle exhaust fumes and buffers. However, the company is branching out with its new carbon fiber division.

Though LeoVince had been working with carbon fiber for the past six years, building an all-carbon muffler for the Kawasaki ZS-6 last year allowed them to feel confident in manufacturing more individual components. The part had a compact design which was difficult to build out of metal into the proper shape they desired. “By using carbon, we were able to get a unique design, get the volume we needed in the shortness of length we had to work with, and have it fit correctly under the bike,” says Executive Vice President Timothy Calhoun.

Calhoun adds that manufacturing with carbon was far less labor-intensive than metal. And that’s just one of the advantages he sees with composites. “Compared to metal, they’re as easily affordable, much better-looking, and tend to make less noise,” he says.

The carbon fiber division will allow LeoVince to manufacture aesthetic and functional motorcycle components for enduro and motor cross bikes. These components include front and rear disc covers, brake caliper guards, chain guides, right/left engine protectors, front sprocket covers and skid plates. The range is being launched with fitments for Honda and Yamaha models, and will later expand to include pieces for Kawasaki, Suzuki, KTM and Husqvarna motorcycles.

Calhoun says it could manufacture the parts better than the majority of its competition and at the same or better price. A large part of this reason is that LeoVince’s manufacturing process differs by using technical carbon fiber which is autoclaved on polished molds. “Most component companies are molding resin with a thin layer of carbon fiber or carbon fiber looking material on each side,” he says. “We use a pre-impregnated all-carbon fiber sheet and then autoclave it to a specific shape.”

Though the company would like to push carbon fiber-enhanced parts into more mainstream models in the future, it is focusing on the off-road sector right now. Even though Calhoun says the market is experiencing a downturn, he believes the $150 components are priced within the buyer’s range.