Suzuki to set up assembly plant in Cambodia

BANGKOK, Jan. 20 Kyodo Japanese automobile and motorcycle manufacturer Suzuki Motor Corp. plans to begin assembling motorcycles in Cambodia from June, a company official said Wednesday. Thai Suzuki Motor Co., a local affiliate of the parent company, will set up the assembly joint venture with a Cambodian partner, OMC Motor Co., and invest 2.5 million dollars in the project, company director Masanobu Saito told Kyodo News.

''Despite the kingdom's political and economic difficulties, we are quite confident the Cambodian motorbike market is still growing,'' Saito said, noting his company exports 15,000-20,000 motorbikes a year from Thailand to Cambodia The assembly plant, which will be located about three kilometers from Phnom Penh's Pochentong airport, will employ 92 workers and assemble 40,000 motorbikes annually for local consumption and possibly export to countries such as China, he said. ''Owing to war and political instability, Cambodia may have a poorly skilled workforce, but with our training in Thailand's factory they (Cambodian workers) can meet Suzuki standards,'' he said. Suzuki has already established assembly plants in Laos and Vietnam.

The History of Motorcycle Saddlebags

Saddlebags are most commonly used to carry luggage on a motorcycle. There are 2 major kinds of motorcycle saddlebags. Throw over saddlebags and hard mount saddlebags. The concept of hard mount saddlebags originated from throw over saddlebags which were used in early 1950 for the first time.

As the motorcycle industry experienced a big boom in 1960 especially after the Vietnam War the motorcycle luggage also evolved. As major motorcycle companies launched bigger and better motorcycle people started traveling farther on there motorcycles. Many riders formed groups and rode cross country and from city to city. The throw over style of saddlebags was soon replaced by a better and more reliable way of carrying luggage. A group of riders drilled several holes in the back fender of their motorcycles in order to permanently bolt the saddlebags to the motorcycle. This permanent installation resulted in the saddlebags being more reliable and sturdy. This step also contributed towards the aesthetic appeal of the motorcycle. The trend soon gained popularity amongst the riders. Motorcycle companies like Indian Motorcycle Company and Harley Davidson Motorcycle Company noticed this trend and soon started producing motorcycles with struts. The struts enabled motorcycle riders to bolt the motorcycle saddlebags without making any permanent changes to the motorcycle such as drilling holes in the back fender. Later the same strut enables other accessories to be securely mounted on a motorcycle such as motorcycle carrier and sissy bars.

As the Asian motorcycle manufacturers such as Kawasaki, Honda and Yamaha made their way into North American market they also made sure that the riders get enough room for the luggage. Yamaha motorcycles are a classic example of this as they manufacture most of their bikes with most room for the saddlebags. They also make sure that the turn signal does not interfere with the saddlebags, a common problem with smaller motorcycles. In 1980 the motorcycle companies realized that most 1000 cc and above motorcycles are used for long rides. To further add value to their motorcycles they started selling motorcycles with fiber glass saddlebags. These motorcycles did well as most of these came with the motorcycle specific luggage. This also saved the motorcycle rider a lot of time and headache.

Despite the popularity of factory installed saddlebags motorcycle riders still prefer leather saddlebags in most cases. This is due to the fact that motorcycles leather saddlebags can be customized to a greater degree as opposed to motorcycle specific fiber glass bags.

Most early motorcycle saddlebag companies used studs, spots and conchs to decorate the saddlebags. Recently the more advanced motorcycle saddlebag companies have started manufacturing and offering saddlebags that are not only motorcycle specific but also match the color of the motorcycle. Another approach is to design the leather motorcycle saddle bags in such a way that it blends in with the overall design of the motorcycle. These advancements have resulted in more and more people willing to install saddlebags on their motorcycles.

Motorcycle Technology

Asian Concentration

The Asian Motorcycle Technology program is designed to provide students with a technical skill set and applied logical diagnostics approach to diagnose, service, and repair modern motorcycles. Students, after completion of their core training then proceed into the Asian concentration. The core training areas, coupled with a student selected area of specialty, prepares the graduate for employment as an entry level motorcycle technician.

Core classes include:

* Asian Honda
* Asian Kawasaki
* Asian Suzuki
* Asian Yamaha

This concentration will allow the student to build upon the knowledge and skills of the core and to apply them to the diagnosis, service, and repair of Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki, and Yamaha motorcycles.
Career Opportunities

Employment opportunities that call for the knowledge presented in this program are:

* entry-level positions with dealerships
* specialty shops
* performance oriented businesses.