IN
THE
WIND
P30
MARZOCCHI CLOSES ITS DOORS
T
he electronic suspension
arms race has claimed its
first victim with the news Italian
suspension manufacturer Mar-
zocchi is no more. Marzocchi
has been a key supplier to the
European motorcycle industry
ever since brothers Stefano and
Guglielmo Marzocchi founded it
in 1949 in the Bologna suburb of
Zola Pedrosa. Among its current
clients are BMW, Moto Guzzi,
MV Agusta—practically all its
models are fitted with Marzoc-
chi forks—Beta, Gas Gas, and
Ducati, whose new Multistrada
1200 uses a Marzocchi fork, as
well as the Diavel, Streetfighter
848 and Hypermotard SP. This
makes the news that its Ameri-
can owner Tenneco has de-
cided to shut the company down
as of September this year both
shocking, and significant.
Motorcycle manufacturers
which use Marzocchi forks as
OE components have been
notified that they will no longer
be supplied with these once
Marzocchi's stock of such parts
has been exhausted. It's under-
stood that the prime reason for
Tenneco exiting the increasingly
competitive motorcycle sec-
tor has been the advent of the
new-generation electronically
adjustable and semi-active sus-
pension systems fast becoming
the industry norm for high end
models sold in more developed
markets, and the substantial de-
velopment cost entailed in pro-
The closure
of Marzocchi
means bikes
like the 848
Streetfighter
need to find
new springers.
