I am starting to wonder if Marzocchi is thinking about getting out of the OE fork business in the next year or 2. They own the MTB fork business for starters compared to minimal market share in off-road motorcycle biz. Have you noticed that all the bike companies that use Marzocchi as OE as testing other stuff lately? CH Husky is using Showa, GG has already gone to Sachs and Ohlins, BMW is using WP on all their race bikes. I am starting to think that Zoke has told Husky, BMW, GG etc... that they better find another fork vendor pretty soon as they wont be supplying them much longer. Any thoughts?
I thought I remember reading that Marzocchi was recently bought by a company here in the states. That might have something to do with it?
If you (or anyone else) can locate the link to that info - I'd like to put this in the newsroom cause it would be an important 'rumor'.
They were purchase by Tenneco Article. Tenneco is well known here in the states as a large automotive aftermarket supplier of Monroe automotive shocks and struts along with replacement Walker automotive exhaust parts. In fact they currently supply OE exhaust to Harley Davidson and BMW. It's hard to say what the out come will be but I wouldn't write Marzocchi off just yet.
That officially makes this thread a 'rumor' and I don't want it to drift down with all the other threads in the Main forum. Thanks for starting this thread Scotty. Main -> Newsroom.
This could be good news. We may see more bikes equiped with Marzochi suspension. At least I hope so, both my Husky and mountain bike have it.
The mid 90s Huskys were showa equipped but were the 1 year behind the jap bike models........they worked good though
I have a funny feeling that Zoke may be concentrating fully on MTB suspension and pulling back on the ORV suspension systems.
Tenneco acquired Marzocchi for the purpose of entering the 2 wheel market (motorcycles, scooters, and bicycles). They are already a world leader in OE automotive suspensions and exhaust systems. They supply to the offroad/commercial vehicles industry (industrial, agricultural, railway, heavy truck, etc.). Then there is the Aftermarket side of the business too... Rancho shocks, Dynomax exhausts. The only market remaining was 2 wheelers. It really is a win-win for both companies. Marzocchi needed Tenneco's global manufacturing footprint and resources... Tenneco needed Marzocchi as a jumpstart in the 2 wheel market with good product, customer base, and dealer network. Presently, all Marzocchi products are being led out of Italy with the same engineering/design staff. It will probably stay this way since the other markets are being supported out of the tech centers in North America, Europe, and Asia. I'm looking forward to seeing how things develop in the future.
