MCADXmag

The new direction Durrani has taken is to thixomold the entire core and rim as a single piece, with the hubs threading on the same way as in the initial design. This evolution will add only a quarter pound of new material to the volumetric ‘shot’ of magnesium, as he is removing material he has determined is not necessary in other areas, mainly around the hub housing. Unlike the earlier version, this development will necessitate a separate mold for the front rim, and another for each size rear, based on rim width.

Sheryar Durrani (SD): “It took about a month, almost two, to re-engineer the wheel as a one-piece, and to do all the intellectual heavy lifting to find the geometry of a one-piece wheel that would work. It was a byproduct of everything we’ve learned. There are certain challenges with the one-piece wheel that we don’t know yet, but those are much more understood by me, firsthand, and this team here, because of what we’ve gone through.”

If Durrani is successful, this change eliminates the most problematic elements of the former design:

•Having to rely on outside production of components,
•Ring rolling tough strips of heated magnesium,
•Welding,
•Buffing out the welds,
•Bonding, and
•Firefighting.

MotorcycleAddicts Magazine (MCADX): I remember asking you last year why you didn’t do this in the first place. Part of your reasoning was that the magnesium you had specified for the wheel core was chosen for its ductility, while the extruded strips would have provided much more strength where it would be needed. Are you now going to have more ductility everywhere?

SD: “Voila!” (Pulls a sample of magnesium rod out of his pocket.) “This is a specialty alloy I had formulated to address that problem. It is a proprietary alloy specifically developed for our wheels. This is much stronger, and much more ductile, and it is not available to anyone else. Hey, don’t bend that!”

MCADX: Sorry. So how do you get there from here?

SD: “By continuing down the same path we have. We have secured the funding we need for the next couple months. We’re about 45 days from testing solid shots of the one piece wheel..."

MCADX: (into recorder) It’s January 24th.

SD: “…by mid- March we expect to be shooting wheels, unless something unexpected comes up."[BREAK=Are you sorry you started this?]

MCADX: Are you sorry you started this?

SD: “Are you kidding? I have ruined my credit and put everything I have into this. I have never been closer to being destitute, but I have never felt better about what I am doing in my life! ...I’m in a really good place after being beaten to a pulp – deservedly- for what happened.”

MCADX: Man, your wife must...

SD: “We can’t afford the lawyers!”


Engineers have told me that almost anything can be accomplished given sufficient money and time. Does Durrani have enough of either?

I questioned Durrani in both interviews about his reason for the ultra-low price he intends to charge for the wheels. Does a small profit margin mean a smaller financial safety net for him? If the one-piece wheels are going to be as light, strong, and sexy as anticipated, why not charge a few hundred dollars more for them? Does it have to be priced less than half the cost of a set of Marchesinis? Why not just $1000 less?

His very negative and emphatic response is rooted in his deeply held contention that there is a ‘sweet spot’ price point for this type of product. His goal all along has been to approach this in 'The Toyota Way’, which means figuring out how much someone will pay for a product and then building it to that price. Durrani is convinced if he deviates from the ideal price by as much as $100, the sales and interest will dissipate by an unacceptably large percentage.

Another resource in short supply is time. He is under a great deal of pressure to get the new wheels to his dealers prior to the major sales season, which is in April-May. Even if the one-piece wheel tests properly from the beginning without major revisions, that leaves very little room for unexpected circumstances and error. This pressure seems to be dictating his financial model. [BREAK=Not again!]

In light of all the grief he went through regarding the 2007 pre-orders, deposits, and refunds, I was astonished to hear that he was thinking about accepting deposits again- so much so that I have to ashamedly admit to failing keep an objective reporter’s point of view.

SD: “…We are now looking at taking paid orders for the one piece wheel with full disclosure that says we estimate this (time frame), but that it could continue for much longer than that.”

MCADX: Do you need to do that? Wasn’t that the biggest mistake that was made last time? I mean, when you told me that on the phone, I couldn’t believe you were going to step in that exact same pile of shit again! (My rant got much, much uglier...)

SD: “Here’s how it works. We have a certain amount of bank left that will get us to production. We can shoot a couple hundred one piece wheels, finish them and ship them out. We don’t need our customer’s money to do that. But there’s another factor that is relevant. Our volume has increased about four-fold…because of the economies of scale: it would cost us 80% as much to do 200 wheels as it would 1000. It takes about 100 just to warm the machine up! I want to be able to get the materials for a thousand wheels, because when these come out, the phone will be ringing off the hook, and then I will have to herd everyone through this queue. If someone wants to take an interest and get a place in line for a fully refundable $600, they can. Or they can prepay for $1098, which is $200 less than we’ll charge when it goes into production.”


MCADX: (Not back in objective mode yet) But what if shit happens again? What if they don’t X-ray? Look – not knowing the financial scale of your business, I’d say don’t do that – don’t sell anything you don’t physically have! …Now that may not be realistic…

SD: “I’ll qualify that. It’s called living on the float. When you live off your customer’s money before delivering the product, you’re living on the float. That’s a dangerous game. We didn’t intend to do that in the beginning, but it became that game and we were floating - in our own shit, if you will. Then we raised capital and refunded everyone’s money and we got there. But frankly, with the Michigan economy tanking, and the foreign markets and Wall Street freaking out, people are too spooked to invest. So it’s going to take us time to get that (investment). The customer money would assure us getting to production in a timely fashion. If we’re late, of course we have to refund their money if they choose.”

MCADX: (choking sound)

SD- “You certainly got me thinking about it, though. It’s a valid point. I don’t want to rationalize myself into accepting that… but if we don’t get the supplemental funding from what we are trying to do here, it will limit how much material we can get to supply the industry at the key time of the season. And the sad reality is that that’s what it is.”

The saga of the Durrani wheels is reminiscent of a nerve-wracking game of high stakes Texas Hold’em poker. Durrani got some great hole cards, and based on that early indication of success, bet every dime he could get his hands on. The manner in which he got hold of some of that money was questionable in the minds of many; but if he had won the pot right then, if his implacable opponent Mr. Murphy had folded, there would have been little controversy. However, due to the failure of the first design, the game didn't stop. Despite the setbacks, Durrani persisted - past the flop, the turn, and the river. Now he is all in: intellectually, emotionally, and financially. His reputation has been tossed into the pot, along with his watch and shoes.

The showdown card has left the dealer’s hand, and is about to make its spinning descent toward the table. Will the one-piece wheel work? Will it meet his expectations, and will the public trust and embrace it? In a very short time, we’ll know if Durrani succeeds; meaning he’ll live to play another hand, or if he’ll have to walk away- which to him is the very definition of unimaginable failure.

Bet against him at your peril. I'll be damned if I will.



Part 1 - World of Wheels
Part 2 - Invention and Inventor
Part 3 - Wheels off the Track
Part 4 - Durrani Looks Back from Jan, 2008 - Taking the Blame

CBRVFR

...

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Godspeed, # 20
Rich Herald, the Gentle Giant

Hammer

Where are the Damn wheels?

__________________
Friendship is like peeing on yourself: everyone can see it, but only you get the warm feeling that it brings.

SheepOfBlue

Great article!!! I think he owes you a set of rims for your comments on pre-orders. I for one would have laughed in his face (though I hope he succeeds) and I think the negative chat would have been huge. When he delivers I think there will still be some skeptics at first no matter what.

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Not a crop circle creator

CBRVFR

He won't be making rims for any of my bikes. I have Marchesinis on the TZ anyway.

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Godspeed, # 20
Rich Herald, the Gentle Giant

Hammer

I think we can all say that.

__________________
Friendship is like peeing on yourself: everyone can see it, but only you get the warm feeling that it brings.

TCD

Great interview and article, Dave! Way to ask the difficult questions.

I never knew what the background to the Duranni saga was before and this series was very enlightening.

slickwill

Interesting article. I'll be interested to see where they are 6 months and 1 year from now.

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If it has wheels, I've crashed it, and some things that don't skis, snowmobile, card board box, giant tube, sentra, dirtbike, lawn tractor, grandmas bread tray, kayak, canoe, raft, bicycle, waterskis, tobaggan, horse, ATV, Now my CBR (women)

seamus

I don't know. Sometimes you have to look a man in the face, allow him to admit he made a mistake and take him up on his word to produce.

If everyone were only allowed one mistake or miscalculation, there'd be a lot less innovation in the world. We'd probably all still be living in caves and throwing poop at each other. And we all know you don't need ring rolled magnesium to fling poo...

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Ducit Amor Patriae

Richard Herald, The Gentle Giant

For once you have tasted flight you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skywards, for there you have been and there you will long to return.
---Leonardo Da Vinci

Bikeoholic

Excellent article Dave. I wouldn't bet against him either.

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Before you criticize someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes. That way, when you criticize them, you're a mile away and you have their shoes.

Hammer

We need to send this to Mythbusters.

__________________
Friendship is like peeing on yourself: everyone can see it, but only you get the warm feeling that it brings.

CBR929RE

why so they can blow it up?

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less than a year till Grattan

TogaTim

Interesting note: I was at the Dealer Show sharing a room with the two guys that were going to be hitting the floor on Sunday pushing the product. Those 2 guys believed in the "vision" and were 110% in. They had me about to write a check for the things, and I didn't have a flippin bike at the time!

The "Bling Bike" from Grattan loaned it's wheels to SD to get measured for specs for the 07 cbr600rr the day after it came home from the dealer May of last year! Less then 40 miles on it and I handed over. That's how much I beleived in "The Vision". At that time, things were starting to roll, so I understood.

Then it seemed that the "Wheels started coming off the wagon". The article of course covers all that.

I've sat in the bleachers, while Dave has sat on the sidelines (or maybe he was the water-boy) for all of this. Even after talking to my buddy that had to walk away from the company I still believe in that silly SOB (SD).

Maybe I'm just as silly but sign me up for a set in Honda Red when they start rolling out. When they do roll out I am confident they will be the lightest, safest most durable alloy wheels available for the $$.

SheepOfBlue

Any news? Looks like they are producing rearsets for squids and clipons.

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Not a crop circle creator

TornadoB8

I noticed a mention in the latest edition of Cycle World.

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CCS#27 CMRA#271
Dunlop, Vortex, Vesrah, Silkolene, PitBull

Hammer

Ok, he needs to step away from the crack pipe now. He cannot make wheels which was his initial venture, he did make some overly expensive clip ons. Now he is making Hybrid systems? This guy is a friggin joke.

Durrani Hybrid Systems, Inc. - Home

__________________
Friendship is like peeing on yourself: everyone can see it, but only you get the warm feeling that it brings.

SheepOfBlue

yep game over he is not for real.

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Not a crop circle creator