After months of rumors and new-product leaks from the manufacturers (some unintentional, others well orchestrated) new-bike show season is underway.
Sponsored by the Esposizione Internazionale Ciclo Motociclo Accessori, or EICMA, the show in Milan, officially called the 68th Salon Internacionale Del Motociclo, is a six-day extravaganza that begins as a trade fair and builds revs toward the weekend, when the gates are burst open by a hungry general public.
Like America’s iconic automotive giants, the world’s motorcycle manufacturers have ridden the current economic waves with a mixture of bold moves and wait-and-see conservatism. Here are just a few of the bikes that basked under the lights and greeted throngs of visitors to motorcycling’s version of Milan Fashion Week.
Aprilia Dorsoduro 1200: Addressing the Dorsoduro 750’s weak points is a bigger sibling. This new maxi motard has an all-new 1200cc 90-degree V-twin motor that is claimed to pump out 130 hp at 8700 rpm. It features ride-by-wire technology and has traction software settings for Sport, Touring, and Rain.
Aprilia RS4 125: King of the Tiddlers, Aprilia has unleashed a four-stroke-engined sportbike based on the all-conquering RS125 two-stroke.
Sharing a striking resemblance to the RSV4, the new mini shares its aluminum perimeter frame, 41mm upside down fork, 300mm front brake disc and radial, four-piston caliper with the RS 50 two-stroke.
BMW R1200R: Germany’s version of a Universal Motorcycle, the updated R1200R gets the HP2 Sport’s feistier, DOHC motor that delivers more top-end power which has a claimed 110 ponies at 7750 rpm. It comes in a standard R version and wire-wheeled Classic iteration.
Ducati Monster 1100 EVO: Nearly lost in the shadow of the Diavel cruiser’s much-ballyhooed introduction, the EVO is Ducati’s first two-valve-per-cylinder Monster to pack (a claimed) 100 hp. Picking up where the S2R left off, this 1100 has gorgeous, 10-spoke wheels and the Ducati Safety Pack (DSP) of ABS and traction control seen on the Bologna brand’s superbike lineup.
Honda Crossrunner 800: Morphing from motorcycle to SUV, the Crossrunner is clearly based on an aged VFR800 posing as a street-based adventurer. In corporate speak, Honda says this crossover has ³the flexibility and exciting attitude of a naked performance machine with the upright riding position and rugged appearance of an adventure bike.²
Honda Crosstourer: Looking to grab a piece of the huge, open-class adventure touring class dominated by BMW’s legendary (and best-selling) R1200GS, Honda’s Crosstourer is a production-ready concept bike, if there ever was one. It melds the VFR1200’s Dual-Clutch V4 engine and shaft drive with a fully featured, giant trailie chassis and huge, tough-looking saddlebags.
KTM 1190 RC8R Track: This ³off-road use-only² version of the Austrian firm’s RC8R is intended for track-day addicts and racers. Underneath KTM’s signature white and orange bodywork is an Akrapovic exhaust, Brembo’s finest monobloc calipers, high-end WP suspension, Dunlop race tires and a wafer-thin seat.
Triumph Tiger 800XC: Pointed squarely at BMW’s F800GS, Triumph’s middleweight adventure bike has non-poser 21/17 in. front and rear wheels, semi-knobby tires. It’s said to make 94 horsepower at 9300 rpm and 58 lb-ft of torque at 7850 rpm and weigh 473 pounds, ready to hit the trails. Seat height is adjustable between 32.2 and 34 in.
Held on the floors of six exhibition halls at the spectacular Fiera Milano, Italy’s largest convention center, EICMA has vendors from 3 countries and looks more like the World’s Fair than a mere motorcycle show.
Showing just how important the motorcycle industry is to Italy, Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi kicked off the EICMA show by addressing the country’s challenges in turbulent market conditions: ³The attitude for innovation and investment by the Italian industry, despite a difficult economic period caused by the crisis, deserves admiration.²