#eicma

Today, Yamaha unveiled the 2016 XSR900, the latest model based on the company’s popular FZ-09 platform. Catering towards riders who want an “authentic and honest” motorcycle, the XSR900 draws its styling inspiration from XS models of the past, with features like a hand-buffed aluminum fuel tank cover (for the Matte Gray color), single round headlight, instrument gauge, and brake light.

At a special event ahead of the EICMA motorcycle show today, Honda unveiled the updated CB500F. For 2016, the revised CB500F receives a makeover with aggressive new looks and a variety of technical improvements. The CB500F will make its U.S. debut this Friday at the IMS show in Long Beach, California.

It’s time once again for the biggest motorcycle show of the year, EICMA!

Okay, fine, maybe this should be titled “Top 10 I’d like to see at My Own Private EICMA-ho”, though I did accept a little input from my MO compadres. Last time I was at the big show in Milano was in 2011, and there were so many things on display it was hard to get through them all in two days. Come to think of it, I don’t want to actually see any of these at EICMA, I want Tom Roderick or Duke or Troy to see them and post info ASAP while I man the Home Office…

Well that didn’t take long. Just a week after we first broke the news that Ducati is introducing a new 959 Panigale, the new model has now been spotted undergoing testing (i.e. posing for spy photographers).

There’s a lot to be excited about in 2015. Germany’s Intermot motorcycle show was first to burst forth new or significantly revised models, about 20 of ‘em. Next up, we attended the second year of the AIMExpo in Orlando, Florida, where we saw five new or revised bikes plus several of the ones shown at Intermot.

Milan, Italy, hosts the world’s largest motorcycle show, EICMA, in November each year, where the latest and greatest motorbikes are on display, most of which are receiving their first public display. The Esposizione Mondiale del Motociclismo, as it’s officially called, celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2014, and I was pleased to be one of the 6,945 journalists attending the November 3-8 event.

The 2015 Kawasaki Concours14 ABS boasts a litany of improvements including a new electrically adjustable windshield, revised linked braking settings, a revised first gear ratio, lighter steering at low speed, stiffer rear suspension and a new rear luggage rack.

While the new Yamaha R1 and R1M are stealing the Tuning Fork headlines this year at EICMA, Yamaha also introduced another new model: the FJ-09, or MT-09 Tracer for the European market. Based on the FZ/MT-09 naked bike, the FJ-09 slots in below the FJR1300 as a more Sport-Touring machine for the entry level crowd. To meet the S-T needs for which it was designed, the FJ gets a host of new items like an adjustable windscreen, larger fuel tank, traction control, ABS and provisions for saddlebags, among others. E-i-C Kevin Duke is on hand at EICMA, where he gives us his first impressions of the FJ-09 after its worldwide unveiling.

The Adventure-Touring category is quickly becoming one of the hottest segments in motorcycling, and now BMW is throwing its hat in the ring with the S1000R-based S1000XR, introduce at EICMA 2014. Sharing the same engine and frame as the S1000R streetfighter, the XR version gets longer-travel suspension, plus a beefed-up subframe to handle saddlebags and the increased weight they entail. As usual, BMW has packed the XR with an impressive electronics package. E-i-C Kevin Duke is live at EICMA, where he files this report after giving the S1000XR a close lookover.

At EICMA 2014, Honda teased those in attendance with a street version of the RC213V MotoGP contender and this, a “True Adventure” model we suspect will be the reincarnation of the popular Africa Twin off-road machine. Propped up on a pedestal, away from spectators to reach, and strategically covered in dirt, it was difficult to learn much about the Africa Twin. Honda kept the mystery alive by releasing virtually no information about the prototype model. In his attempt to glean more info, E-i-C Kevin Duke sums up his thoughts on the bike, based on his visual inspection direct from EICMA.

For as much buzz as the Kawasaki Ninja H2 is drawing, arguably the real show stopper seen during EICMA 2014 comes from the Yamaha booth and the new R1 and R1M. Derived directly from the M1 MotoGP machine Yamaha riders Jorge Lorenzo and Valentino Rossi pilot, Yamaha said bluntly the R1 was designed for the track first, street second. The Crossplane crank inline-Four is back, but that architecture is about the only thing retained from the previous R1.

Introducing the 2015 Ducati Multistrada 1200; a redesigned Multi featuring an engine with Desmodromic Variable Timing (DVT), cornering ABS, Ducati Wheelie Control (DWC), and a fresh yet familiar look. Everything on the new Multistrada 1200 has been designed for practicality and effectiveness.

Big news coming out of the Ducati camp today at EICMA 2014: Bologna’s flagship sportbike is indeed increasing in displacement – introducing the Ducati 1299 Panigale. Rumors about a bigger Panigale had been spreading among the industry throughout the year, with Portland, Oregon dealer, Motocorsa, fanning the flames with this picture taken at Ducati’s U.S. dealer meeting. With the secret out of the bag, let’s take a closer look at the 1299 Panigale.

For 2015, the Ducati Monster family – which includes the Monster 1200 and Monster 821 – doubles in size with the addition of the Monster 821 Stripe and Monster 1200 Stripe, both introduced today at EICMA 2014.