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Royal Enfield Classic 650 and Bear<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The Classic 650 debuted at EICMA. I own a Classic 350, and those of us who\u2019ve been following Royal Enfield releases knew the Classic 650 was coming for months, if not years. I never saw the need for it, though. I\u2019ve ridden their 650 cc Super Meteor and the power increase vs 350 cc is not as noticeable as it looks on paper. I was also of the view that the old-school vibe would work better in the lower-powered incarnation. However, I changed my mind immediately after sitting on the bike. The classic lines look even better in the larger body. Everything on the bike is still metal, and the air-cooled character remains intact in the two cylinder configuration. Design is very proportionately done, I\u2019tsdefinitely not simply scaled up version of Classic 350. The color scheme might seem little lacking during launch, but there are still four options to choose from\u2014more than most manufacturers offer, anyway. I\u2019m seriously considering upgrading to teal color option.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n When I saw the new Bear in the flesh (yes, it\u2019s a model name), it looked like an Interceptor and a decent scrambler had a baby, but the baby\u2019s genes followed the Interceptor line more closely. The scrambler-parent obviously had to come from another brand to avoid sibling incest, also due to the fact that Royal Enfield doesn\u2019t have a full-size scrambler in their lineup. Suppose not to steal sales from their legendary and recently upgraded to now liquid cooled Himalayan. <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Honda CBR600RR and CBR650R Back-to-Back Comparison<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n They may look similar to the eye of someone who has no sense of the stroke and bore differences. Once familiar, they couldn\u2019t be more different. The seating position on the CBR600RR is obviously more aggressive than the one on the CBR650R, though less so when compared to Kawasaki\u2019s ZX6R. Kudos to Honda for bringing the 600 back to the market! I\u2019m glad to see the midweight supersport segment thriving in Europe, especially considering how disappointing it is to be a petrolhead in the car world nowadays.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n MV Agusta<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n I\u2019m not particularly interested in the girl models at shows, but MV Agusta may have picked the best-looking ones, according to some. It\u2019s a beautiful piece of engineering in every model of theirs. In this case, it\u2019s more about the metal than divine craftsmanship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n GasGas SM700<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Part of the trio with the KTM 690 SMC R and Husqvarna 701 Supermoto, this red-flavored one looks particularly catchy to my eye. A perfect city motorbike? Perhaps. I choose to keep my driver\u2019s license.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n BMW M Bikes Color Scheme<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n It needs to be seen to be judged; it looks amazing, in short. The forged carbon options from Ilmberger Carbon accessories manufacturer look like a wet dream come true. Unfortunately, I don\u2019t own a garage with a glass wall to the living room, nor do I have the skill to ride those.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n BMW R18<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Again, I say this because I had the opportunity to collect a few hundred miles on the \u2018base\u2019 BMW R18 and BMW R18 Roctanemodels this summer. I heard a reviewer say that it gets under one\u2019s skin, and it clearly has gotten under mine. It was nice to see their \u20ac2000 Option 719 color option for the first time. It looks great in the studio lights. Black chrome exhaust is a killer looker. Wouldn\u2019t go with it, though. My choice is still green base R18.What a piece of engineering this one is.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Harley Davidson Fat Boy<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n To me, this is the obvious rival to the base R18 model. It looks and feels like a heavy (by European standards) cruiser bike should. The V2 is tempting, but I\u2019m not sure about the +\u20ac10k price hike vs R18.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Suzuki Hayabusa<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n I should have used this in the title, it would have been an attention grabber. For God\u2019s sake, how much attention this bike grabs at the show! People literally line up just to have a seat and take a picture. They won\u2019t buy it for plenty of reasons, but emotionally, I\u2019m sure it\u2019s on their dream bike list. This was the model on the wall posters when our generation was teenagers. Complete respect to Suzuki for making it accessible to the broader public and retaining the legendary looks. Road presence this one isn\u2019t lacking indeed. Otherwise, outside the showroom it\u2019s a suicide weapon. I don\u2019t have the guts for it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Less-Likes<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Indian Was Not Present at the Show<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n It was a huge letdown not to see them at such an important event. I hope this doesn\u2019t mean anything negative regarding how Indian views their future in the European market. It would have been nice to compare the seating on their Chief Dark Horse versus Sport Chief. I did have a short ride on their Sport Chief which left something to be desired in terms of comfort.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n New Ducati Scrambler<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Who can tell without Googling how many scramblers are in Ducati\u2019s lineup? Yes, there was another one debuting at EICMA.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Yamaha R9<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n My first thought was that it\u2019s a pre-production model; however, that doesn\u2019t appear to be the case. The front end confused me. There\u2019s nothing passionate about the long-awaited debut, maybe riding one would change my views. For me, the Yamaha XSR900GP with the fairing option is the sports bike from Yamaha to get\u2014I say grab one while you can. It should be a keeper too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Suzuki DRZ 4S<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n There\u2019s an obvious trend of having something scrambler-like in the low-capacity segment\u2014almost all manufacturers have an option in this segment. Even Triumph has developed a platform to accommodate it. I dig the teenage hooligan vibe, but I\u2019m not either of those. Suzuki is more of a dual-sport offering, but you get the point.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Triumph Speed Twin 1200 (New)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n I found the riding position to be less aggressive than that of the outgoing model. It\u2019s one of the better naked\/street bikes out there, I think. Yet somehow, I don\u2019t connect with it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Triumph Tiger Sport 800 (New)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Clearly aimed at BMW F models, it looks just like another daddy\u2019s bike to me\u2014though a young daddy\u2019s in this case.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Husqvarna Build Quality<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n Honda Hornet and Suzuki Katana<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n People You Meet at the Show<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n By the way, did you know that one of the few automatic shock spring tester manufacturers is the Lithuanian company Laba7? Neither did I. That\u2019s on the subject of \u2018people you meet at the show\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Chinese manufacturers in general<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n It stroke me how many Chinese manufacturers were present at the show. Over a dozen manufacturers, few of which we Europeans could name, have a full lineup of models covering most of motorcycle segments, if not all. It takes years, if not decades, for established European manufacturers to fill those gaps. The designs are mostly not that interesting, with some clearly being copycats, but they exist in masses and will definitely fill the European market in the upcoming years. Build quality and reliability are always topics of debate. It\u2019s more dynamic than one might think, and overall not all buyers are enthusiasts who notice these details. Liquidity and residual values are perhaps still strong points that keep Japanese and European models competitive. However, even today many Western brands or models are no longer manufactured in the West, so the picture isn\u2019t that binary. Perhaps nothing is these days.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Just got back from EICMA 2024 in Milan\u2014one of the largest motorcycle exhibitions in the world, or so they say. It was a huge trade show indeed, and I loved the experience to bits. I\u2019m putting down my thoughts while they\u2019re still fresh. Royal Enfield Classic 650 and Bear The Classic 650 debuted at EICMA. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0},"categories":[8,27],"tags":[35,31,34],"yoast_head":"\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/domkabas.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/img_0718-1-768x1024.jpg\")
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I was mostly interested in the 801, but after sitting on a few bikes, there was a noticeable pattern in the build quality\u2019s department.Plastics didn\u2019t line up, coolant tanks were loosely attached. It may be the case that these models were assembled for exhibition purposes only, not for riding. I\u2019m not sure, as I didn\u2019t notice these flaws when test-driving one of their bikes earlier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There\u2019s a new 1000 cc Hornet out there to supplement the 750 cc offering\u2014have you noticed? Me neither. The Suzuki Katana alsodidn\u2019t seem to attract much attention from the general public. Perhaps its resemblance to retro models is more embedded in Japanese culture than in European one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For most, it\u2019s the very reason to come here to EICMA. For some, it\u2019s a small but important bonus\u2014the people you meet and the quality of advice you receive. Got a great advice at Shoei helmetsstand. Received the reassurance at Cardo stand that the indicated operating distance with the Edge can only be expected under ideal conditions which basically means never. At PMJ motorcycle jeans stand, got an opportunity to see the full color lineup of their straight leg models. <\/p>\n\n\n\n