Every year, during the month of November, Milan, the fashion capital of Italy transforms into a mecca of new motorcycle launches. Rather than ramp walks trodden with supermodels, Milan becomes a center stage of spanking new motorcycles. The pilgrimage called EICMA witnesses renowned two-wheeler brands from across the globe unveiling their latest products and a peek into the future. The 2023 iteration of this fest wasn’t disappointing at all and here are the major motorcycles that were unveiled at EICMA:
The homegrown bikemaker made big waves with its presence at EICMA, showcasing a handful of products. Gone are the days when Hero was considered to be a conventional brand because one good look at their EICMA stand revealed how serious they’re getting regarding the game. The Xoom 160 was the star of the show, as it is touted to be India’s first homegrown ADV-scooter. It is going to be powered by a 156cc single-cylinder motor with Hero’s i3s technology. What also makes the Xoom 160 a unique proposition is the set of 14-inch wheels shod with block-pattern tyres.
Apart from the Xoom 160, Hero also showcased the Xoom 125R which continues the sporty design language of the Xoom 110 but gets a bigger 124.6cc, air-cooled, single-cylinder engine that makes 9.37 BHP and 10.14 Nm. The Xoom 125R also makes do with a set of 14-inch wheels, reflecting its sporty intent. While these models look production-ready, all prepped up to hit the streets anytime soon, Hero also showcased a few electric concepts under its VIDA sub-brand. These concepts include the Lynx electric dirt-bike and a mini electric bike targetted at young guns.
The Royal Enfield Himalayan 450 was revealed to the world a few days before EICMA, RE showcased it in person at EICMA to the rest of the world. But the major highlight at RE’s stand wasn’t the Himalayan 450. (Wait, what?). It was the Him-E. An electric Himalayan. While the world was expecting RE to showcase its electric journey with something in the lines of an electric Classic, the Him-E certainly came as a shocker. However, Royal Enfield hasn’t revealed anything concrete about the Him-E, just that this would prove to be the testing bed for RE’s electric voyage.
Who would have expected an Indian electric two-wheeler startup would make big waves at an International fest like EICMA? But Ultraviolette has indeed pulled that off. Sticking true to the brand’s philosophy, the recently unveiled F99 is a sight to behold. It looks even more futuristic than the F77, which already belongs to 2030! But, stray away from its razor sharp looks and there’s actually a lot of stuff to talk about here. Numbers, majorly. 90kW motor. 0-100kmph in just 3 seconds. Top speed of 265kmph and a kerb weight of just 178kg. Outlandish? Wait until you see its active aerodynamics in action. Oof!
The Japanese bikemaker made sure to attract a huge number of crowds to its stand, luring viewers by showcasing the 2024 CBR600RR. Don’t need to rub your eyes, fellow readers, you read that right. Honda’s middleweight screamer is indeed back! While it is powered by the same 599cc inline-four liquid-cooled 16V DOHC motor producing 119bhp @ 14,250rpm and 63Nm @ 11,500rpm, it now gets a six-axis IMU for lean-sensitive rider aids, a full-colour TFT dash, riding modes, ride-by-wire throttle, and the option of an exotic HRC race kit.
Apart from reviving this poster child, Honda also took the wraps off the CB1000 Hornet, harking back to another iconic moniker. What might look like a Japanese Ducati Streetfighter V4, the CB1000 Hornet is powered by a 999cc, inline-four-cylinder motor that belts out a respectable 150hp. Also, what used to be the CB500X will now be known as NX500. Apart from the namesake, it has also received heavily revised aesthetics and some minor revisions to the 471cc, parallel-twin engine, which now features a crank counterweight and balancer shaft. The NX500 is expected to hit our shores as well, replacing the CB500X.
Another Japanese bikemaker which registered its presence at EICMA 2023 was Suzuki Motorcycles. Last year, they brought in the GSX-8S naked streetfighter and now, they have unveiled the faired version of it dubbed as GSX-8R. While it certainly cannot replace the legendary GSX-R750, the GSX-8R looks like it can double up as a more sedated and approachable alternative to the middleweight screamer. Powering the new GSX-8R is a 776cc inline twin-cylinder liquid-cooled engine. Suzuki is yet to reveal the output figures.
Also unveiled by Suzuki was the GSX-S1000GX. While it may take 3 business days to pronounce that name, the GSX-S1000GX has serious cred as a road-biased ADV-tourer as it is powered by the same explosive powertrain borrowed from the GSX-S1000.
Since other Japanese bikemakers were enjoying all the attention, how could Kawasaki get left behind? To make sure that doesn’t happen, Kawasaki unveiled the Ninja 500 and the Z500. Both the motorcycles will be powered by the 451cc, parallel-twin engine as the Eliminator 500. It churns out 45.4bhp at 9000rpm and 42.6Nm at 6000rpm.
The 990 Duke, or ‘the Sniper’ as KTM likes to call it, was shown to the world for the first time at EICMA. It will replace the 890 Duke by debuting a new design philosophy and better mechanicals. Powering the new 990 Duke is a dramatically updated version of the LC8c engine that was given to the KTM 890 Duke R. With a capacity of 947-cc, this twin-cylinder mill puts down 123 hp and a massive 103 Nm of peak torque.
MV Agusta made sure to roll out a perfect followup to its previous outing at EICMA. Remember the Lucky Explorer lineup of concept motorcycles revealed by MV Agusta earlier? Gone is the Lucky Explorer namesake and in comes LXP Orioli. Although it is limited to just 500 units as of now, it means business. The 931 cc, three-cylinder mill delivers 122 bhp at 10,000 rpm and 102 Nm of peak torque at 7,000 rpm, with 85 percent of the torque available from 3,000 rpm.Suspension is from Sachs, with a fully-adjustable 48 mm upside-down forks with 210 mm travel and a monoshock at the rear, also offering 210 mm travel. Both front and rear suspension are fully adjustable.
