We spent a day walking 25,000 steps at the EICMA 2023 in Milan and we came home with this motorcycle news.
Oh yes, the EICMA 2023 in Milan, a motorcycle fair that really is a motorcycle fair. That means scantily clad ladies leaning over motorcycles and full exhibition halls. Almost all brands were present. The big absentees were BMW Motorrad and Harley Davidson. So no new BMW GS on an official BMW stand.
We pick out a few notable favorites!
Yamaha XSR 900 GP
Yamaha went full on the retro tour with the XSR 900 GP. Inspired by several generations of GP drivers who dominated the circuits on Yamahas with cigarette advertisements. As a motorcycle enthusiast you seem to find him uncritically brilliant.
We wouldn’t be Autoblog if we didn’t secretly think it’s a bit of a mismatch. The basis is the well-known XSR naked bike that relies heavily on the trendy scrambler/cafe racer style. You can especially see this at the rear, which in our opinion could be a little more racy and less clumsy. Secretly, we might actually think the black version is even cooler.
We think the use of the uniquely designed small headlight at the front is brilliant. If you don’t opt for round headlights then this is better than many of the other headlight monstrosities that you encounter on motorcycles these days. Price not yet known, but it will come!
Suzuki GSX-8R
We are in a small revival of sporty motorcycles. Some seriously sporty: The Honda CBR 600 RR is back! But there are also some more sports-tour oriented models. More GSX-F than GSX-R in our opinion.
And Suzuki will be showing off the GSX-8R at the fair, based on the 776 cc parallel twin on which several models are now based. The maximum power of the liquid-cooled twin-cylinder is 61 kW (82.9) hp at 8,500 rpm. There is also a 35 kW variant available for A2 license holders.
We are not going to discuss taste, the headlights are such a point of contention as far as we are concerned. Judge for yourself… Prices are not yet known, but expect it in the showroom early next year.
CF Moto 450 MT
The Chinese are coming! And that is not bad news at all in the motorcycle field. Because the name CF Moto probably doesn’t mean much to you. This manufacturer did open a can of new models at the motorcycle fair in Milan. We highlight the 450 MT. A Paris Dakar vibe built around a 450cc liquid-cooled twin-cylinder. Good for 44.3 hp at 8,500 rpm. Enough to get the low weight of 175 kilograms moving.
Prices have not yet been announced, but the engine should be available in the first quarter of 2024.
Ducati Hypermotard 698 Mono
Ducati had already let its pee flow earlier, they apparently couldn’t hold it until early November. So we knew that they would come up with a completely newly developed single-cylinder block. That block is the first to hang in a Supermotard called Hypermotard 698 Mono. An aggressive appearance with, we expect, flashy driving characteristics. The price is also already known. €14,690 for a 700cc single-cylinder. Ducati just dares to ask!
The specs of that new block? The Superquadro Mono is a single-cylinder with racing influences. Derived from the 1285 cc Superquadro engine of the 1299 Panigale, it offers striking performance with 77.5 hp at 9750 rpm and 63 Nm of torque at 8000 rpm. With a limiter at 10,250 rpm, it stands out in terms of speed range. Reporting to the Ducati dealer every week is not necessary with maintenance intervals for oil changes every 15,000 km and valve clearance checks every 30,000 km. There is also a version available for A2 driving licenses. Impressive but pricey!
Moto Guzzi Stelvio
On the Piaggio We traditionally dozed off during the press conference, but when we woke up we decided to walk past the new Moto Guzzi Stelvio. We will give away our age by saying that we think the headlight looks very similar to that of the first generation Aprilia Caponord. In any case, the model is slightly less striking than the Moto Guzzi V85, but in our opinion it is still a beautiful motorcycle.
The Moto Guzzi Stelvio is equipped with a 90° liquid-cooled transverse V-Twin engine of 1042cc. The power is 115 hp at 8,700 rpm and the maximum torque is 105 Nm at 6,750 rpm. Available early 2024, but unfortunately no prices are known yet.
Special mention at the Piaggio stand for the renewed Vespa Elettrica. Vespa took its first steps on the electric scooter path a few years ago and realized that A: they were too expensive and B: they needed a removable battery. Both issues have now been addressed. The new price for this electric 45 km/h Vespa will follow soon.
Triumph Speed 400, Scrambler 400
Dammit, a Triumph for less than €7,000 and yes, that is the Dutch price and not the one for Belgium. On the exhibition floor in Milan we were able to admire the new ‘light’ brothers in person for the first time and that was not disappointing. Asian production is being called out by the haters.
But up close the finish seemed fine. Apparently in showrooms from January 2024. A 398 cc single-cylinder block with 40 hp, that’s what you have to make do with. But if you don’t have any long highway trips coming up, it might be enough.
170 kg for the Speed and 179 kg for the Scrambler 400 €6,795 for the Speed and €7,495 for the Scrambler, we are fans!
This article Motor News 2024 from the Milan fair first appeared on Autoblog.nl.
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