What to expect at EICMA 2019     

The Esposizione Internazionale Ciclo Motociclo e Accessori (EICMA for short), also known as the Milan Motorcycle Show, is the premium event for motorcycle manufacturers. This year’s edition kicks off on November 5 and will go on till November 10, and will include potential launches from brands such as Triumph Motorcycles, Kawasaki, BMW Motorrad, Honda, Suzuki, KTM, Husqvarna, Indian motorcycles, Harley Davidson, Aprilia, CF Moto, Hero Motocorp, Kymco, and Peugeot among many more.

Here are a few important motorcycles that are speculated to be showcased at the event, starting tomorrow:

Triumph:

2019 has been a busy year for Triumph, with the new Rocket 3, Daytona 765 and the 2020 Street Triple RS. For the show, we first expect the 2020 Tigers to break cover (they were the inspiration for the Street Triple’s eyebrow DRLs, after all) along with the full line-up of Euro-5 compliant motorcycles. The Tiger 800 is expected to get electronically adjustable suspension in the fully loaded, off-road biased XCa trim along with an overhauled engine. There’s also the Thruxton RS which has been teased earlier on YouTube and will sit at the top of the Thruxton range, packing in more power and top-drawer components. Also rumoured is the Bonneville Bobber getting the TFC treatment (like its Rocket 3 sibling).

Kawasaki:

Kawasaki has already blown enthusiasts away with the ZX-25 R, an inline-four 250cc, as well as the Z1000 H2, the first supercharged litre-class naked. Also revealed (albeit only in images) was the new Ninja 650 which now resembles its ZX6 brethren. We expect all of these, along with the W800 in scrambler guise.

BMW:

The most anticipated sight at the BMW stall will be the Concept R18, which was initially unveiled at the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este in May. Powered by an 1800cc boxer twin engine, it is set for production in 2020. Also expected are the updated variants of the S 1000 R and XR, following in the footsteps of the recently launched S 1000 RR. Then there’s the F 850 R; BMW’s mid-weight contender and the replacement to the F 800 R. BMW Motorrad is also expected to launch the G 310 duo with updates.

Honda:

We are already aware that Honda has now updated the Africa Twin for 2020, with new looks and a bump up in displacement. The CRF1100 Africa Twin will go into production in March 2020 for the international markets, with an Indian launch expected to follow. Another new entrant will be the new Fireblade, spy shots of which are already on Twitter.

Suzuki:

Suzuki has already released teaser videos of the new V-Strom 1000, which now gets a front end resembling the Katana, along with an all-new instrument cluster (the only changes we can discern so far). There are also rumours of Suzuki displaying a concept version of the new Hayabusa.

KTM:

KTM has its hands full with the EICMA. On the one hand, international markets are waiting impatiently for the 1290 SuperDuke R, for which teaser photos and videos are already floating around the internet. On the other hand, the 390 Adventure and 250 Adventure are also set to be revealed, along with the 790 Duke R and the 2020 390 Duke and RC390.

Next, there has been another all-new engine in the works, with the Duke 890. Lastly, there are also rumours of yet another smaller-capacity twin being introduced, at around 490cc, which might make it to India in five variants: Duke, RC, Adventure and Super Moto (to be badged SMC) and Super Moto Touring (to be badged SMT), which might make it to India.

Indian:

From what we know, the newly-launched Challenger, will be displayed, along with an ‘R’ variant of the FTR 1200.

Husqvarna:

The brand will probably debut the Vitpilen 801 prototype, which will use the Duke 790’s engine and electronics in a slashier, more futuristic body in keeping with the Husqvarna design language. Also on display will be the updated for 2020 duo of the Svartpilen and Vitpilen 401

Harley Davidson:

Harley had announced the Pan America 1250 and Streetfighter 975 (or Bareknuckle) almost a year ago, and considering that the announcement then included that the bikes will hit the roads in 2020, means that we are expecting production-ready prototypes at the EICMA 2019. Also in the works is a faired iteration of the Bareknuckle, which will share the engine, albeit in a different state of tune.

Also expected is the manufacturer’s 2020 range, which includes the Low Rider S, Softail, Road Glide and Tri Glide CVO.

Lastly, after dabbling with the electric formula with the Livewire, Harley will also bring in smaller electric vehicles, with an electric dirtbike, electric scooter and even an electric bicycle.

Benelli:

The brand is set to bring the Leoncino 800, which will have a twin cylinder (like its ’500 sibling) engine displacing 754cc from the 752S and will make around 76bhp. Also expected is the 2020 TNT600.

Kymco:

The Korean brand will go heavily electric this time around, with the RevoNex electric maxi-scooter for which it released a vague, vox-populi kind of teaser, and the SuperNex, which they had shown (as a concept) at last year’s EICMA.

Peugeot:

The Metropolis 400 Ultimate three-wheeled scooter will make an appearance at the Peugeot stand. The scooter is powered by a 400cc liquid-cooled single cylinder engine making 35bhp and 38Nm.

Hero Motocorp:

Since the brand will not be at the Auto Expo 2020, it means the EICMA is where they will showcase their bikes, and there are quite a few. The first one will be the BS6-compliant Xtreme 200R, which is rumoured to be fuel-injected. Next is the Glamour BS6. Now, since this bike is already fuel-injected, it will now get the brand’s i3s tech, which shuts down the engine when the bike is kept in neutral for a few seconds. Lastly, the Xtreme 200 S and the Xpulse 200 will also be displayed, all with BS6-compliant motors, along with possibly a scrambler iteration of the Xpulse as well.

CF Moto:

CF Moto will debut its KTM RC200 and Apache 310 RR rival, the 300SR in India, though they will display the 250SR in EICMA. The 300SR is powered by the same engine as in the 300NK, a 292cc liquid-cooled single-cylinder which makes 28bhp and 25Nm of torque.

Piaggio:

Aprilia, a part of the larger Piaggio group will debut its RS660, which runs a parallel-twin engine that is essentially the V4 from the RSV1100 cut into half, and will make a little over 100bhp.