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Manufacturers present the most futuristic concepts, the most avant-garde designs, the most leading-edge prototypes at the annual EICMA show in Italy. There’s just one problem.
You can’t go to a dealership and buy a concept. No one rolls through town on a mere design. When was a cross-country trip completed on a prototype? What interests me are producible, and therefore purchaseable, motorcycles. That’s exactly what I’m looking for at EICMA 2026, and these are the motorcycles that I’d like to see most.
Putting the V in diversity
There’s a bundle of street bikes that are overdue. The R20, BMW’s outrageous two-liter roadster, comes to mind first. It isn’t the only Beemer waiting in the shadows, either. We also know the Street Triple 798 is incoming, but Triumph won’t reveal its full specs until after EICMA. Still, the most compelling (potential) model remains Honda’s V3R 900 E-Compressor.
Big Red first showcased its supercharged V3 at EICMA 2024. By then, the powerplant already lived in a road-biased chassis. For EICMA 2025, the Japanese OEM bolted on some bodywork, controls, and a shapely saddle. The result was the V3R 900 E-Compressor Prototype — heavy emphasis on the prototype part.
Two years on, and a V3-powered production model still hasn’t rolled off the assembly line. My hope is that Honda changes that at this year’s show. A hypernaked bike is the shoo-in candidate, given the prototype’s current construction, but a faired sport bike would be acceptable, too. Far less acceptable would be yet another EICMA without a V3 model.
Counting alone on Honda’s blown V3 feels slightly tenuous, however. That’s why a bonus pick, Suzuki’s SV-7, may be a more prudent pick. The successor to the firm’s legendary but outdated SV650 seems all but destined, especially with the arrival of the SV-7GX crossover this year.
Granted, major updates aren’t likely. The ride-by-wire, TFT dash, and quickshifter found on the GX would suffice. More than anything, the roadster’s V-twin would add some much-needed diversity in a market saturated with parallel twins.
Sprint to the finish
When former Harley-Davidson CEO Jochen Zeitz announced that the brand would offer a $6,000 entry-level model, reactions ranged from hopeful to skeptical, from knee-jerk to measured. Fifteen months removed from that reveal and H-D has a new CEO and the Sprint is closer to hitting the streets. Its potential price point also changed, with the Sprint listed as under $10,000 in Harley’s "Back to the Bricks" strategic update.
EICMA presents the perfect platform for the Sprint to spring out of the starting blocks. However, the little Hog’s desirability will likely come down to its design and its price tag. With Triumph’s Bonneville T40 joining the retro fray earlier this month, the Sprint faces new competition — competition that wasn’t around when Zeitz first pitched the project.
The Hinckley house has yet to disclose the T40’s MSRP, but no TR Series model has surpassed the $7,000 mark. Playing in that territory will be critical for the Sprint, because the baby Bonneville will undoubtedly be its archrival. To that effect, the fit and finish of the cruiser is of the utmost importance. If the Sprint, and its price tag, pass the eye test at EICMA, it just might have a chance.
Keeping it cryptic
There are three certainties in life: death, taxes, and new adventure bikes at EICMA. The segment’s latest entries often headline the annual show. This year is no different. It appears that CFMOTO is prepping the Ibex 550 to replace its Ibex 450, while Royal Enfield’s Himalayan 750 could finally launch at EICMA 2026. Kawasaki didn’t even wait for the show, unveiling the KLE650 line earlier this week. But it’s Honda’s upcoming ADV that poses the most questions.
Teased on the brand's social media handles, there’s no telling whether the model is all-new or a revised existing model. Is it an Africa Twin or a Transalp? Is it an adventure bike at all? That’s the kind of mystery that keeps EICMA interesting. Without rumors of a new Honda ADV in the pipeline, I’m genuinely intrigued by the November 2 premiere. It’s nowhere near as cryptic as Yamaha’s EICMA campaign, though.
In late August, Yamaha launched the teaser for its EICMA 2026 presentation, Redefine the Standard. The messaging claimed that “the industry has followed the same rhythm for long enough” and that “something new is coming.” Accompanying that declaration was the visual of an EKG monitor, with three distinct heartbeat waves represented on the readout.
Naturally, questions followed. Is an updated inline triple in store? Will it power a brand-new Ténéré 900? Does the use of “Standard” in the “Redefine the Standard” slogan hint at a refreshed MT-09? Both? Neither? I could go on. The point is that I’m looking forward to when Yamaha produces those answers at EICMA 2026.
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