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Ladies and gentlemen, we’re days away from the EICMA show in Milan, Italy, which is practically Christmas for those of us who write about new motorcycles. EICMA’s always a party, and just about every manufacturer out there is showing up. (Ducati threw themselves a little pre-party, which we already covered.)
This is where we get our first official look at some big models for 2020. Sure, new releases will continue to drop throughout the year, but if you want to unveil the Next Big Thing, EICMA’s the place to do it. Here’s what I’m hoping to see from this year’s show.
Literally anything new from Suzuki
Suzuki, I’m worried about ya. I hear we’re getting an updated V-Strom, possibly with some inspiration from the old DR Big rally bike, and that’s a strong start! That said, other parts of the line could use some updates, pronto.
Two different ways I’d like to see those updates happen. First option: a new powerplant of some kind, or at least an overhaul. How old is the SV650/Wee-Strom’s mill? The DR-Z400’s? Or the GSX-R750's? These staples of motorcycling haven’t changed significantly in years. At this point, I’m betting the 400/650/750 engines have long since paid for themselves. I also see a very healthy used market that’s full of these super durable machines. Updates to key platforms would give customers a lot more incentive to head to the dealership instead of the classifieds.
Or, do something new with an existing engine. Get the ‘Busa engine in the hypernaked battle with a spiritual successor to the B-King. Expand the lineup with a peppy sport-tourer. Make a fun little rally bike. I dunno, I probably shouldn’t be giving advice to manufacturers. What I do know is that people like affordable, fun motorcycles, and Suzuki has a history of building those. I don’t want that to disappear.
Harley getting back on the gas
I’m just going to say it: The whole LiveWire thing got so much bigger than it ever should have been, and I need a break. Besides, all this electric talk distracted from H-D’s other projects I’m actually interested in: their Custom, Streetfighter (lead photo), and Pan America concepts from last year.
Let’s give the halo bikes a break and release some funky stuff for the rest of us. H-D's "Future Vehicles" section of their site says the Streetfighter and ADV bike are planned for 2020. (Custom planned for 2021.) That Streetfighter looks like a riot.
Aprilia delivering an affordable twins-killer
We know we’re getting an RS 660 from Aprilia. Take an RSV4, toss the rear bank of cylinders, and there you go. Sporty parallel-twin. There’s a cloud of speculation swirling around this model, especially when it comes to power and price. Some think triple-digit horsepower and a $13,000 price tag. I’m very skeptical of both. Aprilia could be a bit off either of those targets and still clean up the middleweight twins class for customers seeking performance. What I like about this situation is that Aprilia’s already proven that they can deliver unique motorcycles for reasonable amounts of money. Get this one right, Aprilia. There’s so much potential.
KTM 390 Adventure, at last
There is no reason we shouldn’t see a 390 Adventure for 2020. No reason. This bike’s been teased for long enough, and two minutes of searching will show how much people want an inexpensive, punchy, light ADV bike. BMW’s G 310 GS is capable but hardly hardcore, Kawasaki’s never going to get around to building that Versys-X 400, and Honda’s CB500X needs an expensive Rally Raid kit to match what I expect the 390 to have from the factory. What are we waiting around for? Release the mini-ADV already!
Other notables
I’m not the only one watching EICMA closely. Editor Lance (in his role as racing fan Lance) is curious about what Honda’s doing with their CBR1000RR. Apparently Honda's finally tired of running around in 10th place in World Superbike, is restructuring the team and has hired Álvaro Bautista for some enormous amount of money. Why put all that time and cash into the effort unless the CBR1000RR’s about to get competitive?
Lemmy’s interests had much smaller displacements. When asked what he’d enjoy, our motorcycle miscreant didn’t hesitate: “A $3,900, air-cooled two-stroke 400 cc trail bike, but that ain't gonna happen, so I will settle for an announcement that the ZX-25R is coming to the States.”
Not sure what you’re hoping to see in 2020, but we’ll be covering as much new model news as we can during the show. EICMA starts Tuesday.
