Eicma 2018 | Time to take stock for the "pre Euro 5" edition, all (or almost all) of the news and links

EICMA 2018: time to take stock - We told you about it with something like over 100 articles, which you can all find as you go one click, or which you can also search by brand or keywords. However, we waited for the curtain to fall to tell you our opinion on the 2018 edition of the most important two-wheel show in the world. The most attentive will have seen something in the video interviews where our impressions and sensations were sometimes externalized. It is useless to hide behind a finger and deny the evidence: the imminent entry into force of the Euro 5 regulation which will concern the production of the models expected on the market for 2020 (the ones we will see at Eicma 2019, so to speak) will then leave the manufacturing companies only a year to adapt the ranges already in production to the new standards required by the European Community, therefore currently generating quite a few fears. It is impossible to think of anticipating the alignment with the new directives at the just concluded show because - to date - only the guidelines are known but not the exact values ​​that will have to be respected during the approval phase.

Prudent Japanese, bolder Europeans, unconventional Americans

Eicma, as usual, opens well before the Thursday when the public can (finally) enter the fair in Milan. On Tuesday morning the first press conferences are the show of a content that the experts have had (at least largely) in hand for days, enriched at times only by some unexpected surprises. Some brand, like Ducati, Yamaha , but also Moto Morini, plays ahead of the curve, opening the ball rolling with premieres dedicated to new products, often live on TV and able to better focus attention on its products. Ducati, on the Sunday evening before Eicma, put a lot of irons on the fire. We quote the main ones, with the new features in the Scrambler range (the three versions alongside the Icon 800), the S set-up for the Multistrada 950 (also updated), the new Hypermotard 950, the Diavel 1260 and, above all, the Panigale V4R which surprised everyone with a technical and aesthetic package that clearly separates it from its sister V4 – V4S. Yamaha played on defense, bringing some nice and unexpected surprises like the very special R1 GYTR, a "track-ready" evolution that crowns the 20-year history of the model with a truly incredible array of racing accessories. It was accompanied by special concepts with an eye towards the future, targeted updates for some of its models and the highly anticipated Tenére 700 which, after years of waiting, is finally ready to arrive at the dealership and take to the streets (and beyond) every day. Valentino Rossi was missing from the Premiere, thanks to the Sepang race the day before, but we would be remiss if we didn't admit that it was decidedly subdued compared to the one the year before. The "bangs" will arrive in 2019, with the entry onto the scene of numerous innovations (Euro 5, of course), something made even more evident by Honda, which has even given up on presenting its range in a dedicated event (which usually is always held on the Monday immediately after Yamaha's), but it was held directly at Eicma, on Tuesday morning. Updates, some as important as what you see there CB650R become the fourth of the Neo Sports Cafè range, as well as a couple of interesting 125 cc prototypes, testifying to the rebirth of this segment. Suzuki e Kawasaki they had their say, as always, without surprising with a particular model, confirming the Japanese "pre Euro 5" prudence.

Benelli is perhaps the most daring, electric has helped someone to be so

La “fear of Euro 5”, however some have definitely approached it in a more bold way. Benelli, for example, which as usual presented many new features at Eicma, from those that revolve around the twin-cylinder 500 that we know well, to the new 750, but also an unprecedented single-cylinder 400 and, last but not least, anticipated the return of the legendary 3 TNT and Tornado cylinders, hopefully already next year. But also the Piaggio Group he didn't hold back. We saw the new one Moto Guzzi V85TT, which is highly anticipated and whose platform will give rise to other sisters, soon. The new 300 hpe makes its debut at Piaggio, more powerful and efficient, which ends up in the frame of a new MP3 300, different in shape from the 350 and 500, with the latter bringing the reverse gear to its debut. The same 300 ends up in the supporting body of the Wasp, becoming the most powerful ever, in its many GTS versions. But the electric "Vespina" also arrives on the market, a topic that is anything but marginal at Eicma. Lots and lots of news around the topic of E-Bikes, included those of Ducati (which are more about image than substance, being customizations of bicycles produced by the Italian company Thok), but also battery-powered scooters and motorbikes. Self Zero Motorcycles decided not to participate in Eicma, but was in Milan to present the 2019 range and to take advantage of the attention around the most famous event in the world, in the salon there were Askoll, Energica e Niu with their innovations, as well as the first electric motorcycle from perhaps the most traditionalist company in the world: Harley-Davidson and the LiveWire. Even the very Italian one Fantic focuses strongly on the theme, with the electric Caballero. Kymco try the surprise move, a full electric sports car, also with the gearbox, capable of going from 0 to 250 km/h in just over 10 seconds. For now it's a concept, but who knows. Then there remains the iONEX project, still on the electrical front, but more strictly current and partly already available, in addition to the 2019 "thermal" innovations.

Italian queens of style

If by all accounts the Ducati Panigale V4R is the absolute queen of Eicma 2018 (also for our readers), it is certainly not the only Italian novelty to have garnered glances of admiration and curiosity. Finally, many new features at the stand MV Agusta. Once the financial problems have been resolved, hopefully definitively, he brings many new models to the showroom, among which the Superfast 800, a concept that anticipates a soon-to-arrive model, with a classic and very eye-catching “wow effect” design. Then the Brutal 1000, “B4” as they like to summarize it with an acronym, in a limited edition Serie Oro (300 examples worth over 40 thousand euros), which becomes the most powerful and fastest naked ever. Well over 200 horsepower and well over 300 km/h: crazy! Moving on to Aprilia, in Noale they have given up on Superbike, but for ordinary motorcyclists this translates into an unprecedented RSV4 “out of category”. It rises to 1.100 cc, with more power and less weight, with fins to spice it all up. At his side is a surprise concept, which is perhaps the best news of all Eicma, at least for some (including us). There 660RS was born around the idea of ​​bringing medium sized cars back into vogue, doing so with "half" the engine of an RSV4. A compact inline two, as is the whole bike, with a power in the order of 100 horsepower and perfect not only for the road. We could see a dual purpose with this heart, and who knows what else!

The rest of Europe: BMW, KTM, Husqvarna, Triumph

The remaining "big" brands showed many new features, from KTM 790 Adventure, which promises to share offroad enthusiasts (and not only) with the Ténéré 700, to the many new arrivals from the Elica company. BMW has unveiled the second generation of its Superbike, the S1000RR, which in addition to a consistent injection of power, loses weight by over 10 kg and gains variable valve timing. Key concept in recent developments, with the 1250 that we recently tested on the new R 1250 GS debuting on four other models, which join the newcomer among scooters, the C400GT and more. Husqvarna focuses on the style of the Svartpilent 701, but also on the Vitpilen 701 Aero concept. Triumph finally revealed its cards in preview, in the weeks before Eicma, but the stand was full of juicy 2019 previews, especially with the Scrambler 1200 (XE and XC), which creates a new segment: the dual purpose classics. 21" front wheel, travel and suspension for true off-road, but also second generation LDC capable of acting as a navigator and showing images of an action cam!

We then also talked about safety, clothing, helmets, airbags (for example with Alpinestars, Dainese, Scorpion, Arai, Toucan Uranus, caberg), but also thermo blankets and heatable clothing (Capit), navigators (TomTom) and much more. “Last but not least”, we gathered in this article many photos and video interviews with the girls which, for many, are the true protagonists of Eicma together with the much photographed two-wheelers.

SWM, Sym, Royal Enfield, these are just some of the brands that we mention and that we have talked about, but we will discover the new features we have seen better in the coming months, especially by trying them in preview for you, so stay on our pages and continue to follow us!