EICMA 2025 Highlights: Exciting New Motorcycle Models Unveiled

In this episode of the Throttle and Roast podcast, host Niels Meersschaert explores the key highlights from EICMA 2025. He discusses Ducati's introduction of the Hyper Motard V2, which features the same engine as the Monster V2, along with their expanded V2 and V4 RS lineup. Niels also covers CFMoto's new flagship ADV, the 1000MT-X, emphasizing its affordability compared to European brands. Additionally, he highlights Indian Motorcycle's Sport Scout RT, designed for smaller riders seeking a light tourer, and Kawasaki's KLE 500 models, which offer off-road capabilities at competitive prices. The episode showcases the evolving landscape of motorcycle manufacturing and exciting options for enthusiasts.

Earlier episode covering some new bikes: Motorcycle Industry Changes: What to expect in 2026

Transcript

Niels: 0:00

The 82nd edition of EICMA is in the record books. So what is new? Welcome to the Throttle and Roast podcast. I'm your host, Niels Meersschaert. EICMA 2025 has wrapped and there are several new models introduced, some that were expected and others that were complete surprises. We'll cover them in this episode. So let's start with Ducati. Now, we did cover a lot of new models that Ducati had already announced before EICMA in a previous episode, and I'll link that in the show notes. But the big thing that has happened at EICMA was the introduction of the Hyper Motard V2. Now, this has the same engine as the Monster V2 that was announced a few weeks back. And if you prefer the Supermoto style, this is definitely the bike for you. And if we think of it more broadly, what Ducati has brought to the table is really taking their V2 engine and bringing that across the board into more of the bikes that they have. They've also have the V4 RS line that they've put into things like the Diavel and into the Multistrada. And both of these are really the higher performance type of engines and capabilities from a suspension perspective that they brought into some of their bikes. So you really have kind of the more entry-level, if you will, V2 bikes and then the cream of the crop in the V4 RS. And that's kind of the story of Ducati in the past few weeks. Now, another one that I do want to cover is CFMoto. Now, if you're not familiar, CFMoto is a Chinese motorcycle manufacturer, and they've been getting a little bit more traction both in Europe and in North America. they are announcing now, with EICMA, a new flagship ADV called the 1000MT-X. Now, visually, this looks a bit like a Triumph Trophy or maybe an Aprilia Tuareg. Here in the US, though, we won't be getting this larger 1000MT. We do max out on the 800, which visually does look quite similar. In fact, you can see the design style across the entire CFMoto line. But we're going to max out on the 800. And the interesting thing is that there's some different model names depending upon the market. In the US market, it's called the IBEX, whereas in most of the rest of the world, it's 800MT or 1000MT depending upon the engine capacity. And if you're looking for something that is a larger than mid-size ADV, but you don't want to spend the cash on that premium European manufacturer like Triumph, Ducati, KTM, or even BMW, this could be a really good option. And it's nice to see some other manufacturers coming on the market that keeping the costs for motorcycling a little bit more affordable. So nice to see this change. Now, I do want to cover Indian Motorcycle. Of course, Indian has recently announced that they are going to be being sold, often to private equity. But that doesn't mean that they are not continuing to think of new models and bringing them to market. And the Indian Sport Scout RT brings the looks of the Sport Chief RT to this smaller Scout platform. And if you want a light tourer with hard locking bags and prefer the looks of the Scout over the larger Chief, this could be a really good option. I really like the looks of the Scout platform and it has some decent performance, especially from a cruiser-style motorcycle. The only issue with the smaller Indian is the ergonomics. At 6'4", the smaller frame is just way too cramped for me. And then that clamshell feeling just with the forward controls just makes it bit too uncomfortable for me. However, if you're a smaller rider, this could be another great option and it could fit you perfectly. So let's switch to Kawasaki. Now, the Japanese manufacturers have always had some good, solid, well-priced offerings. And now Kawasaki is offering an even smaller capacity model to get those looking for a good ADV bike with the KLE 500 and the KLE 500 SE. Now, these appear to be a bit more off-road ready than the Verys models that we've had before, which were really more of a tall rounder. They're ADV styling, but not necessarily meant for going off-road. Whereas these, the KLE 500 and 500 SE, both come with a 21-inch front wheel, which does tend to suggest it's meant for a little bit more true off-road capabilities. The beauty of these particular bikes is in their pricing. The base model's gonna be coming in at $6, 500 but you can also opt for the SE which gets you a little bit of a taller windshield, some reinforced hand guards, a bigger skid plate, LED lighting, and a 4.3 inch TFT display for that extra $1, 000 to bring the price up to about $7, 500. But if you think of this, this is a pretty good buy to be able to get a good quality, offroad capable, ADV bike. May not be the biggest engine that's out there, but it will still get you onto two wheels and off of the beaten path. So that's the real beauty. Now Royal Enfield has been on a tear, introducing a ton of new models and the beauty of these bikes is almost like the same story that we think of when we hear about brands like CFMoto. They're getting really good quality bikes but at a far more affordable price point. In fact, there's not a single model within the Royal Enfield line today that is over $10, 000 to buy. Now the beauty of these bikes is they look phenomenal. They've got a great retro styling. So if you love Triumph but didn't want to pay Triumph prices, here you're getting the advantages of manufacturing in India And they've sort of taking a little bit of a step with some of their older models that were really perfect for the Indian local market where they were smaller in terms of capacity and adding something that has a little bit more of a, if you will, supersized variant. And this year is no different. The Bullet now gets a 650cc variant. And within both the North American and European markets, we often tend to consider 650cc being kind of the minimum for motorcycles that you're going to plan to use outside of urban-only use cases. And this is because as you get into highways, you're going to need a little bit more oomph than maybe a 200 or 300cc bike will be able to support for you. Now probably one of the most anticipated bikes for EICMA comes from BMW, and this is the F-450GS. And in fact, when I first saw the F-450GS concept bike, I have to admit I was smitten. It looked like BMW was finally going to be offering an off-road focused model, but with a smaller capacity engine, as the big ADV bikes are often way too overpowered in real off-road riding conditions. And I wasn't alone. In fact, many GS riders thought this could be a good pairing with their larger GS. And with all the woes that were going on at KTM, they could have a good off-road And from a brand that was pretty much likely to be sticking around for a while. Now, if you like the design language of the R-1300GS with that X headlight, you'll love the looks of this F-450GS, especially on the BMW Motorsport colorway. It has a parallel twin motor, which is unusual in engine capacity size, and can make for more of a smooth engine feel as compared to a single-cylinder thumper engine. Now, 48 horsepower isn't a ton, but it is plenty for real dirt. So I have to say it's a bit sad when we look at what was actually launched at EICMA. It ends up being a little bit more of a collective meh. The front wheel is just 19 inches, just like the larger R-1300GS. And worse yet, there's just seven inches of suspension travel front and rear. This is a light dirt road bike, not the off-road focused ADV that many of us had hoped for. And when you look at the older 310GS, it makes sense that this is really just a refreshed version of that bike, having more of an off-road look and modern styling, but none of the specs to back it up. So who is the 450 GS for? Well, if you have an A2 license in Europe, and you want a bike that looks like the R1300GS, but is smoother than a single cylinder engine, and you never plan to take the bike actually off-road, this is great. You get the styling, you get the looks of the bigger GS in a package that will still work with your A2 license, because it's only 48 horsepower, and it's enough for you to be able to do as a good beginner. but if you want to take your GS off-road, there's really only one option for real capability, and that's the F900GS. I'm still hoping that there's going to be another version of the F450GS that will give us more suspension travel, plus a 21 inch front then we'd have this lighter F900GS that I think so many GS enthusiasts were hoping for. But given even this street-oriented version, the F450GS won't be on the market till 2027, we'll probably have to wait just a little bit longer. Now, Norton was a famed British brand that fell on hard times and actually disappeared for a number of years. The efforts to restore it led to some financial mismanagement and quite frankly, pension fraud. Now it's been owned by the Indian maker TVS for the past several years. And as they've been restarting production and bringing new models to the market, we've been getting some new interesting excitement coming in with the Norton brand. And one of the most exciting was announced at EICMA with the MANX R. Now, this new superbike features a V4 engine. And perhaps the best thing about this bike is the move away from all of the extra aero bits brands like BMW and Ducati have been adding to their superbikes. And while those no doubt help at the track, I always thought the placement of those extra wings on a street bike just seemed silly. It was just another thing that, hey, someone's going to bang into in the parking lot and break off and then you have thousands of dollars worth of damage. I don't need that in a road going bike for the track. Sure. No problem. Road going. Not really a big But now here the MANX R cleaned it up and gives a really handsome sport bike style. And better yet, rather than just reskinning an Aprilia RSV4, as Norton had been doing in the past few years, the MANX R has an in-house built 1200 CC V4 engine producing 206 horsepower. But the torque curve looks to be the real world usable with a peak running between five and 10,000 RPM. The bike also tunes the suspension for real road feel rather than having a track optimized hard suspension. And this is, I think, that change from like the BMW S1000RR, the M1000 variant of that bike and some of the other Ducati bikes. They're amazing track weapons. But when it comes to real world use on the street, they're just a little too high strung. And this is a chance where Norton, I think, is really taking an angle and saying, "Hey, let's produce a bike for people to actually use on real roads." And we'll see if this blend pays off. But in a world of super bikes that are more powerful than usable on real worlds, This could be the balance needed to bump up the sport bike market. And from a brand that has a long history in performance. So let's switch to Triumph. Now we did cover the modern classics. Some of the announcements that had come in previous to EICMA in an earlier episode. And I'll be linking to that in the show notes. This is the same episode where we discussed some of the Ducatis. the short story, of course, with these bikes is that they've been updated with lean, sensitive electronics, LED lighting, and USB connectivity. And along with some other tweaks for design on certain pretty much in the Scrambler line. The bigger story to me, though, is the Trident 800. Now the Trident name in recent models began with a 660 and had both a naked bike and a tall rounder variant. while both of these bikes have been solid options, for some a 660cc engine may have felt too much of a compromise, too much of beginner bike. Well, the Trident 800 has 113 horsepower with 62 foot-pounds of torque and this represents a good bump from the 81 horsepower and 47 pound feet of torque from the 660. Now I've said in the past, I think around 100 horsepower makes for a perfect street bike. You've got plenty of power to ride in a very spirited manner without so much power that you're left wishing for being at the track instead of on the street because you're just, you're on the throttle and then you're immediately off of it because you've run out of road. Now the Trident has been an interesting middle ground for Triumph. It's not quite as retro as the Bonneville line, nor as ultra modern as the Speed Triple. In a way, it's quite similar to the Ducati Monster, a good all-around naked bike with plenty of go for the corners. And the Trident 800 has a slight edge on horsepower over the new Monster V2. It's 113 versus 110. But it is a little bit down on torque with 62 versus 67. And this isn't unexpected with a triple versus a twin. But it is a fairly small difference overall. In fact, you're talking about basically a rounding between the two bikes. you're not going to be upset with either option. Now, the Ducati fully fueled is expected to weigh somewhere around 410 pounds, while the Triumph is claimed to be 436. So again, this is close enough that they will both be competitive to one another between the two bikes. So ultimately, yeah, the Ducati is maybe a little bit lighter than the Triumph. And given the almost exactly the same power figures, it might be ever so slightly quicker. But we're talking about like a 5% difference in weight. It's for most riders, you're not going to notice that. So the real thing is by the one you prefer the looks of, but it's great to have a couple of options in this modern middle ground, naked bike space. A lot of the announcements that are at EICMA this year have been in the ADV world. And that's no surprise given the global popularity of that category of motorcycles. Ironically, the Kawasaki 500e seems to be more off-road capable than the BMW F450GS. So that was a bit of a surprise to me. But if there is one bike that I was most surprised and excited by, it had to be that Triumph Trident 800. This bike comes right in that sweet spot of power and has a modern but clean look to And for those riders who feel that the Speed Triple might be just too far out there for them, this new 800 and the Ducati Monster V2 could be some great options, especially if you're not all into the ADV bikes. And so my question for you this week is, which bike are you most excited at that's going to be coming out in 2026? Share your thoughts through the text to show link in the show notes, or leave a voicemail at throttleandroast.com slash voicemail. Thanks for listening. I'll talk to you next week.