Rennie Scaysbrook | November 15, 2024
The first few weeks of November were bangers for motorcycle fans worldwide, as EICMA 2024 saw plenty of new bikes and new tech from all the major players. Here are some of our favorites packaged up, and if you want even more details on each machine, just click on the photo of the bike.
It’s been 20 long years, but Suzuki finally revamped its DR-Z dual sport lineup for 2025 with two new iterations of the bikes that have gained a massive cult following.
The Suzuki DR-Z4S and the Supermoto DR-Z4SM feature a completely updated 398cc single-cylinder engine, now equipped with electronic fuel injection and the latest Suzuki Ride-By-Wire throttle body for smooth and precise power delivery. There’s an all-new steel twin-spar frame with an aluminum subframe, and a lightweight aluminum swingarm.
2025 Suzuki DR-Z4SM
Both new models feature the Suzuki Intelligent Ride System (S.I.R.S.), which provide advanced riding features like the three-mode Suzuki Drive Mode Selector (SDMS), a multi-mode Traction Control System with a dedicated Gravel (G) mode. Also included on both machines is ABS with selectable full or rear-only ABS-off modes, depending on the model.
New KYB fully adjustable suspension components are featured front and rear, and new performance-driven, model-specific tires are on both models. MSRP and the date of availability is yet to be announced.
Based heavily on the Tuareg 660 platform, the all-new Rally model gets more race-focused styling compared to the base model, which retains its standard low front-fender look.
The Tuareg Rally sports a thicker aluminum skid plate along with heavy-duty spoked gold Ergal wheels and tubed tires with the suspension setting turned to suit. Styling takes plenty of cues from past Aprilia racebikes such as those from the early days of MotoGP.
The seat is 20mm taller than the standard model accompanied by a taller handlebar bend. Newly updated handguards with metal cores complete the rider cockpit.
The Tuareg Rally’s 659cc parallel-twin pumps out a claimed 80 hp and 51.63 lb-ft of torque and, like many Aprilias for 2025, gets the new 52mm throttle body. At the rear, the Tuareg Rally sees a sporty SC Project titanium silencer that helps reduce the bike’s weight by a rather significant 11 pounds, which is good news for competitive off-road riding.
The go reaches the rear tire via a six-speed transmission and the Rally’s electronics include traction control, engine brake, cruise control and customizable riding modes
This bike is ready to compete in the middleweight ADV category alongside the likes of Yamaha’s Tenere 700, Honda’s Transalp 750 and Suzuki’s V-Strom 800 DE.
The Tuareg Rally is set to be available in May of 2025 with an MSRP of $14,499, $2500 more than the standard Tuareg 660 model’s price of $12,499.
As expected, Aprilia has unveiled the naked version of its excellent RS 457 sportbike to create the Tuono 457, thus making a perfect family of high performance nakeds and their sportbike brothers in the RSV4/Tuono 1100, and RS 660/Tuono 660.
Available in Puma Grey of the Piranha Red colorways, priced at $6599 MSRP and scheduled to arrive in dealers by April of 2025, the Tuono is very similar to the RS 457 in that it runs the same twin-spar aluminum chassis (the only one in its class), and the same parallel-twin motor that pumps out a claimed 48 hp at 9400 rpm and 32 lb-ft of torque at 6200 rpm.
The Tuono 457 gets a ride-by-wire throttle and three riding modes in Eco, Rain and Sport, ABS and traction control (not Cornering ABS/TC as there’s no six-axis IMU), and a five-inch TFT dash.
The suspension is the same as the RS 457 in the 41mm inverted fork and rear monoshock, both preload adjustable. Braking comes in the form of the ByBre four-piston front caliper gripping a 320mm disc and Bosch two-channel ABS system with dual-mapping, available either on both wheels or only on the front. Aprilia claims a dry weight 350 pounds, before you add the 3.4 gallon of go juice.
The Tuono 457 enters the market against bikes like the Yamaha MT-03, Kawasaki’s recently revamped Ninja 500, and the KTM 390 Duke.
Aprilia has not released price or availability for the 2025 Tuono 457.
Bimota will be making another comeback into WorldSBK competition in 2025 and have released photos (and sparse details) on their beautiful new KB998 Rimini.
The KB998 will be created with a limited production run of 500, the first 125 will be badged the Rimini and set to be completed by February 24, 2025; another 125 will be created by December 31, 2025; and the final 250 units will be created in 2026 to make up the 500-run homologation number required for the bike to race in the WorldSBK Championship.
Bimota’s MO are their beautifully crafted chassis and the KB998 is no different. Running a hybrid of a CNC-machined rear section that bolts the swingarm to the engine and rear suspension, the front half of the chassis to the steering head is tubular steel in the same fashion as many previous Bimota racers.
The KB998 will run a Kawasaki ZX-10RR motor donated by its company owners, so you can expect to have around 200 horsepower and 81 lb-ft of torque at your disposal.
Showa provides the suspension, mounted in very pretty billet aluminum triple clamps, and Brembo has fitted what look to be Stylema front brake calipers.
The switchgear has also been taken off the ZX-10RR, so there’s a good chance the base electronics on the KB998 will be the same as well. And, of course, there’s carbon fiber everywhere, with all body panels and intake using it for their construction.
No word on when (or if) the KB998 will make it to America.
Looking very much like the older brothers in the F 900 and R 1300 GS motorcycles, the F 450 GS will utilize a 450cc twin-cylinder motor punching out a claimed 48 hp via a six-speed gearbox.
BMW is cagey on the finer chassis details, other than to say the 450 has a tubular steel trellis chassis and will run enduro-spec, fully-adjustable inverted fork and shock.
“We were able to start the development of this vehicle with a clean slate. The aim was to enable excellent off-road capability and, at the same time, a nimble and precise handling on the road. Through the targeted use of lightweight construction and other state-of-the-art solutions, we can create a sensationally light vehicle close to the minimum weight requirement in the A2 class of 175 kg (385 pounds),” says Marc Weber, lead engineer of the BMW Concept F 450 GS.
Mission control will come via the 6.5-inch TFT display, but we’re not exactly sure which rider aids the 450 will come with.
“Following the very sporty off-road focus of the Concept F 450 GS, we will implement the bike as close as possible to this concept,” says Weber. “We will only adjust the seat height for better accessibility and easier handling. As an alternative to the cross-spoke wheels (19 inches front, 17 inches rear), lightweight but high-strength cast aluminum wheels in the same dimensions are also conceivable.”
Expect to see a production-ready version of the F 450 GS at next year’s EICMA Show in 2025.
Ducati has debuted a ground-up redesign of their Panigale V2, a model that will also come in a higher-spec V2 S. This is the first Ducati sportbike not to use Desmodromic valve actuation.
Ducati is claiming 120 hp at 10,750 rpm and 68 lb-ft of torque at 8250 rpm for the new V-twin, which marks a 30 horsepower and 9 lb-ft of torque reduction over the outgoing Superquadro motor that powered everything from the 748 right up to the last generation V2.
There’s also a massive weight reduction of 37.4 pounds over the outgoing machine, the new machine tipping the scales at 395 pounds (388 pounds for the V2 S).
The V2 and V2 S will use a monocoque frame, with the standard model utilizing a 43mm fully-adjustable Marzocchi fork and Kayaba shock, while the V2 S will get higher spec Öhlins NIX-30 forks and an Öhlins shock. The V2 and V2 S will also use Brembo M50 brake calipers.
The Panigale V2 comes with a six-axis IMU with features like cornering ABS with slide-by-brake, Ducati Traction Control, Wheelie Control, Engine Brake Control, and Ducati’s Quick Shift 2.0—the same as on the Panigale V4, standard on both the V2 and V2 S.
You’ll also get four riding modes in Race, Sport, Road and Wet, and the Panigale V2’s dashboard is a new five-inch TFT display with an interface inspired by the Panigale V4’s Infomode. It offers three view options: Road, Road Pro, and Track.
The new Panigale V2 will come in for an MSRP of $15,995, while the V2 S will set you back $18,995. Expect to see them in dealers late Q1, 2025.
The V100 Mandello range has only received some mild updates for the 2025 model year.
Top of the list is the expanding to three models in the V100 Mandello, the top-spec V100 Mandello S, and the new special-edition V100 Wind Tunnel, all of which are now Eur5+ compliant.
The V100 Mandello S will come with the Forward Collision Warning system and front radar, Blind Spot Detection and Lane Change Assist functions via the PFF Rider Assistance Solution electronics. If you decide to purchase the V100 Mandello or V100 Mandello Wind Tunnel models, you can buy the PFF system as an accessory.
The V100 Mandello Wind Tunnel has been created to mark 70 years of Moto Guzzi’s wind tunnel operation. They were the first to use the now ubiquitous aerodynamic machine back in the 1950s, long before the Japanese or even other Italian or German manufacturers thought it worthy to try out.
The V100 Mandello Wind Tunnel and the base V100 Mandello are the same save for the very flash red on black colorway on the Wind Tunnel, which is also equipped with the Öhlins Smart EC 2.0 semi-active suspension, an IMU, cornering ABS, and an up-and-down quickshifter for the six-speed gearbox as standard.
The Wind Tunnel model also includes the Moto Guzzi MIA multimedia platform, TPMS tire pressure sensor, heated handgrips, and the PFF rear radar is available as an aftermarket option.
Moto Guzzi North America has yet to confirm the prices or availability of any of the Mandello machines for 2025.
Honda has released the first details on what would be the first electronically supercharged motor in motorcycling history.
Packaged atop a brand-new 75°, liquid-cooled V3 motor, the concept uses an electric motor to spin a turbine, which increases air density for combustion. Essentially, it functions as a supercharger, though it isn’t powered by the engine’s crankshaft as is typical.
Unlike turbochargers, which use exhaust gases to pressurize incoming air, superchargers draw power from other sources, such as a belt drive or gear drive. Honda has taken the concept a step further by using electrical power to create the forced induction.
With the compressor powered by an electric motor, the layout is more flexible than a crankshaft-driven supercharger. Additionally, it doesn’t require an intercooler, contributing to a more compact design.
The electronic supercharger concept is not so new in the automotive sector, with Audi the first to use a similar design in their SQ7 TDI SUV back in 2017 when they bolted an electric blower to their four-liter diesel V8.
The Audi design used a 48V power source to provide the required spin of the impeller to make the required horsepower, a system that is obviously not going to work on a little V3 motor such as the unit in the Honda.
Honda’s answer would likely be to run a dedicated battery for the supercharger so the primary battery can be used for all normal electrical functions as it traditionally has. This has become possible with the advent of ultra-light lithium-ion batteries over the past decade, negating much of the potential weight gain associated with running two batteries.
Royal Enfield Classic 650
Royal Enfield introduced the Classic 650, what the company calls “a super-sized version of the iconic silhouette of Classics from the past. The new Classic 650 showcases the distinctive spirit of the Classic family but serves it up in a double measure.”
Propelled by Royal Enfield’s 650 Twin engine and sharing a chassis with the Super Meteor 650 and Shotgun 650, the Classic 650 stays true to traits of the Classic family, offering riders “a powerful new blend of old-school aesthetics and effortless power delivery.”
The Classic 650 will be offered in four color trims: Vallam red, Bruntingthorpe blue, teal and black chrome.
The Classic 650 will first be available in the UK, Italy, France, Spain and Germany, with the bike coming to North American markets in early 2025.
The latest edition from The Dark Side of Japan is the all-new 2025 Yamaha MT-07 with next-generation “Master of Torque” Hyper Naked styling and a range of performance and technological enhancements designed to “broaden its appeal for a wider range of riders,” says Yamaha.
Already known for its lightweight, agile handling and torquey CP2 engine, the all-new 2025 MT-07 takes a step up in specification with a new look and extensive chassis updates, which include a new USD fork and radially mounted brake calipers, along with a host of technological advances. Some of those advances include new YCC-T, YRC riding modes and switchable TCS, new Assist & Slipper (A&S) clutch, updated forks and shock, new radially mounted front brakes, a new TFT display and updated wheels.
The new 2025 Yamaha MT-07 will be available in Team Yamaha Blue, Matte Charcoal Black or Ice Storm, and will begin arriving to dealers in December for $8599 MSRP.
The BMW S 1000 RR remains for 2025, albeit in a slightly lower spec compared to the big daddy M 1000 RR.
BMW has left the engine alone for 2025, the inline four-cylinder producing an unchanged (claimed) 205 hp at 13,000 rpm and 83 lb-ft of torque at 11,000 rpm, although everything now complies with the ever-tightening Euro5+ emissions regulations.
The S gets revised aero via redesigned winglets on the side of the fairing, with downforce going up a claimed 13.2 pounds (like the M 1000 RR) to 50.9 pounds at 186 mph. Aiding the aero is the new brake cooling ducts integrated into the new front fender, which have been optimized for improved airflow around the forks and brake calipers. This reduces the brake temperature during track use and provides more consistent brake pressure.
You’ll also get the M’s new 58° quick action throttle, down from 72°, to get all that go juice the rear tire even faster.
The 2025 S 1000 RR will come in three colors: Basic in Black Storm Metallic, Style Sport in Bluestone Metallic and the M Package in Light White / M Motorsport graphics.
Expect to see the models in dealers in Q2 of 2025 with prices announced in the new year.CN
And here are more new offering we saw at EICMA 2024. Click the links to read more:
