In the wake of EICMA, there wasn’t much in the way of surprises at this year’s New York International Motorcycle Show. But the show was far from lackluster. This is the first time many of these bikes have made an appearance state-side, so we took a look at the best the NY IMS had to offer, in detail.
BMW
First unveiled at EICMA earlier this year, the F850 and its closely related sibling the F750 are important motorcycles for BMW. Small-to-mid-sized adventure bikes are gaining momentum as new and younger riders are discovering the world of ADV. The venerable R 1200 GS is geared toward more experienced riders and can be too large for the average rider. The F850, though, brings tech like BMW’s traction control, ABS and an optional TFT display.
Honda
The devil is in the details with the Africa Twin Adventure Sports. At first glance, there’s not much to separate the base model Africa Twin and this Adventure Sports variant visually, but put them side by side and the seriousness of the beefed-up Adventure Sports becomes glaringly obvious. Its longer travel suspension, larger tank, taller windscreen and higher ground clearance present a very aggressive yet still relatively affordable adventure bike.
Kawasaki
Kawasaki had the strongest showing at this year’s IMS with a total of five new models including the H2 SX and SX SE, ZX10R SE, Ninja 400 and Z900RS.
Royal Enfield
Royal Enfield’s modern revival has gotten off to a slow start in the States, Still, the Indian brand has managed to put together fairly attractive bikes. Royal Enfield motorcycles tend to be very simple bikes, so their high prices are the main issue. Overseas, the new Continental GT and Interceptor are attractively priced, but U.S prices still have yet to be announced — here’s hoping they become more attainable.
Suzuki
Suzuki had a few new, small-engined bikes on display, but the centerpiece was a yet-to-be-released scrambler based on the SV 650 that sported a unique paint job. Suzuki painted each side of the modern-looking scrambler with a different paint scheme so that show attendees can vote on which colorway is best. It’s not unreasonable to think Suzuki could bring both to market, but, regardless of the final decision, they absolutely must make that bike.
Yamaha
There may be a retro-wave sweeping the motorcycle industry at the moment — Yamaha even has a hand in it with the XSR 900 and 700. But the company is firmly heading into the future with bikes like the MT 10 and MT 09.
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