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EICMA 2018 News & Trends
Electrifying!
The electric "Gold Rush" is on:
Harley-Davidson goes electric – so do a lot of other manufacturers and
start-ups. But did anybody state where the charging power will come from?
By Horst 'Motographer' Roesler
EICMA 2018 is over. The news are on the table
– and some of them sound impressive: 200+ km motorcycles with a proposed range
of 200 km and more. Well, electric-powered, of course. Electric powered Design
studies running wild all over the fairground and one of the worlds most iconic manufacturers
introduces his first series production electric motorcycle – without revealing
any of the essential technical infos. Conventional combustion engine powered
surprises came from unexpected sources, as Royal Enfield landed a scoop by
introducing a very stylish V-twin powered concept bike that got great attention
at a very crowded launch ceremony. Very visible: The almost complete absence of
the "custom" theme! Wich certainly does not signal that this segment
has passed its zenith, but that EICMA
has decided to ignore a huge part of the market. Other Italian events seem to
have made EICMA to drop the theme, opting to hype the rise of electric
transportation. If that will continue, we will see in a very near future: When
the price tags of some of these vehicles will be uncoverd…
For one of the most expected press conferences of this years EICMA, Harley did not make much fuss about its premiere: The "Live Wire" was standing uncovered on its display all day, long before the press conference was held under jammed conditions at 2.50 pm in the afternoon – and even then there was much more to see on the short promotion video clip than what was told about the upcoming "Live Wire", the prototypes/concept bikes already introduced four years ago. Harley's attitude to the public and upcoming new motorcycles has somewhat changed considerably: Obviously, somebody "up top" has decided that it might be better to evaluate the public opinion by launching concepts, ideas and even ridable pre-production motorcycles, rather than "surprize" with a finished product that have a potential to "backfire" on the brand by being ingnored by not only the home market but also by it's home market dealers: The V-Rod is an example for that and the development of the "Live Wire" with extensive test and promotion tours in 2015 was the first glimpse onto the "new era" which may lead to the needed new clients to enter Harley-land. However, the short paced press presentation by Marc McAllister, Vice President of Product Planning and Portfolio made it neccessary to listen carefully and read "between the lines".
While it was revealed that more and smaller
e-bikes are "under devlopment" and a short film clip showed the
recently presented "concept bikes" already in action, the information
on the "Live Wire" performance and technology was next to zero. No
information on range, capacity, speed, charging time or even an idea of the the
price. January 2019 is the promised date for more, let alone the start of
availability.
Looking at the other "electric
marvels" presented at EICMA, the price tag might become the real shocker,
since the current EU-imposed 25% added import tax (to the normal 6%) are still
in place, also applying to electric motorcycles coming from the USA. Currently,
Harley-Davidson is "swallowing" the added 25% which eat-up all
synergy-effects from improved production methods with the M8 models – for how
long remains to be seen. However, with only 250 Harley-Davidson dealers world
being selected for the launch of the all-electric hog, it remains to be seen
how many of them will be in Europe and where. The "Live Wire" will
require a complete new type of mechanic, qualified to deal with the electric
systems and components of the "Live Wire".
The second part of
Harley's PR show presented the 2018 "Custom King" award winners and
handed the throphy to the exited winners: From the
three 2018 finalists, it was "The Prince", built by Harley-Davidson
Bangkok, that received the crowning to "Custom King" 2018. 300
dealers from 30 different countries worldwide participated in this years
competition, Thailand was in the competition for the first time. HD Bangkok
also used the new 2018 "Street Bob" as base for a "back to the
roots" chopper.
Other than last year,
where the winners were picked out from almost 20 European Custom King
competitors present, this years display was down to three bikes, yet two of
them from the other side of the planet. Battle of Kings finalist "Back to
the Track" by Harley-Davidson Adelaide (Australia) is based on a 2018 XL
"Roadster" as a tribute to Australia's Sportster Race series of the
nineties. The fairing design was inspired by the then also racing VR 1000.
Local "favourite" for the Italian
crowd: Original a 2018 model year M8 "Street Bob", the "Farm
Machine" of Harley-Davidson Bologna has many characteristics Italian
customizers love. Old School look, great theme and style-fitting Jeep tires
front and rear, the "Farm Machine" was sold before built to a Farmer
outside Bologna.
The trophy ceremony of the "Custom
Kings" 2018 also marked the start of the 2019 competition: This time the USA
will be "in the race" for the crown too. Contrary to all previous
competitions, there is no restriction on which model to use as a base. That
will be interesting, to say the least...
With the FTR 1200 "out of the box" at
Intermot already, Indian now opens the pages of the accessories catalogue: Four
different "characters" for the FTR are optional, even a
"touring" version! From the basic two models, four new styles,
achieved by accessories were introduced by Steve Meneto: Rally, Tracker,
Touring and Sport themed accessories convert the stock FTR. Interest by the
European dealers was huge and some of them are already working out their own
parts: Swiss CCE partner Patrick Mayer (PM-Performance) is already working on
his own ideas on customizing the FTR and may present them at Swiss Moto in
February. For those who have a long-term memory, it should be remembered that
Polaris Industries bought the electric
motorcycle business assets of Brammo in January 2015, added the
"Empulse" to its Victory lineup, subsequently to be cancelled
together with the entire brand surprisingly in January 2017. With
"Brammo" one of the most advanced e-motorcycles at that time, it
would not be surpring to hear from them anytime soon. If the name
"Wakinyan Hoton" has been trademarked, it would be a sign: It is
Indian language for "Lightning creates Thunder".
Stealing the show at EICMA was India's
Royal Enfield who hammered the press with a late tuesday press conference that
was really crowded: The surprise "scoop" of this
years EICMA was the premiere of Royal Enfields V-Twin concept bike. Although
the new Twin-powered models are now hitting the roads in numbers for a very
competetive price, the brand has enough "steam" to pursuit new ideas
and designs. The last V-Twin by Royal Enfield, then still produced in England
was the KX of 1938, also present at the unveiling. Developed from
scratch in just six months during the summer, the Concept KX was inspired by
Royal Enfield's original Model KX of the late 1930s, a mighty, 1,140cc side-valve
machine that was described in contemporary advertising material as being 'the
last word in luxury motorcycling'. With the new twins now hitting the
dealerships for a very competetive price, the Royal Enfield ‘Concept KX’ is
said to remain a 'concept', taking pride of place at the very front of the
Royal Enfield marquee at EICMA 2018 – and is not intended for production. Not
yet?
All Royal Enfield twins were available on a
short test track. The twins offer a lot of motorcycle for a cheap price and are
real fun to ride. It does not need much horsepower to have the "motorcycle
feeling". Enfield's 650 Twin Salt Flats record bike came fresh from the
Motorcycle Speed Trials 2018. The spec sheet revealed surprising facts: The
engine internals had been modified with numerous parts by ... S&S Cycles!
Top speed at Bonneville was 241 km/h. The "Midas Royal" by Winston
Yeh was another "Joker" in the 2018 EICMA scoop of Royal Enfield. The
Taipei/Taiwan based "Roughcrafts" top-customizer used carbon parts to
race-style the "Continental GT" base. Ideas for a limited edition are
there, but remain to be confirmed. But it was the KX concept V-Twin that stole
the show from all other Royal Enfield news, no doubt about that!
More V-Twins of British origin, yet now
manufactured abroad, were to be seen a few meters further on: Adding to last
years "Pendine" Scrambler and the already in production SS 100,
Brought Superiour is preparing for the upcoming 100th anniversary of the brand
in 2019. With a stylish SS 100 MK 2, limited to 100 units, they added another
"high end" accent to the handcrafted beauties that are build to
customer specifications near Bordeaux/France.
For the massive number of electric powered
premieres and concept bikes by new and established manufacturers only the most
remarkable are listed here: Even Ducati has now electric bicycles in its
portfolio and the classic Vespa is also available in e-version.
The press release text of the co-operation
between Energica and Samsung "Bolid-e Smart Ride" is full of
"hot air" that you may use it on any combustion engine and partially
reads like a nightmare scenario from George Orwels "1984". Quote: "by activating the Track Recording
function, it is possible to virtually relive the emotions of the journey on
your Samsung Smart TV thanks to videos recorded by the built-in cameras on the
motorbike and data captured by the smartwatch. In addition, using Smart Ride,
the Energica riders can share their passion with friends through the Track
Sharing and Key Sharing features. With a view to guaranteeing safety that is as
effective as possible, Samsung and Energica have implemented a remote
monitoring system to track the motorbike when it is used by several people. It
is possible to display on a map the current position of the user and her/his
Energica motorbike, define a range within which the motorbike can be used and
get notified when it goes too far away". End quote. Safe new world.
The police will thank you too for recording your riding style and speeds for
sure!
The Kymco "SuperNEX" Supersport bike
was one of the surprises in electric motorcycles and follows closer to the
"conventional" motorcycle traditions: It has a 6-speed gearbox! This
6-speed transmission allows riders to make use of the most optimal power band
of the motor to extract the full potential of the vehicle. The gears help
improve not only the efficiency and responsiveness, but also the acceleration
and top speed. As a result, SuperNEX can go from 0 to 100km/hr in 2.9 seconds,
from 0 to 200km/hr in 7.5 seconds and from 0 to 250km/hr in 10.9 seconds. Well,
if your country allows such a speed...
One of the bikes not to be missed was
the British origin Arc "Vector" electric
motorcycle, boasting 95 kW for a top speed
of 241 kph at ranges of around 200 km! That sound like a e-motorcycle you can
use, especially when hearing that Arc Vehicle estimates that their battery
cells will offer 193 km of motorway (supposedly on British speed limits) and
274 km of city range. But first check your purse, the proposed price has been
given as € 117k – that may dampen the exitement a little bit...
Somewhat hidden in a remote corner of
hall 22 was another option, yet less promoted for motorcycles: The
"Efesto" experimental bike features a 115 hp Ducati Twin plus 70 hp
electric motor. Probably the first hybrid motorcycle ever. Several riding modes
are possible, even as a combination of combustion/electric drive. And a single
cylinder engine was presented too.
As for the apparent lack of any
"Custom" or "showbike" part on EICMA, almost no Italian
Customizers were present, given the occasional promo bike as Livio Rebufini's
FXR at the Galfer booth and a Bagger promoting Grimeca brake discs. Only
exception from the rule: Parts Europe/Drag Specialties hit EICMA with the
biggest booth ever, lots of brand reps present and the PE/DS sales reps from
all over Europe arriving for the event. The annual team shot photo added up to
some 100+ persons! For the custom scene of particular interest: Rinehart
exhausts, Biltwell, JW Speaker LED headlights and S&S Cycles, the latter
proudly presenting the EC stamp on their slip-on mufflers.
Walking the six halls of EICMA 2018,
there is little doubt that the "Gold Rush" for electric motorcycles
is on, yet it is surprising how few people question the still downplayed
problems of the obviously glorified system "electric transportation".
"Glorified" by journalists and politicians that are neither bothered
by doubt nor scientific knowledge.
Yes, burning fossile fuel is using up resources
that took million years in the making – but if the energy for our rides
does not fall from the skys in form of wind, water or sun, electric energy will
by no means solve any of the current problems. Anybody who can read him or herself
into the problems of rechargable Lithium-Ion batteries – charging cycles,
operating temperatures, internal resistance – can only pray that real miracles
in technology are coming. Anybody who asks how many electric vehicles can be
supplied by his countries electric system will find the electric power
production capacity of his particular country in the internet. Mayby it can
transmitted (with the accompanying losses) in the national power grid? For suppliers
of electrical energy, electrical transportation is a god-given present, for the
charging status of the batteries has to followed all the time, accus heated or
cooled, depending on temperatures. Think about your motorcycle using up fuel
while it is standing or parked – and you always have to watch that the
fuel is not falling under a particular level, even when not riding. Welcome to
the environmental sound matter of transport – an "electrifying"
outlook. And with the money asked for the rides, you can ask yourself: Are you
wealthy enough to stay on two wheels?
Text & Fotos: Horst Roesler, Motographer
Impression of the EICMA 2018 - in Alphabetic order
Aprilia-
BardahlBuell
Experimental Bike: Bardahl Buell powered by H2O2
is planned to race for records!
BikerShop_
Biker shopping at EICMA? No problem!
BMW_
BMW booth at press intro.
Brixton_
Brixton BX 500: From a 125 cc brand to now bigger
500 cc singles.
Modern styling, british name and Austrian origin.
BroughS_
Adding to last years "Pendine"
Scrambler and the already in production SS 100, Brought Superiour is preparing
for the upcoming 100th anniversary of the brand in 2019. With a stylish SS 100
MK 2, limited to 100 units.
www.brough-superior.com
BST_Wheels_
Lightweight: BST Carbon wheels also introcuced
Ariel Motorcycles
CeraCarbon_
New: Cera Carbon Racing is offering carbon
sprockets and belt drives. New are their carbon/ceramic inner and outer fork
tubes that can either work as exchange or – with Öhlins cartridge – come as
complete fork.
A Quad manufacturer goes "two
wheels":
Austria based CF Moto introduced two models.
Austria based CF Moto introduced two models.
www.cf-moto.eu
ChangJiang_
Chang Jiang - greetings from China. And a
touch of "Afrikakorps"...
CustomSporty...
Few customized bikes graced this years
event...
DeliTire_
Not all bikes were ridable…
Ducati booth: The news and the girls.
And the surprise: Ducati goes electric with a bicycle!
And the surprise: Ducati goes electric with a bicycle!
DucCafeRacer...
Ducati Cafe Racer by "Ducati Design
Center"
e_Anlas_
Tire manufacturer Anlas presented this racer
e_Anlastire_
What may become an important issue, due to
EU/EC regulation madness: Anlass is one of the few manufacturers to offer
motorcycle WINTER tires! Otherwise, motorcycling in lower temperatures (and on
higher elevations in summer too?) will be outlawed. Were does this madness
stop?
e_ARC_
One of the bikes not
to be missed was the British origin Arc
"Vector" electric motorcycle,
boasting 95 kW for a top speed of 241 kph at ranges of around 200 km.
That sound like a motorcycle you can use, especially when hearing that Arc
Vehicle estimate that their battery cells will offer 193 km of motorway (on
British speed limits) and 274 km of city range. Check your purse, the proposed
price has been given as € 117k – that may dampen the exitement a little bit...
e_Caballero_s
Fantic is also experimenting with electric
motorcycles and mofas.
e_CortoCirc_
A co-operation between students of the Milan
IULM university is the "Corto Circuito" motorcycle, presented on the
"Dueruote" booth.
e_Ed1_
40 km range with the foldable ED-1 bike.
e_Energica_
Co-operation between Energica and Samsung:
Bolid-e "Smart Ride"
www.energicamotor.com
e_ItaliaVolt
No, it's NOT the "Live
Wire"! Italian Volt introduced its electric motorcycle, the ‘lacama’, as a
premium, fully-customizable bike which covers a spectrum of styles
for personal tastes: there are bespoke specifications between
a café racer, roadster, scrambler, with a personal theme. The Milan-based
company was founded by three partners, of which two – Nicola Colombo and Valerio
Fumagalli – hold a guinness record for the greatest distance travelled on an
electric bike. in 2013 they travelled 12,379 km from shanghai to Milan in 44
days, purely on green energy. their dream to build a bike to complement
this achievement resulted in "Italian Volt", with contribution from Adriano
Stellino, a designer who has worked with Lamborghini and Bertone.
e_Italjet_
Italjet electric bicycles
e_Nito
electric transport from Italy.
Nito also offers electric scooters.
www.nitobikes.it
e_Ottobike_
MCR2 electric motorcycle by Otto Bike.
e_Pursang_
New Spanish e-motorcycle manufacturer
"Pursang" introduced the "E-Street".
Sanyou electric foldable
Silence-O: Electric Pizza delivery – or is it
the battery? And the Police will come on quiet wheels too…
e_TCmax_
TC Max electric citybike
The classic Vespa design goes electric!
The surprise "scoop" of this years
EICMA was the premiere of Royal Enfields V-Twin concept bike. Although the new
Twin-powered models are now hitting the roads in numbers for a very competetive
price, the brand has enough "steam" to pursuit new ideas and designs.
"Midas Royal" by Winston Yeh was
another "Joker" in the 2018 EICMA scoop
of Royal Enfield. The Taipei/Taiwan based "Roughcrafts" top-customizer used
carbon parts to race-style the "Continental GT" base. Ideas for a limited edition
are there, but remain to be confirmed.
of Royal Enfield. The Taipei/Taiwan based "Roughcrafts" top-customizer used
carbon parts to race-style the "Continental GT" base. Ideas for a limited edition
are there, but remain to be confirmed.
EnfieldDemo_
All Royal Enfield twins were available on a
short test track.
The twins offer a lot of motorcycle for a cheap price.
The twins offer a lot of motorcycle for a cheap price.
Entrance sign: Future has just started…
Battle of Kings finalist "Back to the
Track" by Harley-Davidson Adelaide (Australia) is based on a 2018 XL
"Roadster" as a tribute to Australia's Sportster Race series of the
nineties. The fairing design was inspired by the then also racing VR 1000.
Original a 2018 model year M8 "Street Bob",
the "Farm Machine" of Harley-Davidson Bologna has many
characteristics Italian customizers love: Old School look, great theme and
style-fitting Jeep tires front and rear, the "Farm Machine" was sold
before built to a Farmer outside Bologna before it was created.
From the three 2018 finalists, it was
"The Prince", built by Harley-Davidson Bangkok, that received the
crowning to "Custom King" 2018. 300 dealers from 30 different
countries worldwide participated in this years competition, Thailand was in the
competition for the first time. HD Bangkok also used the new 2018 "Street
Bob" as base for a "back to the roots" chopper.
HD booth EICMA 2018
"Low Voltage" at the most watched
presentation of EICMA 2018: No "big ceremony" but great interest by
the press accompanied the introduction of the "Live Wire", four years
after the prototype concept bikes were presented. While it was revealed that
more and smaller e-bikes are "under devlopment" and a short film clip
showed the recently presented "concept bikes" already in action, the information
on the "Live Wire" performance and technology was next to zero. No
information on range, capacity, speed, charging time or even an idea of the the
price. Looking at the other "electric marvels" presented at EICMA,
that price tag might become the real shocker, since the current EU-imposed 25%
added import tax (to the normal 6%) are still in place, also applying to
electric motorcycles coming from the USA. However, with only 250
Harley-Davidson dealers world being selected for the launch of the all-electric
hog, it remains to be seen how many of them will be in Europe and where.
Some
products are just putting a smile in your face...
Honda booth
Husqvarna Viltpilen 701 "Aero"
concept bike
plus 70 hp electric motor. Several riding modes are possible!
Always great classic bikes on display: Display
of the Automotoclub Storico Italiano (ASI)
www.asifed.it
With the FTR 1200 "out of the box"
at Intermot already, Indian now adds the accessories catalogue: Four different
"characters" are optional, even a "touring" version! From
the basic two models, 4 new styles, achieved by accessories were introduced by
Steve Meneto: Rally, Tracker, Touring and Sport themed accessories convert the
stock FTR.
Indian-PatrickMayer-0003.jpg
And Swiss CCE partner Patrick Mayer
(PM-Performance) is already working out his own ideas on customizing the FTR.
On wednesday, some of the Italian top
designers of the motorcycle scene were present for handing out the
"Innovation Awards" to Italian students.
InSella booth motorcycle display
One of the most difficult museums to visit in
Italy displayed some of its massive collection: The "Museo Storico Delle
Motorizzazione Militare" in Rome is ONLY open Saturday from 9 am to 12!
Italjet brought back the "Dragster"
scooter and presented two 250 cc V-Twins
Kawasaki_
Kawasaki booth, shoes and news
1972 - 1976: The Z 900 History was present at
the Kawasaki display.
Wow! Z 900 RS Café Racer style
www.kymco.com
A "classic" is back: Lambretta
scooter
Milan impressions (sorry, they are from 2016, under
better weather conditions)
Mondial_
Mondial "Flat Track" and "Sport
Classic" HPS 300
Classic at the MV booth: MV Autocarro
Will "AI" create the new riders?
Where's the fun in that?
Oehlins booth with Shaw's HD custom.
2018 Drag Specialties display Chopper from the Drag catalogue.
The Rinehart exhaust systems team was
introducing their exhaust systems
to the European public.
to the European public.
Design first: Parillia electric bike
Surprise from France: Peugeot is back in the
motorcycle business!
Proto Sport BMW
Not all Itailan designs become mainstream:
Mario Trimarchi built his artbike "Samotracia" around a Ducati
"Monster".
If you aren't allowed to ride in town, you can
use your motorcycle virtually…
VeeRubber_...
Still the biggest: 360 Vee Rubber
Now an "Oldie": Vyrus Ducati concept
bike.
Not exatly a motorcycle with four wheels: The
XQuooder
Gooseneck style custom with 250 cc:
http://zeths.com/
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