11/12/23
During the first week of November, the Cycle World staff sets their alarms many hours early, stocks up on strong coffee, and prepares for some very long days and nights writing furiously. This is EICMA, when information on most of next year’s models are released to the public. Presentation after presentation; press release after press release. Direct messages fly about: “Did you see that new Ducati?” “I call dibs on riding that Honda!” “What in the heck is that?” Taking in the flow of new model info is like drinking through a fire hose. Yet we love (nearly) every minute of it.
The 2023 edition of EICMA was faster and more furious than years previous. It seemed nearly every manufacturer had something new to show, even though a new pre-EICMA release strategy has been used by some to get ahead of the onslaught of info and to avoid getting lost in the rush. This coming year is going to be a good one for reviews and comparisons. There’s new tech like Honda’s E-Clutch found on its CB650R and CBR650R models. New players in the ADV space like MV Agusta and its renamed LXP Orioli and CFMoto’s 450MT parallel twin. Suzuki thrilled sportbike fans with the announcement of a third model powered by its superstrong parallel twin: the GSX-8R.
Displacement creep is alive and well at EICMA. KTM has bumped the displacement in its LC8c-powered Duke naked bike to 947cc—that’s a nearly 20 percent increase in just eight years. Kawasaki also gave its small Ninja and Z parallel twins more cubes, now named the Ninja 500 and Z500.
Not all bigger and newer models were achieved with just a new bore or stroke. Royal Enfield introduced an all-new Himalayan, replacing the 411cc air-cooled model with a liquid-cooled DOHC 452cc ADV sporting a modern chassis. But we knew this one was coming well ahead of the doors opening at EICMA as CW Editor-at-Large Blake Conner traveled all the way to India to ride the new Himalayan weeks before the release. Check out a first look of the 2024 Royal Enfield Himalayan here and Conner’s First Ride Review here.
As always, there’s more than we can fit into this email. Check out cycleworld.com for additional tests, reviews, and news.
Ride on,
Justin Dawes
Executive Editor
