BY ZAPATA ESPINOZA CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Whether it ’ s been strolling through Piazza San Marco in Venice or walking into the massive entrance hall at the Fiero Milano convention center to attend the annual EICMA motorcycle show , the same question has always raced through my mind , “ What must it have been like to be here back-in-the-day ?”

Keeping in mind that Marco Polo was born in Venice in 1254 , thinking about a day in the life in that majestic city of canals indulges a grand history of almost a thousand years . Did they even have pizza back then ? For EICMA , their sweep of history “ only ” extends 119 years , but imagine what a day it must ’ ve been to stand among so many moto-crazed Italians attending that first show in 1914 ! Even more compelling , just think about the state of two-wheeled technology that was on display .

Fast forward to 2023 , and the EICMA trade show remains the crown jewel on the bike show calendar . Although many grumble about the cost / benefit ratio of participating in public exhibitions , I ’ d venture that they ’ ve never attended the Milano show or have simply chosen to remain ignorant of its unbridled success . Either way , given a reported five-day attendance figure ( two days are industry only ) of more than 550,000 people , don ’ t tell the EICMA crew that the day of big public shows is over ! Inside the eight massive halls were over 2,000 brands ranging from 45 countries . And spotted within the aisles could be everything from state-of-the-art MotoGP bikes , ADV bikes of all sizes , every moto accessory imaginable and a plethora of start-up e-bike brands .

WHAT ABOUT THE BIKES ? Once the place to see an abundance of motorcycles representing every known category , the EICMA show has shifted to reflect the most popular consumer market trends over the years . Street bikes continue to play a central role , but the adventure bike was once again the ascendant theme . And apart from the usual players , there were some head turning new models from brands looking to plant their flag in the ever-growing dual-sport market . One segment that still appears in flux is that of e-moto . While there was no shortage of new names in the game , the category remains decidedly lean among the major players .

Chief among the newbies would include the re-vamped Royal Enfield Himalayan that ’ s advanced from a five-speed , air-cooled 411cc powerplant to a new water-cooled

The winner for the best-looking and most talked about model was Yamaha ’ s race-inspired XSR900 GP based on the popular MT .

The Rocket One is a futuristic highperformance electric motorcycle .

452cc mill with a six-speed transmission . Perhaps the most unique thing about the Himalayan is that it ’ s offered in five colors .

Highlighting the growing strain of ADVinspired scooters was the new CV-L6 maxiscooter from Kymco . Replete with a 550cc , liquid-cooled , fuel-injected parallel-twin engine that delivers a claimed 51 horsepower , the CV-L6 brings enhanced performance credibility with its radially mounted , dual

A plethora of ADV bikes were on display at EICMA ’ 23 , including those from MV

Agusta , Kymco , Honda and more .

Brembo front brakes and a complete set of built-in hard bags from Givi .

However , it didn ’ t take more than an hour into the first day of the show when MV Agusta set the stage for all ADV bike hype when they had four-time Dakar Rally champion Edi Orioli pull the drape off their beautiful , limited edition “ luxury all-terrain motorcycle .”

Dubbed the MV Agusta LXP Orioli in honor of Orioli ’ s Dakar wins aboard the bike ’ s earliest Cagiva Elefant predecessor , only 500 autographed models will be produced . Powered by a 931cc inline triple , as you ’ d expect , the MV Agusta features a wide array of start-of-the-art electronic power and navigation aids , all wrapped in a quasi-Lucky Strike livery of old . The word in the aisles was that a production version of the bike will be released later in 2024 as the Enduro Veloce .

AS FOR THE MX SIDE Despite EICMA ’ s best effort to keep the motocross spirit alive by promoting their own MotoLive supercross races during the show , the motocross market is probably the least represented at EICMA . Still , there was plenty of anticipation among moto fans of getting a firsthand look at two of the latest MX entries from two of the most unexpected brands . Although plenty of video action has been seen and a brief halftime show at the World Supercross round at the Los Angeles Coliseum , the public has yet to

See EICMA , Page 4

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