The Best New Motorcycles Live From Milan

The Best New Motorcycles Live From Milan - The Salone Internazionale del Motociclo in Milan, Italy, is the grand stage for launch after launch of new machines, riding gear, and performance parts that riders everywhere will be enjoying in spring. At this year's 69th edition, 1462 bike and aftermarket brands from 43 countries are showcasing their upcoming 2012 offerings. Here's a look at some of what's coming next year (though not necessarily to the American market U.S. distributors are not yet finished announcing their new-model lineups).

Aprilia SRV 850

Aprilia revealed the new SRV 850, the largest-displacement scooter on the market. Powered by a 90-degree V-twin with a claimed 76 hp (more than many motorcycles), it's built for longer trips than around the corner to the local trattoria. Aprilia claims a top speed of more than 120 mph. Larger-than-normal 16- and 15-inch wheels, fore and aft, roll over road irregularities with greater ease than the pizza-size hoops on teeny scooters. In menacing black, the SRV looks like it would be Batman's scooter of choice.

BMW C 600 Sport

Scooters are everywhere in Europe and Italy, including city sidewalks during congested commuter hours, and BMW has jumped into the market with its own take on step-through transport. The German giant known for its large motorcycles unveiled two mega scooters of its own, the C 600 Sport and the C 650 GT. Both are powered by advanced 650-cc parallel twin engines with CVT automatics and ABS.

They're capable for commuting and cross-country touring, with or without a passenger. The GT is the plush model with an available top-box storage container. The Sport is lighter, more aggressive-looking, and more athletic.

Ducati Panigale

Arguably the bike of the show, especially with the Milan location, is the 1199 Panigale. Ducati's unquestioned flagship is the basis for continuing the firm's Superbike championship heritage, and features its first truly totally new engine platform since the mother-of-all Pantah of the mid 1980s. The 1.2-liter powerplant is still a 90-degree V-twin with desmodromic valve actuation, but inside there are only a handful of components that have been used before.

The Superquadro mill is a monster, with 195 hp and more than 100 lb-ft of torque. Combine that with the bike's amazingly low claimed 388-pound wet weight, sans fuel, and the Panigale promises serious speed. Of course, it's still fuel-injected and liquid-cooled with four valves per cylinder. But this engine has a gaping, massively over-square 112-mm bore (with 60.8-mm stroke), and unusual for Ducati double overhead cams driven by chains (not by toothed belt or tower shaft) and an oil-bathed wet slipper clutch, as opposed to the usual dry type.

Also unusual, the engine is a stressed member of the chassis, dispensing with the typical steel-tube space frame. A cast aluminum monocoque connects the engine to the steering head and doubles as the airbox. And in another break in tradition for Ducati sportbikes, the mufflers move from the rear over the back tire to under the engine in front of the tire, for better mass centralization. With this completely new architectural rearrangement, the rear shock relocates from the middle of the frame to the left side, fully exposed and beneath the rider's leg. In addition, the rear cylinder's header pipe now has to loop around and back just over the rear tire.

Advanced electronics dominate the rest of the discussion about the Panigale. There are three selectable riding modes either Race, Sport or Wet that change engine mapping and power delivery, the intervention of the ABS (also a first for Ducati superbikes), the traction-control settings, the electronic quick shift, the engine brake control, the colored and digital instrumentation layout and, on the top-of-the-line models, the front fork and rear shock setup.

Three versions will be available: the 1199, the 1199S, and the 1199 Tricolore, with a red, white, and green paint scheme honoring Italy's 150th anniversary. The Panigale name is a reference to the city of Bologna, Italy: Borgo Panigale is the particular quarter that's home to the Ducati factory.

Honda Integra

Honda's DCT (Dual Clutch Transmission) debuted last year with the completely automatic and mini-paddle-shifting VFR1200F. Now Honda has four more bikes featuring the technology. You can twist the throttle and go, or select "manual" and use your fingers to switch up and down through the gears. With automatic transmissions dominating the car market, fewer people have experience with a clutch, and Honda is making it easier for those people to switch to manual transmission when they're on two wheels.

The Integra is perhaps the most interesting, as it's a cross between a scooter and a motorcycle. Not quite a step-through, and more of a step-over, the Integra has a sport-bike-like steel-diamond frame. That surrounds a lay-down, 670-cc SOHC in-line twin powerplant with a 270-degree crank for a more V-twin-like personality. Honda says the fuel-injected balancer and catalyzer-equipped scooter deliver excellent fuel economy and a 250-mile range. For everyday convenience, there are 15 liters of under-seat storage and a power socket for electronic devices.

Honda NC700S

Not everyone wants a scooter, so Honda is offering essentially the same 670-cc twin-cylinder DCT engine in two different motorcycle packages. The NC700S is a naked street bike with an upright riding position and steel-tube perimeter frame. The NC700X has styling reminiscent of supermoto machines or adventure-touring bikes, with a little off-road flavor to go with its longer-travel suspension. The lay-down engines offer more vertical space and, thinking of real-world convenience, both these bikes can stow a full-face helmet with the help of undercover storage where a fuel tank would normally be located. With both models, and an eye toward gas prices, Honda is stressing fuel economy and good range between fill-ups. And both bikes have Honda's Combined ABS, with computer-balanced front and rear braking.

Honda Crousstourer

With the Crosstour, Honda has a new flagship adventure tourer and the only V-four in this market segment. With longer travel suspension and styling that borrows from the off-road and Dakar Rally world, the Crosstour has a roam-almost-anywhere mission, making you feel like it could take on some dirt fire roads. The 1237-cc fuel-injected SOHC 76-degree powerplant is closely related to that first seen last year in Honda's street-going VFR1200F, and thrust gets to the rear wheel via shaft-drive. The Crosstour adds traction control, to assist the tires and rider in less grippy situations, but it can be switched off if desired.

That engine is located within a die-cast aluminum beam frame. Combined ABS takes care of stopping, and the wheels, while spoked, are shod with tubeless tires for quicker roadside repair work in case of a flat. There's an adjustable windscreen for comfort, and available hard saddlebags and a top trunk for hauling plenty of gear and clothes. The Crosstour is a rolling showcase for virtually all of Honda's production-bike technology.

Husqvarna Nuda 900

The formerly Swedish, now Italian but BMW-owned manufacturer, long known for serious off-road machines, is coming back to the street in a very big way. The company debuted its new Nuda 900 and 900R models in Milan. Supermoto in style, with an off-road riding position, longer travel suspension and a narrow, parallel-twin powerplant, either one of the appropriately named Nudas ("naked" in Italian) is built for serious back-road fun, commuting, and even some light touring with an optional luggage and windscreen package. The R model features more sporting-oriented suspension and brake components, as well as Husky's famed red and white racing colors, covering the bodywork's origami-like angularity.

Husqvarna Moab

Husqvarna also showcased its Moab retro concept scrambler. The 650-cc machine combines current and classic styling. The red and white paint, the ribbed seat cover, the chrome knee panels on the gas tank, and the cheese-grater exhaust shield all harken back to the Husqvarnas of the 1970s. But the engine and chassis are both thoroughly modern, and instead of a conventional light stuck in the front number plate, LEDs scattered on one side provide illumination. A huge poster of the late actor, racer, and rider Steve McQueen aboard an old Husky dirt bike looms large over the concept Moab at the Milan show.

Kawasaki Versys 1000

The big news at the Kawasaki display is a big adventure tourer. The Versys 1000 is larger than the long-running 650 version by nearly 400 cc (the new bike displaces 1043 cc), and the engine adds two cylinders. It's one of only two four-cylinder machines in the category. Kawasaki claims the DOHC, liquid-cooled, fuel-injected, 16-valve inline powerplant makes nearly 120 hp. A three-setting traction-control system keeps it in check. Cast-aluminum frame pieces hold it together, while a steel-tube subframe carries the seat and optional luggage bags. ABS is optional for the Ninja-style, wave-disc brakes. Longer-travel suspension helps soak up bad pavement, and a large, adjustable windscreen blocks the breeze. The big Versys was made for big versatility.

KTM 200 Duke

The Austrian bike builder, best known for its off-road racers and endurance machines, added more dirt bikes to its growing lineup as well as a couple of street-going models. With the 200 Duke road machine, KTM pumped up its smaller but still very advanced offerings that are aimed at entry-level riders or experienced enthusiasts looking for lightweight, economical fun. Last year at EICMA, it was the 125 Duke. The 200 offers more torque in the same modern, colorful naked bike package. The single-cylinder, DOHC, liquid-cooled, fuel-injected engine has a balancer shaft, six-speed transmission and catalytic converter.

KTM 690 Duke

The 200's bigger sibling, the new 690 Duke, has the same basic engine specs with nearly 500 cc more displacement and fly-by-wire throttle control. It's designed as a narrow, torquey, lightweight (a claimed 327 pounds without fuel) bike for commuting, light touring, and twisty-road giggle-generation.

KTM Freeride 350

Off-road, KTM has two new models going in a different direction than its usual race-oriented machines. Extremely narrow and light (KTM claimed 219 pounds minus gas) for its size, the Freeride 350 has a conventional gas-powered single-cylinder four-stroke engine. It's designed as an entry-level off-road play bike that's easy to ride. The composite-steel tube and aluminum frame forms the basis for a chassis that's part motocross, part trials machine.

KTM Freeride E

More groundbreaking than the Freeride 350 is the new Freeride E model, making KTM the first major motorcycle maker to sell an electric off-road motorcycle. In its spec sheets, KTM lists a 10-hp rated output for the brushless, permanent-magnet motor, and a maximum power of 30 hp. KTM claims that a full recharge of the removable lithium-ion battery takes just 90 minutes. Being nearly silent, without tail-pipe emissions, the Freeride E has the chance to be used where other dirt bikes might be forbidden.

Moto Guzzi V7

Moto Guzzi's longitudinal V-twin engines have existed for decades, in various forms and in various platforms, with few alterations. But this year in Milan, Guzzi brought out a thorough revision of its 750-cc powerplant that even looks new on the outside, with revised valve covers, protruding in the breeze as usual, and much greater head- and cylinder-finning for better air cooling. Compression is up a full point to 10.2:1 and, along with revisions to the Heron-type combustion chamber, plus bigger valves and updated fuel injection, so is the output, to a claimed 51 hp. There are three models for 2012: the V7, the V7 Special and the V7 Racer. The original Moto Guzzi V7 of 1970s fame is gone, but the concept remains alive all these years later in this modern-day retro bike.

MV Agusta Brutale 675

The famed Italian brand MV Agusta, once known for its total dominance of Grand Prix racing, continues its resurgence under new management. In Milan, the firm displayed its Brutale 675 naked street bike for the first time. Featuring an advanced inline triple, like that in the F3 concept machine shown here last year, the Brutale is a middleweight bike with an upright riding position. Both the Brutale and F3 sportbike have yet to reach full production and be released for sale. The duo feature very compact dimensions, starting with the tiny engine. MV expects these models to serve as its bread-and-butter machines, selling in larger quantities than its inline-four 1-liter bikes.

Triumph Explorer

No stranger to the adventure-touring market, Triumph pulled out its biggest such bike yet with the new 1215-cc Tiger Explorer, which draws 137 hp from its three-cylinder inline engine. Riders manage all that torque through ride-by-wire throttle control, multiple-setting traction control, and, on long, clear stretches, cruise control. Switchable ABS is a part of the electronics package. Shaft drive reduces everyday maintenance. The seating position is adjustable through moving the seat and handlebars; the windscreen is adjustable, too. And hard saddlebags and a top box are available accessories to stow all the rider's gear on long hauls.

Vespa Quarantasei

With Vespa being synonymous with scooter, it's almost expected that the firm will unveil something special in its Italian homeland motor show. The Quarantasei ("forty-six" in Italian) concept scooter has a modern style with retro flair that would look at home inside any of the high-end designer stores populating Milan's fashion district. It's downright elegant. With the Quarantasei, Vespa is making a hard turn away from the many cheap, gaudy, utilitarian scooters produced around the world, showing how beautiful and artistic that basic transportation could be. And, appropriately, the tail end of the Quarantasei draws clear inspiration from the wasp, which, in Latin, is "vespa."

Yamaha TMAX

Yamaha's TMAX is a big, 530-cc machine that can compete with many sportbikes on twisty back roads. This is a major update of this model, which still features a liquid-cooled parallel twin with four-valve heads. Sportbike brakes slow it down. It's certainly one of the best-performing scooters on the market.
Source: [Popularmechanics.com]