EICMA 2026

Hardwrkr13

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Anyone see something new that tickles your fancy?

The Himalayan 750 looks nice for what it is, albeit heavy.

The Africa Twin Enduro looks nice and should do well.

CFMoto really upped their game with new Adv models and an actual Superbike.
 
Yaas!

I've been binging EICMA videos all week long.

Top of the list of interesting bikes for me is the Panigale V4 SP.

Panigale_v4_SP.jpg


IMO, it's the Panigale for people who are more serious about tracking it compared to R owners. There are only two reasons why people buy an R with the WSBK-constrained 1000cc engine: it's a collector's item, or they are actually racing it in a FIM-sanctioned SBK series.

The SP uses the larger displacement 1103cc base Pani V4 engine in it. Same power, less stress. No need to adhere to homologation rules for track days, and that engine can be ridden and revved over and over again every session without a rebuild after every race - because it's not being raced.

Also, I've been pricing out V4Ss and they've made the SP very price-competitive if you opt for every tasty upgrade they've incorporated in it. A V4S with the OE dry clutch, fully adjustable racing rearsets and carbon wheels works out to be more expensive than the SP with all those components stock. A good deal - if such a thing were to exist on anything with a Ducati badge on it...

And you get the cool Winter Test Livery and the R's fairing with all the racing aero bits in it. Debatable whether the humongaloid wings are actually an upgrade, but the cornering side pods and front brake ducts are kinda cool.

Speaking of wings, CFMoto with their V4-SR RR RRR RRRR with the "adaptive aero" is quite a party trick:


I was Today-Years-Old when I learned that unlike MotoGP, active aero is actually allowed in WSBK. Since 2021! huh.

Not sure anyone is actually using them currently though.

Another bike of interest is the Desmo 450 Rally.

DucatiDesmoRally-2-2048x1365.webp


Not really a factory offering though. It's an aftermarket special by Rebel Garage. They are only producing 35 examples, meant for Dakar Rally entrants. Similar to KTM's 450 Rally. I called this over two years ago, when the 450cc engine first debuted! :D

I got a chance to ride a similarly-equipped Desmo 450 MX earlier this year with the Rally tank and tower. Did not have that huge tablet, but was still nicely modded.
 
Anyone see something new that tickles your fancy?

The Himalayan 750 looks nice for what it is, albeit heavy.

The Africa Twin Enduro looks nice and should do well.

CFMoto really upped their game with new Adv models and an actual Superbike.
Honestly....no, and perhaps most disappointingly I see ABSOLUTELY NOTHING that would motivate me to pry open my wallet, or even go to a dealer to get a closer look. Every year there's at least something that warrants a look, but not this year.

The RE Himalayan 750 is fine, as is their cafe racer version, the KTM 690 Rally is also nice, and I like the traditional red, white and blue decoration of the Africa Twin.

The marketing for adventure bikes always features wide open vistas of deserts or wide-ish mountain trails with highly skilled riders performing long, lurid slides, the occasional wheelie or jump, while the reality here in Southern Ontario is far different and more enjoyable (for me) on something smaller and lighter.

I think I may have aged out of the new bike market at 61. I associate value with some modern tech and am willing to pay extra for it, ABS, a couple ride modes (or not), cruise control, bluetooth coms and that's about it. All the other guff, no thanks.

Servo controlled directional lighting, electronically adjustable suspension, multi-level, infinitely adjustable traction control, lidar controlled safety features and on and on add nothing to my enjoyment or significantly (enough) to the utility of the bike to offset the extra complexity, weight and most significantly the cost of a new model.

There are literally thousands of lightly used motorcycles for sale close enough to me to satisfy every possible interest I may have, whether it's an adv, an off-road bike, a mild dual sport, or a touring bike for that long continent crossing/circumnavigating trip and I could scratch a couple of those itches with money left over for the MSRP of one new bike.
 
The new Ducati Desert X Rally is the only thing on offering that I would be interested in selling my 1290SAR for only because I'm considering downsizing and there's currently nothing in the 900 range that I'm truly interested in.
 
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