Every year, EICMA descends on Milan, and the motorcycle industry collectively decides the world needs more horsepower, more electronics, and more aerodynamic winglets.
YouTube will duly bring us hundreds of videos of new bikes being sat on, presenters crouched by the front wheel or standing behind the bike like a priest at an altar, monologuing to the congregation.
But what about the stuff that makes you stop, scratch your head, and wonder whether someone in the R&D department had been left unsupervised until it was all too late?
Kawasaki’s Mountain Goat/Horse
Kawasaki has crossed a motorcycle with a horse and a mountain goat, and raised it on a diet of hydrogen.
Meet the Kawasaki CORLEO. It’s a four-legged robotic mobility vehicle, powered by a 150cc hydrogen engine that generates electricity to drive its robotic legs.
Kawasaki describes it as a new form of personal mobility, combining the off-road capabilities of four-legged robotics with the company’s motorcycle engineering department. The rider controls it by shifting their weight, rather like riding a horse.
The hydrogen is stored in canisters at the rear (queue the fart jokes), while the vehicle’s navigation system is intended to monitor weather, temperature, ground conditions and even the presence of wildlife.
A “navigation” system that seems to do everything but navigate. Apparently getting lost in the countryside wasn’t sufficiently complicated already.
Kawasaki brought a full-scale mock-up to EICMA, allowing visitors to appreciate the dimensions of this rather extraordinary contraption. The commercialisation target is around 2035.
That’s nine years to decide whether we actually want to ride a mechanical horse up a mountain.
It’s undoubtedly one of the show’s most unusual exhibits. Whether it represents the future of adventure motorcycling or the beginning of a particularly expensive game of Robot Wars remains to be seen.
The Compressed Three-Cylinder Honda
Honda’s V3R 900 E-Compressor is one of the more serious pieces of engineering on display, although it sounds like something dreamed up during a particularly enthusiastic department night out.
The 900cc, 75-degree V3 engine uses an electronically controlled compressor. Honda claims this is the world’s first application of its kind on a motorcycle, but I’m not so sure.
Somewhere in the back of my brain is Honda’s three-cylinder with a supercharger. I’m wrong of course … Honda’s previous supercharger efforts were with:
- A supercharged parallel twin: effectively half a VFR1200 V4, with a supercharger occupying the space normally taken by the rear cylinder bank
- A supercharged inline-four: with reversed cylinder architecture, a front-mounted intake, a rear exhaust, and a compact supercharger mounted low down in front of the crankshaft.
On the motorcycle at EICMA, the interesting bit is that the compressor isn’t simply driven by exhaust gases like a conventional turbocharger, nor is it connected to the crank like a traditional supercharger. Its electronic control allows Honda to regulate boost independently of engine speed, potentially delivering strong torque at low revs without the usual compromises.
Honda is targeting performance comparable to a conventional 1,200cc engine.
The machine first appeared as a prototype at EICMA 2025, but this year’s exhibit is a planned production model. It also gets distinctly unusual asymmetrical bodywork, a titanium fuel tank and exhaust components, and AI-assisted voice controls.
Whether the voice assistant will tell you why the bike won’t start on a wet Monday morning remains unconfirmed.
It’s a genuinely interesting development, especially as manufacturers increasingly focus on electric powertrains. Honda clearly hasn’t finished experimenting with the internal combustion engine, and with a petrol engine typically being around only 30% fuel efficient, there are a lot of gains to be made.
Honda has a Mountain Bike
Not content with a new compressor arrangement, Honda has also unveiled the RN0, its first electric-assist mountain bike.
Developed in collaboration with German e-bike specialist ROTWILD, the RN0 features a carbon monocoque frame, an unusual gull-arm swingarm and an electronically controlled electric-assist drive system.
It’s an interesting crossover between motorcycle engineering and mountain biking, and certainly not what you’d expect to find alongside a Fireblade and an Africa Twin.
Honda also showed the EV OUTLIER concept, an electric motorcycle with motors in both the front and rear wheels. Its low-profile design takes advantage of the freedom electric powertrains offer, though it looks more like something from a science-fiction film than your next Sunday ride.
And then, just to keep things interesting, there’s the Onitsuka Tiger Honda Mid Sports Concept.
A motorcycle developed around the visual identity of a fashion brand, featuring Tiger Yellow paintwork and black stripes.
Because apparently motorcycles now need a wardrobe consultant.
Electric motorcycles get a Gearbox
Electric motorcycles have traditionally not bothered with gears. Grip it and rip it has been the approach, thanks to the container loads of available torque.
But that doesn’t mean British company E-Motiv Shift Systems are not going to fix that, even though it doesn’t appear to be broken.
Its EICMA demonstrator features a two-speed seamless powershift transmission, designed to change ratios without interrupting power delivery, something not too far from a two-speed DCT meets electricity.
The idea is straightforward enough. A lower first gear provides stronger acceleration, while a taller second gear improves efficiency and performance at higher speeds.
The clever bit is maintaining torque during the change, rather than introducing the familiar interruption associated with conventional gearboxes.
It’s the start of an intriguing development because electric motorcycles have struggled to deliver the familiar mechanical involvement that many traditional riders enjoy.
Whether two gears are enough to satisfy someone who still believes six is the minimum acceptable number is another matter.
But it’s a reminder that electric motorcycle development isn’t necessarily finished when someone bolts a battery to a frame and calls it innovation.
Fondeling Your Backside
On a scale of one to ten, having my backside tickled while riding scores thirteen.
Italian start-up Viber Alert is demonstrating a motorcycle seat with integrated haptic feedback. Rather than relying on another warning light, dashboard symbol or irritating electronic beep, the system uses small vibrating actuators in the seat to communicate warnings to the rider.
Tyre problems, engine faults, electrical issues and alerts from rider-assistance systems can all be communicated through different vibration signals into your butt.
The technology also uses predictive software to combine vehicle information with environmental data, calculate potential risks, and warn the rider before something happens.
At this point, I did have to wonder …. “Is it me or is that just weird?”
Powerlifting Centre Stand
Stop&Up has brought something to Milan that sounds almost too sensible to be true: an automatic electro-hydraulic motorcycle stand.
The system raises the motorcycle onto the centre stand without the rider needing to expend any effort. It is also designed to accommodate uneven surfaces and sloping ground, with a wider support base than a conventional stand.
It’s not quite as spectacular as Kawasaki’s robotic horse, which I assume doesn’t fall over when you turn it off.
And for all the sarcasm you find in this article, this is perhaps the one thing that I spotted at EICMA that was both genuinely clever and useful. Yes, there is a knack to getting a loaded bike onto the centre stand, and typically, as soon as you struggle, it is the technique that is wrong. Still, it is a neat idea.
Yamaha’s Adventure Scooter
Yamaha has decided that adventure motorcycling isn’t quite accessible enough and has launched an entirely new RW scooter family.
Apparently, the world needed one.
The RW700, RW700 Explore and RW350 are designed to bridge the gap between urban commuting and off-road exploration.
Since a lot of adventure bikes are parked in the car park at the local coffee shop, I’m not sure that gap exists, but I’m pandering to comical stereotypes.
The flagship RW700 uses Yamaha’s familiar 690cc CP2 parallel twin, producing 69.3hp, with an automated Y-AMT transmission, long-travel suspension, spoked wheels and off-road riding modes.
The Explore version adds heated grips, a heated seat and more adjustable suspension. The smaller RW350 gets a 330cc single-cylinder engine and its own electronic riding aids.
It’s an interesting interpretation of the adventure market. We’ve had adventure bikes, adventure tyres, adventure clothing and adventure luggage. Now we have adventure scooters.
At this rate, somebody will be launching an adventure moped with a 21-inch front wheel and a snorkel.
The Traditional Bits
BMW has unveiled the F 450 R and F 450 RR, completing its new 450 family, alongside the frankly ridiculous 218hp M 1000 RS.
Ducati has brought the new Diavel V4, DesertX Rally and three limited-edition SP models, while Benelli has shown its Tornado Naked Twin 700 and a rather more intriguing 903cc three-cylinder concept with active aerodynamics.
Moto Guzzi’s new 500cc The Trip is another important arrival, offering 48hp, a claimed 180kg fully fuelled weight and a more accessible route into the brand.
Norton has also made the world debut of its 450 Urban, while Triumph has presented its updated 158hp Tiger 1200 range.
And Suzuki has brought the new SV-7S, alongside its GSX-10R announcement.
And for those of us who prefer Birmingham to Milan, Motorcycle Live is at the NEC from Saturday 21 November for nine glorious days.
Sources and further reading: Kawasaki CORLEO · Honda’s EICMA announcements · Viber Alert · Stop&Up · Yamaha RW series · BMW Motorrad · Ducati · Piaggio Group · EICMA 2026 announcements.
