by Rick Korchak for webBikeWorld.comNovember 9, 2010 - Lots of news from Shark for 2011, with two brand-new helmets and some unique features sure to please riders.
More in my 2011 Shark Helmets report, including lots of photos and a video.
November 8, 2010 - Back home today after a long and tiring trip! It was huge fun though and will definitely do it again next year.
As promised, here's a look at the production version of the K 1600 GT and GTL twins, with finally and explanation from BMW about the differences between the two.
Includes a video walk-around and a look at the engine, along with a Lightbox-style slide show for your viewing pleasure.
This is a very, very nice tourer and looks to be extremely well made. It even seems narrower than the K 1200 LT!
Much more to come this week, so stay tuned!
November 6, 2010 - Here's another EICMA 2010 introduction: the Husqvarna Mille3. It's definitely a concept, but BMW and Husqvarna confirmed there will be a Husqvarna street bike. Will it look like this beast? Photos and info posted, video to come later, having trouble uploading it from the hotel.
More EICMA: 2011 Vemar HelmetsNovember 6, 2010 - Just posted a ton of photos on the 2011 Vemar helmets, including the new Vemar Chimaera flip-up, which will be sold in the U.S.A. as the Vemar Jiano EVO TC.
Friday: Nolan Helmet Factory TourNovember 5, 2010 - Today I had my own personal private tour of the entire Nolan helmet factory in Brembate di Sopra, about 65 km from my hotel in Rho.
I will have a detailed report on the tour with many photos and a few videos, which I'll post next week when I return home.
I am deeply grateful to the entire Nolan staff for providing me with complete and full access to the entire factory and spending a whole day answering all my questions, all for the benefit of webBikeWorlders!
I learned many things about helmet manufacturing and my eyes were opened also with some demonstrations regarding DOT vs. ECE helmet safety standards, so I am sure you will find it very interesting and I hope you will join in on the discusison of this topic.
So I was not at the EICMA show at all today, but not to worry -- I have lots more to bring you.
Tonight (it's 21:23 as I'm writing this and 16:23 on the East Coast of the U.S.) I've been trying to upload a video of the new Honda Crosstourer, and after 2 hours finally got it uploaded only to get a YouTube message that there was an error.
So I'm trying again, this time with Google's own Chrome browser and hopefully it will be available before...midnight?
I have some photos also of the companion Honda Crossrunner and, of course, many of my own opinions after seeing these two descendants of the famed Interceptor.
The logistics for posting these "live" updates are daunting, as I have described earlier. At the Indy show, I can walk back and forth to my attached hotel room and post during the day, whereas here in Milan I have to travel to the Fiera Milano, visit the booths, then come back to the hotel late in the afternoon (dead tired).
By the time I write something, process the photos and the videos, which are taking probably 10 times longer than I planned, and get everything uploaded on the sketchy internet connection, it's getting pretty late. And I have to eat something too! I don't stop for lunch, only breakfast and dinner.
Anyway, enough of my whining, I will continue bringing you the interesting stories through next week until there's nothing left to tell.
November 4, 2010 - My legs are giving out! The Fiera Milano complex is mind-blowingly big, with multiple buildings spread across a huge distance.
Each building is probably the size of the entire Dealer Powersports show in Indianapolis, and there are 6 buildings here.
I should have brought my pedometer -- I bet I've walked half the distance home already. Then, it's another long trek just to get to the train station for the one-stop trip to Rho city for a cheap 1.10 (Euros).
I took the cab the other day in the rain and it cost me exactly 10 times that much and probably took twice as long in the evening traffic.
But, enough of my complaints, today I have some photos and a video of a very interesting custom-made "power cruiser" by a company I never heard of, CR&S motorcycles (report). The machining and fabrication on these bikes is amazing and they're into racing also and their stand is always packed with gawkers.
I didn't want to ask how much these things cost, but they sure are sweet looking.
I also went back to the Caberg booth and met up with my contacts who confirmed they'll send over a couple of Caberg Ego helmets for a review, along with another helmet I missed, the new Caberg HyperX (report). These helmets look like the perfect solution for anyone needing max ventilation and the HyperX is dual-homologated as both open-face and full-face with its removable chin bar.
I also stopped by the special Shark helmet display off-site and will have some very interesting news from Shark also, including a unique Bluetooth intercom system.
Lots more coming also, but tomorrow (Friday) is my all-day visit to the Nolan factory, which should prove interesting. I met with Nolan today and this sounds like it should be a fruitful visit -- I only wish I had my good videocam and camera, but I'll try and make due with the Nikon P7000 I bought for this trip.
Saturday I'll try to catch up a bit and then Sunday it's the long trek back home, so I'll be out of commission that day but will keep pounding the keyboard next week to bring you all the news.
November 3, 2010 - Massive crowds today as the public has access for the first time.
I had no idea there were this many motorcyclists in the world! It was difficult to get near any bike or product without using elbows and other questionable paparazzi techniques.
I stopped by to see friends at the Caberg booth and they were alread packed. But I got some quick photos and a video of the new Caberg Ego helmet, which is very "cool" in more ways than one, as you'll learn in the report. It takes the Nolan N43 Air to a whole new level.
I went back again in the afternoon but they were still packed, so I'll try and make it over first thing in the morning to get more info on the Ego and other new Caberg helmets for 2011.
Next, it was over to the Vemar booth to see what's in store for 2011. Vemar helmets are sold in the U.S.A. and we've reviewed several, so I'm looking forward to more and, as you'll learn in my upcoming report from EICMA, they have a few unique ideas coming our way.
I took some pics of the new Honda CBR250R, which Honda confirmed to me will be coming to the U.S.A. I think that's great and we need many more sub-500cc bikes -- just like we had in the old days, when 650cc's was a big bike.
Got some pics of the new Kawasaki W800 also, a replacement for their old but new old and now new again W650, itself a Japanese take on the classic Triumphs of the '60s'. I had high hopes for the W800 but I was a bit disappointed.
Kawasaki has blinged it up with a bit too much chrome for my tastes, although the engine looks more British than the Hinckley Bonneville's. Take the engine from the W800 and plug it in the modern Bonnie and there you'd have it. So the reality doused the flames of my desire on this one.
Too bad, but I'm still spending a lot of time between the Moto Guzzi stand and getting pulled away by Security for excessive drooling over the V7 Café Racer; really liking the Triumph Scrambler in semi-matte green metallic complete with the single leather side bag, the headlight stone guard, nifty and small chrome luggage rack and its Enduro tires (pics coming soon); and the BMW G 650 GS (ditto), which I still think has the other GS's beat, at least for simplicity and ridability anyway.
OK, back to work, it's 18:07 local time and 13;07 EDT, so check out the links above for more info.
UPDATE: 21:23 local time, just added a page with info and pics on the BMW Concept C announced at the show.
November 2, 2010 - Ciao e benvenuto to my first report from the first day of the show!
Today, the big events were the motorcycle announcements.
This is something that is a specialty of EICMA and the Intermot show in Germany (held the beginning of October).
We don't get to see new motorcycle releases announced at the Indianapolis Dealer Expo because that show is mostly about accessories, clothing, helmets and gear.
So today we had announcements by BMW (a new concept, the "Concept C" scooter) and Husqvarna (owned by BMW), a very interesting power cruiser/supermoto combination that is being released for public comment.
The BMW booth was packed and apparently these announcements involve 30+ minutes of fairly boring statistics by management, with 30 seconds of excitement at the end when they pull the curtains up.
It was the same for Triumph, when the formally introducted the Triumph Tiger 800 and Tiger 800 XC, the on and on/off road variants of the new 800cc Tiger.
KTM, Aprilia (Piaggio) and Moto Guzzi introduced new bikes; some I was able to photograph and video, while others will have to wait until tomorrow when the initial crowds clear off.
The logistics for the EICMA show are very different from the Indy show, so I won't be able to post updates during the day like I do in Indy. The Fiera Milano show facility is incredibly, absolutely huge and it's several klicks away from the hotel, sort of out in the middle of nowhere in an industrial area. The bus goes there in the morning and comes back at night. So I won't be able to post updates until the evening.
On top of that, internet access is sketchy at the hotel, but I'll try my hardest to bring as much information as I can and then will continue until I either run out of interesting stories or keel over, whichever comes first! Once I get back to the hotel, I have to process the photos and video, create the web pages and post them along with the YouTube uploads, which take some time. So be patient and it will all come in time.
Note also that many of the accessories and gear at the EICMA show have limited distribution to specific markets, so there isn't as much to report on that compared to the Indy show.
Anyway, check the sidebars for the links to the latest stories. I'll start off with some pics of my favorite bike of the show so far, the new Moto Guzzi V7 Caf? Racer. Then let's take a look at the new Triumphs, including the Tiger and Tiger XC; the BMW K1600 6-cylinder bikes and the Concept C scooter. The Moto Guzzi info should be up this evening (it's now 5:35 pm here and 12:35 pm EDT).
By the way, if you want me to take more detailed photos of anything specific, or if you have a request for photos or information on a specific product, let me know. You can reach me at
I may not be able to respond immediately or at all to your email, but I read them all and I'll do what I can for you.
October 30, 2010 -It's off to Milan for the 68th EICMA trade show! This will be a live report exclusive to webBikeWorld.com visitors starting November 2, 2010 (corrected from November 1).
EICMA is one of the largest motorcycle trade shows in the world and all the major players will be there with many brand new announcements and product releases.
I'll be covering the event live from the show with reports, updates, photos and video, just like I do each year from the Powersports Dealer Expo in Indianapolis.
I'll be covering the event live from the show with reports, updates, photos and video, just like I do each year from the Powersports Dealer Expo in Indianapolis.
This means that you will have a ringside seat for the latest info on all of the new motorcycles, products and accessories for 2011 as it happens!
So sit back and enjoy the "virtual" show! In addition to live reports and photos, I'll feature videos, interviews and lots more.
EICMA is the Esposizione Internazionale Ciclo e Motociclo e Accessori, or "International Exposition of Bicycles and Motorcycles and Accessories". It's held each year in Milan, Italy and it will take place in the huge Fiera Milano expo center, with over 50,000 square meters of floor space devoted to our favorite sport.
Some of the exciting news that I'll cover at this year's event includes the formal release of the new Ducati Diavlo sport cruiser; the new Triumph Tiger 800 Adventure-Touring bike; the BMW K1600GT (more) and lots more (see sidebar).
BONUS! I have also been invited to take a special tour of the Nolan helmet factory, just outside Milan, which should be very interesting! You'll get an inside look at what it takes to put together a world-class motorcycle helmet.
Speaking of helmets, I'll also feature an exclusive preview of the latest Shark and Vemar helmets for 2011, just for webBikeWorld visitors.
The big exhibitors with the all-out displays also include the following: Aprilia, Betamotor, BMW, CF Moto Europe, Ducati, Garelli, Harley Davidson, Husqvarna, Kawasaki, KTM, Kymco, Moto Guzzi, MV Agusta, Piaggio, Polaris, Suzuki and Triumph.
All told, there will be 420 exhibitors and 500 brands will be represented. In addition to the regular displays, this year they're featuring "Motolive", an 80,000 square meter outdoor space dedicated to motorcycle tests, competitions, driving lessons, performances, music and shows. They'll also have the "Green Planet" exhibition, a "show within the show" dedicated to hybrid and electric vehicles.
So stay tuned to this page for more information and the live reports starting November 2!
Thanks for your support!Rick Korchak
Editor and Owner
webBikeWorld.com
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