Manufacturers of two-wheelers usually showcase their latest and most innovative bikes and scooters during EICMA, and this year's show was no exception. We'll tell you which two-wheelers from the show will make their way to India in this section.
Hero MotoCorp
The world's largest two-wheeler OEM was on hand at EICMA, where it unveiled several intriguing scooters that will arrive in India sometime next year.
With 14-inch wheels, the Xoom 125R is a typical 125cc scooter. However, the Xoom 160, its elder sibling, is unknown ground for Hero. The larger Xoom 160 has a maxi-scooter design with ADV design themes and rides on 14-inch wheels with dual-purpose tyres and it has new features like keyless ignition, remote seat opening, and even a single-channel ABS system. The scooter's primary selling point, however, is its brand-new liquid-cooled 156cc single-cylinder engine, which delivers 14hp and 13.7Nm.
Honda
Honda displayed a number of vehicles that could be marketed in India. Surprisingly, the most likely candidate is the largest bike here, the 2024 Africa Twin Adventure Sports. The touring-focused Africa Twin edition, which now has a 19-inch front wheel, is more road-friendly than ever before and will be available in India sometime next year.
Honda just introduced the Transalp XL750 middleweight ADV in India, thus the CB750 Hornet, which uses the same engine and chassis platform, could also be introduced. Overseas, the price difference between the two bikes is around Rs 2.40 lakh, thus if the CB750 Hornet were to arrive here, it would be priced somewhere between Rs 8.50 lakh and Rs 9.20 lakh, putting it in line with the larger and more powerful Kawasaki Z900 (Rs 9.20 lakh).
The revised CB650R and CBR650R are likely contenders for an India launch or re-launch. For the 2024 model year, both of these motorcycles have undergone cosmetic upgrades and new electronic features, as well as a separate variant incorporating Honda's E-clutch technology. Honda sells DCT bikes in India, thus it is possible that E-clutch technology will be available here as well.
However, it is unclear whether it will introduce both the CB650R and the CB750 Hornet in the United States because their prices are so similar. Given how much the Indian riding audience adores the scream of an inline-four engine, the CB650R will almost certainly be chosen over the CB750 Hornet if forced to choose only one.
Honda also announced two new 500cc models: the NX500 adventure bike and the CB500 Hornet Street Naked, which are the 500cc versions of the former CB500F and CB500X, respectively. A few CB500F bikes were brought here to test customer demand, but they were never formally marketed here. In contrast, the CB500X was sold here for a few years, despite its extremely high price. It's unclear if Honda will use these new models to into the sub-500cc market.
Kawasaki
The all-new Ninja 500 and Z500 have been unveiled by Kawasaki, and the Ninja is most likely the model that will be sold in India early in 2019. It is expected to cost even more than the Rs 5.19 lakh (ex-showroom, India) Ninja 400 that it will eventually replace because it would arrive via the CBU method.
Kawasaki hasn't offered a sub-500cc parallel-twin Z model in India since the Z250 was retired a few years ago, so it's unclear whether the Z500 will be available in the country.
Kawasaki also revealed some really cool '90s-inspired liveries for the ZX-4RR, ZX-6R, and ZX-10R Ninja models. Given that the 6R is poised to come to India and the ZX-10R is a popular model here, we may see a limited number of these motorcycles arrive. Unfortunately, we only have the regular ZX-4R here, not the ZX-4RR with special livery.
Suzuki
Suzuki unveiled two new models based on existing platforms: the GSX-8R sportbike driven by a new 776cc parallel-twin engine and the GSX-S1000GX crossover powered by its trusted 999cc inline-four engine.
The engine in the GSX-S1000GX is shared with the Katana Retro Sport Naked, which is now sold in India. However, whether Suzuki believes the GX is a viable alternative to other known big adventure tourers remains to be seen.
A Suzuki V-Strom 800DE was sighted testing in India quite some time ago, but the bike has yet to be officially released in the country. Clearly, Suzuki is thinking about bringing its new middleweight parallel-twin engined chassis to India, and if the V-Strom does arrive, it might pave the way for the GSX-8S and GSX-8R siblings. Given India's penchant for faired large bikes, the 8R might have a chance.
Moto Morini introduced two very interesting 750cc V-Twin engine-powered bikes, the Corsaro 750 and the Corsaro Sport, which may make their way to India after they formally launch in Europe, which is still a long time away.
At EICMA, Ultraviolette did not display any production-ready bikes that are not already available in India, but it did state that it will begin racing in 2024, though details on that front are limited.
Last but not least, Royal Enfield showed a fully electric Him-E test bed for its upcoming EV technology along with the all-new Himalayan to the world's motorcycle enthusiasts.