The EICMA 2018 (International Motorcycle and Accessories Exhibition), which takes place in Milan every year, has kicked off in style with some major announcements from two-wheeler manufacturers such as Ducati and Yamaha.
Though there are more brands like Kawasaki, Royal Enfield and even Triumph which are set to unveil more products in the days to come, here we’ll focus on the new ADV from Yamaha, the Tenere 700, and the 2019 lineup of Ducati, which has the updated variants of the Panigale V4 R, Diavel 1260 and the all new Hypermotard 950.
Let’s kick off with Yamaha.
Yamaha Tenere 700
The adventure motorcycles segment is a hot market right now! Take the Indian market for example. BMW Motorrad recently launched the G310 GS and also British motorcycle maker Triumph has launched the 800cc variant of its flagship off-road bike, the Tiger 1200, not to mention the recently launched Suzuki V-Strom 650.
Yamaha too is looking for a slice of the pie with the launch of an all new ADV, the Tenere 700.
The company had released a prototype last year, which conquered challenging terrains around the world.
The Tenere has also taken a leaf out of the WR450F, which was at the Dakar for Yamaha. Now, the bad news, the bike is not coming to India anytime soon.
The bike comes with ample travel on the 43mm upside-down front fork suspension (8.3-inch) with 21-inch front and 18-inch rear spoke-wheels with switchable ABS. Powered by a 689cc parallel-twin engine, the bike is capable of churning out max power of 73.41PS and 68Nm of torque.
The fuel tank capacity on offer is 16-litres, which will get you about 350 kilometers of total range.
In terms of design, the front has a very motocross feel to it and the overall chassis looks lighter than other bikes in this segment. The quad-LED headlamp setup is also something refreshing, which looks very similar to the concept.
It comes with a vertical LCD instrument console with basic info like gear position indicator, fuel level with details on instant and average fuel consumption.
The Yamaha Tenere 700 is set to hit the European market in the second half of 2019.
Ducati Hypermotard 950, Panigale V4 R & Diavel 1260
Italian bike maker Ducati too unveiled its 2019 lineup at the event. The newest edition to the Ducati family is the Hypermotard 950 and the 950 SP. The company also launched updates like the Panigale V4 and the Diavel 1260 at EICMA 2018.
The new 950cc engine is the upgrade to the older 937cc setup. The upgrade offers power output up to 114 bhp at 9,000 rpm and peak torque of 96 Nm. The new trellis frame helps drops the weight by 4 kilograms and makes the bike more nimble.
The Hypermotard receives updates on its electronics system with additions like traction control and wheelie control.
The Quick Shift feature comes as a standard on the SP variant while it is available as an accessory on the base model. It also gets a full-colour TFT display, smartphone connectivity and turn indicators incorporated into the handlebar.
The bike also offers three riding modes - Sport, Urban and Touring, with Sport being the most aggressive and full power.
The second-generation Diavel 1260 comes with a Testastretta DVT 1262 engine capable of delivering 159 bhp at 9,500 rpm and 129 Nm of torque at 7,500 rpm. The chassis set-up is completely new, characterised by a Trellis frame with a 17-inch rear wheel with its 240 mm wide tyre.
The Panigale V4 R includes a fully adjustable suspension at both front and rear, dedicated colour-scheme for the wheels and a better braking system. Moreover, the S version comes with the Ducati Quick Shift as standard to allow clutchless shifting. Performance-wise the new Panigale outputs 221 bhp of power and 111 Nm of peak torque.
In terms of the design, the new Panigale sports a new fairing and an altered aerodynamics package, with a bigger windshield.
Stay tuned to The Quint for more updates from EICMA 2018.
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)