Motorbikes, electrics don't take off: long live the internal combustion engine

Like every year, Eicma, which ended on 10 November, set the tone for the motorised two-wheeler sector. Chinese brands such as QJ Motor, Voge, CFmoto, Keeway and Zontes showed their muscles with novelties of all shapes and sizes (lots of medium-displacement adventouring bikes), but also with lots of new engines, each destined to generate a different platform on which to then decline various types of motorbikes (naked, sport, crossover, custom). The pleasing aspect for enthusiasts is that new solutions are being sought, different from the very widespread (and cheap) parallel twin-cylinder front-end engine: there is a return to different and more complex architectures, such as the V-engine, often combined with light and easy to ride models. The focus is, in fact, on young people and more mature users returning to the motorbike. A clear example of this are Ducati's two Milanese novelties, the Panigale V2 and the Streetfighter V2, both with the new, ultra-lightweight (only 54 kg), 120 horsepower, 90° V-twin 890 cc: the power is lower than the previous generation, but the DNA is still that of Borgo Panigale, so extreme sportiness, even if the choice of less aggressive ergonomics (less weight on the wrists) make these models suitable for everyday riding as well. There is always the chance to let off steam on the track: the power is there and the electronics are those that Ducati has implemented over the years in MotoGP. Not only that: a 35 kW version for A2 licence holders will be available for both Ducati V2s, a sign of openness towards the new generations. Honda presented, in addition to two electric concepts very close to mass production, a 75° V3 engine (two cylinders at the front and one at the rear), water-cooled, with the world's first electric compressor for motorbikes, independent of engine revs, to offer high torque over the entire rotational range: a jewel of engine technology.

V-twins also at Moto Morini, a brand reborn under Chinese leadership: the new Corsaro Gt, arriving in the second half of 2025, was designed in Italy and mounts a 750 cc 90° V-twin, capable of 96 hp (there will also be a version for A2 licence). Smaller Moto Morini bikes mount V-twins: the new Ramble bobber mounts a 350 cc one, the same as the Moto Morini 3½, arriving in 2025, which is based on the 1974 model designed by Franco Lambertini. The same period as the first Moto Guzzi V7, a myth that the Mandello-based manufacturer revives with the V7 Sport which sports the iconic 850 cc transverse V-twin, now with more power and torque. At Piaggio, the new entry for A2 licences is the Tuono 457, with a 35 kW twin-cylinder engine and a fast and fun chassis.

Not just twin-cylinders, however: at Eicma, enthusiasts were impressed by the in-line three-cylinder of the new Triumph Tiger 800, an agile and responsive British crossover, thanks to its kerb weight of just 214 kg, and the 45 hp, 460 cc, single-cylinder Minarelli variable ignition engine, designed in Italy, which powers the new Stealth naked, the sporty Imola and the various Caballero models of Veneto-based Fantic Motor, all intended for A2 licence holders. BMW is also looking to young people and is doing so with the Concept F 450 Gs presented at Eicma, actually a motorbike very close to mass production: it is a small enduro with a new 48 hp twin-cylinder engine (therefore suitable for A2), which takes up the aesthetics of the best seller R 1300 Gs, including the 'X' layout of the front light cluster. As for the scooter world, there is a strong fascination with 'adventure' motorbikes, what used to be called maxienduros: the Sym Adxtg400, the Kymco Cv-R5 and the Zontes Zt368G have many points in common with motorbikes and extend the scooter's range of use to off-road terrain. The only relevant novelty for 2025 is currently Honda's Cuv e: a 125 cc endothermic scooter with a range of about 70 km.