Coming soon | Next year’s coolest new bikes from EICMA

While Motorcycle Live at the NEC is but weeks away the motorcycle industry’s main event remains EICMA in Milan, where manufacturers from Europe and beyond are showing off their latest bikes and products. And from exotic British-built sports bikes to pioneering electric-powered city machines it’s all on show, highlights of which follow after a long day pounding the halls, kicking tyres and checking out the newest-latest in the biking world. Suffice to say, this is but scratching the surface of what’s on show at EICMA, much of which will be on display closer to home at the NEC in a matter of weeks.

Reborn British manufacturer Norton is already the talk of the show with its all-new Manx and Atlas models, which spearhead an entire new generation of bikes coming under the management of Indian owners TVS Motor. The Manx R sports bike and Manx super naked are fast, carbon-bodied dream machines while the Atlas and Atlas GT look to be more real-world and attainable adventure style bikes, all styled with a little help from Jaguar Land Rover’s chief creative officer Gerry McGovern. More details on the bikes here.

Italian national pride dictates Ducati brings plenty of new product to EICMA and it hasn’t disappointed, with a range of exciting stuff including an all-new version of its iconic Monster built around the brand’s latest 120 horsepower, 890cc V2 engine. This also features in the new Hypermotard V2, a muscular supermoto built for hoons and show-offs everywhere and offering more in the way of firepower than the ultra-focused single-cylinder Mono version. The limited-production Panigale V4 R is pure red meat for sports bike fans, joined by the latest Multistrada V4 Rally and more besides.

Yet another iconic British brand reborn under Indian ownership, BSA returned with its reinvention of the classic Gold Star, more recently joined by a Scrambler offshoot and the new Bantam 350. But it’s also got an all-new model, this being the Thunderbolt adventure bike. Powered by a 29 horsepower 350cc single, it looks like a compelling alternative to the Royal Enfield Himalayan and has clearly been built tough with the intention to explore the road less travelled. True, it’s not as powerful as the Himalayan but an impressively light 178kg kerbweight should help its case, both in terms of performance and manageability.

Bigger versions of the GS family are firm favourites with European bikers, so the arrival of a new ‘baby’ F 450 GS offering a flavour of the same to those on a budget and/or A2 licence will go down well, and certainly seemed to be the centre of attention on the BMW stand. Powered by an all-new 48 horsepower twin, the GS brings a sense of the brand’s quality and style to a more manageable price point, and looks a great option for new and/or younger riders wanting their first taste of the GS family. Interesting tech includes the optional Easy Ride Clutch system, which works like a scooter-style centrifugal clutch and means twist-and-go convenience in traffic and off-road situations alike. There’s still a clutch lever for when you need full control but it’s an interesting and cost-effective alternative to the fancier Automated Shift Assistant offered on the boxer-engined 1300 range.

With so many bikes on display it was, at first, a little difficult to pick out Honda’s highlights. But the incredible V3R 900E Compressor Prototype would be one of them, this being a complete bike built around the technically fascinating turbocharged 900cc V3 motor it showed at last year’s EICMA. Promising the performance of a 1,200cc engine in a more compact package, the electrically-driven turbo means instant boost with no lag and is a typically Honda example of forward-thinking motorcycle engineering. The increasing roll-out of its E-Clutch semi-auto shifting tech is a little more real-world, this now coming to the XL750 Transalp and CB750 Hornet. It’s also rolling out across the 500cc range of CBR500R, NX500, and CB500F Hornet – check out our review of the CBR650R E-Clutch for more on how it works. But Honda wasn’t done there. The CB1000 Hornet-based GT combines Fireblade power with sports tourer practicality while the WN7 electric bike offers 125cc level performance and 90-ish miles of range in a futuristic looking package you can also run in restricted form for those riding on a CBT and L-plates. Which sounds great for accessibility for younger riders until you factor in the pricetag of over 15,000 euros we saw on the spec sheet on the stand. Ouch.

Another classic British name flourishing under Indian ownership, Royal Enfield is showing two sides to its business with the trad looking Bullet 650 Twin very much playing to its existing fanbase while its Flying Flea electric bikes hope to attract a new one of younger riders. After showing the first Flying Flea C6 last year the new moto-style S6 has been unveiled at EICMA, promising ‘city plus’ performance for the road less travelled. A new off-road optimised Mana Black variant of the popular Himalayan 450 is another new addition to the range.

Yamaha’s stand at EICMA is massive and chock-full with bikes, the biggest news being the updated R7 junior sports bike. While mechanically unchanged it’s gained a huge upgrade to its electronics, and now features all the configurable anti-wheelie, side-slip control and engine braking systems of its R9 big brother, all controlled by a new six-axis IMU. Always fast and fun, the R7 is now a dose more sophisticated as well. Another popular exhibit and new arrival for 2026 is the fresh Kenny Roberts inspired livery on the retro racer XSR900 GP, this alternative to the ‘Marlboro’ colours the bike launched with clearly winning hearts and minds alike.

Seemingly a surprise to even the Suzuki folk on the stand, the SV-7GX revives the ‘somewhat legendary’ V-twin from the much-loved SV650 into a compact and versatile tall-rounder/adventure tourer/commuter package combining sensible pants versatility with a proven and charismatic engine. The 73 horsepower makes it an interesting alternative to a Yamaha Tracer 7, assuming the price is right. A combination of an accessibly low seat height but raised bars should make it both comfortable and confidence inspiring, the bit 17.4-litre tank should see it go the distance between fill-ups and there’s full phone connectivity via the TFT display.

As previewed before the event Triumph has a big year with a promised 29 new or updated bikes coming in 2026, many of which make their public debut at EICMA. These include the thoroughly overhauled modern classics line-up of Bonnevilles, Bobbers and Scramblers, all gaining improved rider tech like cornering ABS and traction control among various specific changes. Perhaps the biggest beneficiary is the Scrambler 900, which gets new upside-down forks and an aluminium swingarm to draw a closer link to its more capable 1200 big brothers. For those after something sportier there’s also the new Trident 800, the 115 horsepower triple from the Tiger Sport 800 giving this popular naked a significant boost in firepower.