Rennie Scaysbrook | November 2, 2022
Cycle News Lowside
COLUMN
Changing Times of Europe and Japan
Back when I began to actually read motorcycle magazines and not just look at the pictures, Japan was the absolute be-all-and-end-all when it came to leading development and bringing out motorcycles whose posters would adorn my bedroom wall.
Save for perhaps the Ducati 916, teenage Rennie’s room was decorated with pics of the 1995 Honda CBR900RR Tiger Blade (look it up), Kawasaki ZX-7RR and, of course, the 1998 Yamaha YZF-R1 (oh, and Pamela Anderson in a Baywatch swimsuit—hey, it was the ’90s).
I’d never be caught dead with a picture of a BMW or one of the butt-ugly first-generation KTM Dukes on my wall, but now I can’t help but think today’s kids have probably switched in that they’d more likely have a bike from Europe on the bedroom wall than something from Japan. I don’t know if kids even have posters on their walls anymore. Maybe a screensaver if more appropriate.
What got me on this train of thought is that this is the time of year the manufacturers get all glammed up to show off their new wares, to show they haven’t just been sitting on their laurels and counting the government Covid bucks we’ve been throwing at them the last two years. EICMA in Milan is the biggest motorcycle show in the world, as it has been since it started, but lately it’s become a show run by Europeans, seemingly for Europeans, as companies like BMW, Ducati, KTM, Triumph and Aprilia have taken the bull by the horns and brought out a slew of new models, while Japan has trundled out the odd new bike just to remind the world they still build motorcycles.
I’m focusing purely on the street and adventure segments here, as my knowledge on the motocross and enduro side is simply not enough to back up any criticism.
The ones who are by far leading the charge are Ducati, who, ironically, have shunned using EICMA as the launching platform for their new bikes ever since Covid necessitated digital product launches for a couple years.
The Ducati Premier series started in 2019 and it’s seen over 25 new or revised models released in that time, everything from Panigale superbike variants to Multistradas, Streetfighters, Scramblers, Desert X’s, even e-MTBs. The number of bikes over the last three years show just how much Ducati is pushing, and it’s an effort that takes a considerable toll on the various manufacturing, distribution, marketing and dealer networks the company employs.
BMW is a similar story, although it hasn’t been quite as prolific. Next year will see the debut of a new S 1000 RR and M 1000 RR superbike range, the new M 1000 R naked bike, new R 1250 R naked bike, and we’ve seen the R 18 lineup (First Edition, Transcontinental, Bagger), F 900 R and F 900 XR.
KTM shouldn’t be left out, either, as the Austrians have brought the new 890 Duke R and 890 Adventure R, 1290 Super Adventure R and S, 1290 Super Duke R EVO, new RC 390, 450 SMR, 390 Duke, not to mention the mouth-watering RC 8C, all, like BMW and Ducati, within the last three years.
Triumph and Aprilia have also been hard at it. Triumph’s new Speed and Street Triple range, and new Tiger Adventure bikes have hit a sweet spot, as have the new RSV4 and Tuono 1100 ranges, the RS 660/Tuono 660 and the new Tuareg ADV steed done so for Aprilia.
Here’s where the reading gets a little glum for lovers of Japanese motorcycles. No two ways about it, Japan is being left behind by Europe when it comes to the development of, and the bringing of those motorcycles to, the market.
Japan hasn’t entirely sat on its hands. In those past three years, Suzuki brought a legend back with the Hayabusa and debuted the excellent GSX-S1000 GT+ and the half-baked GSX-S1000, and Kawasaki debuted a new ZX-10R, Versys 1000 LT and the fantastic H2 SX.
Yamaha has been a bit more active in that they gave their YZF-R1 a touch-up for 2020. Then we saw the YZF-R7, the new MT-09/SP, XSR range and Tracer 9 GT, and in a couple of weeks we’ll see the new MT-10 SP to go with the base version we rode a few months ago in North Carolina.
Honda, the biggest one of them all, has also been the quietest. We got a new CBR1000RR-R SP last year, a revised Gold Wing, CB1000R Black Edition, and a new Africa Twin Adventure Sports ES—don’t forget Honda is still (!) the only company that will give you the option of a DCT (Dual Clutch Transmission) gearbox on selected models, so that’s something to think about.
One part of this year that was massive for racing that I think flew under the radar for just how significant it will be for the rest of the industry, is Suzuki leaving not just MotoGP but all forms of factory-supported road racing.
The change in thinking away from “what wins on Sunday sells on Monday” of the Suzuki hierarchy will have a gigantic effect on what, if anything, the company rolls out in the future. Suzuki is in the slow process of rebranding itself away from motorcycles to “re-allocate resources on other initiatives for sustainability” to roll out one of the most overused catchphrases around, so the next few years will be make-or-break for the company that we as motorcyclists could count on like a big brother.
One part of this year that was massive for racing that I think flew under the radar for just how significant it will be for the rest of the industry, is Suzuki leaving not just MotoGP but all forms of factory-supported road racing.
However, all of the manufacturers are being left in the dust by Ducati. The Italians, flush with Audi-ownership cash, are charging out new model after new model, and it is quickly banishing the notion that Ducatis will break down at the drop of a hat, like they used to. Getting rid of the notion that Ducatis are overpriced, that’s a whole different argument.
The Japanese industry does have some good things coming, however. Honda recently said it plans to introduce “at least 10 new bikes” within the next three years, and these bikes will indeed be electric. Kawasaki will also release 10 new electric or hybrid-powered bikes by 2025, so it appears the sleeping giants from the Land of Rising Sun may be starting to awake from their slumber.
We need Japan to re-emerge as the ones who led the technological charge, the ones who made bikes kids like me had on their bedroom walls. We do indeed live in interesting times.CN