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Intermot: trade fair innovations

That was the Intermot

"Cool! Hot! Intermot!" After all, with this triad, the motorcycle industry and Cologne Fair attracted 187,000 visitors to the world exhibition from October 11th to 15th on the Rhine. Two years ago, 20 percent fewer people made the pilgrimage to Munich. Seen in this way, Cologne was a complete success. However, only a few manufacturers were really fascinating. MOTORRAD fished them out from 1130 exhibitors.

MOTORRAD readers knew more right from the start. No issue in the last few months without at least one 2007 novelty being brought to light. Sometimes it was five? or 35, 40 as in issue 22/2006. Of course, it’s easy to turn up your nose at the couple of hits that Cologne brought. However, even the most violent benevolence leaves little understanding for three Japanese manufacturers who lagged far behind their possibilities. We don’t want to call them by name in the hope that they could give the lie to our big lip at the Eicma in Milan (November 15-20, 2006). Just this much: Kawasaki is not one of them. Together with Harley, B.enelli and the top dog BMW have given Intermot the shine that is worthy of a world fair. Suzuki’s B-King also contributed a bit, even if the machine comes along at least two years too late and three numbers too squat from the back. In any case, beautiful is different.
The weather in Cologne and the atmosphere in the new exhibition halls were nice, despite the unpleasant news that hit from Brussels on Thursday. The city of Cologne violated EU tendering law when awarding the trade fair construction contract. There is a threat of fines running into the hundreds of millions. Swamp ?? like almost everywhere where professional politicians have their fingers in the game. And luckily not our construction site. We have nothing worse planned than inviting you, friends of centrifugal force, to a tour of the fair. Through 120,000 square meters
36 countries to the most interesting products and exhibitors.

Harley-Davidson XR 1200 – Harley goes Europe

Sure, Bill Davidson, great-grandson of one of the two Harley-Davidson founders, talked about the fascination of flat-track racing with real enthusiasm in his voice. The epitome of a flat-track racing machine, the XR 750, was also on stage and presented itself as a source of inspiration for the design of the new XR 1200. A real American setting.
And yet no observer could avoid the impression that the XR 1200 was primarily intended for old Europe. With a comparatively steep fork, footrests far to the rear and a raised exhaust system, it represents the type of the classic naked bike, which is ridden in an upright sitting position with a good overview of the game on mainly winding roads. Purest European motorcycle culture, just with a typical Harley engine. Which, however, was not simply taken over, but tickled up to 85 to 90 hp as a concession to local standards through extensive revision. That fits into the picture; After years of slow but steady growth, the share of European customers in total Harley-Davidson sales was over ten percent for the first time, and the XR 1200 can be seen as a clever and formally successful move to increase this share a little faster in the future.
In this respect, nobody has to take the restraint of the Harley employees with regard to the series production of the XR 1200, the name of the motorcycle as a prototype repeated by everyone, too seriously. The thing is being built, and if there were any doubts about it, the positive feedback at the Intermot cleared them up. The XR models presented there also showed a degree of maturity in the quality of the cast parts, the electrical installation, and even in small details, which goes far beyond the prototype stage. The background to the prototype language regulation is therefore the fact that, contrary to other practices, Harley cannot deliver the XR 1200 immediately, but needs some time to go to production and therefore did not want to arouse false expectations. With the motorcycle season coming to an end in
“Old europe” doesn’t really matter, and an unusual motorcycle can occasionally step out of line.

Overview 125cc – 125cc ?? little new of the big one is

Of the major manufacturers, only Honda has done something for the 125cc; the small Varadero received an injection and the bestseller CBR 125 also got a new fairing with headlights. If you are looking for a brand new 125, you have to look at the little ones. And he struck gold with the Spanish manufacturer Derbi, which belongs to the Italian Piaggio Group. This year Derbi presented the 654 Mulhacen, a smartly styled scrambler-style motorcycle that was carried over to the 125cc. But that is not the only reason why little Mulhacen is worth a look, but also because of it
of their engine: a modern single-cylinder four-stroke with water cooling and six-speed gearbox, two overhead camshafts and four valves, as it was previously only available from MZ in this class. The MZ engine has always been the most powerful and powerful in its class, and the new Derbi engine will give it an exciting race. In spring 2007, another 125cc from Derbi, one
Enduro named Senda Terra, a streetfighter named Freexter and the athlete GPR received the new drive.
Although it is still unclear how things will go on at Sachs ?? the insolvency administrator is supposedly negotiating with several investors ??, the Franconian two-wheeler manufacturer presented a newly styled XTC based on the well-known tubular space frame. In addition, the XTC is to receive an engine from Morini instead of the previous Suzuki derivative. Compared to the chubby predecessor model, this is a real step forward that belongs on the market at a reasonable price.
Nicely designed and, thanks to components such as an upside-down fork or box swing arm, a 125cc Enduro also looked quite grown-up, which was presented together with its Supermoto derivative under the glorious Kreidler name. The two machines with the double-K on the side do not come from Kornwestheim, but from China. They have an engine that is very similar to that of the Suzuki Van Van 125, but with 9.2 HP it is far from exhausting the class limit of 15 HP. Kreidler would not have allowed that earlier.

Kawasaki Z 750 – Kawasaki Z 750

A novelty between the trade fairs, the 2007 Kawasaki Z 750, hissed into the house by electronic mail shortly before this issue went to press. She will be shown in person for the first time at the upcoming Eicma in Milan from November 13th, but the first photos are completely convincing. Closely based on the style of the Z 1000, but not so exuberant with points, corners and edges, some people even like the 750 better than the large Z..
The most noticeable weakness of the old Z 750 was the rather slack damping of the fork, and the Kawasaki product planners apparently wanted to make it forget in one fell swoop by giving the new one an upside-down fork, which was tuned for the » higher loads in sporty Driving better adapted “. The new frame with additional side struts and a slightly modified driver’s position would also contribute to better feedback from the chassis to the driver. Similar to the Z 1000, these struts in combination with the mounting of the engine behind the cylinder block also act as vibration dampers.
The relatively long-stroke four-cylinder engine was given a "re-tuning"that was not described in detail and was only visible in the form of the exhaust system. It resulted in a flatter torque curve in the middle speed range without sacrificing the revving power of the earlier engine. Because homologation according to Euro 3 and thus inevitably switching to a regulated catalytic converter was pending at the same time, MOTORRAD translated this message in such a way that the peak power of 110 hp had to be reduced only slightly. Which the Z 750 itself should secure a noticeable advantage in comparison with the new Honda Hornet or the Yamaha FZ6 Fazer S2.

Benelli – Benelli: Duo with Due

So this is what it looks like … Hello, gentlemen, please look at the Benelli, it is meant, not one of the two
Ladies. What appeared two weeks ago as a drawing and under the name Leo 756 in MOTORRAD turned out to be a real motorcycle with the name due ?? in Cologne. In the depths of which experts believed they could still see some pieces of wood. That doesn’t matter until further notice, Benelli has already announced that they will not go into production until September 2007.
Shaped in 3D like this, the design by the young Spanish designer Carlos Solsona looks even more coherent than on paper; In the Benelli program, the due is to take on the role of the small, easy-to-drive, cheaper TnT and, last but not least, appeal to female customers. She will achieve this with her pretty outfit, provided that the price is affordable. We the press day, when one performance followed the other, Benelli took the high risk of being the last company to present its innovations to an already visibly tired pack of journalists. And actually managed to drag the tired crowd to a very dedicated applause. If that’s not a good omen.
The manufacturer from Pesaro was also recognized because he was the only one among the well-known Italians to work in Cologne; Ducati was represented at least thanks to the initiative of the German importer, the others ostentatiously avoided Cologne, probably for theirs
to favor its own fair in Milan. Not particularly clever behavior, because after all, Italian manufacturers are heavily dependent on the German market, which is still affluent.
The Chinese owners stayed away from Benelli during the presentation. The brand, so their message, should remain genuinely Italian. This could even be demonstrated convincingly in Germany.

China – China is still studying

Even the relatively small selection of Chinese motorcycle manufacturers and suppliers who exhibited at Intermot gave an overwhelming impression of the diversity of the two-wheeled industry in the realm of
Center. One wonders why it hasn’t long since started to conquer Europe. So far, the Chinese have mainly been concerned with motoring themselves. Also, only a few products meet the demands of western motorcyclists, which is why Intermot, like previous trade fairs, seemed to be more of a study than a sales forum for many exhibitors from China and the other tiger states. They were able to show numerous motorized two-wheelers, but no new ideas.
The purchase of Benellis by the millionaire Qianjiang shows more foresight? With the help of the design and domestic components such as Brembo brakes or Marchesini wheels, the Italian profile of the small manufacturer is sharpened, at the same time it acts as a source of ideas for the Chinese and makes them socially acceptable as a supplier in Europe. Qianjiang also shows what the future of established manufacturers in Europe and Japan is based on: creativity.

Megamoto – Megamoto motorcycles

From a sporting point of view, the project Megamoto ?? a Supermoto-like racing series with powerful machines ?? in the air. Nobody can say at the moment whether it will ever start. For the time being, this planned series is inspiring the imagination of the developers at the initiators BMW and KTM. So presented BMW as a surprise and fifth novelty
next to the three single cylinders and the
K 1200 R Sport an HP2 Megamoto at the Intermot, KTM brought the R version of the 950 Supermoto to Cologne.
Nice to see the Bavarian
Megamoto doesn’t just have an HP2 Enduro with the one that’s already on-
offered 17-inch wheelset,
but on their own (spring and fork)
Legacy. A 45 mm upside-down fork from Marzocchi with 160 millimeters of travel is used at the front, an Ohlins shock absorber with 180 millimeters at the rear ?? significantly shortened compared to the enduro. Suitable for sporty road use, the Megamoto carries 3.5 and 5.5 inch wide cast wheels with 120 and 180 tires.
BMW does not reveal whether one or the other engine power unit comes from the Enduro, but it does reveal a top performance of 113 hp. The Megamoto engine would therefore be the second most powerful boxer after that of the R 1200 S, and with a standard Akrapovic exhaust system it is well-instrumented.
Visually, the HP2 Megamoto stays close to the award-winning design of the Enduro, but sets different accents with a small lamp cover and slightly varied side parts on the tank. Both of them share their exclusivity. Due to a large amount of manual work in the construction of the HP models, the number of pieces is automatically limited, the price should be well over 16,000 euros as with the Enduro, but has not yet been determined.
Although its price is not yet fixed either, one thing can be said with certainty: the KTM 950 Supermoto R is offered at a lower price than the BMW, probably for less than 12,000 euros. Compared to the normal version, it is characterized by more tightly coordinated spring elements and a narrower bench. It is only offered in a single-seat version, says KTM. And shows it to us as a two-seater. The tank holds only 14.5 liters instead of 17.5 liters, and the front section has been correspondingly narrower, which also differs from the normal version through exposed air inlets.
The 942 V2, which can rev up so wonderfully, remains unchanged.

Single cylinder – single cylinder ?? new trend?

If you take it very carefully, the new trend towards the single cylinder currently consists of four motorcycles, three BMW models produced in a modular system and the KTM 690 Supermoto. Goal there is more to it. With the most modern engine design and legal 64 HP, KTM has taken over the technical supremacy. In the original, the 690 SM was also less polarizing than
we photos, their curious exhaust system impresses with the finest workmanship. Despite new technology and high quality, the price remains the same as the 640 LC4, just under 8,500 euros.
It doesn’t take a prophet to predict that this model will be the first in a series. In addition to a classic enduro, the 690 will soon also power a Duke, the third in its name. KTM marketing director Hubert Trunkenpolz does not even rule out a super sports car based on the new engine. In any case, it demonstrates the determination of the Austrians to market the unique driving pleasure that small, light motorcycles offer.
How successful this is will depend largely on the price. BMW is still unsure about this issue. BMW employees asked the trade journalists with remarkable frequency about a possible selling price for the new G-models Xchallenge (Enduro), Xcountry (right in the picture) and Xmoto (Supermoto), and according to their reactions, most of the assessments were well below the ideas discussed internally. Why should it be noted in a nutshell that a price close to the crisp KTM brand would be extremely difficult to convey. The sales success of the BMW single-cylinder would be severely slowed down. Because with all sympathy? they are cleverly made, but not as high-quality workmanship and equipment as the KTM.
The Benelli single-cylinder, the B cross or the BX still have a long way to go. It will initially be used in motocross and enduro sports. In this way, the Benelli engineers want to sort out possible weaknesses in order to then come onto the market in the next stage with an approved single cylinder. This strategy has been tried and tested; many details of the KTM engine, for example, were tested in this way. The decisive factor is the roadworthiness perspective, which Benelli had in mind from the start and which represents the difference to the model policy of the Japanese.
The new Kawasaki is representative of the others
KLX 450 R listed. Although it offers state-of-the-art engine technology that has already proven its reliability, there currently does not seem to be any efforts to find it for one
to use larger series. Well, after all, Yamaha has the one-
cylinder of the XT 660 a bit facelifted.

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