5 Coolest Motorcycles at the EICMA Show

Author: Eric Brandt

The EICMA motorcycle show in Milan, Italy just wrapped up. Being the biggest motorcycle show in the world, it gave us a look at exciting concepts and hot new models that we can't wait to see in showrooms and on the street. Here are five of the coolest bikes of the Milan motorcycle show.

Ducati Panigale V4

The bell of the ball at EICMA this year was the Ducati Panigale V4. Voted the most beautiful bike of the show, the Panigale V4 was a highly anticipated motorcycle that didn't disappoint when it was officially unveiled in Milan.

This superbike sits at the top of Ducati's supersport food chain powered by the all-new Desmosedici Stradale V4 engine based on the racing engine used in MotoGP. The street version of the engine is 1103cc making 214 horsepower and a maximum of 91.5 lb-ft of torque. With its gorgeous styling and incredible performance, the Ducati V4 is shaping up to be one of the most desirable sport bikes available when it hits dealers in February.

Kawasaki Ninja H2 SX

Kawasaki shook the motorcycle world when it introduced the supercharged Ninja H2 and H2R. Now you can have that supercharged performance in a sport touring bike with the H2 SX that's all new for 2018. The Kawasaki H2 SX aims to deliver the best of both worlds as a bike you can comfortably take on long road trips without sacrificing performance thanks to its supercharged 1000cc inline-4 engine making 200 horsepower and 101 lb-ft of torque. It's very similar to the engine found in the existing H2, but it's been tweaked to be better suited for touring duty.

Not only do you get thrilling performance with the comfort of a sport touring bike, but you also get a full suite of technology including traction control, ABS, engine brake control, cruise control and even launch control. You can upgrade to the SE trim to add more touring comfort with upgrades like a taller windscreen, a TFT display and cornering lights.

KTM 790 Duke

The KTM Duke family has always been a bit of a misfit in the naked motorcycle segment. Its unique styling sets this hooligan apart from the crowd and that continues with the all-new KTM 790 Duke. Marketed as "the most precise street weapon," this brawler gets 103 horsepower and 63.6 lb-ft of torque out of a 790cc parallel-twin engine. Those numbers are impressive when considering this streetfighter has a dry weight of only 372 lbs.

In classic Duke fashion, the KTM 790 Duke looks like nothing else on two wheels with a unique vertical split headlight design and angular, aggressive bodywork. While naked bikes are traditionally stripped down with few frills, the 790 Duke will come with cornering ABS, lean-angle-sensitive traction control, a full-color TFT screen, a quick-shifter and launch control. Look for it in 2018 as a 2019 model.

Indian Scout FTR1200 Custom

The only bike on our list that isn't production-ready, this Indian Scout FTR1200 Custom is the motorcycle that many of us riders have been begging Indian to build. It's basically a street version of the dominant Scout FTR750 race bike that recently won the American Flat Track Grand National Championship. Indian says this bike is street-legal, but won't confirm whether it will see mass production.

Defined by Indian as a "street tracker," the Scout FTR1200 Custom is powered by a liquid-cooled, 60-degree 1133cc V-twin engine that makes over 100 horsepower. It has a 2-piece carbon fiber body (which we doubt would see production due to cost), Ohlins suspension, Brembo brakes and LED lights. This would make a refreshing addition to Indian's cruiser-only lineup.

Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 and Continental GT 650

Royal Enfield is finally adding some variety to its lineup, which currently consists exclusively of single-cylinder motorcycles (at least in the U.S.). These two bikes are being lumped together on this list because they share the same steel tube chassis and a brand new air-cooled 650cc parallel twin engine which makes 47 horsepower and 37 lb-ft of torque. Those numbers might not sound very impressive, but these bikes are clearly all about character.

The Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 is a standard bike with an upright riding position, while the Continental GT 650 is more of a sporty cafe racer. The two models are just different enough from each other to be unique despite being just about identical mechanically.

Both of these bikes have the classic British retro flair that Royal Enfield is famous for. It will be nice to have a couple options from Royal Enfield that are a little more versatile and highway-friendly than the brand's existing lightweights like the Bullet.

Which motorcycles from EICMA 2017 are you looking forward to the most?