KTM chose the Birmingham show in the UK to unveil the next generation of the Hypermoto godfather 950 Supermoto. The 950 have now grown to a 999cc V-twin just like the Adventure and Superduke have in the past. The 999cc fuel-injected V-twin ensures that the 990 SM will breeze through Euro 3. Power is up to 115bhp @ 9.000rpm and torque to 97Nm @ 7.000rpm. Other new details include a new grab rail for the passenger, changes to the seat and small design changes.
The RC8 1190 unveiled in Milan was shown for the first time in the UK.
Triumph Thruxton 900 and Scrambler 900 show bikes:
Triumph brought with them the show stoppers from Milan, the Ohlins and Brembo littered Thruxton and Scrambler. Apart from looking good at shows, Triumph revealed to us that the Thruxton 900 with all the gorgeous Ohlins, Arrow and Brembo accessories will be added to the press fleet shortly. Meaning that you can get to buy one, albeit in limited numbers.
CCM
2008 CCM CMX 450:
Bonded aluminium frame and carbon fibre sub-frame says it all. CCM means business in the MX class and will have a 250 in not long too to compete in all prestigious MX classes. Prestige is all this bike is about at the moment as CCM will only build 3 450's and 3 250's for the 2008 racing season. In other words, you can't buy one just yet. CCM plans to offer the innovative bondless frame to other race teams in the future and possibly also do a production version that customers can buy. At the beginning of the season the MX bikes will run on regular fuel, but CCM will gradually phase the engine over to bio fuels.
CCM also told us exclusively that one of the next CCM projects after the MX will be another go at the Dakar Adventure bike. A 650cc single will power the bike and CCM will buy engines from a major European manufacturer.
Royal Enfield
2008 Royal Enfield Electra Woodsman:
The latest Bullet Electra version is a scrambler with a new high level exhaust mounted on the left side. Woodsman is inspired by the street scramblers of the late 50's that Royal Enfield exported to the US. Back then Royal Enfield exported the Scramblers under the Indian brand, but not always from India like today. the 499cc single four stroke produces 27.5bhp @ 5.500rpm and still features carburettor. Fuel tank: 14.5L, disc front brake and drum rear brake. Weight: 167kg and seat height 820mm. OTR: £3.895
Royal Enfield also showed its brand new fuel injected 500cc all alloy engine. This engine will replace all current engines from 2009 to meet Euro 3 regulations. The old 4-speed iron engines will no longer be produced by 2009.
Megelli
2008 Megelli 125M, 125S and 125R:
Megelli is a brand new leaf to the tree of European manufacturers. Megelli might sound very Italian, but it is a very British company. The bikes are just as European as many other 125's and 75% of all the parts are made in Taiwan including the SYM 125cc engine. All other design and engineering (styling, frame...) are done in the UK. The SOHC engine makes 11bhp @ 8.500rpm and 9Nm @ 7.500rpm. Electric starter and a 5-speed gearbox are included. The trellis frame and swing arm are striking features along with modern design.
125M £1699 OTR
Hyosung
Ducati
Benelli
BMW
Vectrix
Various from the NEC floor:
The babes!
NEC show 2007: Toseland meet young racers in Birmingham
Now that the NEC show has just kicked off we thought we'd show you these nice pictures of James Toseland with a few very young racers. Toseland met the young superbike recruits in Birmingham city centre and had this to say:
“It’s fantastic to meet such a talented group of young riders as Bradley, Wayne, Fraser and Charlie, and to bring biking into the centre of Birmingham as we have today. The West Midlands is the centre of British biking and next week’s NEC Bike Show will showcase the latest models from the biggest names in biking for the first time in the UK. It’s the perfect place for anyone to get their first taste of biking, including having a go on a mini-moto just like the ones we’ve had here in the Bullring today.”
