5 Cool Things Spotted At The 2017 Tokyo Motor Show

The 2019 Tokyo Motor Show is set to take place from October 24 to November 4. As we eagerly wait to see interesting motorcycles expected to debut at the show, we go down memory lane to pick the 5 coolest concepts seen at the previous edition held in 2017.  

BRM Can-Am Spyder RT Limited:
Part car-part motorcycle, the Can-Am Spyder promises the best of both worlds—the stability of a car and the open-air feeling of riding a motorcycle. It has a large rider seat and an even more comfortable pillion seat. The air suspension setup at the rear factors in the rider, pillion and luggage weight to provide the best ride quality. Besides a large windscreen and adjustable floorboards, it gets a 4-speaker audio system. The comfort and features of a car with the wind-in-the-air feeling of a motorcycle. That definitely is cool!

Also read: Bikes We Loved At This Year's Bangkok Motor Show 

Yamaha MWC-4:
While Yamaha did show the cool-looking Niken at the 2017 Tokyo Motor Show, there was an even cooler-looking concept at the Pavillion. The four-wheeled concept looks like a cross between a motorcycle and a small city car but has the Niken’s cool Leaning Multi-Wheel Technology. You are still riding a motorcycle though. It has a handlebar and steering and the rider and pillion sit one behind the other. You are safely cocooned inside a canopy but its open nature and minimalistic door give a feeling of openness like a motorcycle. 

Also read: 2017 EICMA: Five Best Bikes Showcased At EICMA 

Yamaha Motoroid:
Yamaha’s self-balancing motorcycle uses a counterweight to keep the motorcycle and rider upright even at a standstill. It has cameras at the front and its AI interfaces recognises the rider and switches on. The Motoroid also responds to hand gestures and will respond by following you or halting. Also, the winglets you see at the back are actually designed to hold the rider in place. This is a glimpse into the future of motorcycles.  

Honda Riding Assist-e:
Another self-balancing motorcycle at the 2017 Tokyo Motor Show was the Riding Assist-e concept. The motorcycle takes learnings from Honda’s research in humanoid robots (read ASIMO). Unlike the Yamaha though, the Honda concept uses its front end to balance the motorcycle the same way a rider would. To keep the motorcycle straight, the front end moves side to side independent of the handlebar. It also moves back and forth to improve stability.  

Honda Monkey 125:
The fun bike retains the original one’s charm but looks even cooler. It gets modern kit in the form of LED headlamp and a digital instrument console. For a better ride experience, the Monkey 125 gets upside-down forks and disc brakes on both wheels. The original Honda Monkey was a cool bike and the resurrected Monkey 125 retains that cool factor with modern features and reliability. The want is too high on this one!