EICMA 2018 Motorcycles That Are Yet To Arrive In India

EICMA has become the biggest global show for two-wheeler manufacturers to show off their latest offerings. After each edition, Indian enthusiasts are left salivating at the prospects of getting the latest arrivals on our shores. However, not all of the motorcycles make their way to the country. With that in mind, here’s a list of motorcycles that made their debut at EICMA 2018 but never made it to India.

1. Honda CB650R
Honda updated its 650cc lineup at EICMA 2018, making it sportier than before. While both the CBR and the CB models got the updates, only the CBR650R was launched in our country. It was inevitable that Honda would bring that bike to replace the old CBR650F in India, but we were hoping that even the Japanese manufacturer would launch its naked sibling. After all, Honda has launched both the CB300R and the CB1000R+ in India. Hence, it was befitting to offer the CB650R as a middle ground.

2. Aprilia RSV4 1100 Factory
In the battle for sportbike supremacy, Ducati had thrown down the gauntlet with the Panigale V4. However, fellow Italian bike maker, Aprilia, retaliated with the RSV4 1100 Factory. The Noale-based manufacturer plonked the 1074cc V4 motor from the Tuono V4 into the RSV4 and tuned it to produce 217PS, 3PS more than the Panigale V4. It got an even more comprehensive electronics package than its predecessor and is now kitted with winglets. Shame it hasn’t made it to India yet.

3. Kawasaki Z400
Kawasaki’s Ninja 400 blew us away with its performance and also its price tag. Keeping the latter aside, we were sure that its naked avatar could give the KTM 390 Duke a good run for its money. Hence we were highly optimistic when the Z400 was shown at EICMA. While its Euro-spec motorcycle is restricted to 45PS, we were confident that if the motorcycle ever made it down to India, it would pump out 49PS, which is significantly more powerful than the 390 Duke. Sadly, it has not arrived in India yet and even if it does, it will cost a bomb.

4. Harley-Davidson LiveWire
Of all the established big bike makers of the world, it was least expected that Harley-Davidson would be the first to produce an all-electric performance motorcycle. The LiveWire made its public debut at EICMA. Technically, the LiveWire did arrive in India but it was just a single unit which was showcased around the country. Harley has no plans of launching the bike in India anytime soon. Hopefully, the American icon comes around the idea of launching it in India.

5. Yamaha Tenere 700
This is more of a case of wishful thinking than actuality as we were blown away by the Tenere 700 adventure motorcycle. Its Dakar-inspired looks had us swooning over it. While we do not know how good the bike is, the capabilities it possesses is capable of giving the likes of the Triumph Tiger 800 or the Honda Africa Twin a tough time while off-roading. But as we mentioned earlier, Yamaha India has no intentions of introducing the 700cc parallel-twin series in the country and even if it did, they would not start off with an adventure motorcycle. Sigh.