Motorcycle highlights from 2016 Intermot

Here's a list of some important motorcycles that were unveiled at the 2016 Intermot Show in Cologne, Germany.

2017 Honda Fireblade SP & SP2

The main attraction from Honda at the Intermot 2016 was definitely the new CBR1000RR Fireblade. Nearly 25 years after the CBR nameplate was born, Honda has comprehensively updated the Fireblade. The new motorcycle will be offered in two variants –SP and SP2.

As per Honda, the 2017 Fireblade SP is 15kg lighter than its predecessor while its 999cc in-line four has been tweaked to develop 10bhp more, taking the total horsepower count to 189bhp. Honda also claims that the power to weight ratio has improved by 14 per cent. Apart from this, the new Fireblade gets a raft of electronic aids including multiple power and engine braking modes, Honda Selectable Torque Control, quickshifter, downshift assist, ABS, throttle by wire, new Öhlins Electronic Control Suspension, 5-axis Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) and a lot more.

The Fireblade SP2 is a homologation special version of the new motorcycle, featuring lightweight Marchesini wheels, redesigned valves and uprated pistons for better performance on the track. A special race kit will be introduced later on for the SP2. Also, only 500 units of the Fireblade SP2 will be made.

2017 Ducati SuperSport

Italian bike maker Ducati took the opportunity to unveil an all-new bike called the SuperSport at the show. With the SuperSport, Ducati aims to offer a sporty performance motorcycle that can be used for daily commuting as well as touring. Powering the motorcycle is a 937cc L-Twin engine that develops 111.5bhp @ 9,000rpm and 96.7Nm @ 6,500rpm.

Among some of the highlights, the motorcycle comes with three riding modes – Sport, Touring and Urban; ride-by-wire throttle, and Ducati Safety Pack that features ABS and traction control. There’s an edgier ‘S’ version that gets adjustable Ohlins shocks and a quick shift system. The base version comes with fully adjustable Marzocchi forks in front and Sachs adjustable shock at the back.

2017 Suzuki GSXR-1000/GSXR-1000R

One of the biggest surprises from the Intermot Show this year was probably the sixth-gen Suzuki GSXR-1000. The new motorcycle will be offered in two variants – base GSXR-1000 and GSXR-1000R. The motorcycle comes with a newly developed 999.8cc in-line four-engine that comes with variable valve timing, electronic throttle body and exhaust pressure tuning valve.

Power and torque stand at 199bhp and 117.6Nm. Other than that, the motorcycle has an all-new frame which is 10 per cent lighter while it also gets a number of electronic aids including 10-levels of traction control. The track-bred GSX-R1000R adds launch control system (first time on any Suzuki production bike) and quick shift system. It also comes fitted standard with racing-developed and high performance Showa Balance Free front fork.

2017 Kawasaki 650

For India, the new Kawasaki Ninja 650 was perhaps the most important motorcycle from the 2016 Intermot show. Kawasaki has thoroughly refreshed the Ninja 650, which means it now gets some serious upgrades and sharper ZX-10R inspired styling. Highlights of the new model include an all-new trellis-frame and asymmetrical aluminium swingarm. Thanks to these modifications, the motorcycle now weighs a whopping 19kg less than before! Powertrain remains unchanged, meaning it comes fitted a 649cc parallel twin engine. Power output is slightly down at 68bhp because of the stricter Euro IV norms.

Triumph Bonneville

It’s a well-known fact the Triumph’s Bonneville range sells like hot cakes for the brand. Seeing the ever growing popularity of the Bonnie range, Triumph has now added three new motorcycles to the range, namely – T100, T100 Black and the Street Cup. All the motorcycles are powered by the same ‘high torque’ 900cc parallel twin engine that comes with the Street Twin, delivering a maximum torque of 80Nm. Apart from that, the bikes come with LED taillight, ride-by-wire throttle, selectable traction control, clutch assist, engine immobilizer and a USB port. While it’s not sure if Triumph will bring the new range to India, we’d love to see Triumph’s new Street Cup baby café-racer on our roads for sure!

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