Here Are The Hottest Motorcycles From EICMA

Photography by Rosario Liberti

Can 21st Century motorcycles be tasteful and enjoyable, just like their vintage counterparts? Carburetors may be the pinnacle of cool for some, but honestly, Rosario Liberti shows here that you’ll be missing out if you overlook what’s on the horizon.

The 2015 edition of the Esposizione Mondiale del Motociclismo, EICMA, is a reminder of how motorcycle design has improved, notably how designers are reinterpreting bikes now that many are moving on from the so-called “hipster” market. With the sole exception of modern-day Harley Dinosaurs, I always hated retro-styled motorcycles. Why spend more or less the same amount of money to buy a modern bike with Old School looks when you can buy yourself a properly old machine?

Finally, things are changing. Visiting the different stands at EICMA made me wonder if future can be tasteful, like the past. With bikes like the Ducati Diavel X and the Yamaha XSR Sport Heritage line up, I believe that retro design is dead and we have a new wave of creativity washing onto the roads. It seems new bikes now must be tastefully designed, regardless of their marketing campaign. 

Besides the overly-used “vintage-bad boy-tough rider” image, these new machines are cool, and a valid alternative to aggressive streetfighter looks. Take the new MV Agusta Brutale Dragster 800: spoke wheels, short tail, tasteful futuristic style, and a name so long that by the time you pronounce it for a friend the bike will be a mile down the road.

What about the Diavel X? So many beautiful details that it seems that it came out from the Pagani Factory in Modena. Completely staggering looks. As I saw here, it seems there is a new way of creating motorcycles, and it’s not just about outright performance. For motorcycles, finally, less is more.