67th International Motorcycle Show in Milan Italy

With its 30,000 square meters of expos and over 1,500 companies displaying products, the International Motorcycle Show in Milan is undoubtedly the biggest motocross exposition in the world. I visited this immense show and tried to capture the most interesting aspects of it all. Check out some of the first photos and info on new bikes and gear about to hit the 2006 moto-market.

Gear

Many clothing companies introduced whole new sections in their catalogs just for women, detailed with elegant, colorful but yet wild patterns.

Alpinestars, "always on the fore" for new ideas and technology, has launched an all-new line of women's gear featuring pants, boots and chest protectors specifically designed to fulfill the needs of female riders.

Airoh (ISDE, World Enduro, Last Man Standing and Endurocross Champion David Knight's helmet of choice) used softer nuances for its helmet to appeal to new customers, while maitaining more aggressive colors for the male market.

Thanks to his nine Motocross World Championship titles Stefen Everts is one of the most recognizable European riders, so brands like Acerbis wear and Lazer helmet showcased what the great Belgian will be wearing while competingin '06.

Acerbis also unveiled their new 2006 line, starting from the helmet to the new chest protector, pants, jersey, gloves and boots.

The NOX helmet is actually very interesting: support applied to the helmet better aerates the cap and has an aggressive and appealing line.

For Ricky Only: We've come to recognize the Berik boots Ricky Carmichael wears. The two latest models—the stars and stripes worn by Carmichael at the MXdN in France and the gold/black one—are for Ricky only. We mortals will be able to buy the white, blue, red, black, black/crome model.

The new Oxtar boot—the TCX—is made up from three components which prevent the abnormal torsion of the foot, thus providing the whole ankle area with superior protection. The new the inner bootie also has silicone inlays. The clasping levers are aluminum instead of plastic for more durability.

Sinisalo is an old European brand: remarkable jersey and pants; outstanding helmet.

New 2006 Bikes

TM 450F

TM has been manufacturing extremely polished cross-country and enduro bikes for many years. TM's latest is their 450F which uses a 449.16cc motor, 95x63.4 bore/stroke, dry sump lubrication with a double rotor pump, Carburetor Keihin 41mm carb, kick starting (optional electric start), Cr-Mo steel perimetral oval section frame, Paioli USD 48mm fork and Sachs shock.

KTM 950 Super Enduro

KTM revealed the new 950 Super Enduro, the massive power Enduro bike with a powerful 950cc twin-cylinder engine. Derived from the 950 Adventure dual sport bike, the 950 Super Enduro R features big power with lighter weight and promises to be more-nimble and ergonimically designed exclusively for off-road use. Big emphasis from KTM goes to the WP suspension, which is designed for competition and "make it no problem to tackle the most challenging jumps on any motocross course." Perhaps we'll have to look into that...

Highland Motors 450 MX

Highland Group has entered into a joint-venture with Great Northern Enterprise—one of China's largest motorcycle manufactures. This new factory is producing motorcycles and engines for the Chinese market as well as components for Swedish assembly lines. The resulting combination is low-cost production in China with innovative design and development at the Swedish R&D center.

Engine: 440 cc four-stroke, liquid-cooled
Bore/Stroke: 95/62,4 mm
Injection: Highlander integrated engine management system with ignition coil fitted directly on the spark plug
Starter: Electric
Transmission: 6-speed gearbox
Front Brakes: 260mm Brembo double piston floating caliper
Rear Brakes: 220mm Brembo floating calliper
Fork: Ohlins
Shock Ohlins
Frame and swing arm: Rectangular section aluminum
Tank: 7 liters
Weight: 103 Kg
www.highland.se

WRM bike

If you're looking for the latest in design and technology, have a look at the Italian WRM bike: This bike truly shows innovation in design with structural parts of the chassis and the swingarm completely built of carbon fiber and kevlar. The tank, valves, engine cover and a most of the accessories are made with hi-tech composite materials. Screws and metal accessories are titanium and ergal. Steering is adjustable through an exclusive system copyrighted by WRM.

The engine is completely new—designed, tested and manufactured by WRM: four valve, single-cylinder unicam with five speed transmission, Keihin TPS carb and Vortex CPU. It's possible to map up to 10 different programs and riders can choose two of them through a selector on the handlebar.

Tank (cover included) made with Carbon Fiber (silver colored)
Carbon fiber swingarm
Titanium Exhaust
Chassis and frame made with carbon fiber and Kevlar
Engine Protection made with Carbon Fiber
Carbon Fiber Engine Valves Cover
Covers and Air Conveyors made with Carbon Fiber and Kevlar
Sit frame made with Carbon Fiber and Kevlar
Chain Protection made with Carbon Fiber (silver colored)
Steering System Adjustable
Case Filter made of a structural Carbon Fiber Frame

Aprilia RXV 550

Aprilia presented the RXV, the new Enduro bike powered by a performance V-twin engine. The Aprilia philosophy is to transfer competition technology directly to production bikes; in fact, the SXV (supermotard model) is the 2005 Supermotard S2 World Championship title-winning bike.

The design of this bike is truly unique with minimalist plastic bodywork, the exhaust system mounted centrally, twin tail pipes, the form of the V-twin engine and the large swingarm. The new engine vibrates far less than any single without even requiring a balancer shaft. The cylinders are integrated in the crankcase and are lined by replaceable wet sleeves. The intelligent design of the V2 has also permitted engine accessories to be arranged in an extremely rational way, keeping the powerplant as compact as possible. The fuel injection system features 38mm throttle bodies and is controlled by a programmable ECU.

BMW HP2 Enduro

Engine: 2-cylinder boxer/4T/1170cc
Gear Box: 6-speed
Fork: Marzocchi

Fantic Motor Caballero - Back from the Grave

For many Europeans the Fantic Motor "Caballero" was their first "enduro bike," just as it was for me. Seeing the same model standing there—the one I had my father buy me after so much praying and whining, and even promising to do better in school—my mind instantly flew back 30 years.

The Fantic Motor had sold hugely well from 1973 to 1994, assembling endurance and trial bikes, winning various world championships in both disciplines, but due to managing mistakes the company closed in 1995. Today, thanks to the enthusiasm of Federico Fregnan, the Fantic brand has revived this fantastic model.

Displacement: 48.9cc
Carburetor: Dell'orto 21
Gears: 6
Frame: perimeter Cr Mo steel
Front Suspension: Marzocchi 40mm
Rear Suspension: Marzocchi
Front Brake: Braking floating 260 mm
Rear Brake: Braking floating 220 mm

Mr. Fregnan didn't stop at bikes; he decided to promote a long forgotten boot brand, the RG, which made its mark in enduro history in the 70s.