We love visiting Motorcycle Live and new model launches so this year’s show was a full-on fact-finding mission.
Some of the Orwell Motorcycles team checked out the latest models at Birmingham NEC and are looking forward to getting these exciting new motorbikes in the showroom next year.
It was a busy show for Suzuki with lots of new machinery for visitors to check out.
As well as the new V-Strom 1050DE, which will cost from £13,699 when it arrives in spring, the trio of 125 scooter-commuters – Address, Avenis and Burgman Street EX – were also crowd-pleasers.
But the highlight was the recently-revealed pair of 800 middleweights – the naked GSX-8S street bike and V-Strom 800DE adventure motorbike – which we look at in detail in a separate feature.
Kawasaki introduced its new Go with Green Power initiative with pure electric and hybrid motorbikes.
On show were the Z EV and Ninja EV which are designed for commuting and due to arrive in dealerships later in 2023.
The pair are similar in size to the Z125 and Ninja 125 and created to comply with A1 licence regulations. They have an 11kW electric motor and a 3.0kWh dual battery pack which can be removed for charging away from the bike.
The other green Kawasaki was a production prototype of its first ever hybrid electric vehicle. The HEV is currently lined up for the 2024 range.
It can switch between its internal combustion engine and electric power quickly and easily.
We look forward to telling you more about these green machines when further details are revealed.
David Willis said: “We were particularly interested in the two new Suzuki 800s and three 125 scooters. We wanted to see them in the metal.
“The scooters look great and they’re priced right. There is room to get a crash helmet under the seat too, making them ideal for commuting and running around.”
And, with KTM showing off new colour schemes and graphics as well as reviving the 790 Duke, we enjoyed seeing several models that stole the show for us.