Have you noticed how every year around October, you’re flooded with motorcycle news about the latest models? Well, you can experience all that excitement in person –  and as one of the first – at EICMA in Milan.

EICMA is the ultimate place to be for motorcycle enthusiasts, the sacred ground where the biggest motorcycle fair takes place. The Esposizione Internazionale Ciclo Motociclo e Accessori is held in early November at the Fiera Milano, a massive exhibition center northwest of Milan. For a week, everything that’s new in the world of motorcycles is showcased for the press, industry professionals and the public.

Visiting EICMA had been on my bucket list for years, and this year I can finally cross it off!

How to get there

Getting to the EICMA motorcycle show involves a few practical steps. But don’t let that hold you back – in hindsight, it’s surprisingly straightforward. Here’s a quick breakdown:

EICMA runs for nearly a week, from Tuesday to Sunday. The first two days (Tuesday and Wednesday) are reserved for traders, press and influencers. From Thursday to Sunday, the event opens its doors to the general public. In early September, I booked a ticket for Friday at a price of €15. From mid-September, the price rises to €20, and tickets at the door cost €25.

I flew with Ryanair on Thursday evening from Brussels-South to Milan. But just as Brussels-South is not actually in Brussels but in Charleroi, Milan’s budget airport is located in Bergamo. From Bergamo, a shuttle bus (€10 one way) takes you to Milan Central Station in about an hour. From there, you can take the metro to any part of the city. For EICMA, hop on metro line 1 and get off at Rho Fiera, the final stop.

EICMA, here I come!

EICMA officially opens its doors at 9:30 AM, but like many other eager visitors, I arrived at 8:30 AM. Unsure of the exact entrance location (there are several), I followed the kilometer-long bridge with the poetic name Ponte di Mare, which cuts through the exhibition halls. It led me to a shorter line and conveniently to an entrance located between Halls 22 and 24. Unbeknownst to me at the time, this was where Suzuki and Yamaha were set up, two brands I was particularly excited to check out.

At exactly 9:30 AM, the doors opened. Once inside, it didn’t feel too crowded, though that would change quickly.

My main goal was to check out the major brands, focusing on the latest releases. Beyond that, I planned to simply explore and see what caught my attention. Before arriving, I couldn’t find any information about which exhibitors were located in which hall. On-site, there were booklets available listing all the exhibitors: 145 pages long, organized by hall, and printed in a font so small that even reading glasses would struggle.If anyone knows where to find the layout in advance, please share!

My personal highlights (and one disappointment) of EICMA 2024

Completely personal and in no particular order, though I’ll start with my absolute favorite: Suzuki’s brand-new DRZ-4S and SM. This one stole the show for me, partly because I have a DRZ in my garage.

The DRZ400 hasn’t been sold in Europe since 2008, yet it remains a hit in other parts of the world, with the DRZ400E, S, and SM flying off shelves. For 23 years, the DRZ has stayed virtually unchanged apart from some color updates. Now, a fresh version is arriving with the same engine displacement, fuel injection (Euro 5+ compliant), ride-by-wire, and even riding modes. Almost everything is new, yet Suzuki has impressively preserved the iconic DRZ aesthetic. I’m already a fan. Unfortunately, I couldn’t sit on it — the DRZ was carefully roped off and out of reach.

The same was true for the Yamaha R9. With the R1 and the R6 now only available in a track version, the R9 has taken over as the flagship sportbike for Yamaha. Initially, I had my doubts about the styling when the R9 was first launched, but seeing it in person, it’s truly a beauty.

And there was more news from Yamaha: the MT-07 is maturing with the addition of ride-by-wire, while the Tracer 9 lineup received a significant update. Just two months after the Team Throttle editorial team wondered if it was time for Yamaha to refresh the Ténéré, they introduced the updated Ténéré 700 and Ténéré 700 Rally. Now they feature ride-by-wire, just like the other CP2 bikes. Whether cruise control will be available as an option remains to be seen. Well done, Yamaha!

At the BMW stand, it was a tight squeeze to get a good look. The BMW Concept F450GS stole the show: what an impressive machine! Despite its wrong wheel sizes and likely excessive weight, I think this bike could go into production as is.

At KTM, several models competed for the spotlight. The new 1390 Super Adventure and Super Duke GT are certainly impressive, though quite bulky. I’m still undecided on whether I find them attractive. The 390 series surprised everyone by appearing as a trio on stage (Enduro, Supermoto and Adventure R), and the standout from Mattighofen – perhaps even the most striking bike of all of EICMA – was the 990 RC R. This marks the emergence of a new category of powerful middleweight sport bikes (such as the R9 and QJ’s SRK 800 RR). It’s a development we can only be excited about.

At Aprilia, aside from the Tuono 457, most of the new models were updates to existing bikes. One standout was Aprilia’s surprising choice to feature EICMA boys dressed in race suits draped over their sportbikes, a departure from the usual EICMA tradition of having ladies in tight catsuits showing some cleavage. Very woke indeed!

Kawasaki modernized its Z900 and made a bold statement by unveiling a 21-inch front wheel with an off-road tire, which was prominently displayed sticking out of a crate. This raised expectations for the upcoming release of the new KLE model. Can’t wait!

At Triumph, all eyes were on the new Tiger Sport 800. There can never be enough adventure bikes with 17-inch wheels! However, the seat session was a bit of a letdown. The bike didn’t give the same quality feel as the Tiger 900 series did. A test ride will tell if I’ll change my opinion.

Honda’s dominance at EICMA was evident, with its massive stand where visitors could easily get lost among around 140 motorcycles, showcased on sand-filled platforms and a cobbled roundabout. The display included a wide range of concepts, from electric bikes to a V3 with an electric compressor, alongside the eye-catching CB1000 Hornet (with a Belgian price tag of just €10,399). Updates to the 750 series also drew attention. Honda also placed significant focus on their sportbike lineup across various disciplines. As a special highlight, Luca Marini, MotoGP rider and half-brother of the famous Rossi, made a surprise appearance for a signing session, adding even more star power to the event.

Around the corner, Andrea “The Maniac” Iannone was being interviewed at the Nolan stand, and during a second visit to the Yamaha booth, it was Dominique Aegerter’s turn — the former double world champion in SuperSport. There was no shortage of stars at EICMA.

At Ducati, the highlight of the show was a brand-new engine, which took center stage alongside the bikes that will be powered by it. As expected, the new Panigale and Streetfighter V2 models, both have a stunning design.

Tired but satisfied, it was time to stumble back toward the metro. I made my way out through the MotoLive event, the show park where I thought I’d see some motocross and trial bikes showing off their tricks. Not really my thing, so I hadn’t planned to check it out. That is, until I saw big adventure bikes flying past on a huge motocross track. Holy shit! I quickly scrambled to find a spot among the crowd to get a better view.

In true rallycross style, two adventure bikes (from 16 different brands) raced against each other in two 2-lap rounds on the track. Winners moved on, with semifinals and finals taking place, and the Ducati Desert X narrowly defeated the Aprilia Touareg. The latter had beaten the Ténéré in the semifinals by just 2 thousandths of a second! “Wow, those guys can really ride!”, I found myself saying multiple times. It turned out to be the understatement of the year.

Little did I know, I had just witnessed the Champions Charity Race, where five-time world champion enduro rider Antoine Meo on the Ducati defeated Africa Eco Rally winner Jacopo Cerutti, and Dakar legend Alessandro Botturi took third place. The list of legendary names that passed through during the four MotoLive days was downright impressive: Casey Stoner, Loris Capirossi, Troy Bayliss, Carlos Checca, Marco Melandri, Stefan Everts, Joël Smets, Alex Puzar, Danilo Petrucci, Jonathan Rea and many more, all competed against each other in different disciplines.

A few thoughts:

– EICMA is big. Really big. The halls of Rho Fiera are 1 kilometer long and 500 meters wide. A walk around takes about 3 kilometers. With 770 exhibitors representing 2163 brands, choosing what to see is nearly impossible.

– EICMA attracts a huge crowd. 600,000 visitors spread across 6 days this year, setting a record. In the morning, it was manageable, but by noon it got incredibly crowded. At the stands of BMW, KTM and especially Ducati, it was a battle to get close.

– While automatic gearboxes had been in the news for months before EICMA, no brand specifically highlighted them. The models with automatic transmissions simply stood gleaming next to the foot-shifted bikes. It was only when getting on and instinctively reaching for the brake and clutch levers that you realized the latter were sometimes missing.

– The Chinese are coming! Or rather: they’re already here. Halls 10 and 6 were packed with Chinese brands, ranging from obscure scooters to powerful quads, from electric scooters to screens, suspensions, knee sliders… You could find everything there, and Italian was not the language being spoken.

What I will do differently next time:

– Although I saw everything I wanted, I would suggest spending two days to also explore the lesser-known stands in more detail.

– MotoLive deserved more attention than I gave it. For this 110th edition of EICMA, it was bigger and better than ever. Spending half a day in the stands with a burger and a drink in hand? I wouldn’t have been bored for a second.

– I’d definitely consider driving there. It’s a 10-hour drive from Brussels. If you can share the ride with a few friends, it can actually be cheaper than flying.

EICMA 2024 is over. It’s clear that 2025 is going to be an exciting year for motorcycles. Several brands dared to update their flagship models like the MT-07, Ténéré 700 and Z900. The adventure community has been calling for smaller, lighter and more affordable bikes for years. The CRF300L now faces stiff competition with the arrival of the DRZ-4S, BMW Concept F450GS, the well-known CFmoto 450MT, and the Kove 450 Rally. And with the expanded offerings from QJMOTOR (a major Chinese player and part of the Geely Group, which also owns Volvo), the Chinese are firmly establishing themselves in Europe. Looking forward to EICMA 2025!