2012 Tokyo Motorcycle Show: day one

It’s been a two-year wait, but the Tokyo Motorcycle Show has returned, with thousands of customers streaming through the doors when the expo was opened to the public in the early afternoon of March 23, 2012.

A lot has happened since the show was last held in 2010 – 2011 was cancelled at the 11th hour after the earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disaster – and that’s clearly evident on a number of stands with bikes that would once take centre stage being confined to the fringes this time around.

Honda’s stand is a prime example of that, as the main focus is celebrating its past and present CB heritage, and also pushing hard on its new two-model range of NC700 twin-cylinder machines, which carry the marketing tag line of ‘Take Mid Easy’.

Meanwhile, bikes like the 2012 model CBR1000RR and VFR1200F make up the numbers on the flanks, sharing the limelight with bikes like the recently announced CRF250L and a slew of scooters, including the PCX150 (an exhibition model which will soon go into production out of Honda’s Thai factory), and the twin clutch Integra, which has just gone on sale in Australia.

And there isn’t even a Honda Crosstour on Big Red’s main stand – instead the VFR1200F-engined adventure bike is residing on the adjoining satellite ‘Honda Sports Network’ site.

There are no bona-fide concept bikes on the Honda stand – those that really make you take a second look – but instead it’s taken the ‘customise concept’ route, which in most cases is just ruse for a production bike that’s been spruced-up.

One NC700X has a Moriwaki pipe and splashes or red, which is destined for release in the home market, and another is adorned with hard luggage and other bits and pieces.

Other customise concepts include a Moriwaki-fettled CBR250R, an anime (Japanese word for animation) liveried CBR250R (www.anime-oneoff.info) and a CRF250L, which will go on sale in Australia in a few months time.

But for day one theatrics, Aprilia gets the gong after it unveiled the mighty SRV850 maxi scooter, which has usurped the Piaggio Gilera GP 800 as the new king of the jungle in the numbers game – a category-topping 75hp (56kW) at 7750rpm and 76.5Nm of torque at 6000rpm from the 850cc 90-degree V-twin with electronic fuel injection.

No word on whether the Australian Aprilia importer, John Sample Automotive, may be tempted to bring this one Down Under, but price will be a critical factor. Honda is selling the Integra at $10,990, so you’d think that Aprilia deliberations would have to go higher than that – but it still doesn’t leave a lot of wriggle room, even with something that has such a power kick.

Aprilia also unveiled the SR MAX 250 to add to its commuter sports line-up, with 125cc and 300cc iterations already available in Europe and elsewhere, but not Australia.

The all-new Serie Oro version of the MV Agusta F3 was another highlight, and only 200 of the striking machines will be produced, which means Australia will only get a handful at best.

KTM’s Indian-made 125cc and 200cc Duke road bikes were gaining plenty of attention (we’re set to see the 200 in Oz only at this stage), as was the rugged-looking  Yamaha concept, the XTW250. This bike first appeared at the 2011 Tokyo Motorcycle Show with an "unrestricted anywhere anytime mobility" catch-cry, and in the flesh it certainly exudes a certain go-anywhere spirit – mostly due to the chunky high-profile tyres.

And two world championship-winning bikes stood out from an Aussie perspective -- Casey Stoner's RC212V from 2011 and Mick Doohan's screaming NSR500 from 1997.

Over the next few days, we’ll also visit plenty of other bike ‘showrooms' at the Tokyo Motorcycle Show, including Suzuki, Kawasaki, Harley-Davidson, Malaguti, KTM, Bimota, BMW, Triumph and Moto Guzzi, and we’ll also delve into the weird and wacky, technological advancements, the latest in accessories, and tuning performance houses which are thick on the ground in Tokyo.