concept or reality

In some cases the machines are little more than a bit of corporate flag-waving, in others they're a serious attempt at gauging market reaction. Here are a few of the more interesting efforts...

Honda's Griffon almost comes across as the concept bike they had to have, though some of the ideas aren't far from production-capable. It shows off a stylised version of a boxer four engine, and word is the factory has been in the throes of developing a mid-capacity version of this layout - possibly a 750 - for a new line of middleweight tourers.

The transmission is where most of the innovation is, with the factory saying it's hydraulically-driven and electronically controlled as a stepless automatic.

We've shown the Kawasaki ZZR-X before on these pages, and what's really interesting about this machine is that most of the effort has gone into developing bodywork that either detaches of changes shape to create a sport-tourer that looks and feels quite different in each of those modes. It's hard to say how realistic this one is, but it's an interesting defiance of the trend towards increasingly-specialised motorcycles.

Ducati meanwhile has decided to go the retro route showing three machines that hark back to the good-old 1970s - or there-abouts.

The three machines - the Paul Smart Replica, Sport 1000 and GT1000 are all based on a platform that includes the factory's recently-updated aircooled DS big twin, a typical steel trellis space frame and a dirty great set of disc brakes up front.

There's no word if any or all of them might reach production, and much will depend on public reaction. In the meantime this might serve as a useful distraction from the on-going question of when or if we're going to see a road-going version of the V-four MotoGP bike. See Ducati.com.

KTM has been very aggressive in its expansion plans in recent months, and is obviously planning to make the most of its recently-developed V-twin, which lays claim to being one of the more modestly-sized powerplants of its type. Not only are we seeing Adventure (or rally) version of the machine hitting Oz roads at the moment but the factory recently launched a pair of concept machines: the RC8, which is a full-blooded sports bike we featured in BikePoint last week, plus this, the Duke streetfighter. There's no guarantee that either will make production, but you can rest assured the factory will be worth watching in the next few years.

Suzuki is following the trend shown by a few makers of continuing to muddy the definition of what makes a scooter and what makes a motorcycle. In the case of the G-Strider, we have a litre-class twin (it's unclear whether it's a vee or parallel) driving a stepless auto transmission. The low seat height may interest some, though we were surprised to see a centre-hub-steered front end - something which most makers seem to have given up on.

Now this is one that we wouldn't be at all surprised to see in production. Australian Motorcycle Trader magazine road tester Rob Smith recently told us he reckoned powered BMX bikes could be the next big thing, and this suggests he wasn't far off the mark. Yamaha's Tricker Pro is essentially that, employing a mix of trials bike and BMX thinking, along with a 250cc powerplant and a claimed dry weight of just 94 kilos. Given the current popularity of extreme sports, we can see this one taking off, and perhaps reviving the futures of those folk with trials skills.

Our thanks to Dieter Keck, Rob Smith and Tom Odda for emailing some links for this story.