Five EICMA Oddities

Among the big launches and glitzy presentations at big bike shows there are always a handful of oddities that stand out simply for being so unusual. And there are others that are so odd they fly under the radar of those attending. Here are a few from EICMA 2024 that deserve a look.

Aftermarket bodywork maker Puig has been making bolt-on fairings since the ‘60s, but the Puig R 1300 GS Pista is something a bit more extreme: a complete kit to transform a BMW R 1300 GS into a trackbike.

The big BMW boxer is not the most obvious choice for the track, but there’s no denying the result will turn heads. And a closer look reveals that a surprising amount of the original BMW remains. Once you see past the paintwork, the extra body panels are limited to the winged aero cowl and screen at the front—which actually fit over the existing BMW headlight, covering it instead of replacing it—as well as a cover over the rear of the tank, a pillion seat cowl, a small bellypan, and a new front fender and brake ducts.

You’ll also notice a 17-inch front wheel—it’s a Rotobox carbon rim, with another at the back to match—and upgraded Galfer discs, as well as small extensions to the side cowls. Those extensions are actually movable, letting you direct air away from your legs or funneling it toward them.

Perhaps the cylinder heads need slider pucks? We’d like to try Puig’s R 1300 GS Pista to find out…

Kymco has been promising the RevoNEX electric sportbike since the name first appeared on a concept back in 2019, but the latest iteration shares nothing with that machine and is finally looking like it might reach production.

A second RevoNEX broke cover in 2022, completely rethinking the original bike’s styling and structure, and this third version is again totally different despite sharing the same name. What’s notable, though, is that the new one is actually viable for production in the near future because mechanically it shares a large proportion of its components with the LiveWire S2.

The S2 Arrow platform, used in the LiveWire Del Mar and Mulholland, is jointly developed with Kymco and has always been intended to appear in Kymco form at some stage, and this is the first look at that machine—albeit still some way from production form. The battery case and frame are recognizably LiveWire parts, but the bodywork on top is unusual to say the least. From the red-tinted, translucent fairing to the forged carbon tail it’s intentionally different from rivals in both materials and shapes. Some elements are more successful than others.

It also strays from convention, and from the LiveWire models, but maintaining a “manual” gearshift that’s been a key element of the RevoNEX concept since the first iteration, though achieved in a different way in this version. That initial design used a real manual transmission, but the latest iteration uses a simulated multispeed gearbox, combined with conventional-looking clutch and gear controls to give a familiar feeling and level of rider interaction without adding weight or complexity.

In terms of production, the RevoNEX is now scheduled for some time in late 2026 after LiveWire and Kymco’s two new maxi-scooter models start rolling off the lines.

MV Agusta’s Emmevi concept (the “Emmevi” badge also appears on the 80th anniversary Ottantesimo models in 2025 and is intended to literally explain how the “MV” name should be pronounced) isn’t unusual in itself. In fact, it’s quite a pretty neo-retro interpretation of the company’s old 750 S. But if it looks a bit familiar that’s because exactly the same bike was shown back in 2022 under the “921S” name.

Concept bikes are usually throwaway things, and two years after its initial debut we’d have expected the 921S to either be languishing in a museum or to have spawned a production model. In fact, it was supposed to have led to a production bike by now—last year a filing with the NHTSA included mention of both the 921 S and a yet-to-be-seen 921 GT as planned 2024 models. Maybe the revival of the 921S concept with its new Emmevi branding is a hint that those machines are still under development.

The second Kymco to make its way onto this list is the CV-R5: a production-planned maxi-scooter that targets rivals like Honda’s X-ADV by combining elements of adventure bike into its makeup.

Honda has had remarkable success with the 745cc X-ADV, based on NC750 platform, particularly in some parts of mainland Europe, to the extent that the machine is entering its third generation in 2025, a decade after the first concept bike version was shown. The CV-R5 clearly targets a similar market, but it’s a strange-looking contraption.

That forward-slanted fairing and raked headlight are bold choices, but you’d struggle to call them pretty, and seen from the side the panel in front of the rider looks oddly proportioned. It’s not a step-through scooter but still has a repositioned fuel tank, and the combination of a long wheelbase and small wheels (15-inch front, 14-inch rear) adds to the overall strangeness of the bike’s shape.

Mechanically, it uses a 427cc single with 34.4 hp and 25.5 lb.-ft, mated to a CVT and a chain final drive, while weighing in at 463 pounds. Despite its awkwardness, there are some neat practical elements including a phone cubby with charging port in the fairing and space for a full-face helmet under the seat.

Teasers for future models have become a trend in recent years at EICMA. Our first glimpse of the Aprilia Tuareg 660 came back in 2019 in the form of a prototype completely hidden in dense undergrowth, for example, and Bimota previewed the Tera as a bare chassis back in 2022. Now Kawasaki is playing the same game with a wooden crate on its EICMA stand.

Breaking through the front of the crate are a wire wheel and knobby tire, and within is a faired adventure bike with a liquid-cooled parallel-twin engine. On the side, the crate reads: “Life’s a rally. Ride it. KLE. Est. 1991.”

What little of the bike’s bodywork that’s visible is covered with black-and-white distraction camo wrap, but the radiator and the visible downpipes from the twin-cylinder engine appear to match those of the Z500 and Ninja 500, suggesting the bike within is a KLE500 that will be launched imminently. That will make it a rival to the likes of Honda’s NX500, but the wire wheels and 90/90-21 front tire show it’s a machine with more off-road potential than the Honda.

There are still more shows due this year, notably Intermot in Cologne in December, so don’t be surprised if the KLE500 gets an official debut then.