Intermot

Feeding on a persistently growing global trend, Intermot Customized has evolved to a show-in-show, cementing its place among the biggest custom exhibitions in Europe with more than 100 custom builders filling a dedicated hall with motorcycle adaptations of their wildest dreams.

It’s only natural that Suzuki’s new superbike would steal the spotlight, yet its Intermot booth hosted some other interesting debuts. The new GSX-S750 and GSX-R125 both represent scaled-down versions of current 1,000 cc models, as the adventurous V-Strom family undergoes a generous make over.

It is not customary at international motorcycle shows for manufacturers to tease new models ahead of other upcoming events, yet Kawasaki did announced two new Z variants to be unveiled later at EICMA. Intermot also hosted the debut of the Ninja 650, as well as several other interesting updates.

Headlines from Honda’s Intermot presentation reasonably centered on the new Fireblade, leaving little publicity for two updates on the classic CB1100 model family. A new sporty version called RS broke cover with fancy new running gear, escorted by a set of minor advances for the existing EX.

Suzuki unveiled at Intermot its latest sportbike bearing the iconic GSX-R logo. The new GSX-R1000 brings variable-valve timing to the game, in a brand-new package that incorporates all the essential features of the highly competitive superbike class, escorted by an even higher-spec R version.

​​The Greyp G12S was a beast of an e-bike, but its power kept it mostly in the dirt. Now Greyp has toned it down with the G12H, a street-legal version that trades in the 70 km/h top speed of its predecessor’s Power mode for a battery with twice the capacity and a range of up to 240 km (149 miles).​

In 1992 the CBR900RR Fireblade changed the superbike game, but a quarter century later Honda’s production racing icon appears to be lagging behind the competition. The 2017 CBR1000RR SP and SP2 aim to turn the tables both on the road and the race track with a host of upgrades on the existing model.

Control is the key word in the new Aprilia RSV4s and Tuonos, and the result is near limitless adjustments over nearly every aspect of these bikes, many of them on the fly.​

More than five decades after its heyday and 15 years since a new motorcycle bore its logo on the fuel tank, FB Mondial returns to mass production with the HPS 125 Hipster. The little Italian scrambler is scheduled to make its international debut next week at the Intermot Cologne show.

Expectations were sky-high for the supercharged Kawasaki Ninja H2, and yet Team green still managed to blow our minds when it unveiled its 300-horsepower Ninja H2R at Intermot Cologne today, restoring Kawasaki's reputation as the brand of choice for slavering lunatics.

KTM's 1290 Superduke R prototype combines a lightweight, trellis-frame with a 1290cc V-twin, drive-by-wire, lots of (disengageable) electronic rider assistance, prototype WP suspension at both ends and maybe the best power-to-weight ratio ever!

It's forty years since Kawasaki astonished the motorcycling world by showing the 903cc Z1 superbike at the 1972 Cologne Show. Some special activities are being planned for the 2012 Cologne Intermot show to commemorate the event.