The Tiered Lineup; Then and Now

It's that time of year where motorcycle companies show off their new upcoming bikes. This year it seems the manufacturers are moving away from a market focused on sportbikes and cruisers  and are moving towards a market of more versatile and affordable bikes with adventure type bikes leading the way. This makes given that sales of once popular 600cc sport-bikes have shrunk significantly, and cruisers have at best leveled off. After the market collapsed three years ago it appears moneyed baby boomer aren't as interested in expensive "toys" and the manufactures seem to be turning to a younger demographic, time will tell if these entry level bike will find buying in the US.

But with these new bikes we should refresh our outlook on traditional motorcycle segments. For example Honda recently got it's groove back and introduced a new 250cc sportbike and 250cc dual-sport.  This year they followed up with a new 500cc motorcycle that comes in sportbike, adventure, and naked flavors. On top of that they also have their recent 700cc adventure and naked bike. So lets recap

250cc single CBR(sport), CRF (enduro)
500cc parallel twin CBR (sport), CB (naked), CBX (adventurer)
700cc parallel twin NCX (adventurer)

The midsize segment for Honda is getting pretty crowded. The NC700X joins the (800cc V4) Crossrunner and (700cc V2) Transalp/Deauville and (600cc I4) CBR600F.

Kawasaki's Ninja 250, which for a long time was the only sport sportbike available, will be joined not only by the Honda CBR250 but also a Ninja 300. On top of that there exists a Ninja 400, a small version of the Ninja 650.

With all these new bike surely there isn't room for all these size, or is there? Is there a need for a tiered line up with adequate space between sizes and prices? Or are all sizes welcome? In the 1970's motorcycles came in just about any displacement you wanted. Over the years fierce competition virtually standardized engine sizes. Throughout the last decade standard/naked motorcycle classes in the US looked something like this;

250 Kawasaki Ninja + some basic cruiser-style learner bikes
500 Kawasaki and Suzuki (for a time)
600-650 Class of midsize bikes lead by the Suzuki SV, as well as left over sport bikes
750 Kawasaki and Suzuki (both for a short time)
1000+ Open class bike from just about every manufacturer

Along with new interesting sub-600cc bikes, 800cc motorcycles are have been popping up everywhere. Will they on day replace the 600 class? The US market seems to be moving to a new type of line up, that may look something like this;

250 Kawasaki, Honda (Yamaha? Suzuki? KTM?)
500 Honda
600-650 Kawasaki, Suzuki, Yamaha
650-800 Yamaha, Honda, Triumph, BMW, Ducati
1000+ Everybody

Regardless of what the new sizes might be one thing seems clear; the market is finally showing signs of changing behavior since the 2008.

Small Bikes, the Next Big Thing?

As citizens of developing nations gain more wealth they may be interested in something beyond the basic scooter/moped. Over the last decade we've seen a new crop of 125-600cc bikes spring up around the world. Sizes depend on local regulations for example India has a lot of 150cc bikes, Japan 400cc, Vietnam has a 125cc limit, and the United Kingdom has a learners limit of 125cc. Even the United States is seeing renewed interest with small bike. Honda recently gave us the CBR250 and a new 250 dual sport, Kawasaki revamped it's Ninja 250, and will sell you a supersized version with 300ccs.

Kawasaki Ninja 300: Coming to America

Honda's Brazilian CB300R

KTM 125/250/300 Duke Coming Soon?

Even Triumph is supposed to introduced a small bike in India. 

The New Breed of Adventure Bikes

Big adventure bikes are a hot item a the moment. Just about every major manufacturer has dipped their toews into this segment. The European makes have really embraced this niche while the Japanese, with the exception of Yamaha's Super Tenere, seem halfhearted. Honda's Crosstourer is a reworked VFR1200, Kawasaki has made a Versys with a Ninja 1000 engine, and Suzuki as brought it's old V-Strom 1000 back from the dead. 

KTM looks to square off with the new generation of big soft-roading adventure bikes. The new 1190cc Adventure bike seems perfectly comparable to the new Tiger Explorer 1200 and still fresh Multistrada 1200.  For the most part this bikes are a little softer than their predecessors. The new KTM seems especially less rugged compared to the 990.

BMW the god father of this segment (and most popular) is expected to produce a liquid cooled boxer. With a bump in displacement to distinguish itself form the current, oil cooled, boxer the model will likely be the called the R1250GS. This would leave Moto Guzzi with the only bike in this segment lacking a radiator (the Stelvio has an oil cooled twin). Even Aprilia has plans to jump back into the game. Modifying their Dorsoduro 1200 to create a new Coponord.