Moto Expo comes to Melbourne
Now rotating biennially between Sydney and Melbourne, 2018 was the southern city’s turn to host the nation’s biggest motorcycle show. The venue was Melbourne’s historic Showgrounds at Ascot Vale and despite unseasonably cool weather, most of the major motorcycle distributors packed out the main hall with colourful displays. Kawasaki used the occasion to release five new models, including a new Versys 1000, plus an unexpected reprieve for the retro W800, which will be seen next year in Café Racer form. Across at Royal Enfield, the wraps were pulled off the range of new 650 twins, which were originally unveiled at the 2018 Expo in Sydney a year ago. This time it’s for real, with sales beginning in February 2019. The pricing for the quartet of models was a pleasant surprise too, ranging from $8,440 for the Standard model Interceptor INC 650 and $8,640 for the Continental GT 650. Both these models are also available in Custom and Chrome derivatives at $8,640/$8,940 and $8,840/$9,140 respectively. The air-cooled two-valve engine uses a 270º crank, and produce 47 horsepower. The all-new chassis was developed at RE’s UK Technology centre by subsidiary Harris Performance. Other highlights of the Expo included the new MV Agusta Turismo Veloce 800 Lusso SCS, the reappearance of the Peugeot scooter range, new Triumph Street Scrambler and Street Twin, and Yamaha’s amazing new Niken with its dual front end grafted onto the successful MT- 09 triple.