You may not have heard of this trade show, which is fine as it takes place in Milan, Italy, but this is what I would consider to be the Motorcycle Industry’s equivalent to the Automotive Industry’s SEMA. If you don’t know what SEMA is, picture giant exhibit halls with companies displaying new product and cool concepts, providing demos, and making business connections.

This was my first time attending EICMA [International Exhibition of Cycle, Motorcycle, and Accessories], as well visiting Europe. Lucky for me though, our publisher and industry veteran, Scott Wallenberg, who has been attending this show since the ‘80s, accompanied me, so you could say I had a good tour guide. Being as this was my first time attending the show, my only expectations were based on what Scott had told me, which was essentially, “Picture AIMExpo in Vegas, but 10x the size.” In hindsight, that’s probably the most accurate description one could give a first timer.

The show had well over 500 exhibitors displaying, and over 2,000 brands represented. Ranging from major OE manufacturers displaying their new 2024 bike lineups like Honda, Yamaha, the KTM Group, Kawasaki, Triumph, and Ducati (sadly no Triumph or Ducati Motocross bikes though), to smaller companies who service suspension, produce sprockets, or manufacture garments. That’s not to say a sprocket manufacturer is a small company, as they can produce over one million sprockets a year, but you get the idea.

EICMA isn’t just for building business relationships either. Later in the week there are public access days, which is one of the reasons the displays are so grand and spectacular. These companies want to show off everything new they have to offer to the public. It is estimated that there were over 560,000 attendees!

Key things we noticed while walking the aisles of the 8 different exhibit halls:

Electric bikes – There were so many different electric bikes of all shapes and sizes. Scooters, MX bikes, street bikes, play bikes, you name it. Especially in the, what we call, “play bike” segment. This includes brands like Sur-Ron, Rawrr, Cake, etc. I know some people moan and groan about electric bikes, but there is no denying they are cool and open new/different opportunities for riding on two wheels.
Helmets – We noticed quickly how many different helmet brands and manufacturers were there. I counted and shot photos of 43 different offroad helmets, and I’m sure I missed a few.
Adventure bikes – They are an increasingly popular segment of the motorcycle industry, albeit not as popular here in the states as they are in Europe, but still growing nonetheless.
Scale – Sometimes I feel like it’s easy to forget how large the motorcycling industry is when living in the US. We ride here, but often times it’s more of a hobby than a necessity, like it is in other parts of the world. I can’t tell you how many street bikes and scooters I saw in Italy simply because it’s easier and more efficient to get around that way. That’s consistent with other countries around the world, too.

All-in-all, the trip was fantastic, from both a personal and business perspective. It's hard to really put into words the scope of how large the show is, so check out the galleries below of some of the displays we saw and snapped pictures of.