One of those purposes I wanted to touch on is the amount of bikes/brands on display at the show that us here in the States have probably never even heard of, not all, but some. Why are they there? What market are they trying to reach? Where are they manufactured? Best I can figure out is they are on display at EICMA for two reasons: It is a manufacturing company that is starting a motorcycle brand and are looking to grow their distribution, dealer network, and business partnerships. OR it’s a manufacturer showcasing that they can produce an entire motorcycle (with some ridiculous brand name slapped on it for aesthetics) hoping that some business/entrepreneur is looking to add a motorcycle to their lineup of products and will use them to manufacture said motorcycle through said company. But what do these bikes look like? Do they all look the same? Are they any good? Let’s take a look….

Hoto 450

I couldn't find a website for them but they are on social media with a seemingly large Rally presence. Maybe we'll see some more Hoto content from the upcoming Dakar Rally in January. 

JHL Offroad 250R

More Info here. 

LEM

Funny story with LEM, I had never heard of them but Sarah Whitmore mentioned that maybe this could be the same brand that used to produce competitive mini cycles in the US years ago. After some further digging, it appears this is the same Italian brand she remembers! Although they are now only available in Italy. 

NCX 300T and 450F

Another Italian brand with an interesting backstory. 

Rex Motor 250

I could not find any info online about the Rex...maybe my theory is proving true. 

Thumpstar...250?

Upon Further investigation, these Australian-born bikes are in fact available in the US! And with a pretty decent list of dealers. More info here. 

VENT Baja

Yet again, an Italian-based manufacturer. We actually spoke to them briefly and they do have plans to reach the domestic market. More info here. 

XW 250 I think?

Considering i'm not exactly certain on the actual name of this bike... finding a website was basically impossible. 

This isn’t even all of them, plenty more that I either didn’t see or didn’t get a photo of but you get the idea. Some look decent, have originality, and contain quality parts. Others look suspiciously like a much cheaper version of a well-known orange bike. Will we ever see these bikes in the US? Doubtful, but I’m sure I’ll be scrolling Facebook Reels one night and see those guys who haul giant logs out of the jungles of Southeast Asia on motorcycles riding a HOTO or a LEM, possibly even a REX? WHO KNOWS.

Now for some brands you maybe HAVE heard of… but didn’t know they made a certain model.

Honda 300RX

Man, I wish we had these in the U.S., kind of like the perfect off-road bike, similar to the KTM 350. Lightweight like a 250 but with more punch. We got the lowdown on these bikes from our good friend Bill Savino who works at Honda USA. If you notice on the bike it says “Red Moto”. That is Honda’s Italian distributor and manufacturer. So technically all the bikes under this Red Moto display are separate from the actual Honda display. Red Moto makes these bikes based on a 250 platform, but bored out, bigger piston, etc. And the reason is for homologation purposes as they race this platform in European SuperMoto and Enduro series. Unfortunately, this particular Honda 300cc four stroke is not available for purchase in the States. You can, however, purchase the Honda CRF300F which is more of what Weege calls a "tweener" trail bike and the CRF300L Rally bike. Also, on my travels home I shared a flight with Jeff Cernic, we were chatting about the show, and he said he’s actually imported a few of these Red Moto Honda 300RX bikes before. So maybe it is possible? Albeit not cheap I’m sure, probably better off getting a Honda CRF250R and punching it out yourself.

Ducati 250 Desmo

We knew these were coming but this was the first time we have seen one in person. One thing people always talk about with the Ducati is the Desmodromic valve system which allows them to rev higher than a traditional valvetrain. Given how most guys rev the crap out of 250s, maybe this is the ideal combo? We’ll find out soon.

AJP 250 and 310

May have seen our contributor Blake Wharton doing some testing on these a few years ago. More info here. 

Kayo K6R 250

These are growing in popularity here and you may have seen them at your local dealer. More info here. 

Kove MX450

Another one you’ve probably seen lately, I know our friends at Legends and Hero’s had one on display at their SX and Pro MX booth, plus I believe MXA has been doing some wear testing on the 250 lately. But here is the 450. People will knock on the Kove as a cheap Chinese bike, but is that really a bad thing? What’s wrong with having a cheap to buy full-size bike on the market? Makes the barrier to entry for newcomers less daunting.

Rieju MR300 and MRT50 Pro

We did some testing on a Rieju MR300PRO a few years ago which you may have seen. But one thing I’m sure you haven’t seen is a full-size 50cc 2-stroke? First thing that comes to mind is WTF. There were quiet a few of these small displacement full-size bikes from various brands at the show. But why? Well given that motorcycling is such a massive part of European culture, in some countries you can get your motorcycle license as early as age 14 if the bike is under 50cc. There ya go, demand=supply.

Sherco SE450F

Pretty well-known brand based in France more known for enduro and trials style bikes. They are available in the US as well and I believe they are trying to grow their dealer network. Keep an eye out for them. More info here. 

TM 250T, EN 250, MX450