The
North Hall is connected to JR
Kaihin Makuhari Station by a
long mall. The motorcycle booths
are located near the entrance.
The first thing you see is
the Honda booth, situated to the left of
the central aisle. Honda's main theme
is "Have Wings?" It
proposes two different kinds of wing
for its customers: "Sports" wing
for riding pleasure and "Style" wing
for more enjoyable lifestyle. Among the
prototypes on display are the "
ELYSIUM," a large 750cc scooter with
advanced hydraulic controlled CVT, and
the compact, collapsible "
e-DAX" that weighs a mere 25kg.
As they
enter the Yamaha booth, visitors are
startled by motorcycle sounds coming
from overhead. Yamaha initially
attracted attention for the "Passol," an
urban commuter bike powered by a lithium-ion
battery, but the highlight of its booth
is the "Sound
Simulators" the central space. The 3D
sound system faithfully recreates
the sound and vibration of the "YZR500" racing
machine, and there are long lines of
men and women waiting for their turn
to ride.
Suzuki says there are 4 categories
of motorcycle appeal, "
Excitement" being one. On the main stage
it has 6 concept models, including the "B-KING," which
features a supercharged "Hayabusa 1300" engine
and a wealth of the IT know-hows, all
packaged in a near-future form.
Kawasaki's
staff is dressed in flashy black and
green costumes to display the "ZZ-R1200," scheduled
for market launch very soon, not to mention
the super sporty "Ninja ZX-12R," the
wild "VULCAN 1500," and
the single cylinder air-cooled "250TR." Its
new models emphasize the joy and fun
that bikes bring to riders throughout
the world. |