In our Moto News Roundup for October, Bajaj makes some big decisions about KTM production, Kawasaki teases their newest ADV offering in the middleweight class, Alpinestars debuts new riding gear, Suzuki keeps updating the V-Strom range, and EICMA 2025 is on the horizon.
Bajaj Mulls Moving KTM Production to India
The continuing saga of Austria’s only motorcycle builder continues. Bajaj, the new majority owner, is looking to consolidate operations across the board as it announced recently that it is drawing up plans to move nearly all KTM and KTM-adjacent production to India. This comes on the heels of jettisoning MV Agusta and retooling KTM’s sprawling lineup of motorcycles. GasGas and Husqvarna are still in the stable, but there’s been no definitive word about the future of those niche brands. The ultimate goal according to Bajaj is to decrease KTM’s overhead by more than 50 percent.
Overproduction and high operational costs (including a bloated white collar workforce and expensive racing teams) have contributed to KTM’s financial woes. To turn some profit out of Bajaj’s € 800 million lifeline for KTM, the company said “European production is dead”, and that it will leverage its current manufacturing facilities on the Subcontinent (which already build some KTM models) to align more closely with the current state of global motorcycle production. The death of European manufacturing here is meant to be writ large—Bajaj isn’t just making this claim for itself. How this impacts other Euro bike brands down the line remains to be seen.
Kawasaki KLE 500
Kawasaki is second possibly only to Suzuki (see below) in its reluctance to update and add new models to its lineup. So when Kawa teases a brand new bike—albeit with a familiar moniker—it’s big news. Slated for a full release at this year’s EICMA show in Milan next month (see also below), the 2026 KLE 500 and KLE 500 SE will be Kawasaki’s first fresh middleweight ADV offerings in a very long time. Slotting in between the stalwart KLR 650 and the recently launched Sherpa S and DF models, the KLE promises to be a more feature-laden motorcycle with plenty of modern tech and an approachable ride for beginners. Fitted with a retuned version of the 451cc engine from the Ninja 500, plenty of wheel travel front and rear, a modern look, and typically modest Kawasaki pricing, it will be a compelling entry into the bantamweight bike wars. Look for more details on the KLE 500 in a future article from my colleague Arden Kysely.
New Alpinestars ADV Riding Gear
Alpinestars always conjures up in my mind visions of MotoGP or World Superbike leathers and high-top motocross boots, rather than long-haul ADV riding gear. But the Italian brand has been updating their touring line with lots of new jackets, pants, and mid-weight layers over the last year or so with its dedicated All Terra division. The 2026 collection also includes gloves and adventure-oriented boots. The fully-waterproof Halo Pro Drystar XF laminated jacket and pants are particularly interesting from a design standpoint, and many of the garments come fully ready for Alpinestars’ Tech Air airbag safety systems. The Nazca jacket and pants get Level 2 CE protection standard, as well as Alpinestars’ Gore-Tex Pro 3L waterproof fabrics that the company claims offer superior stretch and comfort, as well as all-weather protection. The All Terra collections also include women’s specific gear, like the affordable and waterproof Stella Andes V4 Drystar jacket and the versatile CRX Women’s Drystar touring shoes.
Suzuki V-Strom Updates
With the new DRZ now plying the world’s trails and the V-Strom having received some love in the last couple of years, Suzuki is slowly adding more tech and styling updates to its off-road and touring bikes. Starting with the flagship V-Strom 1050DE, which comes in a dozen different configurations, Suzuki has leveled up the electronics with its Intelligent Ride System that includes a Gravel traction control mode and switchable rear ABS. A bi-direction quick shifter and cruise control are standard, as is a 5-inch color TFT to control and monitor all those new settings. The 1050DE also gets 21-inch and 17-inch Dunlop Adventure rubber. In the middleweight category for the V-Strom, the 800DE Adventure gets Suzuki’s sweet 270-degree firing order parallel twin protected by an aluminum skid plate and accessory bars. Also standard on the Adventure are factory aluminum panniers (37 liters each) and off-road-tuned Showa suspension, making the 800 a solid value proposition for getting onto the trail straight from the showroom. The 800DE Adventure starts at $13,249 and the 1050DE, with its beefier 1037cc V-twin, at $16,449.
EICMA 2025
Next week, the world’s largest motorcycle trade show, the International Two-Wheeler Exhibition (more familiarly known by its Italian acronym, EICMA), kicks off in Milan. EICMA is always exciting because many, if not most, manufacturers use it as the platform for introducing all kinds of new models, tech, and gear for the coming sales season. Of course, lots of brands soft launch or offer sneak peeks of their offerings before the show starts, so we have a little bit of a preview of things to come.
We know Triumph is overhauling nearly its entire lineup with 33 updated or new models, including the Scrambler and TF off-road bikes, and Aprilia is possibly expanding their ADV range with refreshed Caponord and Touareg models. BMW will be featuring its entirely new F 450 GS and there are rumors of a spicy M-badged 1300 GS. Royal Enfield always drops something fascinating in Milan, and with all the recent testing of its fully-electric prototypes in the Indian Himalaya, we might expect a nearly production-ready Him-E (with tech borrowed from the Stark Varg). Keep an eye on Expedition Portal in the coming weeks for more reporting on important news from EICMA. Perhaps next year we’ll send an editor to Italy to cover the event live (hint, hint).
Images: KTM, Kawasaki, Alpinestars, Suzuki, EICMA/Triumph
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