The days are getting longer and warmer, roads are usually drier and the allure of 2015 models all combines to get the motorcycle world into a state of frenzy this time of year. Be it for bar talk or researching an early Christmas present for yourself, there’s something quite invigorating about thumbing or scrolling through the pages over all the new bike rumors, spy pictures, first morsels of information and the like. There’s no doubt about it, 2015 is shaping up to be a very exciting year!

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Which segment looks to be the major focus for the year ahead?

In general there is a pretty even split amongst adventure tourers and entry-level motorcycles. It’s an indication that motorcycle sales of practical, versatile and affordable machinery is what is selling these days. And sales mean success.

So no new sportsbikes or nakedbikes?

Sportsbikes and nakedbikes aren’t forgotten about: there are a few new models anticipated! There’s been some great releases in the last few years – BMW S1000R, KTM 1290 Super Duke R, Yamaha MT-09, Ducati Panigales and Monster 1200S, to name a few – so there’s good reason for this side of the market to be a bit quieter than others at the moment.

What bikes are we expecting to be unveiled this year?

Only what we have seen or have evidence of! From BMW there is a liquid-cooled BMW R1200R naked twin and S1000RR-engined machine of the ilk of Ducati’s Multistrada. Also in the adventure market, KTM is sure to blow people’s minds and the competition with its new 180hp, 1301cc 1290 Super Adventure (pictured above). We’ve seen it in pictures, but in the metal it hasn’t been ‘officially’ released yet. Suzuki’s GSX-S1000 nakedbike (below) has been sighted in what looks like production form, while Yamaha has shown us a MT-09 Street Rally, that we will get in Oz, and the Sport Tracker that isn’t planned for our market as yet. Yamaha has also launched the R25 entry-level sportsbike (bottom) in Asia while Kawasaki has shown off a Z250 nakedbike based around the successful Ninja platform. Triumph is set to enter the entry-level market with a nakedbike and sportsbike built out of their factory in central India.

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Have we missed anything?

We can’t forget the bikes that have been released internationally, or launched at least, and are on sale soon like the KTM RC390, Hondas CB300F, Ducati 821 Monster, and EBR 1190SX.

When will we see these machines in Australia?

It all depends on whether they will be sold in our market of course! When the machines are officially unveiled, we’ll immediately get an indication from local distributors if or when they will make it on to the Australian market. If they are, there’s a good chance that at the Moto Expo at Melbourne Showgrounds on 28-30 November is going to be the first place any of these new models will be shown in Australia for the first time. Mark down that weekend in Melbourne as a must see event. You might get to see new machines at the MotoGP at Phillip Island in October, but with the biggest of the international shows, Intermot, a fortnight before making it a tight, but not impossible prospect. Fingers crossed!

What models are we going to see at the GP or Expo?

It’s a bit early for announcements though a few local distributors have indicated there will be unveilings but were reluctant to say what models they will be.

Source: Supplied.

What other machines are rumored to be released or in development?

Rumours this time of year are always rife, and typically include a new superbike! This year, there are a lot of rumblings going on about what bikes Yamaha will be unveiling next. Separate the fact from fiction and there’s still a strong likelihood there is a lot to come from the brand that celebrates its 60th birthday in 2015. The Yamaha R25 is said to be a 300cc R3 for the Aussie market (like the Ninja 300 is to the Ninja 250 elsewhere in the world) with the same rumors around the Kawasaki Z250 that’s been unveiled to mirror the baby Ninja 300 in capacity too. Similarly, there strong indications of a MT-300 as an evolution of the MT-125 too. Another machine is said to be a touring version of the MT-09 with the FJ-09 model name recently patented in the USA. KTM is also tipped to be expanding its range of single-cylinder, Indian-built machines to include an Adventure bike and there’s strong indications BMW will be pumping out a range of smaller capacity machines out of India too. Honda’s big twin adventure bike, said to be called a CRF1000, is more than a pipe dream. The rumored model name, a patented Unicam head parallel-twin engine and last year their official announcement a new ‘Africa Twin’ was in the works, indicate this machine will be seriously off-road focused. The crux of all this is that as for what is coming, we’ll have to wait and see. Thankfully the wait wont be too long as show time is quickly approaching, with the big one – Intermot – kicking off in just over a month’s time. But no matter what market segment you are looking at, not forgetting that there are machines we don’t even know about, even if none of the rumored models come to realization or if we don’t get them all in Australia, 2015 is going to be one hell of a year for new bikes.