In late September, Kawasaki officially confirmed the 2026 Z1100 and Z1100 SE for European markets. That announcement only left U.S. customers wondering, “What about us?”

After nearly two weeks of delay, Team Green just answered in the affirmative. Well, for the SE variant, at least.

Powering the 2026 Z1100 SE is Kawasaki’s recently refreshed 1,099 cc inline-four. Complete with larger 38 mm throttle bodies, updated cam profiles, and new valve springs, it’s the same engine that debuted in the Ninja 1100SX SE and Versys 1100 SE LT earlier this year. Even the output remains virtually identical to those two models at 134 horsepower (at 9,000 rpm) and 83.3 foot-pounds of torque (at 7,600 rpm). 

The four-cylinder mill also acts as a stressed member of the Z1100’s aluminum twin-tube frame. Kawasaki claims the duo yields “sharp handling and direct rider feedback.” Characteristics reportedly preserved by the engine’s three rigid mounts and one rubber mount. 

For suspension duties, the SE turns to a big-piston, separate-function fork from Showa and a gas-charged Öhlins S46 rear shock. The former boasts full adjustability while the latter offers rebound and preload adjustments.

To support the SE’s sporty ambitions, Kawi equips the supernaked with a wealth of IMU-driven rider aids. There’s Kawasaki Cornering Management Function (KCMF), which “modulates brake force and engine power to assist the rider” through the corner. There’s Kawasaki Traction Control (KTRC) and Kawasaki Intelligent anti-lock Brake System (KIBS). Even a quickshifter and cruise control come standard. 

In many ways, the Z1100 SE is the spiritual successor to the Z1000. Not just in its role at the top of Kawasaki’s (non-supercharged) Z range, but in appearance, too. The Japanese marque calls attention to the model’s “concentrated mass toward the front and the flick-like tail cowl” as well as its “slim LED headlamp,” but that’s just the long way of saying the Z1100 looks identical to the 2014 Z1000.

As the image slider above illustrates, the Z1100 is a bit of a copy/paste job. It’s difficult to fault Kawasaki for plagiarizing itself, though. After all, it sure seems like Ducati’s Streetfighter series and Honda’s CB1000 Hornet SP drew heavy inspiration from the Z1000. Why can’t the Z1100? 

Starting at $14,999, the reasonably priced Z1100 SE joins the increasingly crowded and competitive liter-plus naked bike category. It may have taken Kawasaki a few days to confirm the model for the U.S. market, but units are already rolling into dealerships around the country.

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That’s when a group of bikers from Friuli Venezia Giulia, a region of northeast Italy, banded together to create the first annual Biker Fest International. They envisioned a show that could rival German Bike Week, Daytona, and Sturgis. Gaining that level of notoriety would take some time, though. 

Beset by rainy weather, the inaugural installment drew a total of 850 visitors and 400 motorcycles. The only way was up, and BFI did just that. In 1990, attendance rose to 4,000. By the turn of the century, total participants totaled 32,000 and parked bikes reached 17,000. The festival only carried that momentum into the new millennium.

BFI’s continued growth called for several venue changes throughout the 2000s. In 2004, the show was held at San Daniele del Friuli before shifting to Sutrio the following year. After the commune of Osoppo played host in 2011, the rally found its true home, Lignano Sabbiadoro, in 2012. The resort town soon earned BFI the title of the “Italian Daytona.” 

Even after Biker Fest International rebranded to Italian Bike Week in 2022, the event still returns to Lignano Sabbiadoro every year. It’s no different in 2025, but the show’s activities are more diverse than ever. Scenes from the fourth-annual IBW prove as much.

Another year has come and another Italian Bike Week has gone.

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BMW wants the viewer to know that it remembers the C1, the firm’s first crack at an enclosed scooter. Introduced in 2000, the model was poorly received by critics and consumers alike, with weak sales prompting its demise after just two years. For decades now, the C1 has become the butt of many moto-related jokes. 

By acknowledging the C1, BMW tries to get ahead of all the naysayers. It isn’t a repelling tactic, altogether. After all, self-deprecation can be quite disarming. It’s the way the teaser presents the product after that fleeting moment of self-awareness that proves that even if you’re in on the joke, you can still be the butt of the joke.

BMW’s recent reliance on generative A.I. is well documented. (I’ve openly griped about it at times and bit my tongue at others.) The Vision CE campaign only takes that trend to unsettling new heights. Everything from the footage to the music to the voiceover looks, sounds, and feels A.I.-generated. However, it’s how the video ends that truly leaves me scratching my head.

After the narrator triumphantly identifies the concept as the Vision CE, they deliver the predictable, “Coming Soon.” Following a long beat, they add, “Or Later.” Only after another extended pause, do they conclude with a cryptic, “Maybe.” It’s a cheeky sign-off, but it also brings BMW’s intentions for the model into question. 

In 2021, Honda unveiled its long-term pathway to electrification. It followed up that announcement in 2022, providing a silhouetted look at three of its “FUN” EV models. By 2023, the company accelerated its original plan, now aiming to introduce 30 new electric motorcycle models by 2030. The “FUN” concepts remained shrouded all the while. That is, until EICMA 2024, when the EV Fun prototype finally broke cover. 

Along with that debut, Big Red promised to roll out the production-version of the e-roadster sometime in 2025. That’s why I paid close attention when Honda released a teaser for its “first electric motorcycle” in late July, especially with the date of September 2, 2025, dominating the screen by the video’s end. I marked my calendar, and everything. Sadly, it was all for naught, as the video Honda launched on Tuesday proved underwhelming. 

Instead of rolling out the homologated model, the brand showcased the final stages of prototype testing. Sure, the bike wore street-going mirrors, lighting, and a license hanger for the first time, but there’s no real developments to report. No new specs, no pricing, and no release date. Womp womp. Honda effectively released a teaser for a teaser. Talk about dragging your feet.

Of course, with EICMA 2025 just two months away, I wouldn’t be surprised if both Honda and BMW save their big reveals for the annual trade show. Until then, that leaves us pondering the ultimate question: When the EVs arrive, will either make a real difference in the struggling electric two-wheeler market?

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President Trump expanded the breadth of his existing aluminum and steel tariffs to include additional “derivative” products. The list contained 407 new product categories, including motorcycles. 

Under the directive, foreign-produced steel and aluminum contained within each motorbike imported into the United States is now subject to a 50% tax. The previously imposed country-based “reciprocal tariffs” still apply to the bike’s non-steel/aluminum components, but it’s unclear whether the metals incur dual duties or not. That’s not the only detail driving confusion around the tariffs.

The updated product list, posted to the Federal Register on Tuesday, doesn’t mention motorcycles by name. Instead, it includes several Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTSUS) codes for motorcycles, all of which start with 8711. Not all codes and categories are included, however. While motorcycles between 250 cc and 500 cc (8711.30), those exceeding 800 cc (8711.50), and electric-driven models (8711.60) make the list, bikes under 50 cc (8711.10), between 50 cc and 250 cc (8711.20), and between 500 cc and 800 cc (8711.40) are missing. Entries within those segments are just as likely to contain steel and aluminum, so there’s no obvious explanation for the omission of those codes.

Another facet of the tariffs that concern freight shipper and manufacturers is its expedited implementation. Announced by the Customs and Border Protection agency on Friday evening (7:26 p.m. EDT, to be exact), the new trade policy went into effect on Monday, meaning all goods currently in transit now fall under the broadened guidelines.

Past is prologue

In 2018, the first Trump administration established a 25% tariff on steel imports and a 10% tariff on aluminum imports. Those tariffs later expanded to include specific derivative products in 2020. Those rates were maintained during Joe Biden’s presidency, but U.S. allies like Canada, Mexico, Japan, and South Korea received exemptions. 

In March of this year, Trump not only cancelled those exemptions but also raised aluminum duties to 25%. By June, the tariff rates surged to 50%. Friday’s announcement is just the latest escalation, which seeks to eliminate what the administration calls “duty evasion schemes.”

“Today’s action expands the reach of the steel and aluminum tariffs and shuts down avenues for circumvention,” said U.S. Secretary of Commerce for Industry and Security Jeffrey Kessler, “supporting the continued revitalization of the American steel and aluminum industries.”

The goal of Trump’s policies is to boost U.S. companies and support opportunities for workers, but an International Trade Commission study conducted in 2023 found that the 2018 metals duties only marginally improved steel and aluminum production in the States; all while increasing the costs of automobiles, machines, and tools in the process.

Barriers to entry

The tariff expansion arrives as shipments to the United States continue to slow. Japan, for instance, reduced its exports to the country by 11.4% in June and 10.1% in July (the government data doesn’t specify whether Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki, or Yamaha are included). The addition of derivative product duties don’t bode well for trade, either, according to the Motorcycle Industry Council (MIC), which opposed the tariffs on derivative products. The MIC expressed concern that some companies in the motorcycle industry would take a financial hit and that some products could no longer be available in the U.S. market.

“Despite our opposition to these new tariffs and our request to be excluded from them, the Department of Commerce decided to move forward with tariffs that broaden the range of products now covered under Section 232,” said MIC Senior Vice President of Government Relations Scott Schloegel. “As a nearly $51 billion industry, we will continue to engage with the administration and policymakers to push for balanced trade rules that don’t cripple our industry.”

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Harley-Davidson names new CEO

After more than five years of being led by a CEO who made his name by turning around an athletic shoe company, Harley-Davidson will now be led by an executive whose background is golf-based entertainment centers and pizza.

Harley-Davidson announced today that Artie Starrs will replace Jochen Zeitz as CEO. Starrs comes to Harley-Davidson from his post as CEO of Topgolf International. Topgolf is a chain of sports entertainment franchises that combine aspects of the traditional golf practice range with food, drink, and games. The Harley-Davidson press release notes that Topgolf expanded into five additional countries and grew its revenues more than 50%, to $1.8 billion, in the four and a half years Starrs led the company. What it didn’t mention is that Topgolf’s financial results have weakened recently. Prior to 2021, Starrs was global CEO at Pizza Hut. He began his career as an investment banker.

Zeitz, who made his name by turning around the sportswear company Puma, had announced earlier this year that he would be retiring as CEO and chairman of the board at Harley-Davidson. Zeitz sharply altered the direction of the company but has become increasingly unpopular with many Harley-Davidson dealers and customers.

The transition will take place on October 1 and Starrs will also have a seat on the board of directors. Zeitz will be retained as a “senior advisor” through February of 2026 to help with the transition.

“Artie understands the special place Harley-Davidson occupies in culture and in the lives of our riders,” said Troy Alstead, who will take over as chairman of the board when Zeitz leaves. “I’m confident that Artie can further enhance this connection with current riders while bringing new people into the H-D community.”

What the press release does not state is how much Starrs actually knows about those Harley-Davidson customers, or the new riders his company needs to bring into the fold. Or whether Starrs has ever even ridden a Harley-Davidson or any other motorcycle.

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