12 Fun Things at the AIMExpo Motorcycle Show
AIMExpo is a trade show sort of like SEMA and NADA rolled into one, where the two-wheel industry gathers to sign up new dealers, debut new products, and promote the business of motorcycling. It was started in 2013 and has been run by the Motorcycle Industry Council since 2015. After stints in Orlando and Las Vegas, the show rolled into Anaheim, California, this year.
It was a great chance to see bikes you might not see very much on the road, like MotoMarini and Benda, as well as established marques like Yamaha, Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki, and Triumph. And there were aisles and aisles of trick parts. Here are a few of our favorites from this year’s show.
The Return of Norton
Norton was founded in 1898 and has had its share of ups and downs since. But when it was bought by Indian motorcycle maker TVS in 2020, it seemed on its way to recovery.
The new Norton trumpeted its return to the US market at AIMExpo this year with a pair of rip-snortin’ motorcycles. The Manx R superbike will roll into US showrooms in Q4 of this year, followed by the Atlas adventure bike.
The Manx R will be the flagship of the brand, with a 1,200-cc V4 making 206 hp and 96 lb-ft of torque. It rides on a semi-active suspension. It’s not a race bike, Norton says, but a motorcycle aimed at being thoroughly enjoyable to ride, with loads of torque all over the tach and responsive but not brutal handling.
The Atlas likewise goes for understated power, with a 585-cc liquid-cooled parallel-twin (270-degree firing order) making around 70 hp, though Norton hasn’t released a power figure.
Welcome back, lads!
Moto Morini X-Cape 1200
Moto Morini was founded in 1937 by motorcycle racer and designer Alfonso Morini, who opened his small firm on Via Malvasia in Bologna, Italy. The Moto Morini brand earned a reputation for building affordable motorcycles of quality and performance as well as unique style.
That carries on today at AIMExpo, where Moto Morini showed a new 2026 Vettore 450 adventure bike with a 450-cc twin making 45 hp for just $6,499, a model called the 3 1/2 Sport V2 with a 350-cc twin making 32.6 hp, and a big, beautiful V-twin-powered bike called the X-Cape 1200 making 129 hp and 78 lb-ft of torque.
There are 14 dealers across the US, so go check ’em out at motomoriniusa.com.
Vanderhall Brawley GTS
Vanderhall came out almost a decade ago with a three-wheeled, two-seat sports car called the Venice. It was fun to drive, like a three-wheeled Morgan or a Polaris Slingshot. They sold over 7,000 of those. But when GM stopped supplying the turbocharged 1.5-liter four engines that powered the original Vanderhall, the company decided it had to branch out into another realm.
That realm was the increasingly popular side-by-side (SxS) market. But rather than cobble together a tube frame and some flimsy plastic body panels, Vanderhall instead elevated the entire category with this enclosed-cabin, independent suspension, all-electric off-road revolution.
With a motor at each of the now four wheels, the Brawley has a total output of 404 hp and 488 lb-ft of torque. Plus, it can crab walk and do those tank turns the kids so enjoy. Range is up to 140 miles. Price is $49,950, but you could spend close to that on a regular SxS without all the gee-whiz capability of this.
Supermach Sidecar
Supermach has been a distributor of all kinds of entertaining motorbike imports since 2003, from electric bikes to go-karts, scooters, UTVs, and now this thing.
It’s called the MP200-M3 Retro Three-Wheel Vehicle, and you will be the hit of the beach club when you pull up in it. It’s powered by a 200-cc single-cylinder four-stroke making 9.4 hp, good for a top speed of 50 mph.
Supermach has warehouses full of things like this, and they’re looking for dealers. See supermach.com.
Droyd Toys for Kids
All our childhoods should have been this fun. Based in Southern California, Droyd says it makes some of the safest, funnest, and most reliable kids electric rideables on the planet. Imagine being five years old and having parents who bought you one of these. What a great way to start life on wheels.
Products include electric ATVs, dirt bikes, quads, go-karts, and there’s even a Big Wheel-looking thing. See Droyd.com.
Niu XQi500
Niu makes electric kick scooters, Vespa-like sit-atop scooters, and numerous eBikes, as well as this new XQi500 motorcycle. It has sold 4.6 million of those transportation solutions worldwide. The majority of its business is in China, and it launched in the US in 2018.
It’s proud that its models like the XQi500 carry VINs while most competitors carry only serial numbers. The XQi500 features a full TFT touchscreen and DOT4 braking system, 19.3 hp, and on- or off-road capability. On-road top speed is 28 mph, off-road it goes up to 65 mph. Price is $5,600.
Niu is also offering neighborhood electric vehicles, with one four-seater on its stand starting at $9,999. That one’s coming in April. See global.niu.com.
K9 Moto Cockpit Dog Carrier
This is how you carry your dog on your motorcycle. A couple named Greg and Jess Stone love motorcycles and also love their big dog, shown here. So they invented this product: basically a big, comfortable rack into which you strap your dog for riding. They make all kinds of different sizes too, from jumbo for 80-90-pound dogs to nano for chihuahuas.
“We just did a triple nano for three chihuahuas in Australia,” said Jess.
They’ve sold over 650 of the rigs. Prices start at $1,050, but profits go to support their ride around the world. They’ve already done North and South America and are headed to Africa next. See goruffly.com.
Benda Motorcycles
Benda makes a full line of very stylish and affordable V-twin-powered motorcycles aimed at younger audiences. While they look very much like custom American motorcycles, Benda designs its bikes in Europe and manufactures them in China for sales around the world. The US distribution falls to a company called Keeway America, which has a dealer locator on its website, keewayamerica.com.
The bikes are powered by internal-combustion V-twins ranging in displacement from 250 to 1,000 ccs. Consider the oddly named Napoleon Bob 500: The rear suspension is familiar but check out those front forks.
It’s a bobber with a liquid-cooled 47-hp DOHC 476-cc eight-valve V-twin. It rides in a steel cradle frame with a rear monoshock you can adjust for pre-load should you ever convince a rider to get on the back. There’s a four-piston front brake caliper clamping a 320-mm disc with ABS, traction control, and even a slipper clutch.
This may be one of the coolest things to come out of China in a long time. Prices range from around $5,000 to somewhere around $7,000, which makes it a real competitor to bikes like the Honda Rebel and Kawasaki Eliminator. Hope to get one to ride soon.
Atlas Powerlifts
This should make loading and unloading your motorcycles much easier. The Atlas Powerlift slides into the receiver hitch on your vehicle and incorporates a hydraulic lift to raise the bike rack off the ground and then place it back down for what may be the easiest load/unload sequence anywhere. Then the rack itself, minus the hydraulics, releases and you can roll it away to store your two motorcycles. It’s $3,799 at atlaspowerlifts.com.
Moto Trainer
If you've ever wanted to ride like Valentino Rossi but lacked the talent, the Moto Trainer will help get you there. You attach your actual motorcycle, the whole thing, onto this tilting rack, switch on the big screen TV in front of you, and start leaning into curves like you really know what you’re doing. We watched several riders try this out, some with more success than others. One guy came wearing his leather onesie and helmet for added realism. It looks tremendously fun, and the Moto Trainer people said it’s used by professional riders, too.
Problem is, it ain’t cheap, about the cost of a real superbike: $18,990. Made in Mugello, naturally, by real Italians. See motorbikesimulator.com.
Yamaha WR125R
Yamaha brought back the much-loved WR125R late last year, and the company had one on its stand at AIMExpo, along with several of its other bikes. The 2026 WR125R is an entry-level dual-sport that is an excellent way to start riding. Those who have experience on road bikes and want to try riding in the dirt, as well as riders new to motorcycles altogether, will enjoy this proven motorcycle.
The 125-cc single cylinder engine is liquid-cooled and sports variable valve actuation with two intake cam profiles, one for low and one for high rpms. Front disc brakes get two-piston calipers, and ABS is standard. Sticker price is just $3,999, well below competitors in the class.
Suzuki GSX-8TT
Retro ain’t what it used to be. It’s better! The GSX-8TT is a retro take on Suzuki’s sensible GSX-8S and GSX-8R. Shown here in Pearl Matte Shadow Green with gold wheels, it also sports a quarter fairing inspired by the GS1000S AMA Superbike raced by Wes Cooley in the ’80s. There’s also a chin spoiler, bar-end mirrors, a stitched seat, and an “8” badge on the radiator shroud that looks like an eight ball.
The 776-cc transverse parallel-twin makes 75.9 hp at the rear wheel, enough to move the 448-pound bike down the road with speed that’ll match its looks. Check it out at suzukicycles.com.
