Varese’s charge on EICMA 2016

Today, Thursday 10 November, the 74 International Exhibition of Bicycles and Motorcycles (EICMA), opened its doors to the public; the trade fair will be at the Rho Exhibition Centre until 13 November. There are over one thousand exhibitors and companies represented, 48% from abroad, representing 38 countries. With our usual glocal approach, we visited the companies from Varese Province, leaders in engineering production and plastic moulding.

If you come by public transport, the first pavilion you see is No. 2, where the most famous, important and maybe most beloved company in the province, MV Agusta is exhibiting. The latest offering is the Brutale 800 RR, a beast with 140 horsepower, which is the second of the New Brutale 800 presented in Malaga at the beginning of the year. In fact, the whole range should be considered totally new, from a technical point of view, because of the update to the Euro4 regulations. If you are looking for what else is new, just follow the sign Reparto Corse (Racing Department). From the Turismo Veloce to the F4, by way of the Dragster and F3, all of them sport the graphics of the WSBK team, who have had their best season of all time, with the WSS runner-up Jules Cluzel, and Leon Camier’s eighth place in the WSBK.

ARIETE SANDRO MENTASTI – Pavilion No. 4, stand R67
Going along Via Macchi, from Varese, before Schiranna, you come to Ariete Mentasti. The company was founded in 1947 to produce rubber components, but it made its fortune with plastics and technopolymers, for which it is a world leader. They work on the whole production cycle, from the designing to the production of moulds, to the final product, employing 40 people. The main clients include BMW and Termignoni, and their main consumer products are handles and eyeglasses, which are exported worldwide.

VIBRAM – Pavilion No. 4, stand F68
The company from Albizzate is a global brand that employs 700 people and produces 40 million non-slip soles per year, which are distributed to 120 countries, through a partnership with the world’s most famous producers of footwear. Staying with the motorcycle sector, Vibram supplies Acerbis and Rev It, and at EICMA, is presenting the new Vibram VLR Tech, which uses two rubber compounds, one rigid and one soft. Vibram’s clients can also replace their soles, by going to the Vibram Truck, in the Arena Motolive area outside.

PLASTICHE CASSANO – Pavilion No. 10, stand C64
The original company was founded in 1925, to produce grips for handlebars made of buffalo horns. After the Second World War, it changed over to producing in Bakelite, acetate, and finally, in plastic. Today, under the brand name ProGrip, it produces more than 200 grips a day, in addition to masks, eyeglasses, protective devices and clothing for all-terrain riding, which have been put to the test by famous champions of the off-road discipline, starting with the twice world champion, Alex Puzar, now brand ambassador for ProGrip. NUOVA MAZZUCCHELLI – Pavilion No. 14, stand L14 Founded in the early 1960’s, in Cavaria con Premezzo, Mazzucchelli produces crankshafts and connecting rods for 2-stroke engines, from 50cc to 250cc. The company employs 10 people and exports 60% of its production, mostly to the European market, as spare parts for the motorcycle and kart sectors. SWM MOTORCYCLES – Pavilion No. 4, stand E76This is Varese’s motorcycle production start-up. Founded following the transfer of Husqvarna’s production from Cassinetta di Biandromo to Mattighofen, Austria, SWM is a historic brand from Milan that was very popular in the 1970’s and 1980’s, thanks to its off-road motorcycles, and boasts the record of being the first Italian company to win a world motorcycle trial. Today, the company is alive again in Cassinetta, thanks to the enthusiasm of many former Husqvarna and Cagiva employees and to the investment by a Chinese industrial group. At EICMA, SWM is presenting the new 125 4T Enduro and SM motorcycles, which are among the most beautiful in the sector, and a new Adventure Bike, the SuperDual 650. The “Gran Milano”, a Café Racer that is at the top of SWM’s Classic range, is also excellent. The news is the return to the world of competitions, with participation in the next SM World Championship. RIZOMA – Pavilion No. 18, stand G60 The Rizoma brand was founded in Ferno, in 2001, and was immediately able to buck the market, by growing year after year, to 120 employees, and opening its flagship-store in Los Angeles. How did it do this? By producing parts and accessories of the highest quality, that were unique by design and finish, for all of the premium makes, from the Italian names to Harley Davidson, BMW and Triumph. The new product is the Metropolitan R77, an innovative snap-fixed bicycle with a carbon frame, without a seat tube, and belt drive. A design object for demanding and hedonistic cyclists. DI TRAVERSO SCHOOL – Motolive Area 

In his career, the Varese rider, Marco Belli, has won flat track titles in Italy, the United Kingdom and beyond. A few years ago, he founded the Di Traverso school, which gives riders the opportunity to learn or perfect riding on dirt tracks. This discipline also fascinated Valentino Rossi, who wanted a track on his famous “ranch”.

ITALBELL – STEELMATE ITALIA
Founded in 2002, today, the Gavirate-based company is a partner of the Chinese electronics giant, Steelmate. Italbell produces vehicle components, and during the EICMA, is presenting an innovative system for measuring the state of tyres, called TPMS, aimed at improving safety for motorcyclists. This project is drawing interest from manufacturers and from companies that produce tyres.