THE 41st Tokyo Motor Show may not have been as packed as in previous years but the motorcycles display was quite impressive. Auto manufacturers with motorcycle components like Honda got the best displays when it decided to combine both their passenger cars, commercial vehicles and motorcycles in one huge booth. But Suzuki, Yamaha and even Harley-Davidson were present and so were their beautiful bikes.

The biggest interest for motorcycles in the Honda booth was the CB1100, a production-ready version of the concept displayed in 2007. The bike had a tube-steel frame and air-cooled, four-cylinder engine, much like the old CB750 but with modern retro styling. A “Customized Concept” version with black-finish exhaust and bikini fairings was also on display. Honda says this bike is ready for production but did not mention when and where.

There is also the EVE-neo, an electric scooter that was designed for city riding. This was a production-ready design that will most probably not go very fast but is capable of taking its rider citywide all of the time. And to complement this concept, Honda decided to come out with an electric version of the Honda Cub with hub-mounted electric motors.

For unicycles, or conveyances with one wheel, Honda presented the U3-X, a guitar-looking thingamajig that uses the technology of Asimo to create a self-balancing personal monocycle that can run up to 12 mph. It weighs only 22 lb and is foldable so the owner can carry it on the bus or in a car. It has a set of small wheels that allow it to maneuver around without having to turn its entire frame.

Engineering excellence and eco-friendliness were combined in the booth of Yamaha. Two different electric two-wheelers were prominent there: the EC-f and EC-03. The EC-f is a toy-cum-machine that looked like a glowing “X.” No information was given out for this bike except that it “does not need exhaust parts,” giving greater freedom to designers of electric bikes.

A bit more down-to-earth was the EC-03, an aluminum-framed update of the Yamaha Passol e-bike. Then there was the new Super Tenere, which was an update of the single-cylinder adventure bike so popular in Europe and Japan. The new version, wrapped in cloth to imitate a desert nomad at the display, has ABS, traction control and other high-tech amenities.

Of course, Yamaha did not leave behind a model for the classic rider with its fuel-injected version of the SR400.

As for Suzuki, a concept fuel-cell Burgman scooter was on display. This was the logical next step to the Crosscage Concept that was seen in 2007. The Burgman concept uses an air-cooled fuel cell and high-pressure hydrogen tank for maximum range. Suzuki says its bike is ready for production but did not say when this would be available on the market. When it does hit the market, however, it may not be affordable to many as fuel cells are terribly expensive at the moment.

Also on display for Suzuki were its regular models including the all-too-familiar and popular Bandit 1200.

There was not much to choose from in terms of models and variants at this year’s Tokyo Motor Show, but judging from the designs, there is much to be expected in the near future, not only for cars but also for two- and one-wheeled machines.

IN PHOTO -- X-factor The EC-f is Yamaha’s offering into the electric vehicle age.