“Classic Bikes – Ride don’t Hide’, is the mission statement promoted by the FIVA Motorcycle Commission. It aims to encourage owners of historic motorcycles to ride and use their motorcycles, a right vigorously promoted and protected through the efforts of FIVA.
The 2026 edition of the ASI Motorcycle show, the 23rd of its kind, serves as a perfect microcosm of the mission of the FIVA Motorcycle Commission. Automotoclub Storico Italiano (ASI), the FIVA national authority of Italy (ANF), held the show on the dates of May 8 to 10, 2026. The show took place at the Varano de’ Melegari race track and was attended by 698 participants, half of whom attended from abroad and over 800 motorcycles. Attendance exceeded over 20,000 visitors. Members of the FIVA General Committee also attended, in particular, the Director of the FIVA Motorcycle Commission, Keith Gibbins.
Keith Gibbins (left), Alberto Scuro (center), Takis Panagiotis Mariolopoulos (right)
Among the highlights, was a special event by Spanish Champion Alvaro Bautista. Bautista, who not only has the 2006 Moto GP 125 World Championship under his belt, but is also a two-time Superbike Champion (2022 and 2023), thrilled the crowd by riding an iconic Ducati motorcycle, the Desmosedici GP6 used by Troy Bayliss to win the 2006 Valencia Grand Prix. The use of the Ducati should come as no surprise as the show also celebrated the 100th Anniversary of Ducati. ASI’s tribute took the form of an extraordinary exhibit of Ducati motorcycles and their individual engines, all made possible by the cooperation of the Ducati Museum. The Ducati Motorcycles on display included a broad array of the company’s portfolio, ranging from the 1946 Cucciolo to the 996 and 998 Superbikes of 1991, 1999 and 2002. Displayed alongside the motorcycles that exemplified the broad span of Ducati road and racing motorcycles, were the technological milestones of the company as clearly illustrated by the unique engines on display, each representing a new paradigm of technology, and all evocative of the continuous pursuit of innovation and performance which is synonymous with the history of Ducati.
Other key themes of the show were dedicated to motorcycles that represented motoring history milestones, including those which contributed to the post-World War II rebirth of the motorcycle industry and those of the Superbike World Championship.
Of special note was the official participation of both Honda and Yamaha in the show as well as the debut of the only remaining RAI BMW K100RT. RAI (Radiotelevione Italiana) is the national public broadcasting company of Italy, originally founded in 1924. This unique motorcycle was used in the 1990’s for filming different events before being decommissioned and, following its recent discovery, underwent a full restoration by ASI.
The event can be best summed up by FIVA (and ASI) President Alberto Scuro who stated that: “We experienced a weekend of pure passion, in a unique setting that that allowed us to be in direct contact with motorcycles and the personalities of world motorcycling. There are increasingly younger enthusiasts and the world of classic motorcycles offers them the opportunity to practice accessible collecting”.
