It was a blast from the past
By TMX Archives on 4th Dec 08
JD's been to the other show, at the NEC, and is happy to report more sightings of real bikes...
AND so to the Bike Show. No, not a re-run of the Dirt Bike Show but to the industry's ‘official' offering, grandly titled the International Motorcycle and Scooter Show and staged at the NEC by the Motor Cycle Industry Asociation (MCIA). This, as you would expect, is the show for the knee-down brigade, with each stand festooned with plastic rockets screaming lighter, faster, more powerful than ever. Except that actually it's not. Not quite anyway.
Throughout the 1990s, the NEC was indeed just that: It was Fireblade, Ninja, Gixxer city and if you didn't look like a space ranger then you didn't expect anyone on an industry stand to take any interest in you whatsoever. However, I am happy to report that things have actually changed for the better since those heady days when the road bike press slammed Honda's commuter Cub for sloppy handling and its inability to let the race-leather kitted test rider get his beloved knee down.
Now, in 2008, although the place sure ain't knee-deep in off-road offerings I have detected a subtle shift down the past few years at the NEC, away from plastic fantastic and towards a healthy return to ‘real' bikes. And these days, with all manufacturers now offering an ever-growing line of ‘real' models (i.e ones that actually look like motorcycles) I can see the day, possibly not far off, where all classes will be given equal billing.
Maybe we can thank the likes of KTM and BMW for this. KTM is an off-road manufacturer moving over into the road bike market. BMW is a massive European manufacturer with fabulous road credentials that is moving further towards off-road. BMW has created its own area of excellence in long-distance off-road rallying and touring with its awesome range of boxer twins and is now keenly looking to build on this with the G450X enduro model on a factory version of which Britain's David Knight will be looking to claim the World Enduro title in 2009.
All manufacturers produce off-road bikes of course, and fantastic ones at that, it is just that they have always seemed almost shy to push them towards the front of the display. They are all there and always have been but somehow, mixed in with all the road tackle it just somehow doesn't work.
And this year, last Thursday saw a virtual dearth of off-road riders on the stands – you couldn't find a motocrosser or an enduro rider for love or money. No, not even for money! We don't expect to find a trials rider because there are no trials bikes on display, the importers all scared-off by sky-high stand prices – plus the fact that none can spare the time to take two weeks off from the actual business of earning a living...
Having said that, I did bump into several trials riders of my aquaintance who were there (trade visitors) mainly because of their interest in all things two-wheeled.
Credit where it is due though, as the show organisers do include off-road quite heavily on the ‘have a go' side of things, including an off-road try-out where show goers could try their hand at riding a proper off-road bike on real off-road going, just outside the halls. Off-road definitely lends intself to this much better than, say,try-a-plastic-rocket day, and one would guess that there is much mileage in converting some of the (I'm making a guess here) 150,000 NEC show goers into mud-pluggers.
Many riders have indeed done just this, they don't actually give up their road bikes, more often than not adding an off-roader to their stable for extra kicks – or for when their road bike is laid-up for the winter – which is actually by far the best thing to do with it. There is a limit as to exactly how many riders can be given the chance to try a bike each show day but it is nevertheless a great opportunity.
Away from the glitzy motorcycle stands and into the retail halls the atmosphere is pure Dirt Bike Show – with knee-sliders. You never saw so many cut price leathers and helmets and boots and stuff in your life, row upon row. Yes I did wander up and down the massed ranks of stalls but my brain soon switched off. You can only stare at so many helmets.
Time for a burger (compulsory eating at shows) and to visit the Wall of Death which I can happily recommend to anyone who is thinking of visiting the NEC this weekend. Yes, you can wind the clock back to a more innocent time but more importantly you can marvel at those who ride the vertical wall – before slouching casually out claiming, "I could do that...”