John Wheeler looks at the Motorcycle and Scooter show in Birmingham
It's the biggest show in these islands. The Motorcycle & Scooter Show at the NEC, Birmingham, is a chance to see what's new for the coming year, and see machines that rarely reach our shores, as well as to contrast the scene between Britain and Ireland.
Motorcycling is very much alive and well across the water - registrations have grown from 46,500 in 1993 to 160,000 today.
Four out of 10 new machines are scooters, of which half are 50 cc mopeds. Sports bikes remain the most popular with 23 per cent in the SuperSports class and 13 per cent being Sports Tourers. In all, British motorcycle sales are higher now than they have been for quarter of a century.
When it came to choosing the "Bike of the Show" there seemed to be several serious contenders. For sheer crowd-pulling interest both Ducati and Triumph headed the pack. Ducati launched a new "Classic" range of three machines, designed by Pierre Terreblanche, evocative of the glory days of the 1970s. The "Paul Smart 1000" is based on Paul Smart's win in the 1972 Imola 2000 and 1974 SuperSports 750. The Sport 1000 is reminiscent of the 1973 Sport 750 and 1000 and captures the naked café racer image.
Triumph made it decisively clear that when it comes to sheer size, they are unquestioned leaders. They introduced the Rocket III, the first-ever production bike to break the two-litre barrier.
On the Harley-Davidson stand we saw the full range of their Sportster machines, now with rubber-mounted engines and their new, cool-looking Road King Classic.
BMW has a comprehensive display of their entire range, with something for everyone, including such oddities as a BMW trike.
Honda were showing the new-look CG 125 and the CBF range of 250, 500 and 600 cc machines. The CBF 250 is very likely to prove popular in Ireland for those subject to power restrictions.
Suzuki has on display its new "Executive" version of the Bergman 650 scooter, still the largest in the "big scooter" class and now with such refinements as electrical fold-in mirrors and a backrest as standard.
We had hoped that, perhaps, the trend towards ever-larger engined scooters would continue this year, but 650 remains the ceiling. Gilera featured a new 500 radical sports scooter and Yamaha were displaying a 400 version of their Majesty scooter.Tucked away at the back of the Aprilia stand, which now owns this marque, was a display of Moto Guzzis, of which we see all-too-few in Ireland. Occupying a prime position was the Royal Enfield stand with a complete range of timeless classics, most with options for electric start and left-hand gear change.
Custom bikes and custom parts were evident in abundance. Almost any machine you have ever heard of was there in a variety of guises, customised Suzuki Bandits, Hayabusas, Arlen Ness bits and pieces for Harleys, Powerbronze add-on screen and fairings.
For most visitors to the show what is newest and fastest in the Sports Bikes world takes precedence. We did a round up of the main contenders.
• APRILIA RSV R
60º V-twin, magnesium, longditudinal 4-stroke DOHC, four-valve, 997cc.
• BMW R1100 S Boxer Cup Replika
Aimed to score over the out-and-out race replicas with its claimed "legendary" BMW road holding.
• DUCATI 749 R
This is actually a 749 cc, with a 500 rpm rev increase over the standard 749 and 749S models. With lighter internals, full Ohlins suspension and carbon-fibre fairing, this is as close as one could get to owning a full-race replica.
• HONDA '04 FIREBLADE
A reincarnation of the Fireblade, totally new with no relationship to the previous 'Blades. Based on the RC 211 V Moto GP winning bike; a contender for the top Japanese four-cylinder Supersports class, with its Pro-Link suspension, unique steering damper and excellent Honda engine.
• KAWASAKI ZX 10 R
Kawasaki, having fallen behind in the Supersports class with the ZX9R, has taken the class by storm with the beautiful new, and very green, ZX10R.
• MOTO GUZZI MGS 01
The long awaited, half-faired, eight-valve, 140mph V-twin, Sports Bike with shaft-drive and single-sided suspension, in the traditional Moto Guzzi-style.
• SUZUKI GSXR 1000 K4
Claims to have the lowest dry weight in its class with 168 kg. We already know it is considered to be the fastest and best handling Supersports machine around.
• YAMAHA R1
With a claimed power to weight ratio of 1 : 1 (179 bhp; 179 kg), this very light, powerful, superb handling machine is pushing itself again to the forefront of the Supersports class.
If it's clothing you want, there must have been enough available at the show to fully kit out every motorcyclist in Ireland. Container-loads of jackets, suits, trousers and helmets were marked down at "sale" prices.
As ever there are a host of small stands covering just about every product and interest you can think of, some very much minority interest, a few suspiciously like "Snake Oil" though none without interest and sometimes amusement. In particular we noticed:
• Conspicuity: well worth a visit to the GloMarka stand, where you can find every type of fluorescent rider safety gear in a wide variety of styles and colours. A small stand, and among the busiest at the show.
• Ear protection: on the Custom Made Ear Protection stand; anatomical ear defenders are moulded to fit your own ears, providing a comfortable, custom fit which riders will appreciate.
• Winter warmth: "Chilli" heated waistcoats and inner gloves on the Calamander Stand.
If you miss the show, most leading manufacturers will be at the Belfast Motorcycle Show in the King's Hall on November 28th and 29th.