EICMA In Milan
SHOWTIME
Motorcycling is as big and bright as ever
“IT’S THE VIBE OF IT,” as Dennis Denuto said in The Castle. You can quote all the numbers you like, chasing bike sales figures downward into despond, but a good bike show will pull you out of that quick smart. By my long-established Motorcycle Show MoodMeter, the ratio of blondes to brunettes on the stands (blondes: positive mood, brunettes: less so), the industry itself is betting a bit each way – some were light, some were dark. But the overall impression, the buzz,the vibe, definitely looked bright.
A few quick words about the show. It occupied 280,000 square metres in eight of Fiera Milano’s giant halls. There were 1278 exhibitors from 44 countries and more than 2000 accredited journalists. Maybe I should write “journalists” there, but who’s to say that you can’t be a journo at the age of nine? More than a few enthusiasts lip in on both press and trade days. But they just add to that buzz.
And a buzz it is. The reveals by major manufacturers which take up most of the opening day are usually much the same: the firm’s PR chief (or a bought-in Englishman) introduces the CEO, who tells us all about how well sales are going in Patagonia and Elbonia and then introduces the marketing chief, who tells us something marketing-ish about the new bikes. These are ridden onto the stage by successful racers, if the brand has any, or have their covers removed by glamorous young women if racing has been a bit slack.
There’s an interview with the successful racers – it was great to see Aussie boy Rennie Scaysbrook at the Aprilia reveal and to have a chat with him about his very bright future.
Even though the talks can be repetitive, the bikes are not and there is always considerable excitement when the dry ice smoke clears or the covers fall. Whatever you think of motorcycle engineering and styling in the early 21st Century, you’d have to agree that we are getting more and more variety. I’m willing to argue about the desirability of that, but I’d hate to miss such bikes as Kawasaki’s Z H2 at one extreme,
