Over the past month I’ve made announcements about both the Paris Motorcycle Show and the Tokyo Motorcycle Show. Well, this weekend it is time for the annual NEC Bike Show to open open its’ doors to the motorcycling public.

As I mentioned previously I thought the Paris expo was a bit of a disappointment. It was the public’s first chance to see the new bikes from the major manufacturers but because all of those bikes had been announced previously there really weren’t any surprises. I really expected the companies, particularly those in Europe, to use the biennial motorcycle spectacle in France as a showcase for unexpected new bike announcements and a parade of forward thinking concept vehicles. Instead, it was a rather mundane presentation of next year’s production bikes.

The Tokyo show, in dramatic contrast, was a panorama of Japanese imagination and innovation for the two largest Japanese motorcycle manufacturers: Honda and Yamaha. Because most of the two wheeled vehicles sold in Asia and Europe are scooters it was in that form that both companies showed their visions of tomorrow. Yamaha had a wide variety of new technology prototype step-throughs including hybrid gas/electric models, all-electric models and hydrogen fuel cell models. Honda also flexed their design muscle with a few cross-genre specials which were part traditional motorcycle and part next generation scooter. Even Suzuki joined the concept game with an in-line six cylinder motorcycle. Alright, now that was more like it.

So, this brings us to the NEC show… The doors open tomorrow and from what I can tell it looks like it will be an exciting week both for the visitors and to those of us looking for our first look at new models. While the bikes “shown” at the Paris show had been known about for at least a month there is one new bike that will be premiered in Birmingham in which photos were only leaked to the world this week: The BMW R1200GS Adventure. As with its predecessor, the R1150GSA, the new R1200GSA is a tweaking of the stock R1200GS to match the modifications most commonly done on the base model. The bike comes with aftermarket hard bags, a set of crash bars, a larger gas tank, longer suspension, improved lighting and a larger capacity alternator. All definite improvements over the base bike and accessories which 90% of GSes have installed after purchase. I was tempted to upgrade my R1150 to an R1200 and the announcement of the new Adventure model makes that temptation much stronger. This is a seriously nice bike.

I also expect Triumph to do something special at the NEC show since it is their home event. I believe the company has already announced all of their new models for 2006 but one can always hope they have been holding something in reserve to unveil to the English public. If they can’t premier a new bike they can at least provide more information on the fantastic looking Scrambler model which was announced a couple of months ago. That bike represents a very bold design statement by Triumph and I hope it pays off enough that they continue to look in new directions to provide exciting bikes that blend their modern technology with their unique motorcycling heritage.

Of the shows that have happened so far the NEC show seems to be the best organized. While all of these expos are designed primarily around generating a buzz for new bikes and building up customer loyalty for the manufacturers the organizers of the show in England have also realized the importance of turning this into a motorcycle extravaganza for the attendees. In addition to the normal booths where companies show their wares the UK exhibition center will also be providing activities including: A track designed for mini-motos. A class room where seminars on suspension, tires and bike maintenance will be presented three times a day. The usual demo area where custom, classic and show bikes will be on display. A track where riders can take classes on Supermoto bikes. An enduro track where riders can sample new model dirt bikes in their intended environment. An entire reproduction of the British Superbike Paddock including race bikes, team transporters and motorcycle racing celebrities. Finally, on the last day of the show, the final MotoGP race of the season will be shown live on a big screen and after the race the Eurosport announcers will do a special uplink to the NEC show to give their behind-the-scenes view of the season.

That is what a motorcycle show should be like! As if that isn’t enough, the NEC show is popular enough in England that various activities during the show are scheduled to be shown on BBC television and some of the presentations are being streamed live on the Internet. Wow, these people really know how to put on a bike show. Even if the number of new bike announcements ends up being confined to just the BMW Adventure the rest of the activities at the NEC already make it the best show of the season.

[image from the Adventure Rider web site.]