BIKESHOW: Michael Sheridanjoined the crowds at last weekend's Irish Motorbike and Scooter Show in the RDS in Dublin
WHILE THE economic reality may be depressing for all road users, there were few gloomy faces at the Irish Motorbike and Scooter Show that took place over the weekend at Dublin’s RDS. The show was a shot in the arm for all attending, with plenty of stunning machinery on display.
Yamaha’s V-Max Roadster muscle bike took a bow, as did BMW’s 1000RR Superbike. The 200bhp machine will race for the first time this March in World Superbikes, a first for the German firm.
Big names like Ducati, Honda, Yamaha, Suzuki, BMW, Harley Davidson, KTM and Triumph were displaying – US company Kawasaki was the only noticeable absentee.
The RSA (Road Safety Authority) and Garda Road Safety Unit also had a large presence in the main hall that was also home to a large number of motorcycle tour operators (charity and for profit), training schools, Mondello Park, motorcycle equipment stands and two-wheeled offerings from Asian KeeWay Motors.
Vectrix displayed some interesting electric scooters – including one in Police livery that didn’t look as ridiculous as it reads.
Unlike car shows that require an enormous display area, bike shows are more compact – you can fit three or four bikes into a single car space, so visitors didn’t have to walk far to get their fill of metal.
When the doors opened on Friday afternoon at the SDL-organised event, a brisk and enthusiastic crowd appeared to drool over the eye candy on display.
The Whatbike.ie-sponsored AMD stand took advantage of the popularity of American reality TV shows featuring custom motorcycle builders with a stand in the Shelbourne Hall.
For seasoned bikers, rebels with a mortgage and kids with their dads alike, the custom bikes were the real stars of the show. The cream of Ireland’s growing custom motorcycle makers were on display and in competition to represent Ireland in the world finals in Sturgis, the legendary US bike rally town.
Despite the large size of the hall, machines were cramped together and deserved at least twice the space the stand area afforded.
Show organiser Ruth Lemass (SDL) said: “The goal of the event is to create a single location where everyone who has an interest in motorbikes or scooters can come and find what they want. Due to a huge increase in exhibitor interest, we expanded the show in 2009.”
Always a top attraction, stunt biker Mattie Griffin was on hand to do things on a Suzuki that you’d only see on YouTube. Griffin, a full-time stunt rider, is familiar to many Irish riders as he supports a lot of charities when touring his motorcycle stunt show. He is officially ranked fifth in the world.
The bike show featured attractions and sideshows including the Wall of Death, Mini-Moto track, a Speedway demo, three-times World Champion Trials rider Steve Colley displaying his skills and, of course, the Purple Helmets display team. The show was a melting pot of performance, entertainment and exhibition.
The Irish Motorcycle and Scooter Show 2009 has planted the seed of bike purchase in many and, as the sap starts to rise, the figures add up for commuters to downsize from four wheels to two. Prices have been lowered across the board and the standard of machinery, safety equipment and training options has never been better.
The world may still be in a financial mess but nearly 30,000 visitors who turned to the show over the weekend were, for a few hours at least, given a taste of the thrill of biking.