The ‘majors’ may be over for another year (two years in the case of INTERMOT), but with the debut of ‘INTERMOT Customized’ showing that there is vibrancy on the biggest of stages, now is the time of year when the spotlight falls on the dealer, specialty and custom shows.
The new year kicks-off with the popular UK Dealer Expo opening its doors for the 22nd time for three days from 15-17 January - by far Europe’s largest, longest lived and most successful dealer show - www.motorcycle-expo.com
A week later Motor Bike Expo (MBE) will fill four halls at the Verona Expo Centre in northern Italy from Friday January 20 to Sunday 22. A combined custom and ‘mainstream’ consumer expo, “Verona” has seen attendance grow ever since its move from Padua in 2009 - www.motorbikeexpo.it
At the end of January, Sweden’s annual show, MC-Massan, returns to the capital Stockholm (26-29 January 2017) in its biennial rotation with Gothenburg (www.mcmassan.se), then The One Show at Portland, Oregon, 10-12 February (www.the1moto.com).
Meanwhile, in the United States the annual specialty V-Twin Expo will take place at its usual downtown exhibition center venue in Cincinnati, Ohio (Saturday January 28 and Sunday 29 (www.vtwin-expo.com).
Billed as “The Only Show of its Kind,” which it is, V-Twin Expo remains the only independently owned and operated dealer show for the Harley-Davidson aftermarket and custom V-twin parts and accessory industry. Owned and operated by Easyriders Events, their winter 2017 Bike Show Tour reaches a crescendo at Columbas, Ohio, on February 11-12 after stops at Sacramento, CA; Charlotte, NC; Nashville, TN; and Atlantic City, NJ.
At the same time as V-Twin Expo, from 12:00 noon to 12:00 midnight on Saturday January 28th, Garage Brewed (www.garagebrewed.com) at the Rhinegeist Brewery, Cincinnati, kicks off a busy few weeks for motorcycle dealers and riders in the United States and internationally.
The market’s two major parts and accessory distributors are holding their own dealer shows in February: Tucker Rocky/Bikers Choice are playing host to their dealers in Texas on Wednesday 8 and Thursday 9 of February, and just 10 days later Parts Unlimited/Drag Specialties set up shop at the RCA Dome, Indianapolis, Saturday 18 and Sunday 19 February.
In fact, that weekend there are at least four motorcycle industry events in play that we know of, with the annual MCN London Motorcycle Show taking place from January 17-19, featuring the Zodiac/Harrison Billet London Custom Bike Show www.mcnmotorcycleshow.com, the excellent Swiss Moto being staged at Zurich from February 16-19 (www.swiss-moto.ch), and the increasingly popular Mama Tried at Milwaukee from 17-19 February (www.mamatriedshow.com).
The following weekend sees the largest annual show in the Netherlands, Motorbeurs, taking place from 23-25 January at Utrecht (www.motorbeursutrecht.nl).
Highlights in March and April include (but are not limited to!) the biennial Carole Nash Irish Motorbike & Scooter Show, taking place at Dublin, Ireland, from March 3-5. Always a popular show that not only dominates the small but growing Irish market, but that also pulls in exhibitors internationally, ‘Dublin’ is an AMD World Championship of Custom Bike Building affiliate show and has provided a former World Champion (Don Cronin, Medaza Cycles, with ‘Rondine’ in 2013) www.irishmotorbikeshow.com.
After that MotoSalon and Motocykl (featuring the Bohemian Custom Bike Show), both at Prague, both March 2-5 (www.bvv.cz and www.motocykl-praha.cz), and Moto Days, Rome, March 9-12 (www.motodays.it) and the Radical Custombike Show organized by MC Pecquencourt in north Eastern France, March 11-12 (www.mc-pecquencourt.com) all overlap with Daytona Bike Week, Florida, USA, March 10-19 (www.officialbikeweek.com).
The focus then shifts MotoMadrid in Spain from March 24-26 (www.salonmotomadrid.com), followed by the 30th annual Donnie Smith Bike & Car Show at St Paul, MN, on March 25-26 (www.donniesmithbikeshow.com, followed by the Tokyo Motorcycle Show, March 24-26 (www.motorcycleshow.org); InaBike, Jakarta, Indonesia, March 29-April 1 (www.inabike.net); Custom Show Emirates at Abu Dhabi’s National Exhibition Center, UAE, on March 30-April 1st (www.customshowemirates.co); Arizona Bike Week, April 5-9 (www.azbikeweek.com);
Motorcycle Taiwan, 20-23 April (www.motorcycletaiwan.com.tw); with the Moscow Custom and Tuning Show, another AMD World Championship affiliate event, from 21-23 April.
The annual Handbuilt Motorcycle Show, Austin, TX, will be staged concurrent with the US MotoGP on April 22-23 (probably! www.revivalcycles.com); the Laughlin River Run, April 26-29 (www.laughlinriverrun.com); Biker Fest in Italy, May 18-21, another AMD World Championship of Custom Bike Building affiliate (www.bikerfest.it); the increasingly popular and well respected Bike Shed in London, May 26-28 (www.thebikeshed.cc); the European Super Rally in the Czech Republic, May 31-June 4 (www.superrally.com) and another of the 2017 AMD World Championship affiliate events, the internationally renowned one day Custom Bike Show staged by Twin Club MC at Norrtalje, Sweden, on June 3rd (www.custombikeshow.se).
