2010 Carole Nash MCN Motorcycle Show |
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MCN’s editor Marc Potter stated in their 2010 Show Guide that “This year’s Carole Nash MCN Motorcycle Show is the biggest and best show that we have ever put on”, quite a statement to live up too! However www.inter-bike.co.uk attended the show on its opening day of Thursday 4th February (it ran until the 7th February) at the modern Excel centre in the London Docklands and we are pleased to say that MCN statement wasn’t just marketing speak, the show was the biggest and best show yet. But why we hear you ask, for those who missed this great motorcycle show? Well for the biking public this show exhibited many of the bikes which unfortunately we didn’t get to see at last years NEC bike show. Many of the manufacturers, who didn’t show at the NEC show, put on big stands at this show and some who had a small presence at the NEC show like Ducati, had their normal full size display stand at the MCN Show. So with 2010 biking season about to kick off, the MCN show was the place to see many of the new models you could be riding this year.  Aprilia RSV4-R Both Italian manufacturers Moto Guzzi and Aprilia where at the show with their 2010 models; of most interest of course on the Aprilia stand was the new Aprilia RSV4-R, but how small and compact it actually is reality will be a shock to some. Moto Guzzi are a manufacturer who are really making major stride’s with their range and non more so than with the Moto Guzzi Stelvio NTX, where they are trying to take the dominant BMW R1200GS Adventure head on. www.inter-bike.co.uk got to ride the first generation Stelvio last year (see our mini review here) and we really liked it. The NTX version builds on this with aluminium panniers, hand guards, sump guard and other accessories as standard to emulate the spec on the GS Adventure. Worthy of serious consideration we think, if you are in the market for an Adventure-Sport bike. Not on the Moto Guzzi stand but available to see at the show was the unique Moto Guzzi V12X concept designed by Pierre Terblanche and Miguel Galluzzi, unfortunately at present Moto Guzzi say this is not destined to go into production, but you never know.  Moto Guzzi V12X concept New scooters were also available to see at the show courtesy of Piaggio, which was appropriate with the show being staged in London where scooters are ideal transport for busy urban streets. As well as the classic design Vespa scooters on show of particular note was the new Piaggio 400LT which is a further addition to the Paiggio’s three wheeler range. A strange looking machine is the 400LT but the important thing to note is it is fully legal to drive on a car licence.  Piaggio MP3 400LT Ducati made a major appearance at the show with a full size stand featuring their new 2010 models, of course the centre of attraction was the new Ducati Multistrada 1200 which Ducati hopes will propel Ducati into the Adventure- Sports market and take on and beat the BMW R 1200 GS. But this new model really breaks the mould and may redefine how we all think about motorcycles, because at it’s heart is a reworked Ducati 1098 engine putting out 150 bhp. This bike will have sports bike level power on tap, all wrapped in a multi-adaptive machine, thanks to the variable riding maps which are accessed at the flick of a switch; one moment it’s a sports bike, then next a commuter machine, then next an enduro bike and finally a long distance tourer.  Ducati Multistrada 1200 Not content with this new mould breaking model, Ducati also showed off the mouth –watering Ducati 1198S Corse Special Edition., which was particularly eye-catching due to the lacquered finish on the unpainted aluminium 18 litre petrol tank. If that wasn’t enough, there was the new Ducati Hypermotard 1100 Evo SP, the Monster 1100S ABS and a new colour option for the 848, the Ducati 848 Dark, which looked particularly distinctive.  Ducati 1198S Corse Special Edition  Ducati Hypermotard 1100 Evo SP However BMW don’t intend to be out done by Ducati’s bid for a share of the Adventure-Sports market and they had a major stand at the show on which they were showing off their up-rated 1200 GS and Adventure with the engine from the HP2 Sport. This up-rated boxer engine develops 110bhp and is sure to give the GS the extra power and appeal to persuade even more riders to purchase a GS. However if Adventure-Sports is not your thing and you prefer a more traditional tourer then BMW’s highly successful BMW R1200RT tourer has had a make over 2010 including the fitment of the up-rated 110bhp boxer engine.  BMW S1000RR Centre of attraction on the BMW stand though had to be the new BMW S1000RR which looks set to reset the standard for what a sports bike should be and this is BMW’s first attempt! The competition will need to sharpen their acts up to avoid losing to many sales to this new leader on the sports bike block. If British bikes are your thing both Norton and Triumph had stands. Walking on to the Norton stand also gave many the opportunity to meet racing legend Chris Walker who is assisting Norton in promoting their new machines. Although Norton currently only having a three model range, the stand was busy when we visited and this return of a great British motorcycling marquee is already generating much interest.  Norton Commando 961 Triumph Motorcycles have gone from strength to strength and are currently ranked as the number 3 manufacturer by sales volume in the UK market place. They had much of their range on show, including a new variant of the Rocket III , the Roadster and their new Thunderbird cruiser.  Triumph Rocket III Roadster Classic British bikes were not missed out with an extensive stand of bikes of yesteryear all meticulously restored with gleaming chrome and no traces of dripping oil!  1971 BSA Lightning Also though Japanese bikes qualify for classic status and some of the bikes many of us rode on our youth were on display in the classic area, including the Yamaha RD350. Talking of chrome American manufacturer Harley-Davidson also had a major stand, unlike their no-show at the NEC show last year. Sadly no Buell stand, following the closure of the marquee by Harley-Davidson late last year. Of note was the first UK showing of the recently announced Sportster 48 which with its Bobber styling is designed to recreate the Harley’s of the late 1940’s. Not to be out done, market competitor Victory Motorcycles had an impressive stand with their equally visually impressive range of bikes. Victory makes BIG bikes and the Cross Country and Cross Roads tourers demonstrate how BIG these bikes truly are. But one can not over look the quality of the finish or the attention to detail on these giants of the motorcycling world.  Victory Tourers Kawasaki also had a full size stand on which the models of note were the heavily upgraded GTR1400 tourer, the new Kawasaki Z1000 and the reworked Versys 650. Kawasaki’s GTR 1400 now has all the bells and whistles on it that the long distance touring rider expects, heated grips, electrically adjusted screen, matching luggage, shaft drive and a few extras like traction control. Kawasaki has re-affirmed itself with this upgraded model as a serious player in the touring market sector.  Kawsaki GTR1400  Kawsaki Versys Unfortunately many would have liked to have seen Honda’s new VFR1200 to judge whether Honda’s new entry into the sports touring market is worthy of consideration, but unfortunately no official Honda stand, just a dealer backed stand. An opportunity missed we feel to show off the VFR1200 at the start of the 2010 biking season. Likewise Yamaha’s offering was dealer backed, but at least they had on display the well proven sports tourer, the FJR 1300, which has for many become the definitive sports touring model to buy. Unfortunately KTM and Suzuki did not make appearances but in their defence they had major stands at the NEC bike show at the end of 2009 and in these harsh economic times the costs to manufacturers of running a stand at a major motorcycle show are substantial. In addition to the various motorcycle stands there were the usual array of motorcycle accessory and parts stands, many of which were doing special show offers. There was also a well represented motorcycle touring area with leading industry names such as MCi Tours, H-C Travel and many others present. Lest we forget the contribution motorcycle racing makes to our enjoyment of motorcycles there was an extensive display of racing machines including Rossi’s stunning 2009 MotoGP Yamaha M1, which was displayed among machines of the racing greats of yesteryear including, Barry Sheene, Kevin Schwantz, Mick Grant, Grame Crosby, Roger Marshall and Randy Mamola, as well as current MotoGP rider Loris Capirossi.  Valentino Rossi - 2009 MotoGP Yamaha M1  Replica Suzuki XR69  Loris Capirossi - Ducati Race bike Representing a possible future face of motorcycle racing was the Mavizen TTX02 which is the world’s first production electric supersport bike, which is based on the TTXGP winning Agni bike.  Mavizen TTX02 electric supersport bike Show sponsors Carole Nash as always had a major stand which was graced by two stunning chopper creations by Destiny Cycles.  Destiny Cycles - High Roller  Destiny Cycles - High Roller  Destiny Cycles - Triumph Tiger Chopper  Destiny Cycles - Triumph Tiger Chopper All in all the 2010 Carole Nash MCN Motorcycle Show was bigger and better then any previous MCN show and gave many existing and wannabe motorcyclists the venue to see a larger proportion of 2010 motorcycles in one place then any MCN show before. As a retrospective note MCN has announced that the show’s attendance was only 2% down on 2009 which given the current economic climate has to be a tribute to how attractive the show proved to be! Article and Photos by Jon Booth – http://www.inter-bike.co.uk– The UK Biker Site
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