A Reader Experience Of The NEC
...a personal experience of the NEC show
by one of our readers, Terry “The Poisoner” Dunn
It’s traditional. We go to the NEC show every year. I don’t care if the whole thing ended up smaller than the local bikeshop showroom, I’d still want to go.
It’s almost mid-winter, I’ve not been on my bike for ages ‘cos the weather’s crap and I’m a fair weather wuss and I badly need a biking “fix”. So we went. Me, driver Nige, he with the infamous lead foot, the gorgeous Nikki and her other half Scott, aka the Stunt Monkey.
And, I have to say it is getting smaller, so let’s get some gripes out of the way. £8 to park! They’re having a giraffe! Four in one car equates to two quid each but c’mon. And we were directed to a carpark right beside the exit to the motorway. Jeez, it was practically full kit and three days’ rations for the march to the show building. Luckily it was neither raining nor cold or I’d have had some choice words for the organisers, but planning like that in December puts them in prime numpty territory.
Inside there was one big question: Where was Honda? A friend of mine, who is the manager of a large franchise, reckons a big stand will set someone back over £100,000. When times are tough, I’d have thought the last thing you would do if you sell stuff is to cut back on advertising.
I’m sure there were plenty of potential buyers keen to sling a leg over new V4 VFR. Even Ducati, with no official stand, had a small corner to show off their newest machines, the Hypermotard 796 and Multistrada 1200S. Also, no doubt due to financial restraints, were missing all the little stands that used to be there. You know the ones where you bought cheap oils, trick little bits of kit that just ended up hanging on your garage wall and the little companies who do racing stuff and tune up bits.
There was still plenty enough to see and do for a whole day. It was clear there was a lot of interest in the new Norton. To be honest I was thinking it would be all hype and a half finished bag of bolts. Wrong! It is really rather good. I was expecting something that had been assembled from bits from the parts bin (Aprilia Tuono take note) but it looks “together”. Quite minimalist, with swooping lines and gaps that you could see right through. Old style, classic Norton air cooled engine, with modern cool, Ohlins front and rear. Kind of Neo-rustic. I wasn’t too impressed with the yellow colour scheme but the red one and JPS stylee black with gold pinstripe was drop dead gorgeous.
Even saw the great Chris Walker there for support. I hope this bike goes the distance, even with its price and the recession to keep it company. It’s quite the westies testes! The new Beemer rocketship looks like it could take on the world. 193bhp according to the bumf. You’ll need a seriously hairy chest to get the best out of that thing but the jap superbikes have got some major competition. Suzuki had a timeline of GSXR’s from 1985 to 2010. Is it me or have the stylists there lost the plot recently? I honestly preferred the look of the 2005 gixxer thou’ to the 2010 model.
There seemed to be an awful lot of quads on display this year. Is the market seriously growing in this sector? They’re super as mini tractors on farms and have a great reputation for trying to kill you stone dead, ask Ozzy Osbourne or Rick Mayall, but they are diabolical to ride on the road. Who buys these things?
No free catalogues this year. I usually get my next year’s reference reading (M&P, Busters, Demon Tweaks etc.) at the show, but nothing. Lots of free pens and a mug from Carol Nash though. I still bagged a few little bargains. Needing a new screen for my FZR600 track bike, Powerbronze said £45, Skidmarx £35 delivered. No contest. Nikki got a spanking new Arai Chaser for £220.
Got some snaps of the promo girls too. Let’s be honest here, some of the ladies looked much better from afar.
On the large Arai stand were two girls working at either end. When I asked if I could take a piccy they stepped up together and it was only then I realised they were identical twins. It’s amazing just how quickly the imagination can run riot!
The girl on the Think Bike stand was just gorgeous and happy for me take her picture. The shaven headed guy alongside who looked like her bodyguard turned out to be a real sport and good for a laugh. You couldn’t go near him without having a Think Bike sticker thrust into your hand. They were a credit to their company.
Tucked away on one corner of the furthest hall, behind the simulator rides, was a dirt bike section which was probably missed by a large number of the crowd. This was a shame ‘cos there were some interesting stands including one manned by soldiers who were raffling off a Mini to gain funds for the benevolent fund for those serving in Afghanistan.
All in all though, I still enjoyed the experience immensely. Plenty to see, sit on and chat about. I wouldn’t miss it for the world. Hey, it’s traditional!