Hmm....!
Thanks goes to Norihito-san whose good company and enthusiasm for the future of motorcycling, was inspiring.
An expression can say it all! It's not the Triumph Trident my friend doesn't like! (He wanted to take that home), but It was more his and my dis-pleasure at having spent the ¥1,700 for the entry fee and then another ¥500 for parking to gain entry into what could be described as a massive underuse of a great Expo facility.
The event was split into three main halls, well what initially felt like three halls but turned out to be 1 & 2 combined leaving hall 3 with some of the major overseas manufacturers and their stands. Now in part defence of the show, the coronavirus protocols were in place and to a reasonable degree very well managed. So the amount of stands were reduced and the visitor numbers controlled each day. As you can see from the floor plan below, things were pretty well spread out. There were also a few events were being held outside, but these were also limited in scale.
The overseas manufacturers stands were all reasonably compact, Triumph seemed to have been squeezed into a corner, while BMW and HD had grabbed the lions share of real estate. Italian stallions were all corralled together with a small showing from both Guzzi and Aprillia.
To walk the show it took just under and hour! Now compare that with the NEC in the UK,
the London Motorcycle show or the Festival of Motorcycling at the East of England show ground, now there you're talking four hours, minimum! Coming away with some seriously tired feet.
The irony was that in halls one and two the major players from within Japan (Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki and Yamaha) had lines of people snaking their way around their stands waiting to catch a glimpse of what, predictably, would already be on the way to the showrooms or at least not that far behind the show. And with those lines came a total lack of self distancing which is very unusual here in Japan. So being cautious and courteous towards the organisers efforts to control any spread of Corony we decided to avoid those stands, which in effect meant we never really got a good feel or comparison for the upcoming models in 2022. But isn't that the exact point of a motorcycle show?!
So to end on a positive note, some of the take aways from the event were, that in certain locations the self distancing measures helped us get a little closer to some of the new models (Nooo! I don't mean the fine ladies accompanying some of the bikes) but bikes from the likes of Triumph, BMW, HD and the Moto Guzzi. The prizes go to the Triumph Speed Triple RR and more especially the Moto Guzzi V7 Stone and the Honda CT125 Hunter Cub where we managed to find it on an accessory stand being used as a demonstration for their products.
The attraction of a simpler form of motorcycle (back to basics), classic looks and a lighter 'hop on' form of motorcycling grows ever more popular. Guzzi seemed to have nailed it! All built in Italy, limited computer based wizardry and simple ergonomics, make for an ever growing biker hunger for remembering what a motorcycle actually feels like when ridden. Being able to feel the engine both aurally & physically, your body sharing together with the bike the bends, rolling hills and sweeping turns and your senses left ALONE with the combined elements of nature, weather and road.
What's missing from todays motorcycles? .... The Bike!
A quick Caveat...
Now given that we are slowly breaking free of the Coronavirus pandemic and that many manufacturers and supporting businesses have struggled with supply problems and collapsing businesses, during these turbulent times, it is impressive that they and the organisers of the Osaka Motorcycle Show were able to put on such an event. So I would like to make it clear that my hat (well helmet) goes off to all of their efforts and that next years show, I am sure, will be even bigger and better.
My thanks go to the organisers and event staff for keeping our interest in two wheels turning.
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