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OK, so my last blog was about the new machinery on display at this show, but this is about the eclectic mix of customised bikes that, unlike at the Cologne show, wasn’t on display with other customised bikes, but on manufacturer’s stands. Germany is massively into its customising, hence the slant on that kind of bike at that show, but Italy’s more about new metal for the following year. In saying that, top marks have to go to the Italians, as always, for show design and ingenuity. They ble …

Right now, I'm buzzing. I'm at the Intermot Motorcycle Show 2018, but I'm not buzzing for reasons you may think. It's quite quiet, albeit trade day. There are fewer halls with product to see. Why I'm buzzing is simple; this year focuses on quality, over and above quantity. Yes, it's the way things are going (see my previous blog for more insight), but I recently came to a realisation that this isn't necessarily a bad thing. You see, dear reader, there's a really healthy undercurrent of bi …

….back in the late ‘80s/early ‘90s, when I started riding motorbikes and working in this industry, it was very strong. Dealers had a tonne of new bikes in a variety of colourways, and more than one model. Then, the licencing laws changed, and not necessarily for the better. To make matters worse, housing became less affordable, so people were (& very much still are) living at home until a fair bit older, so the guy who bought a 50cc at 16, 125cc at 17 and 250 by, say, 19 now no-longer …