Motorcycle Live At The Nec, Birmingham, England

[DaveH]

Linda & I went to the Bike Show, last Thursday, in a coach laid on by our local M/C Dealer. We spent over 6 hours looking at the 2016 m/c models, 1990s models (handing out the bags of freebies) and conversing with the "Adventure Holiday" Companies (we are loking at a trip to Austria next year.) It was surprising to find several Austrian hotel owners plying their trade - we had free advice, brochures and tourist/route maps. None from France, Spain, Portugal, Italy or Greece. The majority of the M/C Guided and Self Guided Tour Companies were either solely USA/Canada/New Zealand or offered these destinations alongside their usual European Tours. Rental machines were the big Continental stormers - BMW, Honda, Harley Davidson and, now getting popular, Indians. Although there are still the R1s, FireBlades and Hayabusas for sale (£15k and over) it seems that Retro and Touring machines are in the majority. We wandered round the Triumph Stand, looking at the Tiger 800s - X-R-C-X-t and low versions were all on show. Added to the new Explorer and Bonneville variations, John Bloor is creating new market niches for Triumph and its competitors (who are offering similarly styled machines.) From all the news that we read in the UK, sales are increasing year on year, but the number of teenagers taking up motorcycling is dropping, so we are told. Is the increase due to more leisure time/excess income over expenditure/a perceived freedom from the 4 wheeled steel box/ageing baby boomers trying to regain a rebellious youth (that most of us never had)/something else? Look forward to your comments and suggestions regarding the future (assuming that we don't all get banned from the road due to EEC or US Regulations) of our hobby/interest/passion/etc.
On another track we had been discussing and debating (ad nauseam) the merits of the airbag vest and/or jacket. We finally decided that it was worth the expense - mainly because we have arrived at the conclusion that, at our age, we don't bounce off the ground as well as we did 40 odd years ago. We decided on the Helite TT Airvest as being the most comfortable and suitable - we can wear them with any of our jackets and attach them to any m/c. I hope not to write any reviews on these safety aids, but you never know. As above, we look forward to your comments and suggestions on these.

 

[Rocky]

Good stuff

 

[Mad On Triumphs]

So your thinking of going to Austria next year, well you might like to consider this HOME - Tridays and while your having the time of your life at this brilliant Triumph event, whatever you do, do not forget to do this, Grossglockner High Alpine Road
You can book the Tri days event now, I've been and it's well worth going, so much so that I'm already booked for next year.
Doing a bike tour with a company is a great way if you've never toured on the continent before. I've never used one in over 40 years touring over there, the advantages of being on your own are obvious, as are being on a tour with others. What ever you decide, have a great time, and don't forget that camera. Talking of cameras have you got any shots of the NEC to post ?

 

[DaveH]

We saw this event advertised on the back of one of the glossies that we picked up from the Triumph Stand. I thought, at first, that it was an advert for the BMW Event, but then noticed it listed as a Tri- Day Event. We have no trouble in France, Belgium, Spain or Portugal, where we don't book but travelling through Germany and Austria is a different ball game. Neither of us speaks German, for a start, and some of the self-guided tours go to places that we have never heard of. It just seems easier to let someone else do the planning and we just do the riding and sightseeing - for example, the Hotel Elisabeth, in Vienna, and the Hotel Tabor, in Tabor, Hungary. Having worked in Northern Spain, I have no fear there but Germany always worries me. We don't like travelling in groups. Tours of the Lake District, USA and France have confirmed our worst fears - dropping bikes in garages and accidents on the road, caused by panic stricken riders rushing, speeding and overtaking because they are afraid of becoming lost or left behind. The main reasons for these mishaps are that they do not study the daily route maps or forget to put correct coordinates into the GPS. We are normally Tail End Charlie and take our time - getting lost is part of the holiday, as is being last at the hotel and missing the welcome parties. I suppose some (many!) people would call us anti-social, but concentrating on solo riding is much less stressful than concentrating on everyone else's riding, as well as your own, when you are in a big group. That will certainly attract a bit (a lot!!!) of flak, but that is how we see it.
Unfortunately, again, we don't even think about taking photos at the NEC, not interested in the "models" decorating the Stands or having my picture taken sitting on a bike that I know I cannot afford (or even be able to sit on). We are extremely happy with our Tiger 800 ABS and cannot think of a replacement, other than the latest all singing, all dancing, XRt. I suppose that I appear (am) an Old Git, but I assure you that I am not miserable. Perhaps, I could be persuaded to receive an Indian (Chief) as a freebie from a charitable institution, but that's a dream for another day.
Thanks for your best wishes and kind words, I wish you the same.

 

[triumph david]

Just remember that camera.

 

[Mad On Triumphs]

I must admit I'm not over keen in travailing in big groups, I like to be able to stop and take some photos when and where I want without having to worry about other people too much. You'd have no trouble in Germany, the all speak English, better than us. The Tiger is all you really need, it's as you know a brilliant bike, and if I had a spare few bob, it would be the one I'd go for.

 

[DaveH]

We are, probably, over cautious, but that is us. The Tiger never gave us one moment of worry - panniers, top box and tankbag fully loaded, cruising slowly down the Autobahn at a steady 85mph, being overtaken, at lightspeed, by everyone else! We bought a nice Canon Digital Bridge Camera s/h, off eBay, and I was amazed by the quality (over our little Sony Compact) when I took nearly 300 photos in and around Ieper, over the Armistice Commemoration, in November. I bought an expensive camera a number of years ago and haven't really used it much - takes up too much room on the bike, fear dropping it or getting mud in it. So, I paid £25 for this one and am not worried at all, if I lose or ruin it. I promise to take it with us and use it - might even have some shots in focus AND correctly exposed, on the same image!

 

[triumph david]

A traveling camera is a good idea, i have one i keep on my 'big bike' it comes in handy, did not coast much and takes good pictures.