MCN Scottish Motorcycle Show 2011 – Event Review

In March, I had the pleasure of attending the MCN Scottish Motorcycle Show. Let’s get the scoring/review out of the way first of all – I can heartily recommend the show if you have an interest in bikes, although there wasn’t too much going on in terms of live events outside. However, if you have a desire to see the latest two-wheeled metal in the flesh, then you couldn’t go far wrong by taking a trip up to Scotland, as I did.

I attended on the 20th March, having set off with the post code of the Royal Highland Centre programmed into the sat nav. Ready and raring to go, I set off with less than three hours of driving to complete – which turned into slightly longer than expected due to a rather large tailback about 20 minutes from the Centre.

On arrival, car parking was simple and easy to follow and was only £3 for the whole day – so not too bad at all. By booking tickets in advance (I recommend this for all motorsport events for the following reason) my friends and I could simply go to the much shorter ‘prepaid’ queue, which allowed us straight in to the cordoned area. Simple and no fuss!

The first sight of the day was the stunt bikers over on the Monster big rig. The setup involved a number of ramps, jumps and obstacles which were being handled amazingly well by a couple of riders. This was followed by a show with some clearly very skilled riders, who demonstrated a number of stunts including no handers, wheelies and even a burn out until a tyre popped!

The meat of the show was the variety of different manufacturers that were showing the new 2010 bikes in the hopes of creating some business. By all accounts, this proved to be extremely successful, as there was a very large crowd on the day taking in the latest two-wheeled metal. So, without further ado, let’s take a look at the stand-out stands!

Triumph
The highlight for me was the Triumph Bonneville. Whilst there were other more sporty bikes on the stand, the Bonnie is just a great, classic, timeless design. Granted, it’s not going to hurtle you down the motorway at terrifying speeds, but hey, is that what motorbiking is about? The Bonneville (especially the outstanding T100) is all about a relaxing scratch around and it does everything well. That’s not to denigrate machines like the Daytona, which is another great bike.

Victory
What can you say about a manufacturer that produces huge, huge machines with 106 cubic inches of engine displacement? Bikes that feature a 240 section rear tyre and look big enough to wipe out a few cars? All you can say I think is, wow. Victory motorcycles are unique – I’ve not come across anything quite like them and you don’t see that many of them on the road. Then again, it’s perhaps because not everyone is a giant and able to handle such a large machine. Nonetheless, there’s something that is intrinsically appealing about two wheeled metal of such size, even if it is a challenge to make it turn a corner! The highlight goes to the Victory Hammer S, which was a definite show highlight. The image below is the Victory Vegas 8 Ball, a more user friendly bike if you’re on the smaller size.

Yamaha
There wasn’t a lot happening at the Yamaha stand – which was rather disappointing. Whilst there was a decent array of bikes, there didn’t seem to be anything that really stood out or grabbed my attention, barring the new 2010 R1.

Ducati
For those who aren’t in the know, Ducati carry a particular type of reputation in the motorcycling world. Come to think of it, it’s not that different from Italian cars – thoroughbreds that are extremely good to ride, with plenty of power and road ability. With the potential of course for a little mechanical coaxing required thrown in for good measure. Nonetheless, the Ducati stand, thanks to bikes such as the 1198, really did catch the eye. They are beautiful, beautiful bikes. I in particularly was impressed with the Hypermotard 796 – though it did look like I’d need to grow a few inches to handle it as it should be.

MV Augusta
Perhaps at the top of the most desirable bike in show list was the MV Augusta F4. A true superbike for the road, the F4 catches the eye, takes the breath away and will waste almost anything else on the road at the lights. MV also had the MV Augusta Brutale at the show, which is a really good looking bike. Kudos too goes to staff manning the stand. They were more than happy to discuss everything from the trip to the show to relative power outputs.

Kawasaki
The Kawasaki Z1000 was another bike of the show. A streetfighter with aggressive styling, an aluminium twin tube frame, this is a bike that you won’t really go far wrong with. Comfortable, exotically styled and enough to make any driver wince and move out of the way when they see this coming up in a wing mirror. Kawasaki also had a number of new bikes on show including the excellent little off-roader, the D-Tracker 125 and the updated Versys model (only taller riders need apply for this one).

BMW
BMW Motorrad was at the show, though arguably with one single purpose in mind. That purpose was to show off the new to 2010 BMW S 1,000 RR superbike! The advertisements for this bike say ‘power redefined’ and I couldn’t think of a better description. The double R is a genuine race bike, even if number plates can be added. Whilst the price tag of £11,000 may look a little steep for the bike OTR, you’ll find it a challenge to be faster on two wheels – or indeed to have a faster way to lose your licence if you’re not careful!

Custom Event – Area 51
Probably the highlight of the show, the Area 51 section of the show was simply fantastic. Less concerned about the original manufacturer designs and performance, this show was all about the look and the wild designs – in fact the wilder the better. On display were a variety of cruisers, customs and low-riders modified beyond belief. My favourite was a former Victory motorcycle with the wildest paintjob you’ve ever seen. The artistry involved must have been staggering! The live band was also very good and got the crowd dancing.

Other items
The Russian sidecar show was unique to say the least – I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything quite like it! There was obviously a lot of skill involved and it had a number of the audience with their eyes very wide at the antics. It does make you wonder why we don’t see more of these machines on the road.

Overall
I can firmly recommend the MCN Scottish Motorcycle Show if you have any interest at all in two wheels. Whether you’re a novice or a racer, there’ll be something there for you. As for me? Well, it was great to sit on a variety of bikes. However, it did put me in even more of a quandary about what to buy next. I certainly love the look of the Triumph Bonneville T100 but Victory two wheelers are staggering. I will of course keep you all updated should I choose to roll out on a new set of wheels. In the meantime, keep checking back regularly for more event coverage.