It’s showtime at the NEC this week and you’ll be able to see up close (and sit on many of) the main feature scooters from our recent EICMA coverage. We’ve already covered most of them so we’re not going to go into too much detail here.
Motorcycle Live is always a good day out and gives us petrol heads a chance to sit on the latest scooters (and bikes), compare them for size, seating position, technical details and how good they look in ‘real-life’. Talking to one of the organisers down there yesterday, Dave Dew told me things had gone well during the first two days of the show and they were hoping to be on target to attract a tenth of the UK’s motorcycling/scooter population during the course of the show. That’s 100,000 people from a potential one million. That’s not bad odds really, could you imagine getting a tenth of the UK Ford Fiesta owners to a car show? It shows there is still passion surrounding the whole two-wheel lifestyle.
Vespa
The Piaggio stand is where many of you will want to have a look at the 2020 Racing Sixties special edition Vespa GTS and Sprint models (everybody loves a sticker kit, right?) You can also eye up the higher-spec 70kmh Vespa Elettrica and no doubt chew the ear off the people on the stand about what you really wanted from Vespa for Christmas.
Royal Alloy
I dare say many classic scooter fans will be pulling their collars up, donning shades and trying to look discreet as they tentatively check out the latest from RA on the MotoGB stand. The Lambretta Series 2 styled TG 300 is one of those scooters that will be the biggest retro scooter to hit the shops in 2020. If they get it right from day one and can have scooters in the shops early next summer the TG 300 will make a big dent in Vespa GTS sales. With classic styling and the pre-HPE Vespa GTS 300 engine this will sway lots of riders who want the style of a classic with the benefits of something a bit more modern.
‘To Be Somebody’ special editions
If you thought we already had an abundance of new retro scooter riders on rallies, you really ain’t seen nothing yet. RA have provided the scooters for next year’s feelgood mod film, ‘To Be Someone’ – dubbed by some as the “Sequel to Quadrophenia.” The film stars many original cast members, who have aged over the years and moved on to the latest retro scooters, complete with as much chrome as you can bolt-on. Carnaby Scooters have built three modded up scooters for the lead characters. Including the one above.
All three machines will be available as special editions in 2020.
Please don’t shoot the messenger…
British Steel – NOT A SCOOTER WARNING!!!
For a UK bike show, it was good to see home manufacturers, CCM and Norton showing off some very beautiful bikes. Whether you’re a bike fan or not, you can’t argue that the CCM ‘Silver Edition’ is exquisite. The bike is a tribute to the late founder of CCM, Austin Clews by sons, Russell and Austin. Check out the details if you get to the show yourself.
Norton Superlight
Another British gem, this time from the stables of Norton Motorcycles. The Norton Superlight is a masterpiece of carbon fibre exotica. A £20,000, 105 bhp, 650cc parallel-twin. Although I imagine many original greasers will hate the fact modern Nortons aren’t dripping oil and breaking down like their classics did years ago before the firm went bust (it sounds remarkably like the story of one of our own favourite marques).
Italjet Dragster
Taking the podium on the MotoGB stand is, of course, the new Italjet Dragster. The scooter was brought in as a late entry to the NEC after MotoGB were announced as the UK importers for the revived Italian brand. This out-and-out sports scooter is winning fans who probably wouldn’t ordinarily even consider looking at a scooter. Ther Italjet Dragster is the Panigale of the scooter world, a design classic – breaking the jelly mould of modern indistinguishable scooter monotony.
Win a £1000 bundle with Lexham
Without a doubt, one of the hardest working specialist insurance companies are Lexham. They’re at pretty much every National Rally, they put money into scooter sport, sponsor lots of events and promotions and cater for classic and modern scooter riders very well (multi-bike, agreed value, modifications etc.). If you visit their stand at the NEC you could win £1000 Oxford Products bundle so be sure to pop over and see them.
Dunlop ScootSmart
I’ve been using these tyres since I first covered their launch in 2012, they’re on every scooter I ride and most of my club mates and immediate friends also use them. They’re a good ‘all-round’ (pardon the pun) scooter tyre, they grip well, are good enough in the rain and are available in most popular sizes. They also have a speed rating of 93mph. You’ll need a new rear every 2,000 miles, because they’re quite soft but that’s not a major issue with the relatively low cost of scooter tyres.
Visit the show
Motorcycle Live runs until 24th November at the NEC. You’ve missed out on the cheaper advance tickets so it’ll cost you £25 to get in, £15 if you’re an OAP, £1 if you’re aged between 6 and 16. It’s free if you’re under 5 and just a tenner if you’re visiting from overseas.
NEC Motorcycle Live Gallery
