Motorcycle shows

Last year I went to the Progressive Motorcycle show in Dallas for the 5th consecutive year. I swore after last year that I wouldn't go again. IMO, the show is lame and real disappointment. Don't ask me to explain what I expect or why I think its lame. I'm just always disappointed. But last year, the Honda display area was about the size of a boat trailer and they had a grand total of 8 bikes, which was irksome.

So this year I wasn't going to go except my brothers wanted to go so I thought it would be a nice outing. And the show just doesn't deliver.
One thing is that you cant always count on seeing the exact bike you went to see. (I didn't)

Also, and this is what made me write this post...

Yamaha didn't even show up! I MEAN, WHAT GIVES?
Are they in the doghouse with Progressive, or mad at Progressive? DO they hate Dallas?

Has anyone else noticed inconsistencies with cycle show participation by make?

Glad I did not go for the past several years, have not heard a positive report about the dallas show. The last one I attended was not worth the time. Use to enjoy the Fort Worth show, but the best was at the Astrodome for the industry.

I assume Yamaha didn't go because they also think it's lame and a waste of time.

My brothers opinion was that Yamaha is having s good run anyway and didn’t feel the need

We have had a few manufacturers boycott the Australian Motorcycle Expo in recent years. There was a change of management and several disagreements about display size, cost and locations within the exhibition, particularly before the change. Melbourne and Sydney alternate yearly. They don't believe that our market is big enough to support an annual Expo in each city. They are probably right about that. Many of the smaller stands of yesteryear (clothing, accessories etc) no longer appear as display rental costs are out of control. Australian property values are now one of the highest in the world and consequently rental costs are the same. In my home city of Melbourne the median private home cost has passed AUD$900,000.

Macka

[...Many of the smaller stands of yesteryear (clothing, accessories etc) no longer appear as display rental costs are out of control...]

We experienced the same thing with the Progressive Show in Cleveland's IX Center. When I first started to attend in the mid-90s, many dealers had large spaces filled with used bikes and last season's apparel so there were many bargains to be had. They gradually departed because of the ever-rising rental costs and their spaces were taken by small booths selling sun glasses, sealer for concrete basements, eyeglass cleaners, etc. And it's not unusual for one or more manufacturers to stop attending certain shows.

The Atlanta shows have also went to crap...to put it mildly. :rolleyes1: The last one I went to a couple years ago with my son was a total joke. Most manufactures who attended had no real inventory except H-D they had at least 30 bikes with factory staff in attendance. And most of the small vendor booths had went the same way as Dirtflier mentioned...if I wanted home improvements I'd go to the annual Home Show. I've skipped the last two years and probably will continue to save my time and money....

The funny part about these shows is those small PITA vendors are at all the shows regardless of what type of show it is... When the North Atlanta Trade Center was still in business we'd attend motorcycle, RV and model train shows at the venue. The same sorry small vendors were at all three. I suspect they rented annually rather than by the show...

If the motorcycle market is as bad as I've been reading here, then it makes sense. It's the same in the auto world. When business is down, automakers don't put as much investment into auto shows, they scale back. If motorcycle sales are down, there's less money for the manufacturers to invest in shows.

I attended the Progressive International Motorcycle Show in Cleveland last week. It was well attended but significantly smaller than the last two years. Triumph, Aprilla, Guzzi, and Ducati were not represented but most other manufacturers were. I got a great prices on Sena 20 headsets for the wife and I. I really like the looks of the Kawasaki 900RS. Not a bad time but a sign of the times with motorcycle sales down.

Every few years, I meet my brother and sometimes go with a friend to the IMS. I don't expect the manufactures to fill the rooms with stuff any more, but it winter and visit motorcycles are better then looking at mind in the garage. I also visit Iron Pony when I visit my son many times, think I only purchased a pair of gloves there, but it so big you can spend hours wondering.