Much of the industry holds its breath before major motorcycle shows these days. Events like Motorcycle Live at the NEC, the Scottish Bike Show, and various regional exhibitions provide an immediate snapshot of the health of motorcycling’s customer base. Poor attendance at sparsely populated exhibition halls strains budgets, lowers morale, and creates an overall negative atmosphere for trade professionals and customers.
The same applies to the Devitt Insurance MCN London Motorcycle Show. It is the second-largest motorcycle show in the country, following the NEC. This event marks the beginning of the new season as the days start to get longer in mid-February, generating increased consumer interest leading up to the new March registration plate.
Alan Dowds, reporting for BDN, was pleased to see large crowds at the Excel Centre, at the Docklands Light Railway stations along the route, and inside the exhibition halls. Conversations with staff on both large and small stands revealed that Friday, as usual on the show’s opening day, was quieter. However, Saturday had a much stronger footfall and atmosphere. Marketing portals on management smartphones indicated that customer leads were accumulating into the hundreds by the hour. Rob Puttick, managing director of Infinity Motorcycles, said: “Infinity Motorcycles was excited to return to the Devitt Insurance MCN London Motorcycle Show this year. As always, the quality of the customers across all three days of the event was exceptional, and we were delighted to engage with both current and new customers. Overall, it was another really successful show for us!”
Fabrizio Cazzoli, managing director of Ducati UK, said: “Ducati is very happy to return to the Devitt Insurance MCN London Motorcycle Show, where we have displayed our entire line-up of new models. With two new dealers in the London area and witnessing visitors enthusiasm in person, we are more optimistic about the outlook for 2025.”
Racing royalty
The show had a long list of strong attractions, and you could see the crowds ebb and flow around these areas. One stage had a succession of racing royalty being interviewed, from MotoGP ace Pedro Acosta to Moto2 star Jake Dixon, and a long list of TT legends: Michael Dunlop, Peter Hickman, and John McGuinness. At the other end of the show was petrolhead guru Allen Millyard, starting up the Norton Nemesis he’s been reviving and drowning out the noise of planes taking off at London City Airport with the incredible sound of a race-tuned open-pipe 1500cc V8 engine. And in between was the adventure stage, where Charley Boorman chatted to intrepid circumnavigators about their two-wheeled antics. The centrepiece of the action was the short, sharp Bridgestone-sponsored flat-track circuit, which saw Chris Walker and Neil Hodgson reviving their BSB rivalry from 25 years ago on Kawasaki KLX140 mini-racers with open pipes. A spectacular sight.
Iconic Auctioneers was the official auction partner for the show, hosting “The Iconic Sale” on Sunday with 133 lots. Highlights included a 2000 Bimota SB8K Anthony Gobert ex-works World Superbike which sold for £94,400. A 1976 MV Agusta 750S America made £70,800, and a 1924 Henderson Four-Cylinder Deluxe sold for £62,100.
The show’s success is measured in the numbers – and the final total attendance was 29,122 visitors over the three days. That’s 2163, nearly 7%, down on the 31,285 who went in 2024, itself a decline on the 2023 headcount of 32,399. Not a bad turnout for a grey, freezing Valentine’s weekend? – or a forwarning of an indifferent season ahead? The industry’s waiting with bated breath to find out!