Motorcycle Photographs Motorcycles on Display!
The annual Powersports Dealer Expo is all about motorcycle accessories, clothing, helmets and gear.
It’s not about motorcycles themselves, which is quite different from the European Intermot and EICMA (report) shows, which are used by the motorcycle manufacturers to announce new models.
Many displays at the Dealer Expo feature motorcycles as a way to attract the attention of visitors, while some manufacturers use the bikes to display their wares, such as exhaust systems, custom bodywork and lighting.
This year, the show featured a Saturday motorcycle auction.
There were a few hundred bikes on display and the live auction attracted a good sized crowd, although one curious aspect of the Dealer Expo is that the general public is not allowed.
My feeling is that in any other year, the auction might have been a good idea. But in this down economy, with many hundreds of motorcycle dealers closing their doors, the auction was too much of a reminder of the current situation.
Many of the motorcycles to be auctioned had been repossessed by banks and lenders, according to the tags hanging from the handlebars. Most of them were used and there were very few vintage or collectible bikes up for bid; a few of those might have changed the entire aspect of the sale.
I suppose the dealers were bidding on the bikes to beef up their stock of used motorcycles, which I understand are selling rather well. And I must say, by the end of the auction, almost all of the bikes were sold.
But it all gave me a sort of creepy feeling, thinking about the poor souls who probably lost their jobs and needed bread on the table more than a Harley sitting in the garage. Hopefully, the worst is behind us and 2011 will see an uptick in the economy and the industry.
OK, enough of that — here is a photo gallery of some of the interesting bikes I found at the show. These are grab shots, taken as I passed by the various booths and displays, and there was very little information on any of them but hopefully you’ll recognize them.
Click on a photo to start the show and it will automatically play (each photo will display for 4 seconds) or you can click on an arrow to move back and forth through the images.
wBW Motorcycle Photograph Slide Show – 2011 Dealer Expo
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