Motorcycle Live 2023 at the NEC

Anything you like about motorbikes
User avatar
Mr Moofo
Posts: 4670
Joined: Sat Mar 14, 2020 1:41 pm
Location: Brightonish
Has thanked: 1860 times
Been thanked: 1486 times

Re: Motorcycle Live 2023 at the NEC

Post by Mr Moofo »

KungFooBob wrote: Mon Nov 20, 2023 8:28 pm
Mr Moofo wrote: Mon Nov 20, 2023 8:26 pm The M 1000XR. I was kind of curious
27K !!!
The base model Ford Focus is £28.5k

It doesn't have anywhere near 200bhp.
Okay - on that basis, I'll buy one !
Actually the white one with the carbon pack is 23k ish
User avatar
G.P
Posts: 1944
Joined: Sun Mar 15, 2020 9:12 pm
Location: Wiltshire
Has thanked: 2029 times
Been thanked: 1310 times

Re: Motorcycle Live 2023 at the NEC

Post by G.P »

Me,GP junior. IanB and Doug (Buzzlightyear's dad) went yesterday. IanB manged to blag some complimentary tickets, which was nice.
@Dodgy69 - Kept an eye out but didn't see you!

It was the first time we'd been since 2019 so a decent gap to make it more of an event. We all had a good day, another mate whod we met up there was pissed off as there was no Moto Guzzi (no Piaggio in fact).

my 2p:

BMW Stand - really liked the look of the 1300gs and they had plenty on the stand so you didn't need to queue for age to have a sit on one. The F900 GS looked really good too. They also had loads of space for the all derivatives of the R18 which were wierd and wonderful. all the big bikes had plenty of extras on them and they all seemed to be around £22k! Had a sit on the mad looking E-scooter, it looks even better in the flesh than it does on the pics. Who would have thought a pressed steel wheel would look this good?

Triumph Stand: - I was really impressed with the new 400 speed and 400x they looked really well put together and for £5k I reckon they will fly out of the showrooms. The new 1200 Scrambler (Non XE( is slightly lower and something I'd look very seriously at if I was in the market for a new bike. the qualiity of the paintwork and overall finish on all the range looked top class especially compared to the Jap stands.

Ducati Stand: The Desert X is a lovely thing and the Panigale V4R is a work of art (which it should be for £38k). Apart from them and the new 698 single thing, not a lot to see really. they've tidied up the Scrambler range but they are becoming a bit too ordinary given all the competition in the "scrambler" space.

Norton: - Looking a lot more professional in the post Garner era (how that guy escaped a custodial sentence is beyond me). THe silver and black V4S tribute to the Rotary racebike is a thing of beauty and all the bikes on display looked like proper quality products unsurprisingly there were no Price lists..

Honda: Only visited to see the new Transalp which was, as expected, completely underwhelming but well put together and a logical replacement for my aging Tiger 800. Under £10k too. If I was still in all year round commuting mode it would be a serious contender.

Indian: - some nice variants on the FTR which I'm liking more and more each time I see it in the flesh. Their cruisers are impressive if you're into that sort of thing.

Royal Enfield: - really good stand with every permutation of every model on display, The new Himalayan 400 was geting a lot of attention. Now its got 40bhp, water cooling and some rudimentary tech it'll probably do really well. If anyone watches Itchy Boots on YT, she's been running pre-prod version for the last month or so and really likes it.

Other highlights were the massive increase in E-bikes. If I had a 5 mile urban commute I'd be all over one. Lots of other nice customs and things around the place too. Will probably leave it for a couple of years before going again. Good day out though.
User avatar
Dodgy69
Posts: 5511
Joined: Mon Mar 16, 2020 6:36 pm
Location: Shrewsbury
Has thanked: 1768 times
Been thanked: 2110 times

Re: Motorcycle Live 2023 at the NEC

Post by Dodgy69 »

Didn't see Aprilia either. 🤷‍♂️
Yamaha rocket 3
User avatar
mangocrazy
Posts: 7029
Joined: Tue Dec 22, 2020 9:58 pm
Has thanked: 2430 times
Been thanked: 3688 times

Re: Motorcycle Live 2023 at the NEC

Post by mangocrazy »

Dodgy69 wrote: Tue Nov 21, 2023 3:41 pm Didn't see Aprilia either. 🤷‍♂️
Pretty sure they're part of Piaggio group.
There is no cloud, just somebody else's computer.
User avatar
G.P
Posts: 1944
Joined: Sun Mar 15, 2020 9:12 pm
Location: Wiltshire
Has thanked: 2029 times
Been thanked: 1310 times

Re: Motorcycle Live 2023 at the NEC

Post by G.P »

Potter wrote: Tue Nov 21, 2023 4:01 pm
G.P wrote: Tue Nov 21, 2023 3:35 pm ....stuff...
What did you think of the XSR retro stuff?

As a bloke who was around for the Exup and suchlike I thought you might be interested in this new version?
I thought the XSR racer thing was almost fantastic but there is Something about the proportions that isn't quite right. love the colour scheme.
Don't really like the other retro XSRs - the frame is too dominant for most of those styles in my IMO.
User avatar
G.P
Posts: 1944
Joined: Sun Mar 15, 2020 9:12 pm
Location: Wiltshire
Has thanked: 2029 times
Been thanked: 1310 times

Re: Motorcycle Live 2023 at the NEC

Post by G.P »

Its subjective, dynamically it'll be ace and if you like it go for it. I'd probably got for putting bastardised track plastics on an old R6 and giving it the same paint job :)

The Storm Bee is brill! There are a few moto x / trail / trials bikes out now. Makes so much sense. Do they have removable batteries? I didn't look that close?
User avatar
gremlin
Posts: 6013
Joined: Wed Jul 08, 2020 3:12 pm
Location: Kent (AKA God's own country)
Has thanked: 821 times
Been thanked: 4869 times

Re: Motorcycle Live 2023 at the NEC

Post by gremlin »

Mr Moofo wrote: Mon Nov 20, 2023 8:26 pm The M 1000XR. I was kind of curious
27K !!!
Mate of mine has one. I asked him what it was like. His answer was 'Fuck-ing-HELL!'
All aboard the Peckham Pigeon! All aboard!
User avatar
Yorick
Posts: 16839
Joined: Sat Mar 14, 2020 8:20 pm
Location: Paradise
Has thanked: 10378 times
Been thanked: 6935 times

Re: Motorcycle Live 2023 at the NEC

Post by Yorick »

gremlin wrote: Tue Nov 21, 2023 5:15 pm
Mr Moofo wrote: Mon Nov 20, 2023 8:26 pm The M 1000XR. I was kind of curious
27K !!!
Mate of mine has one. I asked him what it was like. His answer was 'Fuck-ing-HELL!'
It's only got 201 BHP. Girl's bike.
Le_Fromage_Grande
Posts: 11253
Joined: Mon Mar 16, 2020 6:40 pm
Location: The road of many manky motorcycles
Has thanked: 609 times
Been thanked: 4137 times

Re: Motorcycle Live 2023 at the NEC

Post by Le_Fromage_Grande »

Potter wrote: Tue Nov 21, 2023 4:51 pm
G.P wrote: Tue Nov 21, 2023 4:41 pm
Potter wrote: Tue Nov 21, 2023 4:01 pm

What did you think of the XSR retro stuff?

As a bloke who was around for the Exup and suchlike I thought you might be interested in this new version?
I thought the XSR racer thing was almost fantastic but there is Something about the proportions that isn't quite right. love the colour scheme.
Don't really like the other retro XSRs - the frame is too dominant for most of those styles in my IMO.
Hmm...I really like it but I think I see your point, it's almost brilliant but it's maybe not quite right in some ways that I can't exactly put my finger on.

I plan to have a go and then decide.

I'm still super keen on that Sur Ron Storm Bee as well.
What the XSR needs looks wise is a seat unit that's longer and a belly pan on the fairing, both easy to fix. It will be great to ride, the riding position doesn't fit me, but neither did EXUPs or OW01s, weirdly Yamaha got the riding position just right for me on the YZF750.
Honda Owner
User avatar
Horse
Posts: 11698
Joined: Sun Mar 15, 2020 11:30 am
Location: Always sunny southern England
Has thanked: 6296 times
Been thanked: 5141 times

Re: Motorcycle Live 2023 at the NEC

Post by Horse »

Riding on the BMW stand
20231121_182446.jpg
20231121_182446.jpg (960.55 KiB) Viewed 573 times
Even bland can be a type of character :wave:
User avatar
ChrisW
Posts: 2762
Joined: Thu Feb 10, 2022 8:46 pm
Has thanked: 2971 times
Been thanked: 2090 times

Re: Motorcycle Live 2023 at the NEC

Post by ChrisW »

Le_Fromage_Grande wrote: Tue Nov 21, 2023 8:27 pm What the XSR needs looks wise is a seat unit that's longer and a belly pan on the fairing, both easy to fix. It will be great to ride, the riding position doesn't fit me, but neither did EXUPs or OW01s, weirdly Yamaha got the riding position just right for me on the YZF750.
I agree. I keep fiddling with it to see if I can make it what I'd like it to be.

This is the current state but to be honest I'm still not convinced.
Attachments
Screenshot 2023-11-21 at 21.36.47.png
Screenshot 2023-11-21 at 21.36.47.png (985.08 KiB) Viewed 561 times
User avatar
KungFooBob
Posts: 14373
Joined: Sat Mar 14, 2020 1:04 pm
Location: The content of this post is not AI generated.
Has thanked: 542 times
Been thanked: 7646 times

Re: Motorcycle Live 2023 at the NEC

Post by KungFooBob »

Maybe if they gave it the Gaspers paint job from the standard XSR.
User avatar
Mr Moofo
Posts: 4670
Joined: Sat Mar 14, 2020 1:41 pm
Location: Brightonish
Has thanked: 1860 times
Been thanked: 1486 times

Re: Motorcycle Live 2023 at the NEC

Post by Mr Moofo »

gremlin wrote: Tue Nov 21, 2023 5:15 pm
Mr Moofo wrote: Mon Nov 20, 2023 8:26 pm The M 1000XR. I was kind of curious
27K !!!
Mate of mine has one. I asked him what it was like. His answer was 'Fuck-ing-HELL!'
I think I am probably getting too old to use it! A GS would be far more sensible
Hot_Air
Posts: 669
Joined: Wed Apr 01, 2020 2:14 pm
Location: United Kingdom
Has thanked: 1398 times
Been thanked: 257 times

Re: Motorcycle Live 2023 at the NEC

Post by Hot_Air »

Horse wrote: Tue Nov 21, 2023 8:45 pm Riding on the BMW stand

20231121_182446.jpg
Is that what you meant when you advocated “the jump”? :D
User avatar
Horse
Posts: 11698
Joined: Sun Mar 15, 2020 11:30 am
Location: Always sunny southern England
Has thanked: 6296 times
Been thanked: 5141 times

Re: Motorcycle Live 2023 at the NEC

Post by Horse »

The chap was chucking that thing about in an incredibly small area. He landed from that jumped on the slope and stopped on the hall floor - not much more than a bike length of solid, flat, surface. And the rear tyre was squealing as he rear-steered around the corners of the earth mound.

3:00
Even bland can be a type of character :wave:
User avatar
G.P
Posts: 1944
Joined: Sun Mar 15, 2020 9:12 pm
Location: Wiltshire
Has thanked: 2029 times
Been thanked: 1310 times

Re: Motorcycle Live 2023 at the NEC

Post by G.P »

Horse wrote: Tue Nov 21, 2023 11:23 pm The chap was chucking that thing about in an incredibly small area. He landed from that jumped on the slope and stopped on the hall floor - not much more than a bike length of solid, flat, surface. And the rear tyre was squealing as he rear-steered around the corners of the earth mound.
Those were the guys who run the Motorrad off road course in South Wales I think, plenty of skills on show. I still thinking 99.9% of owners off roading is limited to parking on the pavement.
The Spin Doctor
Posts: 4096
Joined: Mon Mar 16, 2020 6:17 pm
Has thanked: 2636 times
Been thanked: 1525 times

Re: Motorcycle Live 2023 at the NEC

Post by The Spin Doctor »

Dodgy69 wrote: Mon Nov 20, 2023 7:49 pm
Image
Is that the Wurzels?
"If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer." Henry David Thoreau
www.ko-fi.com/survivalskills www.survivalskillsridertraining.co.uk www.facebook.com/survivalskills
User avatar
Taipan
Posts: 14237
Joined: Sat Mar 14, 2020 1:48 pm
Location: Essex Riviera!
Has thanked: 16225 times
Been thanked: 10405 times

Re: Motorcycle Live 2023 at the NEC

Post by Taipan »

Dodgy69 wrote: Mon Nov 20, 2023 7:49 pm Went today. Same old thing really but certain brands are definitely upping their game, nice colours aswel.



Image
Is that Eddy Izzard in the red hat?
User avatar
weeksy
Site Admin
Posts: 23553
Joined: Sat Mar 14, 2020 12:08 pm
Has thanked: 5483 times
Been thanked: 13211 times

Re: Motorcycle Live 2023 at the NEC

Post by weeksy »

I'm guessing Fuzz Townsend from Car SOS ?
User avatar
Sunny
Posts: 572
Joined: Sun Apr 05, 2020 10:56 am
Has thanked: 1019 times
Been thanked: 534 times

Re: Motorcycle Live 2023 at the NEC

Post by Sunny »

Sunny wrote: Fri Nov 10, 2023 9:40 pm I got incredibly bored of the bike show, and haven't been for a small age.

I'm likely going this year though, purely because bike shops STILL appear to be really crap at having a range of women's leathers to try on in stock (God forbid you want anything without fucking pink bits), and I could really do with some new ones.
Went yesterday. :thumbup:

Nice to see that they'd got rid of a bunch of the 'tat' stands that it had started getting overrun with, so there were only a couple of heated hand warmer/arthritis bracelet stands to annoy.

On the downside there were very few clothing stands, so I may as well have gone to J&S after all 😭

Did pick up a discounted Innovv K6 camera from the nice chap at Innovv, so that was something. :geek:

And it was nice going on a Friday, as you did actually get a chance to try the bikes instead of waiting around in a queue for ages like you do at the weekend.

I got overexcited at the Triumph 400s and ZX4s, but still lusted over the Street Triples the most. I suspect another will be in my future soon enough.