Goose
Grey Hound
- Joined
- Aug 10, 2007
- Messages
- 8,361
- Reaction score
- 152
- Bike
- BMW R1200GS Adventure
We left the UK at 4am for the early morning flight to Milan, Italy.
Full of stress and apprehension - I've never driven a left-hand drive car and this togther with driving on the wrong side of the road in a city and country reknowned for terrible drivers........... well the stage was set!
We planned to visit the show for 2 Trade days - 8th and 9th November - but our meetings spilled over and we needed a 3rd day, which funnily enough turned out to be the most productive and surprising!
To break the journey and justify the costs of car hire and hotels, we decided to extend our stay for a couple of days extra and stay next to Lake Como to gather our wits and to see whether I could get my hand in and take a flip on a Seaplane.(this did not happen as I ended up with a moerse bout of flu and ith my medication, piloting was not allowed :'()
I have therefore tried to be objective and with a helluva lot of pics to sift and sort through, you'll find this bordering on a RR with some scenic shots included here & there.
Most of the descriptions I have tried to keep according to what we saw and at no stage do I judge or promote any one more than the others - it was merely that I took lots of pictures in total awe of this place.
134,000m2 1200 odd exhibitors and a MOERSE lot of visitors!!
The entrance to Fiera Milano
The Exhibition Centre is huge......... I cannot even try to explain and describe it to you and unless you've seen it with your own eyes, it's difficult to comprehend!
The covered walkway would probably take 20 minutes to walk just halfway. They have walking-escalators to try and assist with the distance from one side to the other. EICMA only used half of the exhibition space and with it's outside Pavillion and display area..... well I'd think that you'd fit the CTICC in it maybe 10 times....?
A fitting farewell............ he was obviously much loved!
These little 4-wheelers were all very well represented......... am starting to take a liking to them. Amazed how there were quite a lot being used in Como on the roads... they are traffic-legal here and used as normal transport..... why not!!
Just a couple of random shots towards some of the stands............. just to show scale...
China, India and Brazil were well represented with plastic bikes being the order of the day.....
Now HERE is something I'm sure a lot of the Dawgs will appreciate.
Remembering there is a thread here about "Building the ideal DS bike" - well have a look at this BASTARD!!!
Aptly named the build quality is rough-no-nonsense stuff and seems to be designed and manufactured to take the punch of anything you throw at it. No collapsing or cracking frames here I'd think!!
With some extra's like bigger fuel tank and perhaps some robust pannier racks.... this could be a go-anywhere throw-it-down type of scoot?
The quality of the stands were amazing - here GIVI used massive area to house their collections.. cost per square metre must have been astronomical... but clean, crisp stand exhudes quality and design!
So fancy doing a RTW on a bike.. why not a scooter?
These two examples showing signs of the road much travelled and most definitely loved.....! Transversing ASIA - over 12,000km's..... that's saying something.
New POLARIS All Terrain vehicle - I LIKE THIS ONE!!! :thumleft: :thumleft:
not bad either - Bakkie conversion............ :mwink:
Fascinated by the VICTORY bikes... just don't like them.... although Americacn, they look like Chinese wannabee's! :-[
Obviously KTM's stand could not be ignored.
Now if only KTM-SA would exhibit their bikes in a way (yep I realise space is a problem) that one could view them properly..... I have to agree these are seriously sexy machines!
KTM's 200cc Duke - neat little bike!
FANTIC - never heard the name before - but seems to look the business!!
Could get used to this jobbie........... seriously 4x4 :mwink:
Chinese battery-operated bicycles were hugely represented! Stunning designs and obviously they know something that the rest don't - with rising energy prices, these could be a definite alternative for city/town commuting?
BikerFactory re-inventing the quick-release screen clips for the GS/GSA's? .........
UNSTOPPABLE - BMW's stand! Really nice design with bikes adequately displayed.
I liked the new 650 Sertag, which is supposed to be seen as the Dakar's replacement - however imo it's not! As a previos Dakar rider, this felt really small compared to the much loved Dakkie - however wifey loved it.......... she first tried out the normal 650 (which she liked at the Feb EXEL show in London) but once seated on the SERTAQ - preferred the riding position and "feel"....
The ever-imposing DUCATI's - just a love-affair!
Leaving the Fiera Milano in the evening.......... we arrived in Milan at 10am..... drove straight to the Fiar arriving 11am and left at 6:30pm.................. what a day!
Day 2 to follow!
Full of stress and apprehension - I've never driven a left-hand drive car and this togther with driving on the wrong side of the road in a city and country reknowned for terrible drivers........... well the stage was set!
We planned to visit the show for 2 Trade days - 8th and 9th November - but our meetings spilled over and we needed a 3rd day, which funnily enough turned out to be the most productive and surprising!
To break the journey and justify the costs of car hire and hotels, we decided to extend our stay for a couple of days extra and stay next to Lake Como to gather our wits and to see whether I could get my hand in and take a flip on a Seaplane.(this did not happen as I ended up with a moerse bout of flu and ith my medication, piloting was not allowed :'()
I have therefore tried to be objective and with a helluva lot of pics to sift and sort through, you'll find this bordering on a RR with some scenic shots included here & there.
Most of the descriptions I have tried to keep according to what we saw and at no stage do I judge or promote any one more than the others - it was merely that I took lots of pictures in total awe of this place.
134,000m2 1200 odd exhibitors and a MOERSE lot of visitors!!
The entrance to Fiera Milano
The Exhibition Centre is huge......... I cannot even try to explain and describe it to you and unless you've seen it with your own eyes, it's difficult to comprehend!
The covered walkway would probably take 20 minutes to walk just halfway. They have walking-escalators to try and assist with the distance from one side to the other. EICMA only used half of the exhibition space and with it's outside Pavillion and display area..... well I'd think that you'd fit the CTICC in it maybe 10 times....?
A fitting farewell............ he was obviously much loved!
These little 4-wheelers were all very well represented......... am starting to take a liking to them. Amazed how there were quite a lot being used in Como on the roads... they are traffic-legal here and used as normal transport..... why not!!
Just a couple of random shots towards some of the stands............. just to show scale...
China, India and Brazil were well represented with plastic bikes being the order of the day.....
Now HERE is something I'm sure a lot of the Dawgs will appreciate.
Remembering there is a thread here about "Building the ideal DS bike" - well have a look at this BASTARD!!!
Aptly named the build quality is rough-no-nonsense stuff and seems to be designed and manufactured to take the punch of anything you throw at it. No collapsing or cracking frames here I'd think!!
With some extra's like bigger fuel tank and perhaps some robust pannier racks.... this could be a go-anywhere throw-it-down type of scoot?
The quality of the stands were amazing - here GIVI used massive area to house their collections.. cost per square metre must have been astronomical... but clean, crisp stand exhudes quality and design!
So fancy doing a RTW on a bike.. why not a scooter?
These two examples showing signs of the road much travelled and most definitely loved.....! Transversing ASIA - over 12,000km's..... that's saying something.
New POLARIS All Terrain vehicle - I LIKE THIS ONE!!! :thumleft: :thumleft:
not bad either - Bakkie conversion............ :mwink:
Fascinated by the VICTORY bikes... just don't like them.... although Americacn, they look like Chinese wannabee's! :-[
Obviously KTM's stand could not be ignored.
Now if only KTM-SA would exhibit their bikes in a way (yep I realise space is a problem) that one could view them properly..... I have to agree these are seriously sexy machines!
KTM's 200cc Duke - neat little bike!
FANTIC - never heard the name before - but seems to look the business!!
Could get used to this jobbie........... seriously 4x4 :mwink:
Chinese battery-operated bicycles were hugely represented! Stunning designs and obviously they know something that the rest don't - with rising energy prices, these could be a definite alternative for city/town commuting?
BikerFactory re-inventing the quick-release screen clips for the GS/GSA's? .........
UNSTOPPABLE - BMW's stand! Really nice design with bikes adequately displayed.
I liked the new 650 Sertag, which is supposed to be seen as the Dakar's replacement - however imo it's not! As a previos Dakar rider, this felt really small compared to the much loved Dakkie - however wifey loved it.......... she first tried out the normal 650 (which she liked at the Feb EXEL show in London) but once seated on the SERTAQ - preferred the riding position and "feel"....
The ever-imposing DUCATI's - just a love-affair!
Leaving the Fiera Milano in the evening.......... we arrived in Milan at 10am..... drove straight to the Fiar arriving 11am and left at 6:30pm.................. what a day!
Day 2 to follow!
