… and MrsV’s licence wouldn’t last long either looking at that blurred right hand. 
You’re probably right 
.
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Iconic colours on that Blade!
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Ha sat on that myself. going slightly off piste I compared it to its closest rivals. They are all clearly aimed at a track these days unless its just my age and memory or lack of kicking in. Whilst one might say its a ridiculous comparison its realistic based upon slow moving traffic making it heavier on the old hands/wrists for reference I’m just over 6ft.
Blade - Harsh on wrists some reviews place the Blade as being not as harsh as the other brands. I certainly felt discomfort between index finger and thumb. Certainly an aggressive riding position. Nice looking colour scheme this time around.
R1M - Knees are very high almost above the tank feel perched on to of it opposed to part of it. Not as stressful on on wrists as the other brands. Boy so much carbon on this bike.
Ducati V4 Sexy sexy sexy. Worst out of the four on the wrists.
ZX10R. Surprisingly I felt the wrists were ok on this bike. Agree the pegs are quite high and far back though this did not translate into horrible amounts of pain though. I do not like the cheap looking stickers though.
Why did I want to compare the bikes? I nearly got rid of my Triumph due to recent complications. Call it a mid life crisis or whatever you will. I actually like the sitting position of the Gsxr 1000RR Phantom.
Historically I dislike Suzuki but this bike is certainly more comfortable than the above bikes. It actually looks rather nice as well as long as you are not scared of black and gold.
This bike is discontinued by Suzuki I maybe understand their forward thinking but think it could be a tad premature which is a shame.
Anyway back to the show it certainly is going to be re shaped in the next few yrs
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Do you think you will swap to one of the above bikes? There do seem to be more track - specific bikes being produced, but you can see why supersports are not the dominant bike on the roads any more, for many reasons.
I am about 5ft 4 ish and actually found the Blade seating position very similar to my Striple in terms of peg positioning and reach to the bars and didn’t feel any discomfort on my wrists. I wonder if because I am shorter than the average rider my core / hips etc take a lot of my weight when tilted forwards as I don’t feel it in my wrists on my current bike either which I was warned might be a problem. From sitting on lots of the sports bikes, they certainly seem to have shrunk over the years as I could comfortably fit on them (I do understand that they are set as low as possible for the show though) whereas lots of the adventure bikes and some others I could barely get a toe down! The sports bikes seemed very narrow, especially at the front of the saddle which for us shorter people is ideal, but lots of larger built people trying them were saying there was not enough room on them and with the Blade especially the complaint was that the tank was painful when trying to lean forward if there was a bit of a belly in the way.
I found the ZX10R least comfortable.
I actually find some of the adventure bikes which people tend to say are very comfortable quite uncomfortable - the sat up straight position hurts my back. I broke it years ago and have a fair bit of residual damage and pain and sitting straight up rather than tilted, allowing my core and hips to take some of my weight, is aggravating. I also do better with a bench - like seat.
I also much prefer my Striple to the new versions, thank goodness!!
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Morning all.
Good show. Great catch up with @MrsVisor .
I noticed how very few race replica sports bikes are being produced. Loads of new start up companies with Retro styled beardy type street bobber/ cafe cruisers, in the CCM ilk. Not for me at all…!
Liked the Speed Triple RR a bit more having sat on it there
Liked the new Street Triple.
But mostly liked the Ducati stand…
I did purchase a new helmet…
Good reduction from list £549 rrp down to £380.00.
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The fireblades were always the best riding position for a road bike until recently Honda decided to make them much more aggressive. I know a guy who was a very loyal follower. He has bought every new model since the 90’s, nothing else would do. When the last model came out it made him change his ways. He bought a Ducati street fighter instead. I’m much the same opinion as @MrsVisor with the adventure bikes. The bolt upright position dosnt work for me, I get a sore arse. That and I don’t like screens, I find the turbulent wind noise horrible and fatiguing. I need to be leaning forward a bit for most comfort.
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I’ve decided to stick with my Triumph providing it behaves itself and doesn’t have any further issues.
The thought of a 1000cc supersports bike excited me as it would probably scare me. I miss my 2003 R6 and remember how much of a thrill it gave me. The double bubble screen and fairing were fantastic. I don’t recall any discomfort. Even the new R7 at the show was uncomfortable and not far behind the R1M
I must sit on an old R6 one day to confirm whether its my age showing or the slimming down of modern machines.
I contemplated buying a Panigale V2 several months ago as I absolutely love the looks of the Troy Bayliss special edition, which was also at the show. From a spec perspective it sat in a good place without going daft on a v4.
I was so excited when I took one for a test ride.
This feeling soon changed within a matter of 2 mins into the ride I just hated everything about it until you got to 70mph then it was a different animal and lots of fun. You Tube reviews of the bike are fairly accurate.
That ride alone cemented me keeping the Triumph.
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Tuesday 22nd November
Unlike last year’s show there was no queue of people waiting to have their Covid vaccination status checked before they could go in - hooray! Tuesday is traditionally also the quietist day, according to one vendor. We drove down as it’s a two hour run and the weather’s turned a bit nippy and damp, getting there just after the doors opened. I’d recommend going on the Tuesday. There are still quite a few people milling about but not the jostling crowds and big queues for food and drink you see on a weekend.
Last year’s show was a bit sparse but this one seemed better. Off the top of my head only Aprilia were absent of the bigger names. Still a fairly new rider, @Motopulcino was particularly excited about all the bikes, something I know at least one other member here can relate to… 
Despite spending the whole day wandering about I still managed to miss a few stands! Not the Triumph one, of course.
It seems their marketing machine is really getting going with the Moto2 tie-in now…
…culminating in the rather desirable limited edition Street Triple. I’m not one for bright colours usually but this does look pretty good in real life. The bike had number 000 etched on the headstock.
I’d settle for a nice red RS though. I must get a test ride in the spring.
Or perhaps something a little larger in Burnt Orange. Choices, choices.
Bobbers don’t usually get me excited but this one has got to be capable of putting a smile on anyone’s face. Or possibly the fear of God. Nitrous and a supercharger. You’d be at the bar before your mates have got out of second.
Or for the more discerning gentleman with a surfeit of polish in the garage, there’s the 50’s bling that is the chrome Thruxton. It is shiny, I’ll give it that.
There were two test ride options on offer across a range of manufacturers. A selection of road tests were on offer, including a Hayabusa that I fancied, but not so much on a led ride in the wet. The friend we went with tried an Africa Twin that I think will be taking up the space in his garage he says is currently occupied by an old Bandit.
It takes all sorts.
Alternatively, there was the ‘off-road’ course in Hall 4 where you could sign up to try a Tiger 950, DesertX, Himalayan or Ténéré. Rachel signed up for a Tiger and a DesertX.
The latter proving to be way too tall so they swapped her on to a Himalayan, which she really liked. I didn’t know this so duly filmed a complete stranger on a Ducati for 10 minutes. The introduction to off-roading also went down a storm so more things to look at doing next year, it seems.
There was some quite wobbly people. One chap learned the importance of looking where you want to go and not at the Christmas trees. Rachel did drop the Tiger but put the skills they taught her on the BMW stand last year to good use, picked it up, and carried on unphased. Top marks.
Some old marques are being resurrected at the moment and they made for some good diversity away from the big manufacturers. Herald were present and are making some nice looking, cheaper bikes that will hoefully encourage new riders to get on two wheels.
Dot Motorcycles turned up with a few models, or variants on a theme. This is what they used to look like…
…and here’s what they look like now. This one was my favourite. It’s their Reed Racer, a 650cc twin making about 70bhp but weighing only 169kg, apparently.
Mac Motorcycles had a great little stand.
The National Motorcycle Museum brought a few Triumphs. That place is worth a visit, too, if you haven’t been. When I was doing my three day course to get my licence one of the instructors turned up on one of these in black. Very cool.
I wonder how many bought the royal edition of the Bonneville. See, chrome Triumphs aren’t new at all.
A while ago I posted a picture from Matlock Bath of a Harley with a Lord Of The Rings paint job. The company that produced it were at the show with a few more examples of their impressive work.
Lastly, some more eye candy from the Back Street Heroes area.
“Ivan’s BSA”
It took me a few seconds to realise this was a Royal Enfield.
I didn’t spot Indian Larry in person but his bike is pretty cool.
Debs’ Triumph Tiger 100
I’ve got some of the specs for these bikes should anyone be interested in the details.
I had a great time this year. Excellent to see @Wessa as well. Thinking about the London show in the spring now. 
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