Toronto Motorcycle Show

December 8-10 2006

These days, motorcycle dealer shows just don’t seem to have the same attraction for me that they once did. Perhaps this is because I now tend to hang on to my bikes much longer, my annual experimentation with new models an almost forgotten addiction. Or maybe it’s just that I’m getting old and too set in my ways, no longer needing to replace my trusty steed with the latest and greatest. In any case, it’s been quite some time since I bothered to pay for the privilege of seeing the same bikes that I could have found in dealer showrooms, albeit collected in one location for my convenience.

Then I got an unexpected phone call which would change all that.

It was from Sid (a former fellow York Wings member, and currently part of the B.A.D. Ride team), and the timing of his call could not have been better. During our conversation, the subject of the Toronto Motorcycle Show came up. I knew about the show from what I had read in magazines, but I didn’t remember it was being run on the next weekend. As luck would have it, I was making the trek from Ottawa to Toronto for my mother’s surprise 75th birthday party on Saturday, so it was entirely possible to take in the show the following day.

Still sceptical, I asked Sid how this show compared to the other big bike Toronto show held in January (Canadian Motorcycle Supershow), and if it was worth the effort. In his opinion the dealer show was the better of the two. He added that if I decided to go, I should drop by at the B.A.D. booth, mention his name, and ask for the Ride’s latest promotional poster.

After a great surprise party, I was up early Sunday morning and ready to head out to the Toronto Convention Centre, but first I had to wake my daughter Gail and her fiancé Andrew. My wife and son had prior commitments they couldn’t avoid, so it was just the three of us that had made the trip. Shortly after 9 am, we were finally out the door and on our way. I thought we had left early enough to not only avoid Toronto’s notorious traffic, but to beat the rush to the show as well. Although there were few cars on the DVP (Don Valley Parkway), the first parking lots south of the Rogers Centre were already full. Not surprising considering their going daily rate was $7, and the half empty lot a bit further north we ended up in was more than double that. I guess if you want cheaper parking, be prepared to be there a lot earlier than the half hour we were.

The parking lot we picked was just a few steps away from the Convention Centre’s North Building entrance. This being our first time there, we found it a bit confusing making our way from the North Building to the South Building via stairs and escalators, and across railway yards, but we had plenty of other motorcyclists to follow. We could have pre-purchased our tickets online for a $1 saving, but laziness meant we had to line up at the ticket booths instead. Nevertheless, only a minute later we were in the show.

Lots to See

Within moments of entering the hall, we were sitting on bikes and critiquing designs. Despite my earlier lack of interest in shows of this type, I was quickly absorbed by all the hardware around me. To keep some order and efficiency for the time we had, we tried to visit each of the booths all the way to the end of one row, then move on to the next. Naturally enough, we spent more time with products that caught our interest, and less with those that didn’t.

By the time we left the Convention Centre five and half hours later, we were ready for a break. As we were exiting from the South Building, I suddenly realized we had somehow missed the entire Honda display. I was amazed that with all the time we had spent there, we still had not seen it all. Too bad, I thought, but I now needed a beer more than I needed Honda.

Steam Whistle Brewery

Although we had a 4 hour drive back home in front of us, we decided to make one more stop before hitting the highway, and headed across the street to the Steam Whistle Brewery where we got the $8 tour. Beer never tastes better than after a long day at a bike show. My only regret was that I was the designated driver and had to stoically refuse refills; I know, what a martyr!