2023 Northern Ireland Motorcycle PLUS Show Review :
Saturday 4th February and Sunday 5th February 2023 saw the return of a motorcycle show to Northern Ireland, the first in the Eikon Centre since 2019, and represents the start of the year’s motorcycling season.
Expectations were big and the Northern Ireland Motorcycle PLUS Show had had a reasonable footprint on social media on the run up to the show, promising a ‘star studded line up and ‘big name dealers’…
Unfortunately the expectations did not meet reality, and it pains me to say that.
There were good guests, for example, having Faye Ho, from FHO is truly a great draw and the talks on the stage were well constructed, and well hosted, but that’s it, that’s where the entertainment stopped, more on that later…
Charles Hurst Motorcycles were there, with a full range of BMW and Yamaha motorcycles. But that’s it. That is not to take away from the Hurst’s display though, it was good. It was well put together, plenty of staff there to chat to, and the Synetiq Race bike is exceptional. So fair play to Hursts for their effort, but that’s where the ‘Big Name Dealers’ mentioned above stop. No Kawasaki, No Honda, No KMT, No Triumph…You get the point – no one else was there?
I know Phillip McCallen Motorcycles hold a lot of the franchises and his company’s absence was definitely noticeable. Why they were not there is something I could not answer, but he previously did run this show, so maybe there is a conflict, business / personal (or non at all)? However with only Yamaha and BMW Motorrad present, this show didn’t really present itself as the best opportunity for people looking a to buy new bike / first bike. I do hope Hursts do well from it though, as that may coax more manufacturers or dealers to the next show.
Outside of that there were a couple of stands selling gear, ‘The Visor Shop‘ had a decent Arai setup, outside of that, meh…
There were a few Club Style stands, as well as a few racing teams who had their machinery on display. JMcC Roofing Race Team, Wilson Craig Racing and McAdoo all had really well presented Team stands, but unfortunately there wasn’t too much interaction or integration.
The Black Dub / UGGLY & Co Stand was probably the most lively display there, and to be fair to them, it was exceptional, I am a big fan of the way these guys have branded and marketed themselves, so credit where credit is due and it must go to the Black Dub, but that’s it, it was only one display.
Some of the smaller stands were interesting too, Tandragee, Kells and Armoy all had Club stands there which was great to see, and as a supporter of all road racing it is great to see the Clubs there, and I hope they made loads of money, because I am sure floor space at the event was priced in the premium bracket.
MCI, Bikesafe, Fireblade Ministries and Motorsport Artworx were all there with decent displays, in fact it is difficult to criticise anyone who had a pitch, they were all decent in their own right, but here is the big problem, there just wasn’t enough of them. Looking at Motorcycle Live as a UK based bike show and you have a show that you can easily spend the day at, and spend a fortune at, and see everything at. I fully understand Northern Ireland is a long way away from having a show comparable to Motorcycle Live, but, as harsh as this sounds, we need better than this weekend’s offering. We need more manufacturers, more vendors, more clubs and more entertainment. Previously there has been motorcycle displays, stunt displays, pit bike racing, off road displays. This time…Nothing, other than the guest speakers and half a dozen rows of plastic seats. Really not even close enough to cutting it.
That all may sound very harsh, I fully appreciate this is the show’s first return since 2019, the first since the Covid-19 Pandemic and the first under its new set of organisers, but let’s not forget this was not a free show. This was £15 per adult. That’s expensive… £30 a couple. Kids under 12 were free but regardless this is an expensive family day out, and to what end? Motorcycle Live is £20 per ticket and takes in 3 or 4 full halls of the NEC and you can fill a day, this was 75% of that price and in my opinion would have had around 10% of the display. I have heard and read many comments on the price, some people saying it was more of a £10 show. I would have thought it was more of a £5 show. The harsh reality is that if you had no interest in the guest speakers, a very slow walk round the show and you be ready to go home within half an hour. At a cost of £15! I wandered round twice just to try and make myself feel better about the spend.
In conclusion, this show has a long way to go, I like to support local biking events and if it comes round again I will go, but it needs to improve. It needs to attract more everything, especially entertainment. Without the punters having a feeling of being entertained why would / should anyone go? You could put £15 of fuel in your tank and go round the individual dealers, look at as many bikes as you want, you’ll probably get free tea or coffee and if you bring your driving licence you will even get a free test ride. Given that as an alternative, I know which option I would choose.
I really wish the organisers the best for the next show, I hope they get the floor filled and the entertainment sorted. Northern Ireland wants a bike show(s), but it needs better than what was offered this weekend.
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Everything you said about the show was completely true. I’ll never be back at that show, it was terrible. It was hyped up to the hilt. It was really bad. I listened to the adverts on the radio and media, it sounded good but what a disappointment it was. Your absolutely right on the price, it was just about worth a fiver. Four of us had to go around it twice also to try and justify the price. It’s sad. What a waist of money. I’m sorry to say all this but it is what people were also saying about the show and yourself obviously . Thank you for your true and honest review.
Thanks for your comments James, hopefully things are bigger in 2024.