GOING NATIVE
IT’S JUST AFTER 8am on the Saturday of the Carole Nash MCN London Motorcycle Show at the EXCEL in Docklands. There are already staff on many of the stands – particularly those for manufacturers, where bikes are being polished, ready for another day of visitors. There’s a hush across the hall.
I’m feeling slightly self-conscious in an orange/white/black KTM team shirt. I’m spending a morning working on the stand and, even though I went to my first bike show 30 years ago, I have no idea what to expect. KTM’S marketing manager Ross talks me through what’s expected: talk to people coming to the stand, answer questions about the bikes, give those who are interested a brochure or sign them up for a test ride with their local dealer. Easy, right?
I’m hiding on the corner of the stand, beside the 1290 Super Adventure T – basically the same machine as the one I did 14,000 miles on last year. It’s parked in front of another bike I know well, the 1290 Super Duke GT. But next to them are new models I haven’t ridden yet: the new 1290 Super Adventure S and R; the revised 1290 Super Duke. Beyond them are the other members of the KTM road range, from the new 1090 Adventure to the 125 Duke. I get a crash course in the features of these machines from sales manager Shane, who’s assigned to keep an eye on me. We pause near the clutch of off-roaders at the far side of the stand. He looks at me for a moment. “Best get someone else if you’re asked about these,” he suggests.
The steel shutters over the entrance have been lifted now, but the show isn’t open. We can see a sea of biking humanity waiting outside, held back by a few thin webbing barriers and stern-faced security personnel. Then the clock hits nine and we’re off: the barriers are removed and a tidal wave of people streams into the hall. Some head off towards far corners, intent on getting away from the crowd. Some walk down the main aisle in front of the KTM stand and others are coming on to it – some slightly aimlessly, but others moving purposefully towards particular bikes.
It takes less than two minutes for someone to appear and sit on the 1290 Super Adventure T. It’s running a demo loop on its dash, rev counter needle swinging and speedo numerals climbing, options cycling through on the menu screen. “Do you have any questions? I can explain how it works,” I say. But I’m not needed and the chap hops off on to the next bike, grazing saddles.
The next person settling on to the T does
What’s it like to work on a stand at a bike show? Simon Weir joined the KTM team in London. Relax – he’s not wearing Lycra “The chap hops off on to the next bike, grazing saddles”
so with much more deliberation. Sizes it up before getting on, adjusts the screen, shuffles about in the seat. He seems more serious about the bike. I’m not explaining its features, more confirming them. Yes, it’s a 30-litre tank; yes, it has cornering ABS; yes, it makes 158bhp; four engine modes… He’s done his homework. I talk him through the luggage, updated for this year from the kit I’d had on my bike (the new panniers ‘float’ on the mounts for better aerodynamics than the rigidly fixed old ones). He’s not fazed by the £15,499 price. I get the ipad and sign him up for a test ride. It feels like some kind of victory. Time for a break? I chance a look at my watch.
The show’s been open for seven minutes.
This is the pattern of the next five hours. For every two or three people who are idly browsing, I spend five minutes talking to one person seriously considering one of the bikes. George has a Honda Crosstourer for two-up work and an 1190 Adventure for fun, but is thinking of changing that for a 1290 Super Duke R; Paul is planning a trip to Nordkapp, so the Super Adventure T’s big tank is appealing; Geoff is a big bloke finding his Yamaha MT-07 too small, so the more substantial size of the 1090 Adventure appeals.
All morning, the same questions come up. How big is the luggage? How far will it go on a tank? Can the seat go higher? Or lower? How good is the screen? How do the menus work? Will the T be a good pillion bike? Will the Super Adventure S be better for touring than the Super Duke GT?
By 1pm, my head is spinning. I’ve been on my feet all morning, talking almost constantly and my voice is already hoarse after raising it over the hubbub of the hall. I’ve lost count of how many people I’ve spoken to, signed up for test rides or armed with a brochure. It is not as easy as it looks.
At the end of the show, I catch up with Ross. “It’s impossible to estimate how many people we speak to,” he says. “After each day finishes, it certainly feels like every single one of them. Realistically, I’d say we have proper conversations with 1500-2000 people.” Was there a star of the show? “The two most popular bikes on the stand were the 1290 Super Duke R and the 1290 Super Adventure S,” he confirms.