Objavljeno: 01.02.2017
With attendance estimated at nearly 160,000 visitors, Motor Bike Expo 2017 confirms increased attendance than in previous years, beginning on the first of the three days and continuing steadily until the closing on Sunday.
Favoured by another weekend of beautiful weather, the international motorcycle exhibition in Verona reiterated that the passion for two-wheels never ends and that this sector is brought to life with great vitality; it’s also noted that the original formula of the event, which puts its visitors in the spotlight, is increasingly appreciated by the general public.
“We’ve done it!” says Francesco Agnoletto, co-organizer of the event, with great satisfaction.
“Motor Bike Expo is growing in numbers as well as in quality, confirming our high-level importance.
The number of enthusiasts who choose our fair is increasing; our exhibitors are demonstrating confidence and esteem by taking on the challenge to enhance their products which contribute to the overall scene, and this event is preferred by entertainment, culture, and motorcycle industry celebrities.
This year, visitors came to see Terrence Hill, Philip Lamantia, Renato Pozzetto, Piero Pelù, and Vittorio Sgarbi, just to name a few – all with a common interest or passion for motorcycles, and many being champions of yesterday or today.”
“The biggest reward at the end of Motor Bike Expo 2017 comes from the satisfaction shown to us by our exhibitors,” said Paola Somma, co-organizer of the event.
“Many of which have expressed their gratitude and enthusiasm to the point that as of now they are planning their future investments with us.
The companies present were able to do business, build contacts and relationships, and interact with a large international audience, highlighting the show’s role in the world of motorcycling; in a single word: growth.
If we the organizers were able to create these opportunities (and the results prove this), then it means that we have done our job well, and we are greatly honoured by this.
In particular,” adds Somma, “we are able to concentrate on the highlights of the motorcycling world as not only a passion, but also as a great business opportunity.”
“This year in particular,” said Giovanni Mantovani, General Director of Veronafiere, “has seen the major manufacturers partner closely with Motor Bike Expo.
It’s been noticed that the big brands have paid particular attention and care to their participation, from the details of their stands and promotion, to the quantity and quality of their new releases they have alongside the other models on display.
This event combines the best way to interpret the evolution of the market and the custom sector trends as well as motorcycling in general.”
The final day of the Expo was greatly enlivened by the presence of Vittorio Sgarbi, the head judge of the Elegance Award organized by Motorcycling magazine and Motor Bike Expo.
The popular character – an art critic and a lover of beauty in all its forms – examined twenty bikes selected by the magazine staff, expressing very direct criticisms using a number of references of artistic expression (ranging from futurists to Fassbinder films, from pop culture to 1970’s science fiction cartoons) and succeeding every time to surprise, amuse, and captivate the packed and attentive audience. Before diving into the judging along with Nori Harada, the Vice President of Zagato Design, Rodolfo Frascoli (one of the designers of the Triumph Speed Triple), Paola Somma, and Francesco Agnoletto, Sgarbi wanted to admire the motorcycles in the halls and, with great kindness and openness, be available to the huge crowd that demonstrated his extreme popularity even amongst motorcyclists.
Best in Show for the Elegance Award was won by “l’Essenza” made by South Garage Motor Co. from Milan, a reinterpretation of a vintage Scrambler racer with a judicious mix of Mediterranean craftsmanship and creativity.
The name “Essenza” conveys a concept very dear to the Milanese craftsman: transform without spoiling.
The look of the bike is developed on the flow of the original lines of the Scrambler without invasive changes to the frame and chassis. “The style of ‘Essenza’ reflects, in modern and refined ways, the Steampunk aesthetic in which the craftsmanship, the attention to materials, and the shades and finishes all combine to fulfill our technical solutions,” said Giuseppe Carucci of South Garage Motor Co. The winners of the three award categories were Italian Dream Motorcycle’s Suzuki DR Dirt (Gravel); PDF with H-D Big Kahuna (Cruise); and Radikal Chopper with Supernatural BMW (Wind).
Sunday at Motor Bike Expo is the day of the Bike Show, and as always was the showcase of the highest-level specials within the Veronafiere halls.
The long string of awards began with the “Ferro – Honda Award” with the winner being Alessandro Dellunto from Puzzle Garage, an enthusiast who played with chance by becoming a professional customizer with a Honda CB750F named “Tokyo’s Legend”.
This special, already awarded the Ferro Design Award by designer Oberdan Bezzi, allowed Dellunto to bring home the new Honda CMX500 Rebel that was up for grabs thanks to the official partnership with Honda.
The specials that will be the stars of the custom scene in 2017 were presented on the main stage in Hall 1.
First was the prestigious CUSTOM CHROME EUROPE International Bike Show Series “Italian Championship”.
The contest, divided into five categories, highlights the most beautiful specials present.
In the FXR’s of Verona category, dedicated to the Harley-Davidson model that gained popularity among bikers in the eighties, Bernese builder Danny Schneidr from Hardnine Choppers won with his bike “FXR$”; second place went to the bike presented by Otto di Cuori; third place went to the interesting FXRT Carbon Style made by TCB Carbon Parts, who offers carbon parts made specifically for this series.
In the RevTech Performance category, focused solely on specials with RevTech engines, the winter was a board track-racer made by the Harley-Davidson Pavia dealership; in second was “199 Radikal” by Asso Special Bike, and in third came “Black & Low” from MS Artrix.
In the Modified Harley-Davidson Class, first prize went to “Gas’d Rat” by British builder Rocket Bob’s Cycle Works; in second was the “Hard Rock Cafe Sportster” by Polish garage Game Over Cycles; in third place was the Rothmans-painted modified Sportster made by British dealer Warr’s H-D.
In the Jammer Old School category, first place went to Ortiz Verner, a watchmaker from Tolmezzo, with his turn of the century racer-based WLA; a respectable second place went to the “Typhoon”, a Ducati-based special made by the British builders at Old Empire Motorcycles, and third place went to “Sacred Chop” from Venetian builder Boccin Custom Cycles.
First prize in the Championship Class went to “Speed Weevil”, the Triumph-based Salt Lake Racer from Rocket Bob’s Cycle Works – a bike equipped with a turbocharger which will be especially useful to its owner when it’s raced in Bonneville next year.
In second place came another bike built for the same vocation: “Karpatenhund” from builders Blech & Drüber (also the winner of the prestigious Willie G. Davidson Design Studio Award), and third place went to “Bonsai Ironhead” by Maik Morato Guell.
Karen Davidson and Ray Drea, Harley-Davidson Chief Stylist, awarded the coveted “Willie G. Davidson Design Studio Award” to Karpatenhund, a special based on a Sportster made by Blech & Drüber. It’s a racer inspired by the Bonneville Salt Flat and has a casing made entirely of aluminum, a chassis complete with a springer front fork, and dual side cushions placed underneath the seat.
Jody Perewitz, the daughter of customizer Dave Perewitz who recently broke the speed record at the Bonneville Salt Flats, presented the Perewitz Paint Pick to the best-painted bike in Verona: “Perkun” by Polish builder Boglan Malajowicz.
At Motor Bike Expo, we celebrate the presence and involvement of magazines from around the world by hosting the annual Magazine Award.
This special project allows these prestigious industry publications to give a special award to the most deserving bikes in their eyes.
Minoruo Uemura from Vibes (Japan) selected “Gas’d Rat” by Rocket Bob’s Cycle Works; Onno Wieringa from Madness Photography (Netherlands) selected “PanUral” from Inglorious Basterds Cycles; Horst Rosler, stepping in for Biker’s Power (Germany), selected the bike from Apunania Choppers; Kia Neidrich from Easyriders (Germany) selected “DMC” from Toys for Men; Heinz Cristman from Dream Machines (Germany) selcted “Bike Legend” from Gallery Motorcycles; Gary Inman from Sideburn (UK) selected the Suzuki DR600 from Italian Dream Motorcycles; Blue Miller from 100% Biker (UK) selected “Sacred Pan Shovel” from Boccin Custom Cycles; Pilar Gargoles from Eliot Iron (Spain) selected “Hard Rock Café” from Game Over Cycles.
Preceded by the first National Italian Customizer presentation, a contest filled with some of the best builders within the Italian Customizer Circuit, the LowRide Magazine Award contest, which brought life and energy into Hall 1, named the “Atomic Snail” built by Asso Special as “Best in Show”.
This is a Show Bike with kilometric frame geometry: the fairing conceals the rear lights and turn signals; the engine is equipped with a supercharger and an unusual exhaust system with forward-facing pipes.
The front wheel is an impressive 30” in diameter and the carbon fins on the bodywork have been assembled the same way as you would see in MotoGP.
Lowride also recognized the best offerings from the field of Special Scramblers, awarding first prize to the BMW Boxer made by the workshop in Emilia, Bike Hospital. First prize in Café Racer went to “Fenice”, a Moto Guzzi Bellagio built by South Garage Motor Co.
Best Chopper went to “Lightning” by Cycledelic Garage; a bobber based on a 1941 U80 named “Mom’s Worry” took Best Bobber, and “Shovel Bobber” from DMC Toys for Men won Best Paint.
As expected, the winner of the Bagger category was Vallese Garage; a machine with inverted steel forks, a huge 32” front wheel, and a turbocharger.
“It was a very important project,” Roberta Vallese had said in anticipation before MBE, “because it’s brought our commitment to a whole new level.”
Winning the Modified Harley-Davidson Class was the special based on the Iron 883 built by Harley-Davidson Padova, while the Custom Scooter Show crowned the Lambretta DL 150 by Luca Panont as Best of Show.
During the day as awards were being given to the best custom bikes, Motor Bike Expo continued to provide interesting ideas on the subject of specials in the stands of the motorcycle manufacturers present.
Even though it is now made in India, the Royal Enfield continental GT still has English rocker DNA.
The simplicity of its classic lines and attractive price make it an ideal base for customization.
So much so that Royal Enfield Italy have chosen five Italian garages such as Dino Romano, Motodalcuore, OMT Garage, Café Bicycles, and Eight Motor Cycle to transform this bike into the café racer, flat track, scrambler, and roadster styles.
Exclusivity is the watchword of Moto Morini.
The brand is celebrating its many years of work by continuing the preparation of their Corsaro 1200 ZZ: there will be only eight of these “sculpture on wheels” put into production, featuring carbon fiber and aluminum bodies, Italian components, obsessive attention to detail, and extensive customization options.
The possibility of making a Moto Morini unique is a concept that has prompted the company to introduce their One Off Design department which offers customers the opportunity to purchase their own pre-personalized bikes (also from the rider’s point of view) which are also street legal.
At the Suzuki stand at Motor Bike Expo, visitors found all of the new lines that have captured global attention.
Building on technology developed in MotoGP, the GSX-R1000 returned to the top of the sport line while the GSX-R125 and GSX-S125 Naked have given 16 year-olds something to dream about.
The manufacturer Hamamatsu also showed their custom Intruder 1800.
For fans of the style, there was also the special SV650 Banger by Valter Moto, offering a complete set of 15 accessories.
Also a SV650 special for the Veronese dealer Moto Felix named “The Scrambler Vertigo”; then there’s the powerful Naked based on the GSX-S1000 called “TrackDay”, more of the Cappuccino-R ilk, which is a saucy version of the VanVan 200.
Only the 125cc version of the VanVan was make available to the DonneInSella instructors to allow the female audience to learn the basics of safe riding on two wheels.
After a year of intense work, FB Mondial, originally started in 1948 and 10-time world champion (with 5 riders and 5 builders) between 1949 and ’57, presented its new models at Motor Bike Expo: the sophisticated scrambler HPS 125 “Hipster” and the sporty version SMT Supermoto and SMX for off-road.
The decision to use a single-cylinder 125cc engine and 11kW powerhouse makes the brand appealing to young riders who are looking for a way to stand out with their bikes.
An enthusiastic crowd flocked to the large Motul stand in Hall 6 which enticed fans with two posts set up for a virtual reality experience.
Also featured at the stand was the HRC Honda CRF450 (still recovering from the last Dakar race), the
Yamaha Tech 3 MotoGP team, and the MV Agusta which is racing in the World SBK series.
The Onirika 2853 project, the focal point of Motul’s charity over the last two years, is finally a reality; in collaboration with Bonham’s Auction House, the company will auction this work of art on wheels on February 9th in Paris.
The scheduled sale will take place in the prestigious “Les Grandes Marques du Monde au FGrand Palais” and the proceeds will be donated to the Motul Corazòn foundation, which supports charitable projects around the world.
Presented to the world for the first time during the previous edition of Motor Bike Expo, the Onirika 2853 was mechanically based on the MV Agusta Brutale 800 in partnership with Luca Pozzato of Officine GPDesign and has gained attention from fans as it attended major motorcycle events around the globe.
The estimated value from Bonhams is between 25-30,000 euros.
The attention being paid to the social issues and rights of motorcyclists was the fuel for “Sicuramente in Moto”, the fourth edition of the motorcycle tour organized on Sunday by the Comitato Coordinamento Motociclisti (Motorcyclsits Coordination Committee) – Progetto Vivere la Moto.
The beautiful day, cold but very sunny, encouraged riders to participate in the parade through the streets of Verona starting at Piazza Bra and ending at Motor Bike Expo – always an active supporter of the initiative – around 13:00. Another good opportunity for contact between the event and the people of Verona.
From the asphalt to the dirt, the Enduro Cross Country Experiment put on their show in the outdoor area on MBE. In the run-up to the Mondiale Enduro, which will include stops in Spoleto from the 25th to 28th of May, Tommaso Montanari from the Moto Club Spoleto won the Superchampion Trophy at Motor Bike Expo. From his victory in Game 1 on Saturday, Montanari replied on Sunday by also winning the final between the best 25 riders of the weekend. A lot of fun for the 20 Minienduro riders brought by MC Bergamo and Gaerne.
The Stunt Competition Trophy was won by Mike Jensen (Denmark) who beat Martin Kratky (Czech Republic) and Pavel Karbownik (Poland) for the honour.
Motorcyclists are creatures of the road, but sometimes #iltuofuturoèilmare (#yourfutureisthesea).
The Navy attended MBE with its Mobile Information Center and a stand to inform and promote the competition for the 1st class of the Naval Academy in Livorno, which will recruit 115 cadets and help shape them into the future of Navy Leadership.
Their careers will take them to the role of Ship Commander, Submarine Commander, Aircraft or Helicopter Pilot, Doctor, or Engineer.
