Well, we are halfway through the winter and the itch is starting to show itself once again. You know the itch I’m talking about. That one that repeatedly tells you that it’s been a couple of months since you’ve ridden your bike and that you really really want to be riding.
This year we decided to break up the winter with a nice weekend trip down to Toronto with friends to visit the International Motorcycle Super Show which is held every year. We’ve been to the Motorcycle shows in Ottawa and Montreal for the last few years, but we were told that this was the show to go to. So off we went.
So here’s a rundown of my thoughts on this show.
- It’s definitely large – I’m pretty sure we didn’t see the whole thing, and we spent about 5-6 hours wandering around. They do give you a map upon entry and I highly recommend either carrying it around with you or studying the map before you enter.
- It’s busy! – If you are going to be attending this show and are not a big fan or crowds, then I highly recommend that you go in the evening. The show on Saturday was open until 9 pm. After 5 pm we drastically saw the number of people drop. Of course, if you are there to actually buy stuff then Saturday night may be too late as some of the good deals are already starting to sell out.
- Bring cash – This show has quite a bit of stuff to buy, which is great. Most of it is pretty good in regards to the deals that you can get, but you still need to do your homework, and not be afraid to walk away. And bring cash. You get your best deals if you offer cash, not credit.
- Wear comfy shoes! – We did considerably more walking then we thought we were going to do. Which was great as I always welcome some extra exercise, but having sore feet can definitely put a downer on the experience.
- Be prepared to bump into old friends – We hadn’t entered the building for 5 minutes when I ran into someone that I hadn’t seen in months. If you have friends that love bikes, they will probably be at this show.
Would I go to this again? I guess the answer really depends on what my needs were. If I was looking at buying a new bike or had some good cash to drop on new gear, then definitely. But for us it was a fairly long trek to get from Ottawa to Toronto, stay in a hotel and a couple days worth of eating out. Id probably just take a day trip out to Montreal for their show which happens in February. Usually I just need to be in and around motorcycles and that show can calm that itch (at least enough to get me through to the season beginning).
Below is a little video or our trip to Toronto for the show. Indeed.
