Every year in Milan, Italy nearly half a million people gather over the course of six days for one reason: the passion for motorcycles.  EICMA is the world’s largest trade fair dedicated to everything motorcycles. AltRider after only 18 months in business made the trip across the US, then Atlantic, landing in Milan, Italy November 5^th to prepare the stand for opening day.  Jeremy, Brianna, and I were ready to go with no trouble after the 16 hour travel day.  Setup went smoothly and the show was under way after a couple of days.

EICMA 2011 was the official debut of AltRider in the European market.  The 2011 show attracted 1,157 exhibitors from 39 different countries and 512,358 attendees from all over the world, more than half a million people!  EICMA is where breaking news in the motorcycle industry happens right in front of your eyes.  I spent as much time as I could walking the show, and taking in the excitement. This was my first time in Italy but I did not have to go far to see the sights as EICMA brought them all to me. Triumph had the Tiger Explorer 1200 on hand which was the first opportunity for the public to view this new adventure machine. Triumph had a packed booth for days as very eager press officials and the public got their first chance to learn about the new Explorer, which is said to be the biggest in its class at just over 1200 cc’s . Suzuki had the new V-Strom 650 on display, Honda doing the same with the new Crosstourer, and the new Versys 1000 could not be missed over at Kawasaki. My personal favorite booth at the show was the magnificent display of historic Dakar Rally bikes. It is not often that you see that many race winning Dakar bikes all in one place. When you really think about it, living in America makes the Dakar experience seem so out of grasp which is what I think made this trip so special. The chance to experience motorcycle culture in Europe was incredible and it made me wonder why with all of our land for riding in the US, the majority of us still choose a car or SUV over two wheels?  EICMA also included Supercross races, Moto Freestyle competitions, stunt shows, and test rides on the newest bikes.

I will miss the excellent food, wine, and city life in Milan.  I cannot wait for EICMA next year but I am also happy to be home hitting the trails and logging roads of Washington. In the coming months AltRider will open its European facility which will give many European countries access to AltRider engineered parts. EICMA 2011 was a very exciting adventure for AltRider as a young US company but there is no time to rest. IMS season is upon us and 2012 brings many new adventures and we must continue our journey.

If you are interested in attending EICMA 2012 we highly recommend it. Please stay tuned in to our Events page and EICMA’s website for more info once it is available.