WITH pretty much all of 2020’s motorcycle shows getting cancelled due to COVID-19, you’d have thought/hoped that next year would have been different. Sadly not, as the 2021 Tokyo Motorcycle Show gets axed.
The show was due to take place in March 2021 would have been the 48th running of the event, although to protect the public health in the area the organizers have taken the decision to cancel the event.
Moto Corse Ducati 1199 Panigale NVC | Tokyo Motorcycle Show
The event, that Visordown attended last year, is one of the biggest motorcycle events on the planet, not by size or footfall, but definitely in terms of the new models launched. The big four Japanese manufacturers usually save some of their biggest new models, most exciting innovations, and the most important launches for the event.
The decision will be a harsh blow for manufacturers, most of which have already had to deal with at least seven months of no ‘bums on seats’. The Tokyo show will be an especially harsh blow, as the event always has a focus on customer interaction, with visitors touching, sitting on, and even riding some of the bikes on display.
Instead of the traditional event, the manufacturers and organisers will be no doubt hosting a series of online reveals and ‘shows’ of their own. The change can have the added bonus of massive global reach, with punters and journalists being able to tune in from anywhere on the globe. That said, the online events do lack some of the pizzazz of a more traditional motorcycle show.
