Several themes at this year’s London Motorcycle Show. These shows have always been an opportunity to see the faces under the crash-hats, and the way us riders’ eyes light up when astride or peering at a motorbike. Myself included, with at last an opportunity to get my leg over Kawasaki’s new small sportsbike, the four cylinder 400cc Ninja ZX4-RR.
LED lights provide a new design opportunity for the front of the bike; I saw designs reminding of Transformers, wasps and spaceships. Electric bikes get the opposite treatment, making the bike look as conventional as possible.
And a display of motorcycle sport with four riders racing around a jumps circuit in the central arena.
The younger riders visiting the show - some too young for a street licence but clearly accustomed to riding a motorbike - were mainly hanging out at one side of the Kawasaki stand. Elsewhere, there are so many large capacity bikes with relatively upright riding positions.
Tommy Bridewell with James Witham
