Post: 9 'MCN Motorcycle Show'

'Bugger, .... I can't think of anything remotely pretentious to say' .... Blue88

I knew it was a mistake to take myself off to the evil halls of temptation down in London E16, otherwise known as the Motorcycle News Bike Show. On the bright side, .. it was at least 'Bright'. Every year I convince myself that I'll find the ultimate in bargain basement kit, ... and every year I've returned home disappointed. Product wise, apart from the Triumph Clothing stand, this year was no exception. Unfortunately, depending on how you look at it, I arrived either 2 days too late,.. or 3 'X's too small, to benefit from Triumph's 'End of Season' generosity.

We had a 'List' of things that we needed to investigate, the first being some sort of 'Bike 2 Bike' radio system. It seems that we have a problem with interpretation of our hand signals, ... a fact highlighted when I suggested that we stop for Coffee en route to the show. I gave Alan the universal 'Coffee Signal' and pulled over for a much needed caffeine fix. I watched bemused as Alan rode straight past me offering the 'V's, ..... later insisting that I had been calling him a 'Tosser'. As he knows London like the back of a strangers hand, I soon caught him again and took us directly down to the Excel Centre. He might insist on his own blog that I took the wrong route, .... but as I pointed out, ... there is no 'Wrong Route', .... only 'Alternate' and 'Faster Routes', .. just ask any 'Cabbie'. Anyway, .... Bike 2 Bike Radios, .. great idea, .. fantastic technology, ... too bloody expensive, ... so now off the Poor Circulation 'Wish List'.

Just to add insult to the price of Excel Coffee, .. we took a trip to the Touratech stand, ... Wow. Oh to be famous, .. to flick through their catalogue, .. call in your order and await the express delivery of your dreams. Their 'Kit' is amazing and I guess their prices might be realistic, ..... but walking amongst the 'Bling' of their billet titanium and polished aluminium trinkets with a wallet filled only with dreams, ... I felt like a total fraud. Ironically, as we walked away from the Touratech stand, a girl in too-tight-shorts from the MCN exhibition slipped a promotional DVD into my hand, ..... 'The Long Way Down', ... arrrrgh. Don't get me wrong, .... given the resources and the opportunity, ... I'd go 'Rich Circulation' every time, .. I might be slow,.. but I'm not stupid.

Around the corner we found the stand of a travel company specialising in Bike tours around Normandy. As we're landing in Calais on May 1st, we hoped to get a few useful tips on some of the less well known but 'well worth a visit' places in northern France. We explained thus: 'We're buggering off around the world raising money for charity on a budget of £20 a day', .. and the simple response was 'Move along, ... nothing to see here'. He probably thought that we were after a free nights lodgings at his lovely chalet, ..... which of course we were.
A little later we bumped into our old mate Nick Sanders. He suggested it would be better if we joined one of his 'Guided World Tours'. Nick uses the term 'Guided' in the loosest possible sense, .. which I guess in a way is part of Nicks unique appeal. If anyone reading this has ever 'Toured' with Nick, ... then I guess they'll know where I'm coming from.

Three hours later, having executed a full and poor circulation of the main exhibition hall, we were making our way to the exit past the last 2 stands: 'Trail & Dirt Trading', .. no thanks, .. and the final stand 'Traveldri-Plus'. Behind us, ..... and almost within touching distance stood a real hero of adventure motorcycling, .. a guy who has bought the tee shirt not once,.. but twice. It was Austin Vince, .. unmistakeable in his Mondo Enduro Overalls. We chatted for a while and his advice to Poor Circulation was, .... 'Just do it chaps, .. it's so easy'. He gave us a pair of 'Terra Circa' pin badges that he had taken around the world with him on his second bike journey where he conquered the Zilov Gap. Those little tin badges mean as much to us as, .... well, .. as free airfreight of Bikes and Bodies from Tokyo to Anchorage/Vancouver would, ...HINT. Anybody who has seen the Terra Circa or Mondo Enduro DVD's or read the Mondo Enduro Diaries will understand, ...... and as for the rest of you, ........ well, .... you just had to be there.

http://www.justgiving.com/geoffgthomas