Are the days of international bike shows numbered? I ask because this month at Milan, the first show of the season, two major players, Honda and Yamaha, did not take part, something which would have been almost unthinkable a couple of years ago.

Today the UK show opens its doors to the press and trade at Birmingham’s NEC halls, and then to enthusiasts from tomorrow, finishing on December 6. This time Yamaha will be exhibiting but again no Honda. Also missing will be Harley-Davidson.

The only ‘secret’ bike that was launched at Milan was Ducati’s new 1200 Multistrada, although a few pictures had earlier appeared in a couple of specialist bike mags. Details of the other new models, the v-four 1200 Honda, BMW’s new GS and R1200RT, Kawasaki’s Z1000 and re-vamped GTR1400, had already been released by the manufacturers.

They knew that if they had a launch at the first day of the show, one model above the rest would dominate and so, not be outdone, they organised their own publicity prior to the event. Honda’s a good example; look at the pages it had generated for the v-four, primarily in Motorcycle News, in the previous couple of months.

Some makers find that it’s more productive in real sales terms to send a lorry carrying a full demo fleet to different dealers around the country than being at the international shows. They also argue that the cost of taking part in the big shows is becoming prohibitive.

However, I’m at the NEC today and will be reporting back next Thursday on what catches my eye. It’s fine to read the specs of a particular model on paper but seeing a bike in the flesh is equally as important if not more so..

I still believe that there will always be a place for local shows like our own coming up next February at the King’s Hall. Some dealers and makers say it does more to present motorcycling to the buying public than the big, impersonal exhibitions.