...and I should ask myself why I bothered?

Seemed to be less there than last year, and what was there was hardly stimulating or new (apart from new KTM Adventure and new GS). You can tell there�s less money floating about in the bike industry. Touratech were absent (not that I�m bothered!) and Yamaha, for the first time I can recall, didn�t even have an XTR on show � what does that say?

If you are going to the NEC, then you must check out the what has to be the show�s ugliest bike, the Ducati Hyper Strada � it really is utterly horrible!

I have to say I was impressed with the G+G luggage stand, two thoroughly nice German lads with their aluminium boxes and an XT660Z to model them; they look good, feel good and are cheap too (that�s the boxes not the German lads!)

Every year the lovely Metisse display just depresses me � Feel bad that I must get on and do something with the 42 year old Rickman-Metisse 5TA basket case I�ve had (and done nothing with) in the last fifteen years!

Other than that I managed to get an Abba wheel truing/balancing jig half price. And that�s about it.

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