Features

Crowds Jam INTERMOT

EDITOR’S NOTE: Powersports Business Associate Editor Guido Ebert traveled to Munich, Germany, in September to walk the world’s largest motorcycle show — the fourth annual International Motorcycle and Scooter Fair (INTERMOT). The first part of his report begins here. The Nov. 15, 2004, issue will contain reports on U.S. distributors and aftermarket suppliers who are doing business in Europe.

MUNICH — Powersports manufacturers, distributors, dealers and consumers assembled here Sept. 15-19 for the 4th annual International Motorcycle and Scooter Fair (INTERMOT).
Born in 1998 from the former tradeshow for bicycles and motorized two-wheelers which took place in Cologne, Germany, INTERMOT is held every even year in Munich, alternating with EICMA in Milan, Italy. The 2004 event offered more than 110,000 sq. meters of exhibition space in nine exhibition halls and played host to approximately 1,114 businesses from more than 40 countries. An estimated 40% of the more than 150,000 visitors from 180 countries who were expected to attend the five-day event represented commercial powersports interests.
“In 2002, 1,044 exhibitors signed up to show their wares,” said Norbert Bargmann, managing director of Messe Muenchen GmbH, producer of the event along with the German Motorcycle Industry Association (Industrie-Verband Motorrad Deutschland e.V., IVM). “In view of the difficult general economic background — under which the motorized two-wheeler sector has also suffered — we can be very satisfied with the level of participation this year.”
In fact, with 824 companies from outside Germany signed on to exhibit at the ’04 event, foreign participation was up 10.6% compared to INTERMOT 2002.
The most prominent displays were those from vehicle manufacturers that revealed new motorcycle product. OEMs such as Aprilia, BMW, Harley-Davidson/Buell, Ducati, Honda, Kawasaki, KTM, MZ, Suzuki, Triumph and Yamaha were among the companies attracting the largest crowds.
Bargmann said countries most represented at the event by exhibitors included Italy, China, Taiwan, Pakistan, Spain, France and the UK. Still, he said participation by U.S. based companies has increased steadily.
U.S. based distributors in attendance at INTERMOT included Parts Unlimited/Drag Specialties, Tucker Rocky Distributing, Global Motorsports, National Cycle, Western Power Sports, and White Brothers.
U.S. suppliers doing business there included AirHawk, Inc., Cometic Gaskets, Durablue, Dynojet Research, EMGO International, Evader, Fly Racing, Fog City, Genuine Motor Scooter, Go-Ped, Handy Industries, Jardine Peformance Products, Kasea, Kendon, K&N, Kuryakyn, Kryptonite, Pivot Works/Hot Cams, One Industries, Outerwears, PowerMadd, Progressive Suspension, RaceTech, SCOTT, SIXSIXONE, Smith Sport Optic, Vance & Hines, SuperTrapp, Warn Industries and Wiseco, among others.
But INTERMOT wasn’t all business. Nearly 12 times larger than the annual Dealer Expo in Indianapolis, the event also allowed visitors the opportunity to take part in on-road, off-road and ATV demos; watch freestyle and stunt shows; and view motorsports competition like Supermoto and scooter races, a trials show, the ADAC-Mini-Bike-Cup and the MZ-Supermoto-Youngsters Cup.

—Guido Ebert

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