I visited Motorcycle Live at the NEC in Birmingham in November, I was interested in seeing the new Ducati Hypermotard 698 Mono and the Ducati Multistrada V4 RS as well as other bikes from different manufacturers of course but as I'm a Ducatista, I'm mentioning these first.
Ducati
Unfortunately, the Multistrada V4 RS wasn't on display for some reason which was a real shame as I know quite a few people who went to MCL this year and hoped to see it. I did see the Hypermotard 698 Mono RVE and had a sit on it. That's a lovely and quite crazy-looking machine.
There were, of course, many other delicious Ducati bikes to look at. I also managed to catch up with the chaps from SMC who were doing the merchandise on the Ducati stand, so that was nice.
KTM
Next up on my list was the KTM display where I wanted to look at the 990 Duke with its angular bodywork and headlight. Impressive machine that is. I also had a look at the other naked bikes on display, the "new" 790 Duke is a cracking bike for the money (it's cheaper now that it's assembled in China) and until the end of the year, there's also a grand off the asking price so it's a real bargain!
I didn't get a pic of the 990 that was on the floor I'm afraid, just this one behind glass.
I have to say that I was totally contemplating buying a KTM 790 Duke and got a £500 voucher for PowerParts and PowerWear from the lovely people at KTM on the day for if I bought a 2023 bike but in the end, I decided against the 790 Duke - more on that to follow 😉.
CCM
I've been a big fan of CCM, their bikes are absolutely gorgeous and one will definitely find its way into my collection at some point.
The one that does, may very well be the Spitfire RAF:
I was extremely impressed by this bike, it's absolutely gorgeous and the attention to detail, as well as the fit and finish, is incredible.
Offroad Course
At Motorcycle Live you were able to take out a bike from a few manufacturers on a bit of an offroad course they'd built inside. I was tempted to take out a Triumph Tiger but as there was a Ducati DesertX RR22 on offer I couldn't resist.
There's me on the DesertX RR22 - I've always wanted to have a play on the DesertX but it's really tall for me so this was a great opportunity to have a go on one without worrying too much about dropping it.
The bike was very tall for me, as I'd expected. I actually struggled to get it off the sidestand but soon enough I was pootling about the offroad course with all the other riders, including my mate Pointy, who also took out a DesertX RR22.
I had to stop on the course to give way to another rider once, which was a little worrying, but I managed ok without dropping the bike. As I was riding around I noticed someone go flying off into the little Christmas trees in the middle of the course, arms and legs flapping about in an "oooh, shit" kinda way. As I rode around a little bit closer I realised it was Pointy who had shot off into the trees - LOL.
I did manage to get this screenshot from a video of Pointy in the trees - HAHA!
Unfortunately, I am now unable to take the Micky out of him too much for this, as when we had finished on the course and I came to a stop in the parking area, I struggled again with the sidestand and dropped the bloody bike. 🤦♂️
MV Augusta
I can't finish off without mentioning MV Augusta and this absolutely delicious MV Augusta Superveloce 98 Edizione Limitata
If I only had the scratch for that - what a thing of absolute beauty.