Watching Them Watch the Show: Cologne '86
Watching them watch the show: Cologne ’86
ROUNDUP
CAMRON E. BUSSARD
A STRIDE A BLACK KAWASAKI 1000 and resplendent in matching black-and-red leathers, the German couple arrives in Cologne. They live in a suburb of Munich, 350 miles to the southeast, but the big GPz (a Ninja in the U.S.) has polished off that distance in just over four hours, thanks to the speed-limitless auto-bahn. After negotiating some cobblestone sidestreets, they pause to snap some photos of the Dom, or Cathedral, Cologne’s famous twin-spired Gothic church, completed in 1880. Then they remount and follow the steady stream of motorcycles across the Rhine River. A few kilometers later they are at the Köln Messe, Cologne’s convention center. They’ve come for IFMA '86, short for Internationale Fahrrad und Motorrad Ausstellung—in English, the International Bicycle and Motorcycle Exhibition.
Every even-numbered year (Milan, in Italy, has the alternating years), the IFMA is the first big motorcycle show of the year. In size it simply overwhelms the series of
smaller shows that will dot the U.S. later in the year. Spread over four, two-story exhibition halls, the IFMA takes up 1,335,000 square feet of space, jam-packed with displays from more than 1300 companies. The upper floors contain bicycle and motorcycle accessories, while the lower floors are reserved for vehicle manufacturers. The top of one hall is converted into a BMX track for the Cologne Grand Prix.
Outside, the German rider and his girlfriend have been directed by a leather-clad motorcycle policeman to one of several parking compounds. They are surrounded by hundreds and hundreds of motorcycles, mostly big Japanese sportbikes equipped with fairings and small saddlebags. Big-bore dual-purpose bikes also account for a large percentage of the parking lot, with surprisingly few BMWs, and only the rare Harley-Davidson, Ducati or Moto Guzzi. Before the weekend is over, 200,000 people will have visited the Köln Messe.
After buying tickets, the German
rider, his girlfriend in tow, heads straight for the lower level of Hall 14. Later there will be time to cruise the upper levels to see the seemingly endless array of helmets, fairings, tires, exhaust systems and riding gear, but for now he makes a beeline for the Kawasaki display. He has seen magazine photos of the new GPX (Ninja 750R in the U.S.) and wants a hands-on examination. He is greeted by a sea of people with the same idea. They stand four and five deep around a rotating platform that holds the GPX, the GPz500S and the KLR650, all three of which are new for 1987. The 500S is a sportbike powered by an enlarged version of the 454 LTD cruiser’s twin-cylinder engine, and already his girlfriend has her eye on that one. The KLR is Kawasaki’s entry into the Paris-to-Dakar lookalike category. The popularity of that monthlong rally is stronger than ever; and to do business in Europe, a company must have a dual-purpose model that looks like the real African rally bikes. Hence the KLR’s huge, 6.1-
gallon fuel tank and mini fairing.
After watching a promotional video on the GPX that is broadcast on banks of TV screens, the German stands in line for a chance to sit on one of the new 750s. It takes a few minutes as other viewers poke and prod the bike. After a 45-second sit, he gets off and heads for the GPz500s, where his girlfriend is engaged in a similar “test ride.”
Next is the Suzuki booth. They bypass the GSX-R display: nothing new but a slightly redone paint scheme, although he remembers back to IFMA ’84 and the big stir the then-new GSX-R750 caused. The new 1400 Intruder V-Twin catches his eye. For the past few years, American-style cruisers have been gaining in popularity in Europe, and the 1400 certainly looks the part, with its lustrous chrome, spoked wheels and fat, fat rear tire. He has already seen Kawasaki’s cruisers and Honda’s VT750 Shadow for 1987, and Yamaha has had its Virago on sale in Germany for two years. And it’s not just the Japanese who sell cruisers: Cagiva has its Ducati-powered Indianas, Moto Guzzi has its Californias and Floridas, and Moto Morini, presum-
ably thinking that all the good U.S. state names were taken, has its Excaliburs.
A rest stop is in order, so the German couple ambles over to one of the many food booths sprinkled around the exhibit halls. Two plates of Würstchen mit brot (sausage with bread) are ordered; he washes his down with Dom Kölsch, the local beer, while she opts for an AfriCola. Then they head for Hall 13.
Here they find the Honda and Yamaha displays. He’s surprised to find that Honda is only showing two really new bikes—the flowing, almost sensual, CBR600 and CBR1000. An inline-Four fan, he notes that both bikes have that engine type, rather than the V-Four. Honda’s early Interceptor engines didn’t respond well to constant
autobahn flogging, thus giving the company’s much-ballyhooed V-Four a permanent black eye. The new Interceptor has gone a long way toward erasing that reputation and will again be on sale in 1987, but it seems Honda felt something more drastic was in order to eradicate the ill will. The German is equally surprised to see that Honda’s V-Twin dual-purpose bike, the XLV750, has been pulled from the lineup, despite the fact that the Paris-to-Dakar-winning racer that was based upon it holds a lofty podium in the display. Perhaps, he thinks, Honda is holding something in reserve for the Paris show, scheduled for next month.
Yamaha, too, displays only a few new models. Top on that list is the FZR1000, a super-serious sportbike that looks as if it could give his
GPz 1000 a good run for autobahn supremacy, with its 4-into-l exhaust, wide-railed aluminum frame and radial tires. There seems to be a lot of interest in the FZR, and it takes several minutes before he can elbow his way into the crowd to get an up-close view. It certainly doesn’t hurt interest to have Eddie Lawson’s and Carlos Lavados’ world-championship roadracers, and the racekitted FZR750, close by, either. He finds the two-stroke RD500LC, the star of IFMA ’84 along with the GSX-R, off to the side, almost unnoticed, although the new TZR250 has a large, mostly young, crowd around it.
The German notices with some pride that BMW has the most impressive display at the show. Lots of high-tech touches, with the bikes and mechanical cutaways arranged in interesting ways, as well as photo murals and guest speakers. He even has his girlfriend take a photo as he sits on Gaston Rahier’s Paris-to-Dakar bike, just as hundreds, maybe thousands, of others have done.
Still, in terms of bikes, BMW has nothing really new. Oh, there is the redone RSI000 Boxer Twin, limited to a 1000-unit run for those enthusiasts who aren’t interested in the new K series, and there is a deluxe version of the K100RT, with a radio and special paint. There also is a nofairing, lower-cost version of the K75, designed to appeal to younger buyers. But the biggest news is that in mid-1987, BMW will make an anti-lock braking system, called simply ABS, available as an option. There is a great deal of interest in this, although for a projected cost of 2000 DM ($1000), the German
would rather rely on his own skills. Still, for those less experienced, he supposed it was a good thing, even if BMW officials were quick to point out that unlike automobile ABS, the bike system wouldn’t allow heavierthan-normal braking in a corner, only in a straight line.
Already it’s closing time, but the German wants to have a closer look at some of the other bikes, including the Cagiva-Ducati Paso, which still has a big crowd in attendance, as well as a 125cc enduro bike that represents the first marriage of Cagiva engine and Husqvarna graphics. Then there’s the NTX
Moto Guzzi, a Paris-to-Dakar replica with a curious-looking fairing and fuel-tank combination. He also wanted to see KTM’s liquid-cooled, four-stroke 550 dirt bike, and MotoMorini’s “new” 350 and 500 sportbikes, actually older models manufactured under license in Germany and authentic right down to the double-leading-shoe front brake instead of a disc. He’s also heard that Laverda has a new dual-purpose bike, the Atlas, powered by a 600cc Twin, and Gilera was showing its Dakota 500, an enlarged version of the 350 dual-purpose bike.
The couple decides that rather than taking the scenic backroads tomorrow for their return to Munich, they will spend another half-day at the IFMA and then jet back via the autobahn. After all, there are still several weeks of good riding weather left, but IFMA ’88 is a long way off.
David Edwards
