NEC Bike Show 2005

This year was an excellent show. Kawasaki and Yamaha in particular had great stands with exciting bikes to ogle. Most of the bike stands were brilliant but Honda didn't excite - their bikes looked the same as they always have. Overall, lots of new, very good-looking, street bikes out.

At the risk of sounding disappointed... These original, hard-core, fantasy biker chicks are fast becoming a rare animal. When once they were draped across bikes at almost every stand, there weren't many this year and even then, they were just girls in lycra. It's almost a shame really. I never thought I'd think that way but there is definitely something about the reckless abandon of morals that I quite enjoy. On the downside, this year we didn't have the BMW dancing boys either. But I guess if the "sex sells" aspect is leaving biking, it's not an entirely bad thing.

The HP2 is BMW's latest. It's quite a move away from the traditional BMW and costs a whole whack selling for about £12,000. Nice but I'm not convinced. It has funky features that fascinated us like a little spirit level so you can sit on the bike and then adjust the suspension to your own body weight. Not sure I'd be prepared to pay quite so much for gimmicks. However, can't argue it's exciting.

This was the whole reason I went to the show. I'd read about Kawasaki's latest model, the ER-6n and couldn't wait to see it in the real. Besides the fact I think it looks amazing and it is in my price range (making it a definite possibility for a next bike), it's also been described as Kawasaki's first customer focused bike. It just struck me as an exciting move away from the traditional manufacturer's approach of making machines and then mass selling to an unknown market. This bike had the customer in mind and then Kawasaki made the bike. I love it. I really do. It looks sexy and raw. I'd buy one. I might well do just that but I have to get to Cape Town first.

Pure candy. Not much to be said about this as its ART to be admired and drooled over.

My thespian-biker friend Sanjay having a dramatic moment with a bike that shares a sponsor with him.