December 21, 2009
Lowdown from the showdown
Round 1 is in the books! The annual Toronto Motorcycle Show has come and gone. The series resumes January 8-10 at Stampede Park in Calgary. After spending two days at the show – waving the flag for Big Blue – and reading through Pete Swanton’s detailed PowerPoint debriefing, it’s safe to say that this year’s show was good. Not super-duper spectactular, but good …..
I think that some people just can’t handle the hussle-bussle of downtown TO – and/or the ridiculous cost of parking. (I’m with you on that one!) Regardless, the Metro Convention Centre was still abuzz with MC enthusiasts of all shapes, sizes and ages last weekend.
It was my first experience working the show as a Yamaha rep, and I felt that I did a pretty good job. So good, in fact, that I deserve the next 3 weeks off, paid, with two brand new YZ’s shipped to my home in Douro … 
All kidding aside, I had some really good conversations with riders at each end of the two wheel spectrum. People are still very excited to hit the track, trail or street. Off-road rider Robb Hewitt of Strathroy, ON, along with several others, were keen on the details and technology behind the ’10 YZ450F. Since my knowledge of street bikes and scooters is limited at the moment, I got to feel like the big man on campus, explaining the main features and benefits of the 450 … hopefully I made some sense for those who listened. It was definitely a good learning experience, speaking to customers, watching our sales team massage them into buying a new bike and seeing what exactly goes into a massive event from a distributor’s perspective. I also had a great time after the event, sharing some cold ones with MXP’s editor Ryan Gauld and bench racing late into the evening. Maybe too good of a time.
Okay, enough guff from me … let’s take a peek at what went down inside the Yamaha exhibit:
The Yamaha booth all fresh and clean early Friday morning. Honda kinda stole the show this year with their towering dome ” of red but I thought our open-concept was much more inviting. At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter though. What really matters is who has the #1 plate, and that’s us. Go team go!
Wanna win $5000? The show was supposed to be a launch for our “What kind of Yamaha are you?” Facebook Photo Contest … unfortunately, we couldn’t get a solid internet connection and the contest was delayed. It was a little upsetting, as we put a lot of effort into our KIOSK design. Our in-house rocket scientist, Rob Dyer, even made this cool LED lightie thing that made our cutout camera look like it was really taking pictures. Anyhoo, it’s live now, and you can sbumit your best you and Yamaha photos here.
Huggy tried his best to fix our internet problem, but failed. He was fine with that, however, as it provided more time for him to save the squirrels.
Think he closed the sale? If he tossed in a free keychain, the deal was done ….
The Rossi Edition R1 was under the spotlight and attracted lots of attention. Although, in this pic no one was checking out the bike … maybe they were weirded out by the shirtless guy taking this photo.
Dusty Klatt’s “LE” Yz450F received some stares as well. This is the bike he rode to a third place finish at this year’s Montreal Supercross.
Yamaha’s Fan of the Week
Yamaha tech, Jordan Mulcock, offers a demontration of the unqiue cross-plane crankshasft, which is used in our R1. I thought this was a cool, interactive set up for attendees, and Jordan did a stellar job making it simple and easy to understand. A gold star for you, Jordan!
RSM Jay Bretherick explains the finer points of lacrosse to anyone who listens. He’s really good at it.
This little girl was far from shy. As soon as she saw me preparing to snap a pic of the Stratoliner Deluxe, she rushed over and jumped in front of the lens. Adorable. Now go out and buy a Stratoliner.
Now if that doesn’t melt your heart, I don’t know what does. Merry Christmas!
What are your thoughts on the TO MC Show this year? What was your favourite new bike? Are you planning to attend other shows across Canada? Do you like stuff? Feel free to comment and let us know!
DanBro
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Come join us on our Snowarama Ride and Trailside BBQ (Fundraiser for Disabled Children)on February 7th, 2009 and enjoy the trails within Rainbow Country.
December 21st, 2009 at 9:57 amgreat show,good kiosk and staff were as great as usual. Nice concept on the kiosk.
December 22nd, 2009 at 9:37 amI am a FJR rider but liked all the new models.
See you all at the next event and lots of luck yamaha on the racing circuit.
the show was awesome! i got each year without disappointment. I found there to be better deals this year though. Got myself some new riding gloves
December 22nd, 2009 at 4:15 pmyamaha bikes rocks mann….. but what i want to say is that why can’t you create a new model of yamaha rx, it is the most popular among teenagers and the noise and the speed of rx truly rocks mann……….
January 30th, 2010 at 7:31 amWow Mr. Bretherick…nice job…Knew you when you were at Ab’s…still a high flyer…look at you now….always appreciated your prompt, accurate answers…hear you have a DSM position open in N. Ont….my old stomping ground…sure could sell some Yamahas up there now…want some consistent performance and credibility up there?…I can Deliver! Please refer to my application on YMC website of 6/13/10…Let’s talk OK…Kim
June 16th, 2010 at 9:42 pm