AIMExpo Recap

Words and photos by Andrew Kohn

The 2016 AIMExpo ended on Sunday after a four day run in Orlando, FL. The first two days of the event were for industry and media only, while the second two days were open to the public. AIME is a work in progress and the event is changing in order to support the motorcycle industry in a more effective way. Because it is sandwiched between the Intermot show in Germany and EICMA in Milan, Italy, AIME does not have as many splashy product introductions as its European cousins. Instead, the focus is more on seminars for dealers and the opportunity for the 450+ vendors to show their wares to dealers, media, and the public.

This year's event had a few noteworthy product introductions (which I'll cover later in this article), but the event was also notable by the conspicuous absence of a number of manufacturers. Yamaha, Honda, Suzuki, KTM, Can-Am, and the Piaggio Group all had large displays that showed their full lineups. On the other hand, notably absent were Kawasaki, Ducati, BMW, Triumph, Harley-Davidson, Indian, Victory, and Zero. Though the Motorcycle Industry Council owns AIMExpo, the level of participation is still not where it should be. Even with the less than stellar participation from the OEMs, there were still a number of important events to highlight.

Product Introductions

First, let's talk about some of the significant product introductions from this year's event. As mentioned here, Yamaha used AIME to introduce their new R6 and updated FZ-09 to the world. Yamaha also introduced a custom version of their Bolt based SCR 950 scrambler.

Suzuki was up next and showed their long awaited GSXR-1000 and V-Strom 650 to the crowd. The GSXR 1000 should be the basis for even tighter racing in the MotoAmerica Superbike class next year as it tees off against the Yamaha R1 and the new Honda CBR 1000RR.

Speaking of Honda, they had their full lineup at the show, with the new CBR 1000 and Africa Twin garnering a lot of attention.

This was KTM's first year at AIME and they had most of their street lineup available to ogle. The 1290 GT sport touring model, the newly updated 690 Duke, and the 1290 Super Duke all looked like they were going 100 mph, even when standing still.

Piaggio was also in their first year at the show, displaying their lines from Aprilia, Moto Guzzi, and Piaggio scooters. The Moto Guzzi MGX-21 Flying Fortress was very popular as was their line of retro bikes. The Aprilia RSV-4 and Tuono were very impressive, as well.

As mentioned, BMW and Ducati did not have corporate displays this year, but the BMW Motorcycle Owners Association and a local dealer displayed a very truncated line of BMWs and Ducatis. The BMW G310R and R nineT Scrambler were both in attendance, as were the Ducati X-Diavel and 959.

__Accessories and Apparel __

On the accessory and gear side of the house, there were a number of introductions that I found particularly interesting. Sena showed their new 30K communicator which can connect up to 16 riders at once using a mesh network. Sena also showed an updated 10C EVO communicator and camera as well as a smart helmet with noise canceling headphones, and a built in camera and communicator. I hope to have more on these products in the near future.

GoPro introduced their Karma drone and Hero 5 Black to the crowd and both were very popular. The Karma drone is especially exciting. The small drone folds up to fit in its own custom backpack, has an easy to use modular controller, and a two axis gimbal that can be used separately from the drone when needed. When combined with the Hero 5 Black, it seems to offer a turnkey package for action sports photography and video.

Bell Helmets continues their resurgence with the introduction of the Star series of helmets. Available in three trim levels, the Star helmets offer five shell sizes for a better, more aerodynamic fit, improved peripheral vision, and magnetic cheek pads for easy removal and replacement.

On the apparel side of the house, I was very impressed with the Rev'it line of clothing, especially their urban collection of gear. Their jeans use cordura denim that offers a high level of abrasion resistance and very thin, yet protective armor. This offers a protective package that's still stylish. Rev'it also offers a line of leather jackets and boots to go complete their urban line.

What the industry was talking about...

In addition to product introductions, there were seminars for industry professionals throughout the first two days of AIME. One of the most prevalent topics was that of how the motorcycle industry needs to adjust to the needs of both the Millennial and Centennial generations. Dr. Paul Leinberger spoke about how dramatically the motorcycle market has changed, as it has contracted from a high of over one million motorcycles sold in the US in 2006 to the present forecast of 550,000 for 2017. Leinberger talked about the importance of social media, especially newer platforms such as Snap Chat and Periscope and how to reach new demographics. He also talked about how dealers need to get used to slow, steady growth as opposed to big increases in sales. The message was clear; the motorcycle industry is changing, and old methods will not work for today's environment.

A new event this year was the Power Lily Gas Tank. This new event used a Shark Tank like format to allow Women entrepreneurs in the motorcycle industry to pitch their product and gain support from a panel of industry mentors. Five women presented their business plans to the judges, and though all were interesting and well done, Debra Chin of MotoChic, a maker of functional motorcycling apparel for women, was chosen as the winner. The Motorcycle Industry Council announced that they'll conduct this competition again in 2017.

Fun stuff!

Now of course, not everything at AIME is about work. Both the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) and MotoAmerica held social events during AIME.

On Thursday evening, the AMA inducted eight new members and one legend into the Motorcycle Hall of fame. Though all of the inductees were notable, one in particular stood out in my mind. Gloria Tramontin-Struck is a 91 year old rider who has broken barriers for women in riding and has logged over 700,000 miles in over 75 years of riding. She has ridden all over the world and started riding at at time when it wasn't considered proper for a woman to ride. She is still an active motorcyclist and her goal is to ride across on the country on two wheels when she turns 100. If that's not inspirational, then I don't know what is!

Friday evening showcased racers from MotoAmerica during the Night of Champions. All of the winners from the Superbike, Supersport, and the Superstock 100 and 600 classes were recognized and received their championship trophies. MotoAmerica also announced a new rules package for 2017 that will match the rules package in World Superbike. As MotoAmerica President Wayne Rainey said, "Now none of the manufacturers have an excuse to not race in the US". We can only hope!

The future...

In order to get AIME geographically closer to more of its dealers, next year's event will be held in Columbus, OH. Columbus offers a more intimate convention center that is located right in the downtown area. More importantly, by placing the expo in Columbus, the venue is within 500 miles of 40 percent of the motorcycle dealers in the US. Additionally, in 2018, AIME will move to Las Vegas to cater to the motorcycle industry on the West Coast. Hopefully the new locations will lead to better attendance and more interest. It will be interesting to see how the future of this event plays out.