L
et us set the Time Machine to
1980, Mr Hillyer, and the place- Cologne on the Rhine, the east
bank just north of the Hohenzollern
Bridge. We are at theInternationale
Fahrrad und Motorrad Ausstellung,or
IFMA. As you would have discovered
if you read the most recent issue,
EVENT
SHOWTIME
PERSONAL MEMORIES WORDS/PHOTOS THE BEAR
this is the predecessor of today’s
motorcycle exhibition INTERMOT. It
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here I am about to see, among endless
rows of booths selling bicycle gears
and wheels, the launch of two of the
most important motorcycles ever to
see the light of day. One will return
BMW to its glory days; the other will
demonstrate that Munich was still too
tentative in its designs.
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the motorcycle which established the
class of “large enduros” or “adventure
travel bikes”. The other is the 1200Katana, still a startling design and
at the time completely outrageous.
Designed by Hans Muth, originally
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show pony, but quickly turned into a
production model when the company
realised its impact.
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attended a major motorcycle show,
and to say that I was blown away
would be putting it mildly. The show
impressed me to the point where I
would stay as long as I could in the
evening and then wait at the gates
in the morning to get back in. I
continued to make my way to Cologne
every second year, and ten years later
I was rewarded by another spectacular
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range of Triumphs, fresh from
Hinckley and still in their “Lego”INTERMOT Cologne
Int. Motorcycle, Scooter and E-Bike
fair, 5-9 October 2016
Open daily from 09.00am – 18.00pm
except on 07 October 2016:
09:00am - 20:00pm
Hotline for visitors: +49 1806 022 522European customisers are less likely than
Americans to limit their base bikes to
Harley-Davidsons. / Wonderful way to
advertise heated clothing... I think.