Harley-Davidson and Buell pull out of NEC Show

Harley-Davidson and Buell is the second manufacturer to officially confirm it will NOT be present at the NEC Show in November.

Harley claims the decision is based upon the success of test ride schemes attracting new customers to its bikes, and the timing of the release of its 2010 models means bikes will be available to few and buy from UK showrooms weeks before the show, making the need for a show stand redundant.

Honda was the first manufacturer to confirm non-attendance at the UK’s biggest motorcycle show in Birmingham citing the current economic slowdown and ‘re-allocation of budget and resources as the reason for the change.

nly Suzuki has confirmed its attendance so far.

Harley-Davidson released the following statement:

‘After careful consideration, Harley-Davidson and Buell UK have come to the decision not to exhibit at this year’s Carole Nash International Motorcycle and Scooter Show at the NEC in Birmingham.

“The decision is a result of the increased focus on multi-location experiential programmes for consumers in 2009.
 
‘The Harley-Davidson Judgement Days programme has already delivered over 2,500 demo test rides for the brand in the first half of the year and it will be going on tour to various locations for the second two quarters.

“The Judgement Days Tour will include new model year 2010 machines from the legendary Motor Company®, which will be revealed on Saturday 25 July and will reach dealers in August for a Bank Holiday launch weekend.

‘For Buell UK, the Buell Performance Academy provides an opportunity to deliver close to 1,000 test rides in a variety of environments throughout the year.

“It provides prolonged consumer interaction and feedback at selected UK circuits and established biker meets throughout the year.

“Our main focus is to get motorcyclists onto our bikes so that they can experience Harley-Davidson and Buell for themselves,” says Harley-Davidson UK and Ireland Marketing Manager Greg Willis.

“Our existing plans, of taking motorcycles to a variety of locations throughout the UK and providing demo rides on a large scale, seem to be working for us this year and are paying off in terms of sales and attracting new people to the brands.

“We don’t see any reason to change that at present, so we will be kicking off our Judgement Days Tour shortly and continuing to fully support the Buell Performance Academy.

“We do appreciate the fantastic job that the International Motorcycle and Scooter Show does for the UK industry and as such will continue to keep in close contact with the organisers going forward.

“We have not ruled out the show from our future plans as some of our experiential programmes started out at the event or were heavily promoted there in recent years proving very successful

“However, we also had to take into account that, due to timings, our new model year 2010 bikes will have already been in dealerships for several weeks at the time of the show.

“That, coupled with the need for additional budget to provide quality experiential programmes, led us to the decision to pull out of the 2009 show.

“Our unwavering support for the MCIA (Motorcycle Industry Association) remains intact through central and dealer support of the recently launched Join In campaign, which aims to establish motorcycling as a viable form of transport by encouraging new and existing motorcyclists to join in.”