Hi All!

Was thinking on checking out the Progressive Int. Motorcycle Show in Feb. Has anyone been to this and think it's worth the $15.00 to get in? Not much else to do this time of year in Chicago anyways.

 

I go to the show every winter when it comes to boston.this year it was early and it sucked!!!! Smaller venue,less vendors.less people.sign of the economy ,not worth $5 never mind 15

 

If you are looking for a place to walk around indoors and don't mind paying $15 plus parking, have at it. After attending the show in Detroit a few of times and being increasingly disappointed I have sworn to never return. Expect to see: new bikes, mostly from Asian firms, H-D corporate display (bike fitment, etc, nothing for sale), a corporate vendor area for things like Dunlop tires with static displays and no staff and then some swap meet type of stuff. You couldn't possibly save enough money on a loading ramp to justify the entrance fee.

 

There should be some coupon code to get some discount. I go every year. If you go to the all the way in the back there are a ton of vendors that want your money. I went to see what was going on there and there lots of people buying all sorts of crap. People buying patches, getting helmets, and everything in between.


http://www.progressive.com/perkshare/imsCouponCodes.pdf

 

I went to the NY IMS show last week. $18 ticket was $15 with the Progressive coupon. Wifes' ticket was $18, parking was $46, tolls/gas another $20 -

NOW - was it worth it? YES

Lets see -
"free" Progressive calander, t-shirt, tire gauge and lip balm
found the Big Skinny booth and bought the wallet I passed on last year
bought Blaze anti fog - (doesn't work)
had a long talk with the Gerbings rep and got the lowdown on what the company is doing with their gloves (I ended up exchanging what I owned for what they now manufacture) I have other posts about that!
priced out a possible new Harley purchase (I passed on that)
stopped off for a hot pastrami sandwich while in town

It was a fun day with the wife surrounded with bikes and bikers!

 

we use it as a way to get a group of friends together and enjoy manhattan and a lunch together in the dead of winter, if it weren't for that I would only go every couple of years.

 

Depending on your expectations, it can suck or be a lot of fun. In NY, I go with a couple of friends, we eat lunch, drink a couple of beers and have a good time. All, or at least most of the big manufacturers are there. Custom bikes are displayed. There are a few good looking models to talk with.

It was fun watching people on HD's "Learn to Ride" display. They had a Fat Boy Lo (I think) with the back tire on rollers and taught people how to start the bike and shift through the gears. Even had fans setup to blow air in their faces. There was also the typical "How to Lift a Fallen Bike" exhibit.

Last year we met the guys from Iron Horse and ended up booking with them when we rode NC/TN.

Previous years I bought some cold weather gear from Schampa and Gerbings.

This year I got some good info from Avon on tires. Spoke to the Ohlins guys. Tried on and found a great pair of riding glasses from Icicles.

Got to talk bikes, trips, etc. For $15 it's less than a movie and popcorn.

 

A few of us went to Cleveland yesterday and weren't impressed. We got tickets online for $12/ea. Parking was another $8. The show is 1/2 of what it used to be. It was something to do on a Sat, but I'm sure we could have found something better. I don't see myself going again

 

Planning on goning next week in Minneapolis. Probably not really worth it money wise but what the hell. Need to get out of the house. Can't ride my own bike might as well try to see how much free crap I can get. Chances are there will probably be some eye candy there as well.

 

Def worth it if you just plain like all kinds of motorcycles. When else can you sit on so many bikes..and the jackets vests and helmets are usually marked way down and you can try everything on first. It's great esp because it's winter.(sucks)