PROGRESSIVE
International Motorcycle Show 2021
Now … “OUTDOORS”
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Pictorial Review:
by
Joe Zimmerman
Photographs:
by
Aaron & Joe Zimmerman
The Progressive International Motorcycle Show ended its annual tour this year not at their normal stomping grounds of the Long Beach Convention and Entertainment Center in Long Beach, California but rather at the Orange County Fair & Event Center at 88 Fair Drive, in Costa Mesa, California. Progressive’s traditional International Motorcycle Show’s indoor grand spectacle has now stepped outside this year. This strategic shift was no surprise since Progressive IMS announced several months ago that they would no longer be holding their popular event indoors. Although Progressive stated that this latest move was “5 years in the making”, we suspect the change also had a lot to do with California’s constraints of large crowds at indoor venues due to the persistent lockdowns. Regardless, with this different venue setup Progressive promised “bigger and better” with included new attractions and activities.
So, with the current turn of local political mandates and restrictions, plus the shifting of the venue’s location, and bringing the whole “biker-shebang” outside, how did Progressive’s several city tour ending at Orange County, California turn out this year? Did they live up to their promises? We went to find out.
Although I was set to cover the entire event during the show’s 3-day run (Friday the 19th through Sunday the 21st), commitments in Utah caused me to miss the first 2 days. But, if Sunday’s exhibition was any indication of what it was like during the previous 2 days (Friday and Saturday), then this enormous extravaganza for the riding community was an overwhelming success. Welcome to PROGRESSIVE IMS … OUTDOORS!
With an estimated attendance of 20,000 to 50,000 visitors and hundreds of activities and exhibitors on-hand, Sunday’s turnout looked to be well beyond anyone’s expectations. People of all ages and races came out in droves from having basically been locked up at home for nearly 2 years. Wearing masks were highly recommended, most people exercised their freedoms and chose to go mask-less which brought about a sense of normalcy for all who attended. Oh - and did I mention there were free complimentary tote bags and free motorcycle parking?
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Thousands of IMS attendees found the show as a convenient one-stop shopping experience where they could examine and compare gear, simplifying the purchasing of all the newest and best motorcycle equipment, clothing and other assorted riding paraphernalia.
As well as all the usual big brand names like Alpinestars, Cortech and Mosko, also on-hand were up-and-coming motorcycle apparel specialists Rybak Riding Gear & Apparel introducing some of their latest patented featured clothing that do not exist currently on the market by other distributors. Their apparel is specifically created by riders for riders who are filling a void with their innovations of collapsible hood designs, detachable and interchangeable face guards, and apparel outfitted with expansion panels with built-in ventilation, magnetic drawstrings, and so on. Style, innovation and functionality is what you will find with this company. For more info on them you can visit their website at www.BikerClubClothing.com.
Below: Steve M. Rybak and company, of Rybak Riding Gear & Apparel prepare for another round of show attendees, Sunday November 21st, 2021.
As usual, Nelson-Rigg was on-hand offering their latest and greatest luggage, covers, apparel, and rainwear. Check them out at www.nelsonrigg.com in case you missed them at the show.
Below: Deb Drinan, director of Nelson-Rigg business development - showcasing one of their latest state-of-the-art Road Trip Saddlebags.
The numerous indoor equipment booths jam-packed with gear and accessories like Lithium Iron Batteries by W-Standard, motorcycle transport dollies like Park-n-Move by Adaptiv Technologies, were all surrounded by countless classic vintage, historical and custom bikes that filled and dazzled everyone in the showrooms. This alone was worth price of admission (below).
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Outside along the fairgrounds though is where the masses gathered around all the powerhouse companies who were in attendance… and I mean all!
Kawasaki …
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BMW …
Yamaha …
KTM …
Suzuki …
Indian …
And of course, Honda – who’s $1,800 automatic transmission NAVI’s were a pleasing eye-catcher for many attendees (below).
Although, the NAVI’s were a little too small for me, Honda’s Africa Twins on display for demo riders were just about right for my size.
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Honda, like all the other major players there had no shortage of demo bikes for the massive volume of test riders on-hand.
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Whether you wanted to test-ride a Triumph or a Royal Enfield, the lines were packed.
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Below: On display were many distinctive motorcycles including the Pan America - Harley-Davidson’s offering for Adventure touring (Left) and British secret service agent James Bond’s Triumph Tiger 900 Rally Pro Bond Edition from the feature film No Time to Die (Right).
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On display at the show however, was the Scrambler 1200 model, one of only 250 limited-edition exact Bond replicas from the movie, with a leather seat and logo branding of the Bond emblem.
IMS truly had something for everyone. Even for those ready to switch to electric or wanted to simply test-ride an electric bike, Zero Motorcycles had you covered. Zero’s slick lightweight battery-charged models were on-hand and they even brought along their own power stations to keep the action going (below).
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IMS truly had something for everyone. Even for those ready to switch to electric or wanted to simply test-ride an electric bike, Zero Motorcycles had you covered. Zero’s slick lightweight battery-charged models were on-hand as were the power stations to keep the action going (below).
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Suffices it to say, virtually everyone from motorcycle retail companies like Cycle Gear to American classic bike distributors like Indian Motorcycles to motorcycle insurance companies like Geico and adventure-lighting product companies like RUBY Moto and motorcycle accessory specialists like SW-MOTECH and MOSKO MOTO, all helped to make this a not-to-be-missed event.
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Families and friends, adults and children were all busy having fun at this enormous outing, eating and listening to the live bands and attending scheduled presentations with Adventure Out’s guest speakers, and taking in the popular stunt shows (below).
Below: IMS offering free live music and stunt shows to all attendees throughout the entire weekend event.
Below: Children of all ages zipping about in courses provided by that master company of lightweight, efficient, all-terrain kids bikes, Team Strider (Left), and Husqvarna showcasing and teaching essential riding skills to children on their Husqvarna Electric Balance Bikes (Right).
Not only were children having fun getting (free) vital riding instructions from professionals, but the adults who brought them were as well, compliments of Ride With Us (below).
To continue trying to detail everything from this year’s International Motorcycle Show is futile – let’s just say Progressive’s show-organizers hit it out of the ballpark with the new outdoor concept … and we’ll just leave it at that and hope that next year’s weather will be as perfect as it was this weekend.
And, don’t forget folks, AMA (American Motorcycle Association) members always get discounts to the IMS shows. Happy Riding!
Photos: Location Photography by Aaron & Joe Zimmerman. Copyright 2021
Any additional images here/in are used for informative, promotional, editorial, and educational purposes only. All images, logos, and other respective materials are copyright by their respective owners. No rights are given or implied in any way.