THE Progressive International Motorcycle Shows (IMS), the industry leader for connecting powersports’ top brands with enthusiasts and buyers confirmed the success of its IMS experience tour last December 2019.
“Beyond showcasing the industry’s highly anticipated new bikes and gear, a main focus of our upcoming tour is the evolution of our popular interactive and experiential show attractions. Following the great success we saw from the debut of our Discover the Ride initiative last tour, which had nearly 7K participants in its first year, we’re looking forward to bringing new experiential features to each of our shows, making for a more immersive and dynamic experience,” Tracy Harris, Senior Vice President, IMS said.
The experience tour included “Discover Your Ride,” geared toward introducing non-riders and children to two-wheels, as well as reinforcing the importance of continued training and education to new and experienced riders.
Second is the “New Rider Course in Partnership with Zero Motorcycles” which gives non-licensed IMS attendees the opportunity to ride a motorcycle for the first time on an indoor demo course while learning riding basics from expert Total Control Training instructors. A fleet of speed limited electric Zero Motorcycles gave participants the experience of riding a motorcycle in a safe and controlled environment.
The “Kids Zone,” in partnership with Stacyc, featured a closed course of battery assisted balance bikes for children to experience riding for the first time. Participants had the option to ride the balance bikes with or without the addition of a speed limited electric motor.
The powerful “NewTo2” program serves to educate new riders on the world of motorcycling, will feature influential industry rider hosts in each market who will answer questions, share tips, and serve as resources for new riders on how they can get more involved in motorcycling.
Another popular feature was the “Dyno Experience” which gives IMS attendees the opportunity to get on a real motorcycle that is securely mounted to a dyno to experience starting a motorcycle, engaging the clutch and shifting through the gears, while feeling the torque of the motorcycle with the guidance of an expert.
The most exciting of the shows is the “XDL Wheelie Experience” where riders who want to test their wheelie skills in a controlled environment, while improving their balance and throttle skills with the help of XDL stunt pros.
The “Stunt Show” brings the Street Jam Live Action Stunt Show to the tour’s Dallas, Denver, Washington DC, and Minneapolis stops, where America’s top Street Bike Freestyle athletes displayed their freestyle talents in the form of Wheelies, Stoppies, and high-speed action right in the middle of the show floor.
Finally, “Demo Rides” provided the opportunity to test ride a number of new motorcycles outside via the new Demo Rides feature. New BMW, Harley-Davidson, Honda, Indian, Kawasaki, and Yamaha motorcycles will be onsite for licensed attendees to experience the thrill of gas-powered bikes right outside the Long Beach Convention Center.
