IMS Chicago Show

ChiCago, iL FEbruary 9-11, 2018

Big Guy and I attended the 2018 Progressive International Motorcycle Show, and it was well worth the trip. The event was held in the Christensen Event Center in Rosemont, IL. It featured vendor displays from manufacturers such as Victory, Aprilia, Honda, BSA, Indian, BMW, Kawasaki, Yamaha, Triumph, Suzuki, Slingshot, KTM, Royal Enfield, Vanderhall, and—of course—Harley-Davidson. Lots of vintage bikes were on display as well, including the Chicago Norton Owner Motorcycle Club and the Chicago BMW Owners Club. We even saw a few Vespas and Cushman scooters dating from the early sixties. This was a family event, so a Kid Zone area allowed the ten-and-under crowd to race each other around an oval track on small battery-powered motorcycles and four-wheelers. A separate arena area was set up for an on-site stunt show by exhibition riders—the crowds loved it!

This event didn’t disappoint when it came to destination riding and bike tourism. An entire row of the vendor accessory area provided information on motorcycle trips to Isle of Man, the UK, Mongolia, Colombia, Africa, South America, and the ever-popular favorites for the US: Laconia, Sturgis, and Daytona. Additional locations with biker-specific trips were the Ohio Windy 9, the Dragon’s Tail, the Lake Superior Circle Tour, and Pacific Coast Highway. Guides were there from Alaska and Canada, the East Coast, the West Coast, and all points in between. Of course there were accessories vendors, selling leathers, electronic accessories, helmets, patches, clothing, cleaning supplies, and vest patches. At least three booths were set up selling snack food and Goose Island Beer, a local microbrew.

Exhibition bikes were also on display, covering five classes of bikes: Custom Street, Modified Retro, Modified Harley, Freestyle, and Freestyle Retro. Imagination is truly limitless, and that was certainly the case at this show. Best of all, I got to meet and spend time with Lisa Brouwer. Lisa is the CEO of Full Throttle Living. com and she rode a Harley across the U.S. in 2015 with a friend for company. This was done to inspire women to push their limits and increase their involvement with motorcycling, and also done to honor Effie Hotchkiss’s similar journey in 1915.

by Barb Wilson