![Verona 2010 Bike Expo](images/DailyArticles/March2010/2VeronaBikeExpo/Verona-Bike-Expo-151-Lead.jpg)
Verona Bike Expo Part 2
Season Starter at Verona Scores Again
(Continued from last Tuesday)
Story and Photos by Horst Rösler
As the name implies, Motor Bike Expo at Verona is a general motorcyle exhibition, with four out of seven halls exhibiting the major brands and accessories, but of course with a history that originates with the former Padova Chopper & Custom Show some sixteen years ago. This year’s Verona show saw another extension by one more hall, as all the main European importers chose the Verona Bike Expo to premiere their 2010 parts and bikes: Custom Chrome Europe, Zodiac, Drag Specialties, Motorcycle Storehouse, and W&W Cycles attended the event. A lot of well-established European customizers such as Hogtech from Sweden, SPS from the Netherlands, and Zero Bikes, just to name a few, were also in attendance. Two out of three Italian custom bike magazines, Low Ride and Freeway, organised bike shows. They attracted some 200+ motorcycles.
“The influence of Italian style and motorcycle technology can never be underestimated,“ stated famous motorcycle bronze artist Jeff Decker at the Friday press conference. “It has influenced the American scene since the sixties and seventies and it is very exciting to see today’s developments first hand here at Verona,“ he added. The extraordinary custom bikes at this year’s bike shows and in the exhibitors booths proved him right. Never before did Italian customizers present such extraordinary high tech machines, built to win the important first trendsetting show of 2010.
The race for the crown and the ticket to the U.S. AMD World Championship was won by Marco Cinquini and his team of “Garage 65.“ Their bike “Kosmo Drive” lived up to its name with futuristic hub steering and a handcrafted framework rolling on two racing slicks. Powered by a polished 124“ Total Performance engine, this 140-horsepower brute will represent the Bike Expo at Sturgis. Presented at Freeway’s bike show, the monster bike also won top honors there. Dutch custom parts distributor Zodiac sponsored the Freeway bike show with no less than 10,000 Euros prize money which attracted a lot of well engineered custom bikes. The international ticket to Sturgis for the best foreign entry went to Russia’s Yuri Shif. He scored with his highy modified “Duster” Streetfighter Ducati he built for a Russian customer who is riding the streets of Moscow on it now.
The 2010 Bike Expo at Verona also was the location for the introduction of Drag Specialties into the Italian market. They had Roland Sands signing autographs during the show. This major American distributor made a solid presentation. The Ness family enjoyed their booth inside the VIP Hall at the booth of Switzerland-based Bad Boys Custom Cycles, who distribute the Ness motorcycles for Europe. The good news at this year’s show: all Ness Motorcycles now have EURO-3 homologation, allowing them to be ridden in all European countries.
Not just the custom part of the show had prominent names. Graziano Rossi, father of MotoGp World Champion rider Valentino Rossi, presented a spectacular drift show with his Ford Mustang as part of the outdoor program. The program featured trials demos, Supermoto racing, car and motorcycle stunt shows, and more. The Vespa stunt show kept the audience laughing as the rider did exactly the same stunts as you would expect from a high-class motorcycle stuntman, only with much less horsepower.