If you remember Bike Shows Europe as a motorcycle-show website, you have found the right domain. Earlier versions of bikeshowseurope.com were linked to British motorcycling events, including the National Motorcycle Show in Manchester. This page brings that earlier chapter together and explains what you will find here today.
The motorcycle-show years
In the late 2000s, bikeshowseurope.com was a destination for people looking for motorcycle-show information. Event notices, riders’ discussions and club newsletters directed readers here for further details and updates. The surviving references describe a public-facing show experience: motorcycles on display, equipment to browse, riding demonstrations and activities for visitors.
The old site’s role is particularly clear in a December 2008 PistonHeads discussion. In a conversation about forthcoming motorcycle shows, a participant linked directly to index ONE.htm while discussing the Manchester G-Mex event and shopping for riding equipment. The reference places that old address firmly within the motorcycle-show chapter of this domain.
Manchester and the National Motorcycle Show
Manchester was a recurring part of that story. The Guardian listed the National Motorcycle Show at Manchester Central in January 2009 and directed readers to this domain.
The names Manchester Bike Show, National Motorcycle Show and G-Mex appear in contemporary references. Wakefield MAG’s January 2010 newsletter identifies the venue as Manchester Central, formerly G-Mex, and describes plans for a club visit. Its preview combines dealer stands and used motorcycles with classic machines, scooters, custom bikes and live riding entertainment.
The advertised programme included trials performances, an indoor freestyle arena, the Extreme Globe display, a traders’ village and BikeSafe. It also named dealers representing BMW, Suzuki, Honda, Ducati and Triumph. These details describe the programme promoted at the time; they are historical information, rather than an invitation to a current event.
The planned January 2010 show
The Manchester event scheduled for 9–10 January 2010 also featured in Road Safety GB’s announcement about Honda’s My First Licence programme. That November 2009 article described a supervised introduction to motorcycling for children aged five to eleven, with support from RideSafe BackSafe. A miniature road layout, protective equipment and instruction were part of the proposed activity. The announcement sent readers to bikeshowseurope.com for more information.
The January show was subsequently cancelled because of severe winter weather. A 7 January 2010 announcement preserved on TTWebsite reproduced the organisers’ explanation: travel was considered unsafe, with exhibitors and stunt teams unable to reach Manchester. The notice directed readers back to this website for updates and mentioned discussions about a possible April date. It did not confirm a replacement event.
This distinction matters if you arrived from an old calendar entry or the former Manchester 2010 page. An advance programme records what was planned; it does not mean those activities took place on the advertised January weekend.
A wider regional motorcycle-show scene
The domain’s old references also sit within a wider community of regional motorcycle shows, riders’ clubs and forum discussions, including material about the South West Motorcycle Show. A September 2009 account by White Dalton describes attending that show, meeting visitors and watching stunt riding alongside the trade stands. It illustrates the mixture of displays, entertainment and shopping that shaped the motorcycle-show scene of the period.
The Manchester pages and older entry page are now represented by this shared history. Old event dates, admission offers and contact details should be read as historical material.
A later chapter: cycling in Europe
The domain’s subject changed over time. A 2020 archived version of the website shows a cycling publication with articles dated 2017 and 2018, organised around city biking, countryside rides and practical tips. Its topics included European city rides, bicycle touring and preparing for a countryside outing. This was a later phase than the Manchester motorcycle-show references.
Today, Bike Shows Europe focuses on bicycles, European cycling events and journeys by bike. Our guides cover bicycle shows and festivals, touring routes, gravel rides and bikepacking trips. They introduce places and experiences, credit original organisers or route creators, and point readers towards their practical resources.
This history page describes previous uses of the domain. The current cycling publication does not provide tickets, bookings or visitor support for the historical motorcycle shows.
Explore all 75 current guides below: 25 cycling events and 50 routes. For a geographic starting point, open our European cycling map.