IMS In Texas

[notyou83]

The demo rides are a good way to compare different, but similar bikes. Assuming the vendors you are considering are both there.

I have yet to go to a dealer and actually take a bike on a test ride, but I've had a few offer. Well, accept for the bike I did buy that is.

 

[Jarrett]

Just doesn't feel right taking advantage of dealer good will, if I'm not serious about it.

I'm usually serious about it

 

[MidlifeCrisis]

I'm usually serious about it

You don't say...

 

[gixxerjasen]

I'm usually serious about it

And when you aren't serious about it, you can usually have your arm twisted anyway.

 

[cWj]

I seem to have struck a nerve. Those are not large cities. These are the largest cities by population for metro area in each of those states that I was able to find with some quick googling.

Little Rock - 738,344
New Orleans Metro - 1,271,320
Baton Rouge Metro - 854,884
Jackson Mississippi - 597,727

All together that's about half of what's in the DFW area.
DFW - 7,637,387

If you were to hold a single motorcycle show in a location where all of those cities could participate you are likely to get less than half the attendance of DFW. A centrally located show would have about the same driving time as coming from Houston to Dallas so we can add another 7 million to the above number by population. We do have folks ride up from Houston once IMS figured out to not have a show in both cities.

I'm not trying to belittle anything, just looking at the numbers. If Honda, Suzuki and KTM decide to skip a show in a city of over 7 and a half million people because it's not as big as say, the 18 million in Los Angeles, then I ask again, what makes you think IMS could convince them to show up at a city of 1.2 million? They even dropped Cleveland with it's 2 million people off the schedule.

Every year the attendance drops, and the manufacturers drop, which causes the attendance to drop. If they can't figure out how to fix this, cities will keep dropping off the list and we won't have a show at all, so moving to smaller markets is a slim possibility at this point.

(sigh)

No, you haven't "struck a nerve". You asked a question. I responded.

The population that exists between Dallas and Atlanta for whom those distances are too great and have never attended these shows, would, perhaps make the effort if there was an instance closer to them. Looking for new venues/rotating venues seems like a considerable idea given the dropping attendance.

This is to say nothing of improving attractions offered.

 

[woodsguy]

TO OUR IMS FANS:
After 40 years of producing IMS, we have made the difficult decision to suspend the IMS events in 2022. Our goal is always to provide the best experience possible for fellow motorcycle enthusiasts, and due to circumstances beyond our control, we wouldn’t have been able to produce an event series that would have met your, and our, expectations this year. We hope to bring the tour back at some point in the future, but for now, we say goodbye and thank you for your attendance over the years.
Any tickets or custom bike registrations purchased for 2022 events will be refunded within the next 7 days.

 

[cWj]

TO OUR IMS FANS:
After 40 years of producing IMS, we have made the difficult decision to suspend the IMS events in 2022. Our goal is always to provide the best experience possible for fellow motorcycle enthusiasts, and due to circumstances beyond our control, we wouldn’t have been able to produce an event series that would have met your, and our, expectations this year. We hope to bring the tour back at some point in the future, but for now, we say goodbye and thank you for your attendance over the years.
Any tickets or custom bike registrations purchased for 2022 events will be refunded within the next 7 days.

Revzilla/Comoto to the rescue?