The 48th edition of the Tokyo Motorcycle Show has been canceled due to the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak, the Tokyo Motorcycle Show Association has announced. The Tokyo Motorcycle Show was scheduled to be held in the spring of 2021, but considering the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the organizers have decided to cancel the event. The organizers hope to hold the next show in 2022. According to the Japanese publication, Young Machine, the original theme of the 2021 event was meant to be “seeing, touching, and experiencing.”
The Tokyo Motorcycle Show is one of the biggest motorcycle events around the world, and the Japanese big four manufacturers usually save some of their biggest new models, as well as the most exciting innovations, and the most important launches for the event. The decision to cancel the show will be a disappointment for motorcycle manufacturers, with several other international shows for the year already canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The most popular European show, the EICMA show in Milan, has been canceled, as well as the Intermot show in Cologne, Germany. The UK’s Motorcycle Live show has also been canceled for this year.
Instead of a physical event where OEMs usually showcase new models and technologies, manufacturers and organizers are expected to host a series of online reveals and ‘shows’ of their own. The change from a physical show has its advantages, of reaching to a wider audience around the world. But there’s nothing like an actual show, where the latest designs and models are on display to be seen up close and make a more personal connection with upcoming motorcycles.