International Dealer News IDN 148 April/May 2019 | Page 15

news ROOM
Swiss-Moto, 21 to 24
February 2019, Zurich
The Rat's Hole Award was won by Dorin Racz of Romania with his
completely handcrafted custom bike 'Rise of Anarchy'
An impressive 70,289 bike fans
visited the 16th annual Swiss-
Moto show in Zurich in February
to see "more than 400 top
brands", with the biggest visitor
draws for 2019 said to have
been the special ‘Switzerland:
Bikers' Paradise’ exhibition,
featuring augmented reality
technology, a visit from
Hollywood star Keanu Reeves
(Arch Motorcycles), a tribute to
three times 125cc World
Champion and Switzerland’s
greatest motorcycle racing hero
Luigi Taveri, and the world’s
most expensive motorbike.
Among this year’s trends were
the rise of electronic systems
such as eCall emergency call
systems and bending lights,
technology for connecting
smartphones with motorbikes
and the entry of two major
brands – Harley-Davidson and
Vespa – into the electromobility
segment with some promising
electric bikes.
Swiss-Moto organiser Yves
Vollenweider was delighted
with how the event turned out.
“The number of bike fans who
travelled here, the positive
feedback from exhibitors and
the huge level of media interest
once again showed that Swiss-
Moto is an important platform
for the motorcycle industry in
Switzerland. We are particularly
proud that the new DynaVolt
Intact GP Moto2 team, made up
of Tom Lüthi, Marcel Schrötter
and Jesko Raffin, chose Swiss-
Moto as the occasion to present
their new machines for the first
time.”
Star of ‘The Matrix’ Keanu
Reeves and custom motorbike
guru Gard Hollinger added a
touch of Hollywood glamour as
they unveiled their ARCH
Motorcycle brand with Swiss
motorbike specialists Speedbox.
Visitors also enjoyed the
accompanying events, from the
country’s most beautiful bike
tours and Alpine passes, all
brought to life with augmented
reality technology on the
largest aerial map of
Switzerland ever produced, to
the launch of a Viking-inspired
chopper bike built in Lucerne
over a 14-year period.
The Swiss-Custom Customizing
& Tuning Show, integrated into
Swiss-Moto, saw leading AMD
World Championship competitor
Dorin Racz from Romania win
the Rat’s Hole award (with 'Rise
of Anarchy’), Swiss customiser
Stephane Grand scoop the
special 'Emirates Pick' award,
and customising pro Brian
Buttera winning the 'Best in
Show' prize. Swiss-Moto 2020:
20-23 February at Messe Zürich.
www.swiss-moto.ch
INTERNATIONAL DEALER NEWS - APRIL/MAY 2019
15