Is The IMS Tour For 2020-21 Going To Be Scrapped?

SANTA MONICA, CA – A switch from a multi-city tour in 2020-2021 to an online/virtual event may be in the making for the Progressive International Motorcycle Shows. That possibility is suggested in a new online survey being conducted by the company that stages the tour.

While many motorcycle events in the United States have already been canceled for this year because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and others rescheduled or hanging by a thread, the IMS is seeking input from riders in the form of the survey sent today to those on its e-mailing list.

Based on its content, the presumed purpose of the survey is to gauge whether a 2020-2021 tour is even viable; whether motorcyclists will be willing to attend or feel safe at a large gathering.

Among the questions…

One question asks, “Do you think you will attend a motorcycle event this coming Fall or Winter?”

Another inquires, “Why might you not attend a motorcycle event this coming Fall or Winter?”

Another question was devised to determine interest in a possible “online/virtual” show, hinting that the IMS tour might be scuttled if there’s sufficient rider concern and if an alternative can be found.

Last year’s 39th IMS tour had eight stops from coast to coast, including one at New York’s Jacob K. Javits Convention Center from Dec. 6-8.

The questions were buried in the multiple choice survey and offered possible answers that provide more clues that the IMS is weighing the possibility of not staging a tour for 2020-2021.

Among the answers…

The choices for the question “Do you think you will attend a motorcycle event this coming Fall or Winter?” include “Yes, I am looking forward to connecting with the motorcycling community,” “Yes, as long as certain health and safety precautions are taken,” “No” and “Not sure.”

The choices for the question “Why might you not attend a motorcycle event this coming Fall or Winter?” include “I am very nervous about being a potentially crowded spaces,” “My financial situation has changed,” and “Other.”

Rider concern or reticence in attending could certainly make staging the IMS tour problematic, especially if the motorcycle manufacturers and vendors express disinterest or an unwillingness to appropriate money for what could be an iffy event attendance-wise.

The IMS also recently surveyed members of the motorcycle press to get their feedback.

The dates for the 2019-20 IMS tour weren’t announced until late June, which seemingly gives the IMS a month to decide the fate of a 2020-2021 tour. But that’s still far in advance of when a “second wave” of the coronavirus could hit.

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