The traditional Montreal Motorcycle and Motorsports Show took place during the last weekend of February at the Palais des congrès. It followed the Expo Moto Québec show, which had set the bar high.
Several motorcycle importers answered the call from their association, Moto Canada, which organizes the show. In attendance were KTM Canada, Can-Am BRP, CFMoto, Harley-Davidson, Honda Canada, the Piaggio Group (Aprilia, Moto Guzzi, Vespa), Triumph, and Yamaha. Other brands were represented by their dealers.
The Xplorer Zone showcased adventure motorcycles, a dynamic niche driving motorcycle sales in Quebec. There was also the Women’s Night at the Motorcycle Show, hosted by Chicks and Machines. Hangar 17, which brought together the custom motorcycle community, was not held this year. The entertainment zone was led by Jordan Szoke, a multiple Superbike champion who showcased his trials skills, while Balance Bike let the youngest visitors test ride Stacyc bikes. We’ve selected five highlights that best represent this show, which typically marks the start of the season.
1- The Women’s Night with a CFMOTO to be won
It took place on Friday evening, with a special admission price for women. The gathering spot was the Chicks and Machines booth, as they were in charge of organizing the event. Women came to have their photos taken and left with a glossy print. The Chicks and Machines, the Litas, and Moto Social—they were all there, coming together to kick off the season in style. New riders came to get advice on how to get started in a great atmosphere. The highlight of the event was the raffle for a CFMOTO 450 CL-C, held in the presence of Cyndi Martin from the Chicks and Hélène Binet, president of CFMOTO CANADA. It was a fun, friendly gathering that showed women have their place in the motorcycle world.
2 – The Bimota Tesi H2 at the Motos Illimitées booth
Surrounded by beautiful Ducatis, the Bimota took center stage in the main aisle. Based on a Kawasaki Ninja H2 engine (231 hp, and up to 242 hp with forced induction), the Italian manufacturer has built a spectacular motorcycle with sharp lines and a unique technical feature: a central hub steering system. It’s no longer a fork but a swingarm attached to the engine. The front steering hub allows for a 27° steering angle while remaining separate from the suspension! By separating the steering and suspension functions, Bimota eliminates nose dive during braking and redefines corner entry handling.
The online retailer FortNine has acquired a stake in the Motos Illimitées group, which owns two stores in Terrebonne and Montreal (Ducati Montreal and now Triumph). This partnership opens up the possibility of selling original equipment manufacturer (OEM) parts online for more than 20 brands, drawing from the Terrebonne inventory and utilizing FortNine’s shipping logistics.
3 – The Xplrer section for adventure motorcycle
This is the gathering place for all motorcycle adventurers, and for those who want to join this exclusive club with its own dress codes and unique riding style. The Ridaventure association organizes this small community, coordinating the La Classique event and managing the STQT app, which maps 8,000 km of backroads in Quebec. A stage allowed speakers to address topics related to adventure. Marc Chartrand presented Quebec’s secondary trails, which are listed in the STQT app. There is also the Trans Canada Adventure Trail, a 15,000-km route that crosses all of Canada, from eastern Nova Scotia to British Columbia. Among the exhibitors were Classique Moto Fest and the Maximum Powersports Plus dealership in Hawkesbury, not far from the Moto Vision Aventure riding school. It was interesting to see the FQMHR and Hydro-Québec in attendance. Patrick Trahan had just returned from the Dakar Rally, where he is part of the organization, to promote his off-road training courses with Touareg Aventures.
The adventure motorcycle community showed its solidarity with rural communities. Marc Chartrand and Sébastien Guy presented the donations collected for the “Debout dans nos rangs” ( campaign, which aims to support the mental health and well-being of Quebec’s farming families. $6,000 was donated to several organizations, including “Au Cœur des Familles Agricoles” (ACFA), the Travailleurs de rang de l’Abitibi-Témiscamingue, Écoute Agricole, and stakeholders in Lanaudière.
This donation confirms that adventure motorcycling is not limited to riding the trails, but also involves understanding and respecting the environment in which it takes place.
4 – The SAAQ’s Hardi dummy
To make a lasting impression, the SAAQ’s motorcycle safety experts have developed a dummy made of materials that closely resemble human skin. Nicknamed Hardi, it is dressed like a typical motorcyclist: open-face helmet, T-shirt, jeans, and sneakers. It is displayed as if it had been involved in a crash at 60 km/h. The effect is striking. As is often the case, the fall is sideways, followed by a slide. The helmet hit the ground, the cheek was struck, and the jaw is fractured. The shoulder took a heavy blow and the collarbone is broken. The skin is torn at the point of impact on the shoulder. During the slide, the skin was scraped on the arm and forearm. The hand, without a glove, is scraped, and a finger is broken. On the lower body, the thigh and knee have deep cuts in the skin. Traditional jeans are not effective in the event of a fall. The shoe was torn off, the toes were injured, and the malleolus was the first to be struck because it is highly exposed.
The injuries are severe, even at low speeds. Hopefully, this real-life example will give lightly clad motorcyclists pause for thought.
The SAAQ’s other key message was the use of airbags, which greatly cushion impacts in the event of a fall. They regularly set off cartridges to demonstrate how quickly airbags deploy, a testament to the system’s effectiveness.
5 – The ETS and Milwaukee Motorcycle Booth
One booth added a splash of red and showcased an interesting partnership between Milwaukee, a power tool manufacturer, and students from the Comets club at the École de technologie supérieure in Montreal. The Comets’ goal is to design, manufacture, and assemble a prototype racing motorcycle with a 100% electric powertrain within 18 months. The project involves aerodynamic analysis, the design of electrical schematics and printed circuit boards, programming the motorcycle’s power circuit, and analyzing the prototype’s geometry.
The Atlas prototype motorcycle reaches speeds of nearly 200 km/h and is competing in the MotoStudent World Championship at the Aragon circuit in Spain, where these future engineers won the Fair Play award in 2025.
The Montreal Motorcycle Show passed its test with flying colors, drawing a good turnout, as such events are somewhat under scrutiny in the age of social media. The community aspect should not be overlooked, as evidenced by the success of the Xplrer zone and the women’s zone. Motorcyclists can come together around their shared passion. This is part of the solution, with potential improvements including the ability to host more interactive booths and to leave more space between the motorcycles.
