The International Motorcycle and Scooter Show at Birmingham's NEC has seen a big slump in attendance.
But organisers were yesterday denying it had been a flop.
It closed its doors on Sunday after 11 days - numbers of enthusiasts going along fell 12 per cent to 144,870.
But organisers put a brave face on the setback, saying they had been extremely pleased with the initial feedback from exhibitors, as well as the response from the public.
The attendance slump came despite the combination of the latest 2007 bikes from top manufacturers, the presence of many of the biggest stars from motorcycle racing, and the chance to get on and ride one of the hundreds of different bikes on offer.
The show had also been more interactive, with many live action motorcycle stunt shows.
Models not seen in the UK before included the Suzuki B-King, Yamaha YZF-R1, Triumph Tiger 1050 and the Honda CBR600RR, along with new models from Harley Davidson and Kawasaki, and the first bike launch by a Chinese manufacturer, Wuyang.
Some of the biggest names from the world of motorcycle sport paid a visit including World Superbike riders Troy Corser and James Tose-land, MotoGP star Colin Edwards, British racing legend Carl Fogarty, and Bennetts British Super-bike Championship winner and runner-up Ryuichi Kiyonari and Leon Haslam.
Finlay McAllan, managing director of show organisers MCI Exhibitions, acknowledged it was disappointing to have a lower attendance but said he was nevertheless delighted with the overall feedback from exhibitors.
"The show has always reflected the market, which at the moment is not buoyant. We have been missing various key manufacturers and are working with them all to find ways to put that right.
"The overall economy is also struggling with people having less disposable income available than before and sadly its the hobbies like biking that get canned first whilst the money is spent on essentials. Even though attendance numbers have fallen we have had praise from our exhibitors about the quality of this year's customer."
