The Metrpolitan Police Service and particularly their Bike-Safe London Team played host to this years National Bike Safe Show at their excellent Training Centre in Hendon, North West London.
There spread over its vast acreage was what I have to say was one of the best motorcycle shows I have ever been to and all of it was free; free entry, free parking, free attractions, free demonstrators, free assessed rides, good plentiful food at excellent prices, and more police officers of all forms and functions than you could shake a stick at.
Queueing up ready to take you out for an assessed ride were what seemed like the entire Country's police motorcyclists... featuring UKGS'ers very own Bryn
Most riding fairly standard fayre
Some riding something...
...a bit...
...erm...
...different...
And the odd one or two who perhaps were a bit more discreet...
Not to be out-done by the current fleet, service vehicles of yester year were present, both two wheels...
and four...
My particular favourite of these, an armour plated Rover P6 3500 V8 as used by the Special Branch who used to serve as high security close protection for Royalty and Prime Ministerial duty, the armour plating deemed necessary to combat the terrorist threat of the time.
The jam jar of my adolescent years...
and then came the first of the video equipped cars we so know and love now...
The Met were keen to show other facets of their work and there were displays by the Dog Support Unit and the general purpose dogs
and their drug/firearms detection dogs
And a special covert dog
Other units at the show were the Special Escort Group, Marine Support Unit, Air Support Unit, Mounted Branch, CO19 (Specialist Firearms Unit) and there were fly by's from the HEMS and ASU's Squirrel Helicopters.
Back on the ground there were displays from a motorcycle stunt team (which I missed) and a display by the Royal Signal's White Helmet Display Team
The only casualty of their display being this...
Lovely sounding bikes and I particularly enjoyed their salute to Ken, smack bang in the middle of his emissions zone at an event his gubbmint paid for
The manufacturers were there in force and demonstrators were there, some I was strangely drawn to...
Others not
I see rotting 1200's are a common problem whether made in Berlin or Milwaukee
There was off-roading sampling (I think they'd given the groundsman the weekend off!)
And there was even an area set aside for those who had never ridden before to give it a go, even Y2Blade wasn't overlooked
In addition to all that there were 'celebrities'
An enormous stretch of marquee full of trade stands and clubs
Sideshows of every shape and sound
Even the sponsors got a look-in (posted especially for MMC
)
There was no shortage of GS visitors
And their suitably personalised bikes
All in all an excellent show, with so much going on I missed several demonstrations and talks. Definitely one for the cynics who say all shows are designed only to rip off the punter.
Well done Bikesafe London, the Met and all the County force teams who made this an excellent show
to anyone who gets a GS round it 
me likey 
