I was hoping to see more third-party companies there. Not much except for the Harley culture. I didn't see Widder, Knox, Dainese, Motoport, et al. Conspicuous in their absence was Triumph. Bad move for those guys. What the hell were they thinking? Ducati sucked for having all their bikes locked in stands. You couldn't get a feel for any of their bikes. Big waste of time there.
Kudos for all the other bike manufacturers that let you feel their bikes out. This was especially so on Friday, when there weren't many people there. Today a lot more bikes were on centerstands, but it was easy enough to get 'em off and feel 'em out.
My particular favorites were the red Suzuki DL650 V-Strom (fully rigged with saddlebags) and the Moto-Guzzi Brevia 750. Both bikes felt light and nimble (even with all the saddlebags on the V-Strom). The 'Guzzi is relatively affordable at $8500. One shop in "Jersey was offering me a V-Strom (sans saddlebags) for ~$6500 with tax and prep, which I thought seemed pretty good (although I'd add another $200 for the centerstand). Too bad I can't really jump on that now. I was originally sold on an SV650, but I think the V-Strom might be my next bike.
Surprisingly (for me) the Honda ST1300 felt like a tank, while the relatively ancient Kawasaki Concours felt relatively light and nimble (although the seating position on the Concours was pretty forward for a tourer). Even the Gold Wing felt more maneuverable than the ST1300. Really weird.
Speaking of tanks, I thought the Urals were a riot. I think they'd be a fun second bike (if I had the extra money and a place to put it). Pretty well priced for a bike with a sidecar. Definitely a party animal.
I suppose it's just me, but somehow the BMWs didn't impress me much. The 650 sportbike seemed interesting, but I'd take the 750 Brevia over it anyday. The Brevia felt so much more comfortable to me.
The Yamaha FJR1300 felt somewhere between the ST1300 and the Gold Wing to me. Nice bike, but way too overpriced, methinks.
The bulk of that show seemed to be overun by cruisers. Lots of mindless ostentatious crap everywhere. I wonder if the younger guys of that scene all really had big belly's or if they stuffed themselves with pillows to look like their older counterparts to be part of the cruiser "in" crowd.
What's up with that? Stop eating so much already...
There were too many stands selling videos showing people on sport bikes doing really stupid and dangerous things on public streets, putting themselves and innocent bystanders at great risk. Unfortunately this was a great draw for young people who thought this was all really cool. Personally I thought the people promoting this stuff should be shot at a public execution, along with the Adventstar promoters who allow them to be there.
I suppose it's just me, but I was expecting something larger and more diverse than what I saw. At least I got to check out the bikes I've been curious about, as well as discovering a few others I hadn't really considered, but overall I thought this show (for what it's supposed to be) was ho-hum.
My $.02.
Topic: New York City IMS (Read 3216 times)