"So many motorcycles, so little time..."All I can say after getting back home from the International Motorcycle Show is, "Wow!"
Pattimarie and I spent this Saturday and Sunday in Atlanta, and went to the 17th Annual International Motorcycle Show, which was held at the World Congress Trade Center. The biggest problem we had was navigating thru the Atlanta traffic on a Saturday morning and finding a place to park. Let me tell you, the complex that houses the WCTC also has the Georgia Dome AND the Georgia Aquarium, and the place is absolutely
H-U-G-E!!! We managed to get a space in the Handicapped parking area thanks to Pattimarie's handicapped sticker and "thought" we had a prime time parking space. Unfortunately, it turned out that we had parked mext to the Georgia Dome instead of thw WCTC, and still had to walk a helluva long way just to get to the building that held the bike show, and even then we walked, and walked, and walked inside before going down three long escalators that led to the gigantic show area where the show was laid out in all its splendor. The combination of colors from all the various manufacturers with their huge banners, signs, and shiny bikes everywhere and the crowd noise of the throngs of people already there milling about (we didn't get in to the show until about 11:30am and the show opened that day at 9:30) was overwhelming!
"So, this is what heaven is like!" , I joked to Pattimarie as we walked past the Buell Display, the first bike maker to greet us as we walked in. It was difficult to decide which direction to go, there was so much to see. The "big four" bike manufacturers (Honda, Yamaha/Star, Suzuki, and Kawasaki all had enormous and brightly lit display areas that one could see from anywhere in the hall. I looked off in the distance and could see the BMW display area, so we decided that would be the first stop.
BMW's area had a classy, "euro" feel to it. The entire bike lineup for 2007 was spaced out in a huge circle that ran the perimeter of the display area. I found the new F800ST and F800S bikes and sat on each, and noted the displays of the instrumentation panel, which I liked. The new F650 trio of bikes designed to attract the "Gen-Y" young biker was also on display, and I sat on each of those as well, but found the saddle height too high for my liking. Slick looking bikes, though. They also had displays of cutaway engines of the K1200, and F800 engines there, as well as a front suspension system of the K1200 so one could see on what principle it worked that made it better than the usual forks.
They had a drawing for a "Win the BMW of your dreams" contest going on, so both PM and I filled out an entry form and dropped it in the slot. (Who knows - maybe I'll be the one out of a bazillion entries to win!)
After about a half hour milling about the BMW area, we moved on and walked past the Victory booth, so Pattimarie could see the bike of her dreams, the "8-Ball". She sat on it, and I could see the slightest spark in her eyes that told me that maybe,
just maybe,she might want to get another bike. We also checked out Victory's new entry in the touring wars with the Goldwing and the Electra-Glide, the new "Vision". It had some really swoopy lines and looked like something from a Buck Rogers movie. Pretty to look at, but not my cup of tea. They'll probably sell a boatload of them, though.
We also passed by the Honda display (not surprisingly, the biggest display there) and then walked through the Yamaha/Star booth and Suzuki booth, where PM saw what "used" to be her ride, the LS650 Savage, now called the M40. She had a "sentimental moment" sitting on it, reflecting on the fun she had on the bike over the past couple of years before it got smashed in her accident. She then proceeded to talk to a young woman who was looking at the bike and told her how "perfect" the bike was for a new rider. I think she still has the "fever" for another bike, if you ask me.
The one other display I wanted to make sure I visited was the Moto-Guzzi display, which was nestled in with the Aprilia, Vespa, and Piaggio product area. I've been lusting after a new Breva 750, and sat on it and noted how close to the R65 the Breva is, in weight, seat height, wheelbase and overall feel. They also had one of their new sport-touring bikes, the Norge 1200, pretty in silver, as well as a Griso 1100, the larger Breva 1100, the Nevada 750 Classic cruiser, and of course, their flagship, the California 1100 EV "Vintage". They also had this neat area where you could get your photo taken against a "green" background (like they use in the movies) and then you could choose one of four backgrounds and have your photo put on that. I chose a western desert background with a Griso 1100 to "stand beside". The girl took my photo and then printed out a little card and gave it to me, which told me to go to a website and type in the code number which was on the card, and then you could print out your picture. (Naturally, the story of my life, when I got back home and tried to print out the picture, I kept getting an error message saying the code was invalid.) Oh well, it wasn't like I
paid for the photo!
Part Two of this report to follow shortly!
Topic: Back from the Int'l Motorcycle Show in Atlanta! (Read 2004 times)