Went to the Long Beach motorcycle show today...

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
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Random thoughts after walking around and looking at what the good people in the MC industry have conjured up for 2004:

The Triumph Rocket III is an animal . 2400cc triple cylinder inline - whoah! Each cylinder displaces the same volume as my entire engine. 200 Nm of torque at 2500 rpm… :eek: Everybody and their uncle builds large-displacement V2 cruisers, this is a refreshing take on the large-bore cruiser concept.

Another large-bore cruiser that manages to look like a concpet bike: The Honda Valkyrie Rune looks friggin’ amazing up close. Very, very cool.

The 1000cc sportbikes are getting to be very small, very lightweight and very, very powerful. Taking a Kawasaki Zx-10 Ninja or a Yamaha R1 of the sidestand is like picking up a 250 cc racebike. But both bikes have a 170+ HP powerplant, and both have a dry weight below 170 kg. :smiley: (Incidentally, any rookies considering one of these should go with a bullet between the eyes instead. Considerably cheaper and less traumatic for the clean-up crew.) Oh, and for some reason, both come with the most incredibly butt-ugly over-sized indicator lights.

Speaking of butt-ugly, Ducati seems to have forgotten to build beautiful bikes. The 749/999 photographs far better than it looks IRL. When compared to the 748/916 of yesteryear, the 749 looks like something built from the parts bin.

Staying with the subject, IMHO the Aprilia Futura was hit with the ugly stick until the stick snapped. Too bad, because by most accounts it’s sporty and comfortable. Aprilia seems to be resting on its laurels in the sportbike world - the RSV Mille is at a relatively low 138 HP with 180 kg dry weight, that won’t cut it. Pity.

The 2004 model of my bike, the Honda Interceptor looks very, very cool in the new matt black “Asphalt” colour scheme. (Although I have to admit that the name seems poorly picked. You generally speaking want to keep the paint job away from the asphalt…) But the matte finish had already worn off at the edges on the showbike, it must be a b.tch to maintain.

Other observations: Moto Guzzi was the only brand to emply young ladies in skimpy clothing to attract visitors. BMWs can be delivered with some funky factory paintjobs.

Oh, and it was pouring down when I rode home. :mad:

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Sounds like a good show! I would have gone with you if I was still in Los Hideous. Thereis a downside to living in the Great Green Pacific Northwest in the winter; not too many riding days. I’ve taken two very short rides on my R1 since I’ve been here. I’m going to have to plug the gap between my jacket and neck. It’s a little brisk out. (But then, my roommate has been taking his kayak out on Drayton Harbor when it’s 40°F and blowing 20 knots. Completely mental, him.

I got the new piece of plastic to replace the the piece theneighbour kid broke before I left. They had a new R1 in the shop, but I didn’t have time to look at it. 180hp at the crank! That’s 40 more than I have. Actually, I’ve found 140hp quite sufficient. The surface streets are posted 35mph and 50mph. I don’t think I got past (much) 70mph on my rides. Never even got out of 3rd.

But man, oh man, am I looking forward to spring and summer! Roomie’s moving out in the spring and hopes to be living on Vancouver Island. It’s going to be great riding the R1 up to Canada and onto the ferry! There are no canyouns up here like around Malibu, but it’s much prettier with all of the trees. And Mt. Baker is just a lahar-flow away! The Olympic Peninsula would make a nice 400-mile round trip ride, and my favourite place for smoked salmon is in the middle of it.

You’re right about the directional indicators. I didn’t mind them when I got the R1, but I do find them oversized. Same with that littke “mud guard” license plate bracket. Those will all be replaced eventually.

I like the Moto Guzzis. There’s something about them, but I can’t put my finger on it. I kind of like the BMWs; but they seem a little too chunky to me, and they are way overpriced for what you get (although not so price-inflated as Harley Davidsons).

Did they have any Royal Enfields there? I know they’re not legal in California, but it would be cool if they had a display anyway.

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“sufficient” sounds about right. :stuck_out_tongue: Yeah, it’s beginning to remind me of the top-speed competition a few years back - sooner or later, you just end up with some imposing but impractical figures. But the new R1 is a beaut - they’ve moved the exhausts up under the saddle, very sleek.

I might’ve overstated their ugliness - they just seemed out of place on a bike that slick. Especially with the rear/brake light all 21st century LEDs. At first I thought it was a matter of the bike being essentially a track weapon and an assumption that the owners would want to race-prep it anyway, but other non-race items like passenger footrests actually look pretty streamlined.

I like that basic bloody-mindedness in building bikes different from anything else on the market. And they do look very nicely finished. But they feel weird and badly balanced when I get to sit on them.

BMWs are neatly made and they have the guts to sometimes be a little radical in their designs - asymmetrical layouts etc. But the flat-twin is no way to make a sporty motorcycle, no matter what you do. The R1200C cruiser is a neat piece and would’ve been my cruiser of choice until last Saturday - now it’s Triumph Rocket III, of course. :smiley:

No Enfields, except for veterans. Pout.

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Speaking of Moto Guzzis, I used to have a 1979 Honda CX500 that I bought for a dollar. It had a lateral V-twin like a Moto Guzzi. You could feel the torque when you revved it. It was a heavy bike, but seemed less so after I removed the Windjammer fairing.

I’ve often wondered about Japanese bikes’ designs. The CX500 resembled a Moto Guzzi. The Yamaha TDM resembled a Ducati. (I’ve heard it was a good bike, but would you really want to ride a bike called the “Tedium”? And what about all of those Toyotas with “Turd” stickers on them? :smiley: ) Those are the only two examples I can think of at the moment, but for a while I was suspecting that the Japanese were copying European designs. (Note: IMO the Japanese make the best bikes; but the Europeans have a lot of style.)

I mentioned the downside to living in Northern Washington, but there is a good side when it comes to bikes: I can get a brand new Royal Enfield Bullet here, and I couldn’t in California. :stuck_out_tongue:

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Hm. Usually motorcycle threads get a lot more posts.

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Did you get a look at the Yamaha FZ6?

The Suzuki V-Strom 650?

Does BMW have a 650 single for 2004?

I’m seriously thinking about those - more serious about the FZ6 since a Yamaha dealer’s close by.

The interceptor looks sweet, but a little out my price range.

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Man, that seller saw you comin’ a mile away! :smiley:

This thread reminds me how much fun being in the motorcycle industry was and I almost miss it till I look at my bank statement.

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Not at all! The CX500 would comfortably cruise at 70, it had a throttle lock so I could put my hands in my pockets when it was cold, it had decent pulling power, and even though I lost first gear somewhere along the line it took off quite happily in 2nd. It was The Bike That Wouldn’t Die. So I sold it.

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do you know of any motorcycle shows in the san fran bay area in the next two weeks?