Int’l Motorcycle Show [day 2]

Today’s highlights:

Inspired

I chatted with Gary Eagen for a long while at the Ducati booth. He’s the guy that broke the world record, riding 5,632-miles from the northernmost road in Alaska to the southernmost tip of Florida in 100 hours certified by the "Iron Butt Association". He completed the ride on a Ducati Multistrada. He was just the person I needed to talk to, after all I already made the Decision to ride around the world on a Muli a few weeks ago, even though everyone that had done that kind of riding said to get a BMW or a KTM. But I don’t adventure tour, I don’t ride dirt, so why would I get a different type of a bike to do one trip, when I can do the trip on a bike I’m more familiar with. Needless to say, Gary though that the muli was capable of a trip like that and added that he had more BMW’s break down on him than Ducatis.



It’s always great to talk to a legend.

BMW



This is also the second year in a row that I’m drooling over the K1200S. This bike is sharp and it’s low, although it’s not very light at all. This will probably be one of those bikes that I will always dream of having, but for me, I just can’t justify it. It’s expensive and my ST3 is so much lighter and probably handles more like a sport bike. But it’s nice to have something to dream about in case I do win that lotto some day.

Buell

Back on the Buell, I really enjoy the displays. The Lightning which I call the iPod bike, is my favorite Buell. I think I’d like to ride one again at femmoto this year.



Suzuki



GXSR 750, does this bike make my butt look fast?



GSXR 1000, red is my least favorite color scheme for the gixxer.

I had to re-visit the gixxers today. I like to play this pretend game where I figure out which color of bike I would get if I was to get one, but that’s usually the easy part. With the gixxers, I had a hard time figuring out which bike I wanted, the 600, 750 or 1000cc. All very similar, they all fit me well. A 600 would be great because I could do some track days on it, the 1000 would be super fast and the 750 some where in the middle. I sat on all 3 and I though the 1000 was the most comfortable, then the 600 then the 750. I don’t know how, they look the same, except for the exhaust.

Kawasaki



I sat on the new parallel twin Ninja 650R. I’m not sold on the looks and I can’t say I’m sold on the way the bike feels. I’d imagine it would be comfortable with handlebars and upright seating position, although the Suzuki SV650 fits me just right and I like the more aggressive seating position. Maybe the new 650R will grow on me.



This year total all around winner (in my opinion for whatever that counts) is the Z750. I actually really liked the bike last year when I sat on it at the show and then again when I sat on it at Femmoto. I hope to get to ride it this year if Kawasaki attends again. And I even though of replacing the F4i with the Z750, but I really wanted a touring bike so I‘m glad I got the ST3.

I love the way the Z750 looks, especially in this black/silver sparkly color scheme. This bike is the most comfortable of all the bikes that I sat on at the show. It’s low enough, the seat seems soft, the seating position is upright but I still end up leaning forward. Just seems like a great all around bike.