Triumphrat

steve betts

Wanted to share some fun I had yesterday during my annual pilgrimage to the bike show. Happens every year mid January and it breaks up the monotony of winter and kind of flips the switch for me that the "season" is around the corner. For those of you who have never attended an international motorcycle show, they are big flashy, glitzy trade shows where all the manufacturers trot out their new models, and there are booths full of all things bike related.

It's a good opportunity to check out the latest and greatest, see familiar faces, talk bikes with fellow enthusiasts, pick up some products whether you need 'em or not, and enjoy some world class people watching. There's something for everyone. Here's a few pics I snapped of what I liked or what made me smile.


This was parked right outside the show, with "Cheap Sleep" written in felt pen. He'd been all over North and Central America in this thing.


Here we have consequence free wheelie practice.


The theme for this year's show is MATTE everything! Every manufacturer has a bike that blends in perfectly with road. Awesome safety feature.


If the Victory Vision is too subtle for your taste, consider flames.


Or the metallic green Hog, perfect with a long grey ponytail.


Why I ride a Monster. (Not really, but aren't they cute?)

[IMG]http://i1078.photobucket.com/albums/w499/stevebetts10
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MV Augusta, Italian bike porn.


Ahh nostalgia. I bought a brand new 750F in '81. BTW, the all new 1100 Honda was there in white. You could walk right past it without noticing it. That goes for most of the Honda lineup.

The blue Diavel in the red dress. This is Carolyn. I think the two of us had a moment. I think 10,000 other guys at the show think the same thing.


I can't explain it, but when I got home from the show, I had an uncontrollable urge to change my oil - with Amsoil.

steve betts

Here's a few more pics from the show.


The MV Augusta. Exquisite.


The new Speed Trip might be the best looking ever.


I'm sure most of us have seen the V7 Racer by now, understated she's not, eye catching she is.


Max made a "slightly" modified version of this machine go pretty fast in WSB.


If you're thinking about going around the world and don't want to do it without a nice paint job and a lot of carbon fiber, look no further.


If I didn't already have a naked Brit bike, and a naked Italian bike, and an almost naked bank account, I'd like this bike in my garage. But 15 grand? 15 grand!!!


And another bike I would like to own. It makes no sense whatsoever, other than a 690 single would be more fun than your first road trip with your mates.

honmaguro

Thanks for posting Steve - I took my eldest son out to the tradex this morning. He loved sitting on the little dirt bikes, pretending to ride pillion behind me, and the pretty girls.

Great surprise was to have a few world class riders putting on a show outside in the sunshine - the freestyle motocross was especially amazing to watch. Balls of steel, those guys!

Favourite bike of the show was probably the diavel carbon. Holy crap, such a confident riding position, and I bet you just can't help being a hooligan on it.

Arrived home with a new pair of gloves, gazed longingly at my sleeping bike, then grabbed a polishing cloth.

leftarmlogan

I want a 690 Duke very badly.

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rwantin

Thanks for posting, looks like fun. I used to attend the show in Long Beach every year when I lived in So Cal, and the show is here in the Detroit area next month. Hopefully I'll have the time for a visit. It does help with the whole winter thing.

And glad I'm not the only one that feels that way about matte black.

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Robert
2007 Bonneville T100 - Ricor Intiminators, Ohlins 36E's, TOR's, Burton DS003 and other geegaws.

Calliway

Great post Steve. Worth the read for the laugh. Love the BMW R1200 and the Duke! Oh and I spent 2 days on a RSV 4 Factory and it was beyond anything I have ever ridden. The scary thing is its so smart that its easy to ride very very fast and hard.

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steve betts

Thanks fellas. The one slightly disappointing part of this year's show that I didn't mention is the new managers of the Tradex decided to go more corporate and not open up what I think of as the "Gypsy Tent", which is full of, well, mostly junk, but includes a cross section of the human race that can otherwise only be found in third world countries, flea markets, the Calgary Stampede and trailer parks. It's there that you can find mountains of poor quality leather products, biker kitsch, and all manner of Sham Wow demonstrations.

I'm a sucker for that stuff, not the products, the people. The bike show isn't complete unless I've had a few exchanges with somebody trying to sell me something I don't need or want, where I know they're full of sh*t, they know they're full of sh*t, but we're both spellbound, playing our roles in the theatre of the absurd.