Back from the NYC show.. some road rash..

[deilenberger]

On my left knee from not looking where I was walking crossing 11th Ave.. tripped and scraped up my knee fairly well. Luckily Javits Convention Center has a crackerjack first-aid department..

What was there that was interesting? BMW had the new bikes 800GS, 450X.. had crowds around them. Had one lonely granite Roadster - no crowd but a pretty steady stream of people getting on it and seeing how their legs touched. Since the bike had the low seat on it - most people seemed pretty happy about it.

Japanese bikes.. yawn. HD - more yawn. Ducati had a lovely young lady outside their booth who I chatted with for a bit. Inside was testosterone filled lads hopping on the bikes and dreaming of being asked by Valentino Rossi if they could fill in for a lap or two.. Big exhibit of Korean (or are they Chinese) bikes - they seem to have progressed from what I saw there last year - some of them looked quite presentable. KTM was relegated to the boondocks of the convention center.. can't imagine they were very happy about that. Had a nice display. No Husquevarna - guess BMW money hasn't flowed in that far yet - or distribution hasn't been setup. Lots of the usual chopper crap, cruiser crap, fringe and leather crap. No boots worth looking at (I was looking and brought $$). Overall - seemed a small show compared to last year (other end of the center also - since the BOAT SHOW - had the majority of the convention center) and seemed like less people than usually are there Friday afternoons.

I mostly look for the small vendors. My friend Klaus was there with YSS and Hyperpro. CycleGadgets was there - bought the aluminum coil pulling tool for $25. Cycle World (organizer of the show) - had Peter Egan's "Leanings" and "Leanings-2" on sale. Autographed. I'd read 2, never read the original - so I now own an autographed copy. There was a place selling personalized embroidered T-shirts, with your choice of bike (and color) and text. Had every BMW except the R1200R - which the guy running it seemed rather surprised at.

Got to see Monsoor of Roadgear and thank him for his marvelous customer service when a pair of gloves I'd bought at last years show exhibited a tiny flaw (he replaced them no questions asked - and said keep the first pair as spares..) Got to chat with Richard and Kathy of RKA luggage - nice people, nice products.

Met Steve O from the hexheads forum on the MOA forums. Said Hi! to Michael Friedle (MOA Director) at the booth. Saw lots of members of several of the clubs I'm a member of.

Good time except for the knee. Sore feet. Have to go get a tetanus shot tomorrow.. which is sorta a bummer... but it feels ridable and it's only supposed to rain tomorrow AM, so..

[ka5ysy]

See.... You gotta be ATGATT even at motorcycle SHOWS!! You just never know when you're gonna go down !

[AllanCook]

With the exception of that knee, it sounds like fun, Don. Ducati always has lovely young ladies at the show.

Those shirts are available at http://www.autumnriders.com/order.asp

Heal fast.

[deilenberger]

With the exception of that knee, it sounds like fun, Don. Ducati always has lovely young ladies at the show.

Those shirts are available at http://www.autumnriders.com/order.asp

Heal fast.

Thanks. Turns out I had a tetanus shot about 3 years ago so I was OK to go. MD took a look and said it was OK.

Great info on the shirt.. they even have the R1200R in the right colors

Now to decide what I want it embroidered on..

[famousperson]

Sorry to hear about your knee, but glad you enjoyed the show. Where did you stay?

I, too, can't figure out what to have embossed on the denim jacket I am going to order from Autumn Riders. How about "BMW" on the top, then "Loud pipes save lives" underneath? No, that doesn't work. I'll have to think of something since I can't wear my Harley denim, anymore.

[NCGS]

Don, Glad to hear it wasn't any worse.. As you (we) know, it's not as easy to heal from those bumps and bruises as we get older.

I think the new 800GS might just be BMW's best selling bike in '08 - time will tell.

I enjoy reading your posts, and your site is one of my favorites. Best wishes for a healthy and prosperous New Year.

Keep 'em coming,
Chris in NC

[jfslater98]

I went to the show today, and was also surprised by the, ahem, shrinkage. Wasn't it on both floors last year? Maybe not. Triumph wasn't there, I wonder why they passed? I joined the BMWMOA and picked up some Rok Straps. I started to buy some tools, but decided I'd given up enough money for the day. Pretty much all the Japanese stuff didn't fit well, which is good, because the B King pics had me drooling. Why are the HD's so difficult to pull off the stand vs. the Victories? I would imagine with the cam gear lower in the Harleys, the CG would be better. And they both seemed a bit unsteady, just holding them up...

The BMWs all fit me nicely, with a few exceptions: the K bikes have a "bell housing" on the right side that my big foot found distracting. Has anyone else noticed that? Maybe my sneakers pushed my foot farther up, because I hadn't noticed it before.

My biggest regret was not riding in, such a nice day for NY in the winter.

[mogu83]

Don,
I was wondering if that was the low seat. It does feel more comfortable than the normal seat. Do you have any idea what the difference in height is? We'll have to put our bikes side by side to compare.

[deilenberger]

I went to the show today, and was also surprised by the, ahem, shrinkage. Wasn't it on both floors last year? Maybe not.

For sure it was bigger last year - more manufacturers and more small vendors - plus the bike show in the back and the ball-o-death.. (and wasn't there a trials riding display last year?) Last year was at the other end of Javits which has the higher space in it - guess the boat show grabbed that space.

Triumph wasn't there, I wonder why they passed? I joined the BMWMOA and picked up some Rok Straps.

Both good purchases.. My ROK straps stay on the bike tucked under the seat.. come in quite handy at times.

Snippage..

My biggest regret was not riding in, such a nice day for NY in the winter.

Indeed it was. I got in about 100 miles today just toodling around..

[deilenberger]

Don,
I was wondering if that was the low seat. It does feel more comfortable than the normal seat. Do you have any idea what the difference in height is? We'll have to put our bikes side by side to compare.

Harry - I think the low seat is a bit more than 1/2" lower.. it's enough to be noticeable. And it seems the low one is the comfortable seat (was talking with Kenny the Cop today at Mikes - he mentioned your disliking the stock height seat, which he found surprising since he claims you're comfortable on a 2x4..)