2004-2005 Motorcycle Show

Oh, it's that most wonderful time of the year!.......bike show time!

Each year I go, the fun of the bike show veers more and more towards the social; sitting on bikes is always still fun, of course, but unless there's a real brand-new show-stopper, much of my amusement comes from meeting and greeting and schmoozing and chatting. It's a miracle Peter still goes to these things with me. :)

We had a large "core" group this year: Peter, me, Steph, Tony, Deb, and Ben. Deb was contemplating upgrading from her current bike (a Buell Blast), and had some specific bikes to sit on; the rest of us had no real agenda in mind.

The bikes.
OK, let's start with the bikes themselves. First off, hopefully it won't spoil anyone's day to hear that there wasn't The One Super Awesome Brand-New Bike that blew everyone's socks off. Most of the things we saw were color changes/minor tweaks from previous years' models. Still fun, but nothing to gush about online, really.

The one new bike that we all enjoyed was the Triumph Thruxton 900. The six of us all met up at the Triumph booth, so everyone got a chance to sit on the Thruxton while waiting for the others to arrive. I was surprised by how light it was -- OK, granted, the bikes at the show have no fluids in them, and probably no battery, but still. For a 900, it felt like a feather.

Peter sat on the Triumph Daytona 955i while we were milling about, and I was surprised by how well it seemed to fit him. I could have sworn he'd sat on it in previous years, and didn't think he'd been that comfortable.

....Aha! I was right!

Peter on the 2002 Daytona 955i

Peter on the 2005 Daytona 955i

This also allows me another oppotunity to point out that my boyfriend has not aged in like 10 years. I'm seriously going to start searching the attic for a Dorien Grey-esque portrait.

Anyhoo. I got a big kick out of the Honda Ruckus. Any scooter that matches my cargo pants gets an OK in my book.

As always, we sat on the Superhawks. I continue to be saddened that they are tall and top-heavy. Peter thought this year's tank seemed to fit differently; his legs were more comfortable than they are on his 1998 model. This greyish-gold is definitely the 2005 color of choice; we saw it on quite a few bikes. I have to admit I like it more than the "all red, all the time" theme of 2001 or the "everything silver" of 2002.

Finally, in the Yamaha booth, I found a bike I could flatfoot.

While in the Yamaha booth, I played around with the Yamaha XT225 dual-sport, whose motto should be "The vertically-challenged's only option". Fortunately, I liked the bike, since it seriously is the only dual-sport I can even vaguely consider. With a seat height of 31.9", it wins the I Live In The Real World award.

In contrast, the Kawasaki KLR250 does not live in the real world. This is a TWO HUNDRED AND FIFTY cc motorcycle, Kawasaki. You already have the KLR650 for those lucky enough to be six feet tall, wtf were you thinking when choosing the seat height for the 250?

What we in the real world call "tiptoeing unacceptably". C'mon, people. Throw us a bone here.

Anyhoo, I'll rant about the tragedy of being 5'1" and wanting a dual sport some other time.

Have I mentioned that deep down in my heart of hearts, I want a Hayabusa for no reason at all? Now, y'know, OK, let's think about this for a second, in light of the dual sport rant. I can fit on a 1300cc totally excessive super dooper sports bike, but CANNOT FIT on a TWO FIFTY dual sport. I ask you.

Someday, my pretty....

And that was pretty much the bikes. Peter is dragging me off to breakfast now, so we will continue the bike show story in a bit....

Comments

[Doug K.]

Hey BP, don't worry about the seat height. I've got a 29" inseam and ride all kinds of bikes including my Aprilia Caponord. It just takes a bit of extra planning when moving the bike around or when coming to a stop. You can do it!

Speaking of dual sport bikes, take a look at the Kawasaki Sherpa. No longer made but a great bike not unlike the Yam 225. Used they are fairly inexpensive as they never caught on and were only built for two years I think.

Doug

[Lusty]

I have to admit to having a similar unexplainable secret desire to own a Hayabusa. It just seems to really fit me, somehow.

[Oscar]

Always lots of fun, I wish they would have more test rides available...other than just Buels.

[RedRocket800]

Blue remember that when you're 'really' riding you have the weight of all your gear, helmet, etc, and that will help sink it some too. I can't touch both feet down on my dual sport.

[Jamie C.]

The reason for the seat height on the KLR250 is that the frame is the same design as the KLR650; just lightened a bit.

Since the KLRs are both cheap and reliable, they have been hacked to death. With just a quick web search, I found lowering kits for the KLR that can lower the seat height as much as three inches. Couple that with a custom Corbin seat, and you may find yourself standing flatfooted on the bike.

If I ever move back into an area where I can actually go trail riding again (the whole reason I bought my KLR650 in the first place), I will likely get the KLR250.

Before you get too enamored by the XTs, be sure to research them a bit. I owned an XT550 "way back when", and started having engine problems at around 15K miles. When road riding (up around 50 MPH+), the bike suddenly would lose about 1/3 of its power. This was apparently a common problem, and was traced back to Yamaha's screwy carb system. (You couldn't even work on it if you needed to.) The "fix" was to replace the carbs (every few years)... so I simply ended up selling the bike.

Hopefully they have fixed that problem by now.

Jamie