2018 Motorcycle Show at Tradex

Chris and I attended this year’s motorcycle show at the Tradex Centre in Abbotsford on Saturday afternoon after our running group. If time and weather permits I do like to attend each year just to swing a leg over the new models and keep up with what’s new, especially with Scramblers. I’m really drawn to that genre.

The BMW RnineT is still my favourite. It was last year too.

Believe it or not, this also is an RnineT. BMW has made this model very
customize-able, straight from the factory. This particular incarnation looks
super-cool, but I'm sure the crotch-rocket riding position wouldn't do my lower
back any favours.

And yes, this is also an RnineT. I've always been drawn to the boxer twin
format. I guess it just adds some nostalgia. Kinda like what the V-twin does
for Harley. This RnineT styling exercise evokes Scrambler elements with
the high exhaust.

I really want to like Yamaha's scrambler but I don't like the seating position.
With the low-hung exhaust (which I don't like; Scramblers have high exhausts!)
the foot pegs are set too wide, and my left knee hits the air filter box. Perhaps
Yamaha just needs a customization program like BMW's. I'm sure I could
modify this thing to suit my tastes. All it takes is mo' money!

Harley Davidson was very well represented too. A cool 13 grand will send
you off into the sunset on this Roadster (although it looks like a 1200 Sportster
to me).

Here's the "Yama-Harley", aka the "Bolt", Yamaha's tribute to Harley's Sportster.
I must say it looks the part and feels quite comfortable, at least on the showroom 
floor. And you can't beat the cost savings; a $7,400 show special.

I tried out the Kawi that Chris bought; its a Ninja 1000, although Chris' will
be green when it arrives this week. This bike fit me quite well, I must say!

Indian (two point oh) was also represented with quite a wide range of models.
This one looks ready to storm the salt flats of Utah. 

I read a cool book a few years ago (twice actually) about a guy who rebuilt
a classic 1941 Indian, much like the one I tried out. In "Rebuilding the Indian"
by Fred Haefele his bike has a hand shifter and foot-operated clutch. I'm sure
I can't even comprehend how difficult that layout would be to learn to ride.

A few customs slipped in too. I didn't get a chance to talk to the owner, but
this Yamaha flat track racer's engine looks like two RZ350/400 engines mated
to a shared crankcase/transmission. I'm not aware of a 4 cylinder watercooled
2-stroke ever having been produced by Yamaha. In my opinion this was the
coolest bike in the building!

There were a couple of nods to the future in the show too, including this entry
from Electra Meccanica (a company which started life as Intermeccanica, the
producer of excellent quality Porsche 356 replicas). This car is a single seat,
3-wheeled electric vehicle conceived in Vancouver, and soon to be mass
produced in China.

Still in the future but back to two wheels, this Piaggio electric-assist bicycle
is what I'm interested in presently. This would be perfect for my Vancouver to
Richmond commute which involves a large hill on the return leg (I'm not
exactly getting any younger!) With this bike I could make use of the bicycle
bridge suspended from the Cambie Skytrain bridge. Last year my FZR1000
commute stuck in Knight Street bridge gridlock wasn't exactly pleasant.