Topic: motorcycle show in novi mi

[tramp]

went to the show in novi mi
some real cool bikes
saw the largest bike, stood about 7 foot tall with training wheels  so it wouldn't fall down
no triumphs at all
lots of other brands, some brand from russia with sidecars looked like ww2 bikes but brand new,very rough
moto guzzie had some pretty cool ones, clean and set up pretty good
bmw had some good cruisers
the two bikes that really impresses me were the harley 1200r which i just test drove last week and the honda 919
i like the honda because it had no fairing sat higher off the ground and had 4 in line with fuel injection
wonder if i could test drive the 919

[Jonesy]

no triumphs at all

Triumph puled out of the show 2 years ago. We were bummed as we really wanted to see them.

lots of other brands, some brand from russia with sidecars looked like ww2 bikes but brand new,very rough

Ural bikes. The story I heard for the reason why they look like Beemers was during WWII when the German war machine had taken over much of Eastern Europe, they set up a plant to build BMW bikes for the army. Near the end of the war after the German retreat, the tooling was left behind and was taken over by the Russians. That's why the designs look so dated.

[Kevin D]

wonder if i could test drive the 919

 Yeah, I have the same question. Dealers cringe when asked for a test ride, but have no problem asking $1000s for their product without ever letting you try it first. One even suggested recently that it was against state law. I have to agree that they have no way of knowing what your riding skills and habits are before they turn you loose on a 100+HP cycle, and that you would likely grab large handfuls of throttle during your ride. I can only imagine what the accident rate for MC test rides is.
 You may have a better chance finding a used bike for a demo ride. I did see a note that at certain of the MC shows demo rides would be offered, but it wasn't true at Novi.
 I also have found rental bikes available at certain vacation destinations. I haven't specifically found 919s, but have found ST1300s, Beemers and such. I think that it would be a blast to do a trip/test ride like this with your buddies.

http://www.tourbikes.com/bikes.html
http://www.twisty-roads.com/

the 919

Direct descendent most like the CB750 - IMHO

[tramp]

i have test drove two bikes
a v rod and a 1200r sportster
never asked a honda dealer for a test drive
maybe this spring