| Author | Message | ||
     Rocketman |
If it were not for a few notable exceptions, the show would have been a huge disappointment. Despite the launch or first UK sighting of several new models, there really was a lot of same old same old. Star of the show must have been the KTM RC8.  This bike smacks of quality with a huge amount of style and up to date technology and components. UK price £10600. That's gonna steal a lot of 1098 potentials, and nick a few off the Japanese too. Rocket | ||
| Rocketman |
High Tech  Rocket | ||
| Rocketman |
Powerhouse.  Rocket | ||
| Rocketman |
Quality components abound. Look at the adjustment available.  Rocket | ||
| Rocketman |
Take away the Desmo RR, the best bike of the show in terms of absolute quality without question, the HP2 Sport. For a little over £15000 this bike was a total smack you in the face exotic. Dripping in carbon fibre and billet alloy, as well as top spec stuff like Marchesini and Ohlins, BMW are out to kill.  You have to see this bike in the flesh to appreciate how attractive as a sports motorcycle it is for something a little unconventional. Rocket | ||
| Rocketman |
Look closely at the quality in the foot controls and their associated parts, you can also see the worlds first production motorcycle to be fitted with a quickshifter as standard equipment.  Rocket | ||
| Rocketman |
Billet top yoke is a work of art.  £15K starts to make sense when you look at what your money gets you. Especially so when you look at what some other two wheelers costing similar don't offer you. Rocket | ||
| Rocketman |
These guys bikes were there too.  Charley was there as usual doing his rounds. Bumped into him a couple of times, but he was busy networking, so I left him to it. Rocket | ||
| Rocketman |
Triumph brought a nice 675, though my pic does not do it any justice.  Rocket | ||
| Rocketman |
The Bloor era Bonnie's have never been my thing, but this after market Thruxton was a good effort if 'new' retro is your thing.  Rocket | ||
| Doerman |
Nice pics Sean, and thanks! What tripps somebody's trigger amaze me. For instance, in this case, I don't like the looks of the RC8 (when I say "don't like" I mean I find it repulsive). The biggest turnoff for me is the vertical light system and even more so, the flat slab fairing lowers. Other than that it is cluttered. I do appreciate the tech bits though. Then on the other hand, the HP2 I think looks real snazzy!! Me likes! I guess tastes in bikes and girls are hard to agree upon and that's probably a good thing. (Message edited by doerman on November 24, 2007) | ||
| Rocketman |
No MV's. No Aprilia's. The latest Z1000 is yet again nowhere near as good as the first of the new era. The new Busa is a lard arse. Looks like it's aimed towards US sales. Victory were out in force. They're hovering around the £10k mark on average over here. It's easy to see why. Their quality is built DOWN to a price, despite the hype of several tears ago. Frankly, the Japanese were a little low key this year compared to others. No Asimo nor dancing girls from Honda either. BMW and KTM were out in force. These guys are pushing hard for Europe. Ducati had the new little Monster on show. Tricolore version too. It looks much closer to the original Monster than pic's suggest. Yeah it's cool enough. The Hypermoto was there with lots of Corse accessories on it. Desmo RR doesn't quite look as spectacular as the real thing when you see them next to one another. The frame is to enclosed and hidden around the fairing \ tank area on the 'road' version, which frankly spoils a lot of its good looks. The Ducati racing and mountain bicycles once again made an appearance. Great they are, but not at £3k plus thank you very much! The latest Benelli TNT looked cluttered. I can see why it would appeal to some though. Forget the Chinese. They aren't even close despite what they might be capable of. Apart from that, not a lot to write home about. The caramel and vanilla coffee's were good throughout the day though. Rocket | ||
| Rocketman |
For me, KTM's mistake with the RC8 is not to have it in glossy orange. The tail section need to be in orange too. Yes it's not such a flattering image from head on, but it's not going to be viewed from head on very often. I don't see an issue with the rest of the styling really. It all pretty much blends in. In fact I think the whole bike would look better if it were all orange and junk the black underneath and rear fairing panels. Rocket | ||
| Rocketman |
Nice pic's? C'mon Asbjorn. They're off my phone, lol!!!!!!!!!! Rocket | ||
| Bcordb3 |
Rocket, did the HP2 have the 120 HP version of the boxer? | ||
| Rocketman |
Rocket, did the HP2 have the 120 HP version of the boxer? No. It had the 133HP version of the Boxer. We were so bowled over by how spectacular this bike is, one of BMW's men overheard us gibbering on, so he came over and gave us a lecture on BMW's immediate future. We were told about the WSB racer, and the spin off street bikes to come - centred around their new IL4 engine, which BMW are really impressed by. These guys are in it to win it. The guy knew his onions too. As well as working for BMW Europe, he's a senior bike instructor at Cadwell and Mallory, so I'd assume he speaks from experience when he says the HP 2 Sport is an awesome bike. Funny enough, at one point he used the term 'real world performance' when praising the Boxer's power in the HP2S. Rocket | ||
| Wile_ecoyote |
Thanks Rocket for sharing them pics. Grateful you got them for us to see. | ||
| Prof_stack |
Sean Rocket: Thanks for sharing the pics! The CW show arrives in Seattle next weekend. Did you catch a glimpse of the new Royal Enfield unit-construction engine? Did they have a new model to put it in? | ||
| Rocketman |
Did you catch a glimpse of the new Royal Enfield unit-construction engine? Did they have a new model to put it in? No I didn't, and to be honest I'd not heard of a new unit engine either. But there's a good reason for this. RE's are not taken seriously except by those we refer to as 'Reggies' - old farts who plod around on nostalgic machines, usually unreliable yet proclaimed as great because of their simplicity. So I confess, I had no interest in the RE stand. Shame on me. Just last week I was offered a really nice 1963 RE in Clubmans trim, for a grand. I took a friends advice, thinking this was a good deal. My friend runs a classic British bike business, working hands on in every aspect of it, including restoring bags of rust into full on restored machines worth thousands. You get the picture. Friend did not have a good word to say about RE's, old or new! I walked. Here's my friend Steve in his office.......  Really Steve's subject matter deserves an entire thread of its own. Incidentally, Steve is a classic American car nut. He spent 12 years restoring a 47 Pontiac Silver Streak. Recently he just bought a De Soto 3 window coupe from some bloke in Cali, which he's just had shipped here about 3 weeks ago. Did I mention he sometimes drives around in a 51 Coupe De Ville once owned and bought new by Mickey Rooney. Like I said, needs another thread, lol. Rocket | ||
| Rocketman |
Here's the Pontiac. Taken about 8 weeks ago.  Rocket | ||
| Crusty |
That's what a real motorcycle shop should look like. | ||
| Rocketman |
Trust me Crusty, you ain't seen nuthin yet!  Rocket | ||
| Doerman |
Nice Sean. There's a store in my home town that specializes in early Fords.. http://www.earlyfordstore.com/home.html I love wandering through there every now and again. It might also be a resource for some of your UK buddies in case they are restoring an early Ford Cheers... As | ||
| Rocketman |
As, that place makes 'gold mine' seem inadequate! Thanks. Nice link, and good to know. Rocket |
