It used to take me 25-30 minutes to get to John's house in St. Paul. Now it takes me 3 hours. A few weeks ago, I made the move up to God's Country, AKA, the north woods of WI, between Hayward and Ashland, right along side the Chequamegon National Forest. My father was raised in Hayward, and my mother was from Ashland. My paternal grandfather settled in the area in 1895, and my paternal grandmother, 1885. . I can trace my roots back to the area more than 125 years ago.
I met up with John and we drove to the MPLS Convention Center. This year the show seemed busier than past years. The parking ramps were fuller. Even the sales people from the local dealers seemed to be more motivated to try and talk to people. This was a nice change from 2009, when I wanted to buy a ZX-14, and NO ONE would take the time to talk to me.
We spent a solid 2 and a half hours looking and all things motorcycle!!
The new 2012 ZX-14R, in the best color!
The 2012 FJR is Cobalt Blue, the same as my 2006. The MSRP is now $15,590.00 YIKES!!!!!
Like years past, there was a nice display of clean vintage bikes.
I was a bit more selective about what I picked up from the displays this year. My bag was almost empty.
One thing that caught my eye was the device that the Cyclehill Tire changer was bolted to. I used to have my changer bolted to my garage floor. Now that I've moved and my garage has in-floor hot water heat, I don't know if I want to be drilling into the floor to bolt it down. The changer at the show was bolted to a metal frame that was designed to have a car park on it to hold it stationary. John told me he has a friend that welds, and that he could probably come up with something similar. I was thinking of mounting the changer to a 4' square of 3/4" plywood. Or, maybe bolting it to a large pallet?
I'll have to check out the new Shoei Neotec modular helmet. It looks like it has some features that my Multitec does not have.
You guys get all the best shows.
ReplyDeleteLooks like you had fun.
ReplyDeleteThat ZX-14 looks so long. I must be used to my Gladius with the short wheelbase.
I have my tire changer bolted to a wood frame I made out of 2x4s - vertical for the sides, horizontal for the deck. I stand on it while using it. Works great. It allows me to put it in the corner when not using it and pull it out to the middle of the room, so I can walk all the way around it.
ReplyDeleteRaftnn, The show was nice, but there are a lot of really cool motorcycles that are never imported to the USA, likr YZF-R125 or the XJR1300.
ReplyDeleteTrobairitz, It is a BIG bike for sure.
Chris, A well built frame might be the way to go. I was kind of thinking of covering a large pallet with a top layer of plywood.
Found your blog reading in the ZX-14 Ninja Forum. Nice pictures! Recently joined the forum to learn a little more about this bike.
ReplyDeleteAfter been out of the motorcycle business the last 18 years, I attended the Motorcycle Show in NYC last month. It was amazing! Now I am shopping for a ZX-14 lol.
http://www.koflaolivieri.com/blog/2012/01/an-obscene-display-of-power.html
Kofla @ The Motorcycle Diaries
Kofla, thanks for taking the time to check out my blog. I really appreciate it. The zx14 Ninja forum is a great place to pick up information on the bikes. There are some real characters over there for sure.
ReplyDeleteBe sure to stop back anytime and check out my older road trips.
Thanks again,
Erik.
That "green lantern" is super sporty! Kawasaki says that it is the "fastest accelerating motorcycle in production and that it has the most powerful production motorcycle engine ever built," so it’s definitely a great ride. It certainly helps that it looks very sharp and aggressive – it adds to that sports racer look. Hmm, I think it should be raised with Flash for us to know who's better!
ReplyDelete