For the last three years we have gone to the
International Motorcycle Show in Seattle and used it as an excuse for a blogger meet up. With so much going on this year nothing had been mentioned so we did not anticipate attending.
We knew that
Bobskoot had his hands full taking care of Mrs. Skoot after her fall and broken wrist and
others are busy this time of year as well.
Then PolarBear mentioned going, and a small group of our Saturday morning coffee crowd decided to jaunt up for a quick overnight to the show.
PolarBear, aka Andy and his lovely wife SweetPea, aka Karen,
RickRick,
Troubadour and I signed up for the trip.
Thank you Andy for driving! We were up at 4 am on Saturday December 15th and out of the house by 5:30 am. We drove to Lebanon and piled in PolarBear/SweetPea's Ford Expedition, then headed to Portland to pick up RickRick who'd driven up the night before.
To Seattle!! We made one stop in Kelso, WA at Starbucks for some breakfast and coffee and made it to Seattle before 11:00 am. We checked in at our hotel and then took the free hotel shuttle to the Convention Center.
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| (Troubadour on a Yamaha) |
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| (PolarBear on a Yamaha) |
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| (RickRick and PolarBear virtual racing the Yamahas) |
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| (Troubadour on the new 2013 Suzuki GW 250) |
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| (Troubadour on a $10k BMW maxi-scoot - heated seats and heated grips) |
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| (Troubadour on a BMW R1200R) |
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| (Troubadour on the new 2013 Triumph Trophy) |
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| (Troubadour on Jason DiSalvo's record setting Rocket III) |
SOUND RIDER VINTAGE/ MODIFIED VINTAGE BIKE DISPLAY:
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| (1939 Harley Davidson Aermachhi M-65) |
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| (Sorry - can't remember what this one was) |
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| (1960 Ducati 200 Elite) |
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| (1960 Ducati 200 Elite) |
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| (1972 Kawasaki H1 500) |
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| (1972 Yamaha DS-7) |
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| (1975 Kawasaki K-1) |
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| (1976 Harley Davidson FLH Electra Glide) |
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| (1982 Suzuki GS 850 G w/side car) |
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| (1982 Suzuki GS 850 G) |
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| (Interesting Suzuki - it had no identifying sign) |
CUSTOM BUILD OFF BIKES:
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| (is it pink......or black) |
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| (A most excellent Triumph Rocket III) |
All in all it was a great show that we attended with a great group of friends. I would however think a different time of day might be better and less crowded. (we were there from about noon to 3:30 pm on Saturday)
We have attended four shows and I've managed to sit on bikes at two of them. I don't always deal well with large groups of people, especially hyper excited pushing and shoving ones.
We did come away with a few bags of swag and I am putting together a giveaway post for the new year. Stay tuned.
Oh, and thank you Andy for driving!!
- Au Revoir
"I find a great part of the information I have was acquired by looking up something and finding something else along the way." - Franklin P. Adams
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Man you guys are lucky with your shows, such great bikes with heaps of different stuff...
ReplyDeleteHave a great Christmas day..looking forward to meeting you soon!
PS: Make sure you and Brad know what a "Hongi" is.....
I know we didn't get pictures of half the bikes there. The Honda booth was too busy to check out the new CBR 500's of which they had all three models and the NC700. Although others in our group managed to sit on them at some point.
DeleteOkay...... Hongi has been googled and videos have been watched. We're ready for you Rogey!! Only 10 more days.
Trobairitz:
ReplyDeleteThank you for these photos. I particularly liked that nice, hot, sleek, Red Italian model in photo #5. So aerodynamic with those soft body panels.
How did Troubadour like the R1200R ? You should have sat on it, very low and nimble, and lightweight too
bob
Riding the Wet Coast
My Flickr // My YouTube
I thought a few of you might like the Italian plastic.
DeleteI think Troubadour has always liked the R1200R. I was wore out and hungry enough by that time I didn't bother sitting on any bikes. I was busy playing photographer and pack mule for the swag bags.
Nice toy show there. I'm with Bob on my favourite though :) happy holidays.
ReplyDeleteI'm thinking maintenance costs would be just as high on a Ducati as with that little number.
DeleteHappy Holidays to you and your family as well.
Purty cool! Oh to win the lottery!
ReplyDeleteI doubt I could reach the ground seated on any of them...er, maybe the one scooter
What would it be like to win the lottery? Oh wait, I'd have to but a ticket first.
DeleteLove that there is a Ninja 300 and a Suzuki GW250. It's good to see these options out there joining the Honda CBR250R. Things are looking up for us small displacement folk. Oh...and the Morgan <3
ReplyDeleteI am very happy to see the small bikes coming back. I wish they would have had the Suzuki GW250 when I was looking at the TU 250. I probably would have bought it instead. It is nice to see so many small cc'd motorcycles being developed and I think the CBR 500's will fill a need in the market as well.
DeleteLove the show shots - our Super show is next week in Toronto, but I'm like you - don't do crowds well. Plan to hit early and low and leave before the crowds arrive (well, hopefully that is.)
ReplyDeleteI was thinking Sunday might be a better day to go but our Triumph shop owner said he was there on Sunday and it was a zoo, maybe there is no slow time to go
DeleteThank you for posting the photos from the show. I remember last year that it was in the middle of December but I really couldn't afford to skip a week of work from when I was in the area this year.
ReplyDeleteBut then again, those kinds of shows are only good if you are still in the market for something...
BTW, what is "CCs"?
ReplyDelete"CC" = Coffee Crowd?
DeleteCoffee Crowd is a good one, when I thought of the title I was actually thinking "cubic centimeters" for the displacement, but I like coffee crowd. Good thinking.
DeleteThe show was good for wandering and hanging out with friends and seeing new models, but it might be easier to wait for them to hit your local showroom floor.
Nice picture of the high maintenance, temperamental, expensive upkeep, Italian plastic! The bikes were nice too...
ReplyDeleteWell said my friend. I too was thinking of the expensive and high maintenance and upkeep involved with that model.
DeleteTroubadour on a Vulcan - just doesn't sound right or even look right. Nice looking show by the way. My wife liked the pink & black ZX-10. Its a bit of a weird custom paint job, you don't see something like that often.
ReplyDeleteI agree, just doesn't sound right.
DeleteI thought the ZX-10 was cool, I am not a huge fan of pink, but it was original. Honest officer it was a black bike.
Troubadour on a Vulcan sounds like making love to Spock.
ReplyDeleteGreat pictures, especially of all of you on the bikes. My show pictures invariably are just of the bikes, which is pretty dull, so I applaud you for making it much more interesting.
Funny Gary, your Spock comment made me chuckle.
DeleteI like to find picture of the custom bikes with no one around, but it is fun to take pictures of friends trying on all the bikes for size.
I am not one for hopping on and off bikes with a ton of people around so I am always reluctant to do so. There is usually a line up of people waiting to get on each bike and I really don't want people looking at me.
Hmmm. Something going on here that fits a pattern. You are a Vegan and Troubadour wants a Vulcan. All sounds very alien to me....
DeleteSeems like it was a pretty good show - I hope the Ottawa one coming up is even half as good. As for the pictures the one that caught my eye was the Morgan. Now there's a good use for a lottery win!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing.
It was a good show. It is nice in the Convention Center as it seems larger than when it was in Qwest Field. Hope the show in Ottawa is just as good. I've heard rumors the Canadian shows are bigger with more manufacturers present.
DeleteThanks for the show pics...seeing what's new for 2013 is just as good as attending ourselves. We would have liked to have gone to the motorcycle shows in either Calgary or Edmonton, but the 8 hour drive is just too far for only two days off.
ReplyDeleteOur temperature today is -30 Celsius (-22 F), so this virtual field trip will be my only venturing outside my door today. Even the dog does not want to go out...
A show in Calgary sounds fun, but that is a long drive. Ours is usually about 4.5-5 hours each way, not so bad and our temperatures are not near as cold as yours.
DeleteDamn that is cold. About all you can do in those temps is think about where you want to ride to next year and read the blogs from Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, etc and soak up the sunshine through their pictures.
Ahh man I'm jealous! The IMS won't hold a show anywhere in Arizona, not sure why. You'd think Phoenix would be the perfect venue. Very nice pictures! I'd love to hear what Troubadour thought about sitting on the Trophy? Did it make him want to go out and buy one:)
ReplyDeleteIt doesn't make sense that the IMS won't hold a show in Arizona...hello...year round riding weather......
DeleteI am not sure how he felt about the Trophy. We were pretty tired by that time and I don't remember any comments. I think you'd have to pry the 955 Tiger keys from his cold dead hand.
Interesting to see the bikes. I don't thinking I am going to go to the Vancouver one this year, too much going on. Still love the Diavel, but would be happy with the Hnda Nc700. Italian pastic indeed ;)
ReplyDeleteThe Vancouver one would be cool, but it is just so far away. 9 hours of driving for us each way, but at least no ferry ride like you'd have.
DeleteThat Diavel certainly is nice - and light too.
What a great weekend with friends! Troubadour makes that R1200R look so small...so why does mine feel so big?? Some really great new bikes this year. Too bad this show no longer comes to Houston. :-( Closest one is Dallas and I was out of state and missed it this year.
ReplyDeleteIt was a great weekend. We were only gone 36 hours but it seemed like days. He does make that bike look small, how'd he do that?
DeleteBummer you missed the show this year, but I bet you were getting another half marathon medal so it was worth it.
Did anyone try out the Zero Adventure model? The older ones seemed to have a really high seat and, at least in the picture, this one seems more reasonable.
ReplyDeleteThere were a lot of people milling around the Zero booth. The adventure one I took the picture of was off the ground so no chance for sitting.
DeleteFab kit. I spy Le Troub' with a t shirt from my former local cafe AND he sits on an R1200R in precisely the same colour as mine. When you arrive in the UK I will take you to The Ace for a "full English".
ReplyDeleteYou cannot beat a 'Full English' at the Ace, plus a mug of tea. I suspect however, that Trobairitz, being a vegan, might decline that particular brekkie.
DeleteThe T-shift is from when we went to the Ace Cafe sponsored motorcycle show at the LeMay Car Museum in Tacoma Washington in August. The only ever Ace Cafe sponsored event in North America. We had to go.
DeleteAnd Gary - you suspect correct, a full English brekkie wouldn't sit well with a vegan, lol
Table D'hote a la Ace avec tea (with communal spoon pour le soucre, chained to the counter), pure nectar!
ReplyDeleteGeoff, tea at the Ace would be perfect. At least the English can make proper tea. Tea around these parts is pretty weak - more like cricket piss or something.
DeleteI like strong tea with some taste though. And is the spoon or the sugar chained to the wall? :-)
Love all the pictures, that Aermachhi is sweet! Sounds like a fun trip!
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by Janet. It was fun.
DeleteTroubadour looks good on the Vulcan but I think the Trophy suits him better, I miss my Vulcan Mean Streak. Yamaha WR250, that's probably going to be my second bike.
ReplyDeleteI like what they did to the Suzuki GS 850 G, I have one sitting in my garage, maybe I should put a sidecar on it. Wouldn't mind having a Kawasaki K-1.
Love the picture of you trying the new helmet, beautiful eyes :-)
Oh, thanks for the "Italian Plastic" ;-)
Aww shucks George, you're making me blush. My eyes are an odd shade of blue - added to the fact the ring of dark blue around the iris gets larger and darker at times. My best friend all through school told me I had mutant eyes, lol. I have lost count of how many times I've been asked if I am wearing colored contact.
DeleteThere were a lot of fun bikes at the at the show....too many. Wait, can there be too many fun bikes?
Everyone has their opinion...but Troubadour on a Diavel was very nice. I eyed that bike for quite a while. But I do have to say that Troubadour on an R1200R isn't a bad sight either. ;)
ReplyDeleteI think he does like the Diavel. I think it is a nice looking bike. Rick took one on a test ride when they were having a demo days in Portland. If I remember right I think he had some god things to say about them. And he's always liked the R1200R
Delete