2009 International Motorcycle Show, Long Beach, CA. December 4-6
The Vendors.
The show was smaller this year. It took up only half of the convention center. The other side was rented to the televangelist Benny Hinn. It was quite a contrast watching his followers mix with the motorcycle crowd near the entrance. The whole show was scaled down. Several manufacturers were missing, most notable Ural and Moto Guzzi. Even the HD display was smaller. The new attraction this year was the “Fitment Station”, where they had a bike and a whole bunch of seats and bars to swap out so riders could find that perfect fit. They had the usual center stage where folks spoke about tires, tuning and cornering. There was even a “Women’s Boutique”, where the ladies could find fashion, training, and other info. The back side vendors were mostly the same, Sham-Wow, Emergency Tape, Leather this and that, bungees, Dish Satellite TV, lighting and GPS mounts, custom made ear plugs, and a host of insurance companies. One of the many missing in action was the AMA. All I bought was two pairs of riding glasses for $27.00.
Test Rides.
I got to ride a few bikes. The first one was the Kawasaki Voyager. I was kind of disappointed. It felt really heavy and sluggish to me, and when the radiator fan kicked on, the engine threw off a lot of heat. Next I rode the SE Softail Convertible, (that was a nice bike), the SE Ultra, the regular EG Classic, and a SE Street Glide. All nice bikes too. That stock 96” EG Classic really impressed me. The HDs were the easiest to get to and ride. I just asked for the first available bike and jumped on whatever was open. The HD rides were unsupervised, so I ran the bikes through the full lock figure 8 drills before and after leaving the lot. The HD guys did not mind. Then I rode the Victory Cross Roads, Cross Country and Vision. Those are really nice bikes, especially the Cross Country. It handled really well at slow speeds and had a smooth stable ride. In fact I pissed off the chase rider by going so s-l-o-w that he was unable to stay behind me coming out of the parking lot. Out of all the bikes in the Victory line up, it is the only one I would consider buying. Although it rode and handled well, I just could not get past the looks on the Vision. Unlike HD and Kawasaki, the Victory guys did NOT like seeing me do full lock u-turns and figure 8s on their bikes at all. Finally I rode the bike that is all about power, the Yamaha V-Max. After 5 mins in the saddle I was DONE with it. Sure it was twitchy, and torquey and fast like Hell, but it was uncomfortable for me to ride. I must be getting old, because there was a time when I would have wanted a bike like that.
Business
Because of the cost, (over $2,000) I did not get a booth. I chose to walk the floor engaging riders in conversation and passing out flyers. I had on the Ride Like A Pro West Coast shirt and cap and looked pretty good. But not good enough to get a lot of attention. I figured out that I needed what some of the other vendors used to bring in business, skinny girls with long legs and big breasts squeezed into tight fitting clothes. They would have an easier time passing out flyers than me. I’ll have to remember that for next year.
Mark
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Topic: International Motorcycle Show Report (Read 1994 times)