International Motorcycle Show

[trip]

I hope it's a she.

[chainsaw]

Guess we need to decide when and where will meet at the show. Time would be most important
to everyone. The more the merrier. We've got a month yet.

[jussmatt]

Checking out the link it looks like it's hitting Houston right after you guys!! I'm planning on going...just not sure what day/time. If any of the Houston area guys are planning on going, let me know and maybe we can meet up too......???

[bobzinger]

Does anyone have a promotion code for discounts. Last year ROK offered one.

[cactusjack]

Yeah, there's a code that can save you $4 if you buy online before midnight Friday. I'll go look for it.

edit: I found it! It's "ENEWS10".

[bobzinger]

Thanx CJ. I just found this one.

ENEWS10 is a code that gets you $3 off online.

[cactusjack]

Oh? well, I had already bought my ticket when somebody posted that code on another forum. It was they who said it was good for $4 off. Sorry.

$3 off is better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick.

[MarkG]

Went out to the motorcycle show this afternoon. The 2009 Voyager and Nomad are static display only. Best guess is the middle of next year at the earliest. They have not told the Kawasaki reps about the pricing. However, the bet is that it will be around $16k.

First impressions:

Unless you are really short, risers and pull backs will probably not be necessary. The handlebars and grips are a lot closer to the rider, about the only thing I would have them do for me would be to rotate them up about an inch.

The driver floor boards seem a little flimsy, there was quite a bit of give when I stepped down on them. I would have them rotate the push button controls toward me a bit. Some of the buttons were back a little farther than I would like.

The seat is longer and deeper than the present ones. Same seat on the new Voyager and Nomad. Might not need the Mustangs and other custom seats. I thought it was pretty comfortable all things considered. CJ will be in a better position to answer that question since he runs the Mustang seat. I still use the stock seat on mine.

Asked about the belt drive. Everything else that Kawasaki has is belt instead of shaft drive. With the new improved methods it is considered to be better. Belts are expected to last between 50k and 65k miles. Provided the maintenance is done at regular intervals it shouldn't be a problem. Asked about rocks, too. With the way the belts run on the Voyager and Nomad it shouldn't be much of a issue. It appears the belt is protected fairly well. (Dan is probably the exception to the rule on this one.)

Pushed the bike back into a better position for my picture with the same force I would use to back up my Nomad. Wow what a difference, I grabbed the brake quick to keep it from getting away from me. The Voyager may weigh around the mid- 800 lb. range, however it felt light as a feather moving it. Obviously our present shafts have quite a bit of drag pushing the bike around.










Can't leave out the new Nomads.




I will ask all sorts of questions tomorrow, the rest of the Kawasaki team will be on site. Maybe I can get a demo ride on the new Concours 14. I'll have to check out the rest of the vendors, too.

[bobt]

Just two more weeks and I'll be able to see them up close. Can't wait.

[cactusjack]

This is where I'm heading this morning. Great pics, Mark! I can't wait to sit on one myself. I know they aren't offering demo rides on these, but I plan to ride some others. I want to ride a Gold Wing and a Vision. If Yammy has a Venture there, I'd like to ride one of those, too.

[cactusjack]

I went to the show in Phoenix this morning. I was a little disappointed in that the demo rides were already booked for most of the day for the Gold Wing and Venture and I got there before my ticket said it opened. I could have ridden these If I wanted to hang around until 3:30 or so. Oddly, you could probably walk up to the Harley booth and take your pick of rides.

I did ride a Victory Kingpin Tour. It felt like a toy. It had power and could really accelerate, but it had a noisy drivetrain.


I went inside University of Phoenix Stadium to look at the vendor displays. We all know where I went first:


What a sweet machine! You can't tell from sitting on a bike for a couple of minutes, but the seat feels nice.

The fairing looks great and the gauges are easy to read:


Sorry for the poor quality photos. I should have taken my "good camera".

I looked at the 2009 Nomad 1700:


I got the feeling a lot of people were there to see the Nomad and Voyager. There was a lot of traffic in the Kaw booth.

The saddlebags have kind of a notch taken out of them to permit access to the air shocks. That's a gorgeous blue color, BTW - these pics don't really do it justice.:


Hmmm...apparently there is a football team in PHX, after all:

[glwilson]

Thanks for the added pics guys.

Tell me... am I going to want to buy the Voyager? I have been seriously considering it and just wondered your thoughts.

[cactusjack]

My thoughts...if it was available now and if I was in a position to buy one - I'd have one in my garage.

[paul]

Thanks for the pics! But now my wait is going to seem even longer. Plan on being there when the show comes to Houston. Biggest decision, Which color voyager?

[MarkG]

Got home from the show a little while ago. Had the opportunity to ride one of the Victory sport bikes. They don't schedule demos like the other vendors. Stand in line, first come, first served. The touring bikes were taken so I rode what was available. I guess their sport bikes would be okay for certain types of individuals around town. Other than that, I was underwhelmed. Victory's tour ride is a bit more wild card than the other vendors. Their only rule is don't pass the lead rider. Other than that, it is almost a free for all. I was passed several times during the ride by others that were cranking the throttle. Not my style of bike or my style of riding.

Sorry CJ, I was one of the lucky ones to get on a Wing. They would have to do some serious setup time with me, if I bought one. The fairing was far enough back to interfere with my foot shifting. Almost back to my knees and legs. Banged my boot every time I went up or down in the gears. Just no way to stretch out if needed.

The foot pegs were a bit too far back to suit me. When I made a sharp turn and leaned the bike down coming back from the ride, my boot, on the ball of my foot, became the dragging floorboard. That will get your attention. Hold your toes way up on sharp corners or you will drag things unexpectedly. Those pegs are not very far off the ground either so you would definitely have to get used to holding your feet level or slightly up.

On the plus side, the Wing was very stable. I can see why people would like it if they were spending a lot of time on the Interstate. Seemed quiet, smooth, etc. Everything seems to be made for a rider that is around 5'7" or so. Being over 6' and a heavyweight, the Wing felt a bit cramped for me.

I am going back out tomorrow for the heck of it. I have a Concours ride scheduled in the morning. Might try for a Vision ride if the line is down a bit. Just not too keen on the free for all pack situation that Victory allows.

Several of the regular vendors chose not to attend this year. Combination of what the Motorcycle Show charges and the economy. There are enough missing vendors, they did the motorcycle stunts indoors this year.

So far my Nomad wins. Gee the others look nice and if you are into the latest toys it will stroke the ego. I can get the same riding position of a Wing by changing the stock seat to Mustang or another equivalent if so inclined. Much cheaper option. The Victory's will accelerate really fast. So does the Nomad if we grab the throttle.

Even looking at the new Voyager / Nomad (wish we could have had a demo ride on them) there isn't much of a difference. How much money do you want to spend for a 100cc's more, cruise control, radio, and automated diagnostics?

For now, my Nomad does everything the other bikes will do. In most cases better, more reliably, and a lot less expensive out the door. Bike envy aside, I'm keeping the Nomad. We still have the best ride out there.