I spent most of yesterday in Daytona Beach at the Daytona International Speedway. I did watch some racing and will go back this afternoon for more racing.
Outside of the track is where all of the manufacturers set up and many vendors. Noticeably absent among the manufactures were Ducati, BMW and Aprilia. Twisted Throttle was there. The make modified BMW's and do some drop dead gorgeous work.
The crowds, though still down from three and four years ago, were much higher this year than last year. I did not waste my time going down Main Street or to Destination Daytona; so I do not know how the crowds were there. Triumph, HD, and Victory were lined up together as they have been the last two years.
I got my chance to look at the Tiger 800's and sit on them. I did not get to test ride one as they were booked for the day. Apparently one needs to go early in the week and make a reservation for later in the week to get a test ride. That is also the case with the the Can AM Spyders.
Though Bike Week is heavily V twin cruiser oriented, I see more and more sport bikes and touring bikes and the manufactures are displaying more of these. I also see a resurgence of traditional bikes in the smaller CC ranges. Kawasaki did not have the new W800 (Bonnie rival) there. As far as I know, they have not decided whether or not they are going to import the W800 for the North American market. Cruiser sales were down in the US last year, more so that sport bikes, tourers and dual sports. The seems to be the case world wide.
I also noticed a larger number of custom trikes on display and I am seeing more trikes on the road. I think this is a sign of aging baby boomers. And I think that is good. If one can no longer ride two wheels, I admire them for staying in the wind on three.
I got my first look at the new Speed Triple. I have to agree that that the new headlights do not look as bad in person as they do in the photos. But I much prefer the the look of the bug eyes. They are distinctive. The new headlights look like just another rice burner - not bad, just not distinctive.
The Tiger 800's. I am impressed. They are good looking bikes and Triumph got the ergonomics right. I spent some time comparing the two different models and talking with the Triumph folks, one of whom did extensive testing of the 800's in Spain. Their conclusion, and mine, is that most riders, me included, do not the need the XC version. The XC is designed for serious off road use - beyond gravel roads, forest roads, and fire breaks. The standard 800 is well up to the task of conquering gravel roads, forest roads and fire trails, even heavily rutted and rough ones.
The XC has longer suspension travel and is a tad taller. The handle bars are a little lower and wider than on the standard model. This enables easier standup riding. Thirty and forty years ago when many local roads were unpaved and there was wide open woods in abundance, I would loved to have had an XC.
I noticed that their XC on display and the ones for the test ride are equipped with street tires rather than knobbies. I asked about this and the gentleman who did the the testing in Spain told me he personally recommend those street tires. He said they will give you grip in all but extreme dry and extreme wet, including on heavily rutted roads. And in extreme much or dry sand, the knobbies are not much better either. Basically he said unless a rider is doing a cross country trip, the knobbies are not needed.
The seat heights can be lowered an inch. The stock setting was perfect for me. The rubber can be taken off the pegs for another less than half inch adjustment. The rubber on the pegs is not needed as this engine just does not vibrate. At least sitting there idling and blipping the throttle, it is smooth as silk.
For my purposes with 95% of my riding on pavement (as is the case with the vast majority of riders), the standard 800 will do fine. I would add the sump protector (skid plate), the headlight protector and the axillary lights and I would have a perfectly capable, true dual sport ride. It appears to me that Triumph got it right and I believe these 800's will give BMW some serious competition. The performance seems to be nearly the same and the price is a whole lot better. A big thumbs up for the 800. Now if I can just win the lotto...
Outside of the track is where all of the manufacturers set up and many vendors. Noticeably absent among the manufactures were Ducati, BMW and Aprilia. Twisted Throttle was there. The make modified BMW's and do some drop dead gorgeous work.
The crowds, though still down from three and four years ago, were much higher this year than last year. I did not waste my time going down Main Street or to Destination Daytona; so I do not know how the crowds were there. Triumph, HD, and Victory were lined up together as they have been the last two years.
I got my chance to look at the Tiger 800's and sit on them. I did not get to test ride one as they were booked for the day. Apparently one needs to go early in the week and make a reservation for later in the week to get a test ride. That is also the case with the the Can AM Spyders.
Though Bike Week is heavily V twin cruiser oriented, I see more and more sport bikes and touring bikes and the manufactures are displaying more of these. I also see a resurgence of traditional bikes in the smaller CC ranges. Kawasaki did not have the new W800 (Bonnie rival) there. As far as I know, they have not decided whether or not they are going to import the W800 for the North American market. Cruiser sales were down in the US last year, more so that sport bikes, tourers and dual sports. The seems to be the case world wide.
I also noticed a larger number of custom trikes on display and I am seeing more trikes on the road. I think this is a sign of aging baby boomers. And I think that is good. If one can no longer ride two wheels, I admire them for staying in the wind on three.
I got my first look at the new Speed Triple. I have to agree that that the new headlights do not look as bad in person as they do in the photos. But I much prefer the the look of the bug eyes. They are distinctive. The new headlights look like just another rice burner - not bad, just not distinctive.
The Tiger 800's. I am impressed. They are good looking bikes and Triumph got the ergonomics right. I spent some time comparing the two different models and talking with the Triumph folks, one of whom did extensive testing of the 800's in Spain. Their conclusion, and mine, is that most riders, me included, do not the need the XC version. The XC is designed for serious off road use - beyond gravel roads, forest roads, and fire breaks. The standard 800 is well up to the task of conquering gravel roads, forest roads and fire trails, even heavily rutted and rough ones.
The XC has longer suspension travel and is a tad taller. The handle bars are a little lower and wider than on the standard model. This enables easier standup riding. Thirty and forty years ago when many local roads were unpaved and there was wide open woods in abundance, I would loved to have had an XC.
I noticed that their XC on display and the ones for the test ride are equipped with street tires rather than knobbies. I asked about this and the gentleman who did the the testing in Spain told me he personally recommend those street tires. He said they will give you grip in all but extreme dry and extreme wet, including on heavily rutted roads. And in extreme much or dry sand, the knobbies are not much better either. Basically he said unless a rider is doing a cross country trip, the knobbies are not needed.
The seat heights can be lowered an inch. The stock setting was perfect for me. The rubber can be taken off the pegs for another less than half inch adjustment. The rubber on the pegs is not needed as this engine just does not vibrate. At least sitting there idling and blipping the throttle, it is smooth as silk.
For my purposes with 95% of my riding on pavement (as is the case with the vast majority of riders), the standard 800 will do fine. I would add the sump protector (skid plate), the headlight protector and the axillary lights and I would have a perfectly capable, true dual sport ride. It appears to me that Triumph got it right and I believe these 800's will give BMW some serious competition. The performance seems to be nearly the same and the price is a whole lot better. A big thumbs up for the 800. Now if I can just win the lotto...
