Wednesday, January 23, 2008

Atlanta Motorcycle Show

Every year Cycle World sponsors the International Motorcycle Show that visits a dozen cities around the country throughout the winter. This past weekend it visited Atlanta, and I attended on Friday. I was in town for business, so it worked out very well to go by the show before heading home. It also worked out well going on Friday as opposed to Saturday or Sunday as I have done in the past - much fewer people.

All riders and everyone even just interested in motorcycles owes it to themselves to attend the show at least once. Every major manufacturer has all their current bikes available to look at up close and personal and sit on, plus there are many vendors selling gear and various other merchandise. Plus lots of free goodies.

All of the photos that I took can be found here but here are a few to get you started.

Site of show this year, the GA World Congress Center:

CNN is right across from the World Congress Center:

The current world's fastest motorcycle (350mph); it broke the motorcycle land speed record that had held for around 15 years last year at Bonneville. That's a 3000cc V4 motor. Imagine that in a VFR!


The photos don't do justice, but this was a steel ball around 12 feet in diameter that two brothers rode inside! It was crazy enough with just one of them in there, going around the edges and upside down, but then they got in there simultaneously, and then the MC got in and stood in the center while they rode around him! It was insane; I was holding my breath the whole time!

Where are the spokes? Cool clear wheel.

That clear wheel is on this beautiful Hayabusa. There are so many crap-looking blinged-to-the-max Hayabusas out there, but this one is very tastefully done.

Progressive Insurance had a hillarious tongue-in-cheek display about the Gremlins that wreak havoc on motorcyclists. :-)