Chicago Motorcycle Show Pics!

highwayblaze · 11th February 2008, 00:24

Hello All,
I visited the Chicago Motorcycle Show yesterday. Its a very regional event but you get to see and feel what most motorcycle manufacturers have to offer (no concept motorcycles though).
You can always see pics of these on mfg' websites but I still thought I'll go ahead and post these pics. I'm 6feet 1inches tall, and on the bikes in some of the pics. Might give you a perspective of how big/small the motorcycle is. I spent time only on those motorcycles that I had'nt had a chance to feel before. So here goes... (p.s. the pics are hi - res so it might take time to load)

Ducati's new Hypermotord. As usual the build quality is fantastic. Everything looks so well polished and sculpted. I'm a street bike rider (naked street/sport) however seeing this one makes me want one.

The side view mirrors are handle-bar end mounted.

Supermoto bikes sit really tall but once you get on one the monoshock is really squishy and ride lowers by a few.

Ducati 848.
The smaller engined version of the hot 1098. Both motorcycles look identical. A smaller engine and no front end steering damper makes this bike only 2000$ cheaper than the 1098. I love the white color. The 848 definitely felt more comfortable than the earlier 748. They say its very street rider friendly unlike the 748 which was originally designed as a track machine. The uncluttered instrument cluster area makes it look too bland in comparison to that in a 1098.

highwayblaze · 11th February 2008, 01:00

Ducati's Sport 1000. The riding stance on this classic is more aggressive than you'd imagine. I so love that comforable seat. Beats riding a Gixxer anyday

Random pic of the sport 1000 steering damper.

New CBR 1000RR tail end chopped off like that in MOTO GP. For a real comparo i'd have to ride one. Could tell much difference from the older CBR. Probably since its been a while i've been on the old one . Looks great and feels a wee bit lighter . Seat was a frim cbr as usual.

highwayblaze · 11th February 2008, 01:07

A toughened Honda CRF?! probably ridden in a raid or rally. I didnt see any description around where these were displayed but here're the pics anyway. Tires were super knobby.

highwayblaze · 11th February 2008, 02:09

At the BMW exhibit I wanted to check out their new HP2 Sport. Their new hot shot boxer twin that costs a whopping $ 25000 US and they claim great performance figures on this one. I also wanted to check out their new F800 naked "parallel" twin (parallel and inline doesnt happen much here at the BMW

so I really wanted to see these)
Now each of the new BMW's had a nice rev counter and a lil display on the side. There' was a button associated with this called "info" which gave trip info for the current trip and stored one for the last one and i'm sure for a BMW price tag it'll display some more.

You'll see my 6 foot skinny frame on the bikes in this to give you and idea of the size of the motorcycles.

The k1200S feels pretty heavy BUT the riding position is very comfortable. I'd do long distance high speed riding on this motorcycle any day. I loved the color scheme on this one. There's something about the BMW's which makes them look like a very middle-age man sportbike.

The F800's not the most attractive street naked bike out there. It does however feel light. The front end plastic work feel very big. Fortunately between the legs theres a parallel twin so that thins it out a bit. I love the wheel design on all the new BMW's you'll notice it in the k1200s above. here's a pic below as well.

I finally checked out the HP2 sport. Lately BMW MOTORRAD has been doing a pretty good job on "SPORTY"fying their motorcycle.In the HP2 i'm not a big fan of the boxer protruding out of the body so much. I wonder what happens when your corner very hard those ends have got to touch the ground.
HOWEVER, in that entire day this was the most comfortable super sport bike that I sat on. The seat, seating position, the way my feet fit in snugly along the body was just great. The handle bars felt great as well.

The single-sided swing-arm is almost a BMW trade mark along with the shaft-driven rear-wheel. The rear cowl / the place where the rear seat should be is really designed to look great. Its got a see thru mesh that shows the exhaust silencer.

HP2 sport Front end

I didnt take any pictures of the Supermoto'ish BMW with the same motor however which is even newer than the HP2.

highwayblaze · 11th February 2008, 02:52

There' are more pics coming up in a bit!

speedzak · 11th February 2008, 02:55

How come we are only able to see bikes here? Normally we get to see some fine examples of human beings posing with the bikes. Ain't it?

straight6 · 11th February 2008, 04:16

Someones got the white 848 in Bombay recently.

highwayblaze · 11th February 2008, 10:10

Quote:

Originally Posted by speedzak

How come we are only able to see bikes here? Normally we get to see some fine examples of human beings posing with the bikes. Ain't it?

If you're talking about hot chicks then you'll see more of those in custom bike shows where all the exhibits are hideous stretched out custom sport bikes with pink and orange paint jobs

complete gansta crowd as well!

superavi · 11th February 2008, 11:59

Amazing pics and enjoyable commentary. Keep em coming!

snaronikar · 11th February 2008, 12:23

Awesome pics man do keep posting.

safari_lover · 11th February 2008, 12:40

Great Pics. Just keep them coming.

gt_mustang · 11th February 2008, 13:39

man loved the pics
something new
could u post some of the gxxr 750 my fav bike plzz

Note from Moderator - Please take the time to type out your posts in full words as per Team-BHP rules. Avoid the use of SMS language (any1 = anyone, dat = that, etc), and please take the time to re-read your post for typos before submitting.

kurmist · 11th February 2008, 14:46

Now thats some really wicked machinery there. Thanks for the photos. The BMWs look awesome (and are priced awesome as well) and I would agree with your observation that they are more suited for the "ahem" slightly older age group.

gendarmee · 11th February 2008, 17:52

Awesome pics!
Thanks a lot for posting!

highwayblaze · 11th February 2008, 20:53

Quote:

Originally Posted by gt_mustang

man loved the pics
something new
could u post some of the gxxr 750 my fav bike plzz

yes i'll post the only two pics i've got of the gixxer of the headlamps and the tail pipe ...thats only whats changed in the new 750. i had a lot to cover so i spent more time on bikes that are new launches or the ones that i hadnt been on before!

11th February 2008, 00:24	#1
highwayblaze BHPian Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Chicago/Mumbai/Pune Posts: 771 Thanked: 2 Times View My Garage	Chicago Motorcycle Show Pics! Hello All, I visited the Chicago Motorcycle Show yesterday. Its a very regional event but you get to see and feel what most motorcycle manufacturers have to offer (no concept motorcycles though). You can always see pics of these on mfg' websites but I still thought I'll go ahead and post these pics. I'm 6feet 1inches tall, and on the bikes in some of the pics. Might give you a perspective of how big/small the motorcycle is. I spent time only on those motorcycles that I had'nt had a chance to feel before. So here goes... (p.s. the pics are hi - res so it might take time to load) Ducati's new Hypermotord. As usual the build quality is fantastic. Everything looks so well polished and sculpted. I'm a street bike rider (naked street/sport) however seeing this one makes me want one. The side view mirrors are handle-bar end mounted. Supermoto bikes sit really tall but once you get on one the monoshock is really squishy and ride lowers by a few. Ducati 848. The smaller engined version of the hot 1098. Both motorcycles look identical. A smaller engine and no front end steering damper makes this bike only 2000$ cheaper than the 1098. I love the white color. The 848 definitely felt more comfortable than the earlier 748. They say its very street rider friendly unlike the 748 which was originally designed as a track machine. The uncluttered instrument cluster area makes it look too bland in comparison to that in a 1098. Last edited by highwayblaze : 11th February 2008 at 00:39.
	() Thanks

11th February 2008, 01:00	#2
highwayblaze BHPian Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Chicago/Mumbai/Pune Posts: 771 Thanked: 2 Times View My Garage	Ducati's Sport 1000. The riding stance on this classic is more aggressive than you'd imagine. I so love that comforable seat. Beats riding a Gixxer anyday Random pic of the sport 1000 steering damper. New CBR 1000RR tail end chopped off like that in MOTO GP. For a real comparo i'd have to ride one. Could tell much difference from the older CBR. Probably since its been a while i've been on the old one . Looks great and feels a wee bit lighter . Seat was a frim cbr as usual. Last edited by highwayblaze : 11th February 2008 at 01:02.
	() Thanks

11th February 2008, 01:07	#3
highwayblaze BHPian Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Chicago/Mumbai/Pune Posts: 771 Thanked: 2 Times View My Garage	A toughened Honda CRF?! probably ridden in a raid or rally. I didnt see any description around where these were displayed but here're the pics anyway. Tires were super knobby.
	() Thanks

11th February 2008, 02:09	#4
highwayblaze BHPian Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Chicago/Mumbai/Pune Posts: 771 Thanked: 2 Times View My Garage	At the BMW exhibit I wanted to check out their new HP2 Sport. Their new hot shot boxer twin that costs a whopping $ 25000 US and they claim great performance figures on this one. I also wanted to check out their new F800 naked "parallel" twin (parallel and inline doesnt happen much here at the BMW so I really wanted to see these) Now each of the new BMW's had a nice rev counter and a lil display on the side. There' was a button associated with this called "info" which gave trip info for the current trip and stored one for the last one and i'm sure for a BMW price tag it'll display some more. You'll see my 6 foot skinny frame on the bikes in this to give you and idea of the size of the motorcycles. The k1200S feels pretty heavy BUT the riding position is very comfortable. I'd do long distance high speed riding on this motorcycle any day. I loved the color scheme on this one. There's something about the BMW's which makes them look like a very middle-age man sportbike. The F800's not the most attractive street naked bike out there. It does however feel light. The front end plastic work feel very big. Fortunately between the legs theres a parallel twin so that thins it out a bit. I love the wheel design on all the new BMW's you'll notice it in the k1200s above. here's a pic below as well. I finally checked out the HP2 sport. Lately BMW MOTORRAD has been doing a pretty good job on "SPORTY"fying their motorcycle.In the HP2 i'm not a big fan of the boxer protruding out of the body so much. I wonder what happens when your corner very hard those ends have got to touch the ground. HOWEVER, in that entire day this was the most comfortable super sport bike that I sat on. The seat, seating position, the way my feet fit in snugly along the body was just great. The handle bars felt great as well. The single-sided swing-arm is almost a BMW trade mark along with the shaft-driven rear-wheel. The rear cowl / the place where the rear seat should be is really designed to look great. Its got a see thru mesh that shows the exhaust silencer. HP2 sport Front end I didnt take any pictures of the Supermoto'ish BMW with the same motor however which is even newer than the HP2. Last edited by highwayblaze : 11th February 2008 at 02:12.
	() Thanks

11th February 2008, 02:52	#5
highwayblaze BHPian Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Chicago/Mumbai/Pune Posts: 771 Thanked: 2 Times View My Garage	There' are more pics coming up in a bit!
	() Thanks

11th February 2008, 02:55	#6
speedzak BANNED Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: India Posts: 4,347 Thanked: 27 Times	How come we are only able to see bikes here? Normally we get to see some fine examples of human beings posing with the bikes. Ain't it?
	() Thanks

11th February 2008, 04:16	#7
straight6 Senior - BHPian Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Bombay Posts: 2,548 Thanked: 296 Times	Someones got the white 848 in Bombay recently.
	() Thanks

11th February 2008, 11:59	#9
superavi BHPian Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: London Posts: 286 Thanked: 29 Times	Amazing pics and enjoyable commentary. Keep em coming!
	() Thanks

11th February 2008, 12:23	#10
snaronikar Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Bengaluru Posts: 2,845 Thanked: 29 Times View My Garage	Awesome pics man do keep posting.
	() Thanks

11th February 2008, 12:40	#11
safari_lover Senior - BHPian Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Bengaluru / Bagdal Posts: 1,135 Thanked: 685 Times	Great Pics. Just keep them coming.
	() Thanks

11th February 2008, 13:39	#12
gt_mustang BHPian Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: hyd Posts: 247 Thanked: 5 Times	man loved the pics something new could u post some of the gxxr 750 my fav bike plzz Note from Moderator - Please take the time to type out your posts in full words as per Team-BHP rules. Avoid the use of SMS language (any1 = anyone, dat = that, etc), and please take the time to re-read your post for typos before submitting. Last edited by Rehaan : 11th February 2008 at 23:14.
	() Thanks $Received Infraction$

11th February 2008, 14:46	#13
kurmist BHPian Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Mumbai Posts: 95 Thanked: 77 Times	Now thats some really wicked machinery there. Thanks for the photos. The BMWs look awesome (and are priced awesome as well) and I would agree with your observation that they are more suited for the "ahem" slightly older age group.
	() Thanks

11th February 2008, 17:52	#14
gendarmee BHPian Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: India Posts: 741 Thanked: 28 Times	Awesome pics! Thanks a lot for posting!
	() Thanks