So the family and I headed out to the Ottawa International Motorcycle Show fairly early this morning, but not to early. So we arrived around 10:30 or so and the parking lot was fairly empty. But with a good dump of snow the night before and the SuperBowl taking place later on I had my doubts that there would be a lot of people here today.
My goal today was simple and this was to sit on as many different brands and styles of bikes that were at the show to really see what the difference was between these bikes and to see if I could somewhat narrow down what kind of bike I would possibly consider when it came to buying my next one.
So my family and I started at the Harley area. Yes these bikes are nice and yes they have the name that goes with it and yes I would love to own a Harley, but after sitting on many of the Sportster 883’s and 48’s I realize that I would really have to go to a bigger Harley to be happy. So at least a Fatboy or a larger touring bike. Maybe one day as even used these Harley’s are expensive. But here’s to dreaming.
So next was the Honda area and ill keep this one short. Yes Honda makes some nice bikes, but again I would really need to go into the higher end area to really be happy with my purchase. Don’t get me wrong. Honda’s bikes across the board seem really nice, but Im looking for something that fits me, thats comfy for long drives, and just seems to become and extension of me. If I could afford the new Valkyrie it would definitely be on my list of possible bikes.
Now comes Suzuki. I REALLY wanted to love the M109R, and I really like the looks of it, but again not the bike for me. I did like some of the Suzukis but nothing that made me come back to their area.
Next was Yamaha. I have to say that from a far I really liked the looks of the new Bolt, but as soon as I sat on it, a lot of that love went away. Not my bike. But, 2 of their bikes i really did like. First was the Stryker. This one just feels nice. It feels long but it didn’t force me to lean forward to grab hold of the bars. Its a really nice looking bike. This is one that will be on my list of possibles.
The next Yamaha that I liked, and will definitely be on my watch list was the Vstar 950. I was always a little concerned by the 950 size, being that i wanted my next bike to be the one that lasted me a long time and i wasn’t sure that a 950cc would be big enough. All I can say was that I loved this Vstar 950. Everything felt great on it. The bars were perfect. The seat hight was perfect. The placement for my feet were great. And the weight was right where I felt it should be, plus the seat felt nice. Again definitely a bike that is high on my list.
The last bike for me that i sought out was the Kawasaki Vulcan. I have always liked the Vulcan, especially the Nomad. Now the Nomad was a big bike, as in 1500cc’s+ so I wanted to see and feel what the smaller Vulcan felt like. So I found a Vulcan 900 and again just like the Vstar, this size seems to be a great fit for me. Not much bad that I can say about this bike at this point. Remember though that this is just me sitting on the bike. I haven’t ridden any of these, but i figure if i don’t like just sitting on it when its stationary, I definitely won’t like riding it.
So those were some of the bikes that I spent my time looking at, but my wife was looking too. She doesn’t ride yet, but may this coming season or next. Chances are she will start on my bike as I upgrade to a new one, but she was trying the different bikes out as well. Her favourite bike at the show was completely different then the bikes that I like, and to be honest I was a bit surprised at here choice. But cool non the less. She chose what looks like an old school Triumph. Very cool retro looking bike and I must say she looks great on it. One day my dear, one day.
So you may have noticed that all the above bikes that I speak about are cruiser style bikes. Well I tried them all today. All the way from the BMW 1200GS (now that is a super tall and big bike!!!) to some of the crazy super bikes (SO not for me, I just couldn’t imagine riding in that position for more then a couple minutes). But thats just me. Go out and try them all. I never realized how many bikes all these manufacturers bring out every year, and now I know why. We each have different needs and wants from our bikes. So don’t rush into it, and don’t get lost in a single brand.
I always told myself that I wanted a Harley Davidson motorcycle, and I still do, but for my price point that Ill be looking at spending I really doubt that Ill be able to get the one that would work for me. Maybe that will be my next, next bike.
If you asked me today which bike will be my next bike … Hard to say, but what I can say is that both the Vstar 950 and the Vulture 900 are high on my list. But time will only tell.
Until that day comes enjoy the bike you have.
Ride safe.
Greg
