I went up with my Dad and my wife. It was just as good as last year. But as usual the rain ruins it every year by killing the test rides and the chance to ride up there. I didn't really take many pics. I also sat on a lot of different bikes. As I was trying out all the different supersports, one thing I noticed that was almost universal was that the liter bikes were much less comfortable than their 600cc little brothers.
The FZ1 will probably be my next bike. Good looks, very comfortable, good compromise between a comfortable riding position and the little bit of additional power I'm kind of craving. (even though I would love to see them make some major updates to the looks and put the cross plane crank engine from the R1 in it. I'm thinking either go the way of the FZ8 fully naked, or use the front body work from the current R1 and go with the half naked like it currently is)
The new orange scheme on the FZ6R is really nice looking in person. I hate to say it, the R6 was the most uncomfortable bike I sat on with the exception of the R1 and the Ducati 1198. With my neck and back issues, my posture is going to be, let's say, more sensitive than many others.
The CBR600RR was actually very comfortable while the CBR1000RR was pure torture. The ZX6R was pretty good as well as the Triumph 675. The S1000RR was OK, but the main thing I noticed about the feel it how light it felt. Unfortunately I didn't have a chance to sit on the new ZX10R. There were probably 30 people sitting around it waiting to sit on it. The Ducati Monsters were all very comfortable as well. The 848 was OK but the clip-ons were just too damn low.
Kristen sat on the Ninja 250 again and really kind of got the bug again to get her permit and look into getting a bike. I sat on it and was instantly glad I never went that route. I'm not a small guy. I felt like a Gorilla on a moped.
Being with my Dad the Harley rider, I also sat on a lot of cruisers. I would say the most uncomfortable bike I sat on, probably in the entire show, was the giant land yacht of a bike that is the
Victory Vision Tour. That thing was so freaking heavy and everything was so gigantic and far away from you, it was just ridiculously awkward. Probably the most comfotable bike I sat on there was the
Harley Davidson Soft Tail Deluxe with 14" ape hangers on it. Similar to my Dad's 2006 Fatboy. But not something I'd be willing to ever own.
I did find the one and only Harley I would consider owning.
The Sportster XR1200X was very comfortable, it felt surprisingly similar to the FZ6R, and actually felt pretty solid and well built. The blacked out
Night Rod was pretty damn cool looking but just not something I'd be willing to part with a small fortune to own.
But I also noticed the zx10r felt exactly the same. I swear if I was blind, I wouldn't know the difference. The new liter bikes are so light! I really dug the cbr's in both the 1k and 600 too. Oddly the gsxr 600 and 750 didn't feel comfortable for me, but man they feel super light too. The lean angle was felt better but the leg positioning felt odd. I guess thats what rear sets are for. 