Contributor Neal M got to spend some time at AIMExpo a couple of months ago – here’s his take on what was worth investigating.
The 4th annual American International Motorcycle Exposition “AIMExpo” was held over four days (10/13-16) in Orlando, Florida. AIMExpo is America’s largest powersports show focused on all things motorcycles, recreation vehicles and associated gear. This event is huge with over 450 exhibits – inside and outside of the convention center.
Thursday and Friday were reserved for dealers and associated industry professionals from 49 states and Puerto Rico. There were nearly 2,500 dealer attendees representing over 1,100 dealerships. Yamaha, Honda and Suzuki debuted new models.
Saturday and Sunday were open to the riding and buying public. They reported a record attendance of 18,399 over the four days.
I flew in late on Wednesday. It was so late that Uber was not running. I had to commodore a $60 cab ride to my hotel. After a six hour nap and another cab ride I was standing inside the convention center. Wow. It was impressive.
68% of Americans are skeptical of any claim.The dealer portion of the conference opened up comments from AIMExpo officials and an insightful talk by Dr Paul Leinberger about trends for 2017 and beyond. Millennials (19-37yr) now outspend Baby Boomers (51-64yr) $83 million to $74 million. He emphasized that dealers must embrace technology to reach the buying public. 68% of Americans are skeptical of any claim. He made a veiled reference to the presidential election that raised a few laughs. He said that that the folks want raw news that is not filtered so they can quickly share it with their friends. People want insider information that is fresh, fast and first. Shinya Kimura of “Faster Son” fame then made a presentation that described his design philosophy as highlighted by the “Yamaha Yard Build” bikes. I had a chance to meet him later in the day. He is cool guy. Once they opened up the gates a flood of dealers and reps made their way into the convention hall.
Here are my highlights.
I commute on my bike daily in Atlanta. I’m always on the hunt for better gear and improved safety. The best product for safety was the Point Two Air Vest.
This ~$460 vest provides similar protection as the Alpinestars Tech-Air systems designed for MotoGP. This vest is tethered to your bike and will inflate in 80 milliseconds to protect you in the event of a fall. I tried one on and was impressed at how quickly it inflated and the sense of protection that it gave me. They sell them in high viz and black. Be safe out there! Hit their site for more details and videos of this vest in action.
Yamaha introduced their new R6. I made my way over to their booth but was most impressed by the FZ9 that Roland Sands designed to look like one of King Kenny’s flat tracker bikes from early 70’s. Can Roland Sands do anything wrong?
Best looking casual riding boot/shoe.
I need a casual pair of riding shoes that I can wear in an office setting. I was most impressed by the RS DryMaster Boa Riding Shoes by RS Taichi. They retail for $199.95.
I then moved over to the Suzuki display. I was impressed by the upgrades to Roger Hayden’s MotoAmerica Syperbike and Ken Roczen’s 2016 Motocross championship bike.
I spent a lot of time studying Roger’s “work space”. There are eight buttons for traction control, ignition maps, quick shifter and the Motec display. I assume the red adjustable knob is for the front fork. The label on the triple clamps indicate “A”. They feature the ability for +/-10mm eccentricity for rake and trail adjustments. Lots of cool bits to admire.
In comparison Ken’s 450 KX450F looked almost stock. I’m confident the innovation is hidden out of sight.
I noticed that Kenny Roberts Jr was getting ready to sign some posters. He was very gracious with his time. He said he did not miss racing anymore and was focused on raising his family. What a nice guy. I can only imagine the pressure he was under to win a championship due to his namesake.
I made my way over to the Vintage Japanese Motorcycle Club. They had a huge display at the Barber Historic event in October. I recognized several bikes. It brings me to an important question. Which would be worse? Marrying a supermodel and never kissing her? Or buying a 1979 Honda CBX and never riding it? I am not the master of my domain.
The hottest market these days are ATV’s. The “Depth Finder” created by Super ATV was the most radical one I found in the building. This ride is amazing.
I then made my way over to the “Championship of the Americas” bike show.
I’m a sucker for flat track bikes as you will see. I did some ice racing when I lived in Wisconsin. I was too slow but it left an imprint on my soul. I stumbled across a brand new Indian FTR 750 on display. This thing has 109HP and a custom built highly adjustable chassis. Indian announced in September that Bryan Smith, Brad Baker and Jared Mees will campaign this bike next season. It looks like Indian is going full bore to win the 2017 AMA Grand National Championship. What they really need to do is make this one street legal…
In 1932, AMA first created Class A for AMA Pro Flat Track Racing. This was shortly after the formation of the AMA itself. Nine years before that you could have purchased a 1923 HD JD with an 18hp 74ci V-twin with pocket valves. I don’t know the history of this bike but it appears to be in a much later frame with a different tank which is missing its shifter.
I’ve owned many bikes. My ’99 ZRX1100 was one of my favorites. This ZRX is something completely different and sinister. It has a motor and a front end from a ZX-10R. Note however the Pro Mod spec twin turbo set up. My assumption it will pull more than 300HP if one is brave enough to twist the throttle that far. The question is where are the wheelie bars?
I like all bikes. This mid ‘70’s chopper with a heavily modified Sportster Iron Head was a work of art from springer front end to the M&H drag slick. How cool would it be to ride a bike with this much attitude?
I had to throw a picture of this Ural with a side hack. It is loaded for big trip to the desert. Who would be crazy enough to ride one of these two up? How about riding one in the LA – Barstow – Vegas race? [Editor’s Note: HA. Seriously though, this looks to be the rig of Standard Motorcycle Co.]
Back in the day I snickered at Yamaha’s attempt to copy the HD style with the Virago. Recently I’ve seen some custom builds using this bike – some good, some bad. However Greg Hageman built an awesome tribute to the Vincent Black Shadow. What do you think? [Editor’s Note: I’ve featured a similar Hageman build in the past.]
Ok, here is the last flat track bike. In 2010 I was standing in the infield when Brian Smith won the Indy Mile on a Ninja 650 based flat track bike. Bill Werner may have saved AMA flat track racing (from itself) by building that bike. Just take a look at the diversity of bikes now competing. Bill Werner gets all the credit.
Now for the final bike. Well, it was a bike. Then they replaced the wheels with a snow board and a snow track. Snowmobiling is a hoot. Riding dirtbikes is a blast. What do you have when you combine the two? Awesomeness! Moto-Trax sells conversion kits for all modern dirt bikes.
Toward the back of the convention center was the MotoAmerica set up. I was able to meet two of my heroes: Chris Carr and Wayne Rainey.
Chris Carr was the most successful dirt track racer of all time. He won 7 AMA championships. He is also known as the “King of Peoria” due to winning the TT 13 times. He was the first man on two wheels to ever break 350mph piloting the Bub Enterprises streamliner. I met him at the Indy MotoGP many years ago on the start/finish line during the pit walk. He asked me to take a picture of his family. He was kind enough to return the favor.
Wayne Rainey has a racing history of legends. He was the AMA Superbike champ in 1983 & 1987. He won the 1988 Suzuka 8 hour endurance race with Kevin McGee. He was the 500cc Moto Grand Prix champion three years in a row: 1990, 1991 and 1992. He now runs the MotoAmerica series. He was very busy but was gracious enough to take a picture with me.
The last picture is a bit self-serving. Don’t tell my wife.
The next AIMExpo event will be held September 21-24 at the Convention Center in Columbus, Ohio. AIMExpo claims this is the center mass for most dealerships in the US. I believe them. More importantly it is walking distance from downtown, restaurants & pubs. Count me in. I hope to see you there.
Cheers.