I was at the Vancouver Motorcycle show yesterday. So many bikes, so little money.....
The only thing missing from the above picture is a blind dog.
I was surprised actually by how comfortable the Ural was. Even more impressive was the fact that it has a drive wheel on the sidecar and a reverse gear for the bike. Aside from the electric start it also has a kick start.
It was quite funny when so many people started coming by when I was sitting on the Ural....I was wearing camouflage pants and I sort of blended in with the Ural.
Although I can't afford to upragde this year, I found the bike I think may be my next bike.
The Kawasaki Vulcan 900. Aside from the comfort it has the power and range I would need without having to go too big and heavy.
The other one that I like for fit and comfort was the Honda VTX 1300. But it was a few thousand dollars more than the Kawasaki and I'm not sure I would need that much power anyway.
It was very confusing walking around the Suzuki line of bikes. All the number and letter combos. what does the R mean...what does the T mean....etc., then you have the C50, C80, C90, etc. and the C109R or T???
I had been consdidering maybe a Suzuki but after I sat on them I changed my mind.
Ever since I first saw the Harley V-rod I have liked the them for looks and wondered what they would be like. So, yesterday I sat on a few.
Can you say "awful"?
Because of the position of the foot pegs, everytime I put my foot down I would have bruises all over my the calfs of my legs. Also the pipes were in such a place that unless I were to wear heatproof clothes, I would have burns on my legs.
Personally, I think it is very poorly designed.
I treid out a sport bike that I overheard someone talking about. "That bike should be illegal for street use", was the comment. It was a Yamaha. I sat on it and I couldn't believe how light weight it was. I once again reminded myself that I could never ride a bike configured like that.
The posture and the pegs just would be too uncomfortable for me. Now if they could just make cruisers that light weight.......
This year a special feature was added to the show. A mini track was set up for little kids in the 5 or 6 year old range. (at least that was the age group I saw). Yamaha had small bikes and all the safety gear to let the little kids learn to ride. They kids got to have 15 minutes ride a real small motorcycle around the track with someone tagging along behind to get them started. It didn't take long for the kids to get the hang of the throttle and ride around the track alone. They weren't doing any shifting, just riding around in first. What a thrill for those little kids.
There was a lot more accessories this year and although I tried to spend my money I still could not find a jacket that fits. I was not alone though. I spoke to other women there who were looking and they said the same thing. None of the dealers had anything that would suit someone a bit taller. Too bad, because I found a fantastic leather jacket...if only it had been cut a bit longer through the waist.
Oh well, I will keep looking....
As for the chaps.....I still hate them. They have to be the most unflattering thing unless you're built like a stick...I was watching a woman get fitted for a pair of chaps. She was slim and had a great shaped butt, but when the chaps were done up, they just looked so wrong. They chaps were obviously cut for a man.
So I keep looking.....
Over all, I though it was good show although given how it keeps growing they might have to find a different venue. BC Place Stadium would be good. It is big enough and near transit. Currently it is out in the valley which means an hour drive from home. At least they free parking....even if you do get sent to the back 40.
When I came out of the show it took me awhile to find my car because it was dark out. I must have wandered around for ten minutes until I finally spotted it.
After the show, I met up with the folks from the riding club. We went to a Chinese Smorgasbord restaurant for dinner and socializing. We followed up with a visit to Timmies for coffee. Apparently no club outing is considered complete without a stop at Timmies.
It was finally time for me to depart. I had almost an hour to drive home and was getting tired. The excitement of the club was tangible because it's getting close to the official riding season.
I think my new mantra this year will be "So many rides, so little time."
Mike 
I'd better not comment on that one... 
