| Getting a fix at the 2009 Cycle World's International Motorcycle Show |
 By Michael Robb • Teammoto.us When it's the middle of winter and you're a motorcyclist there are very few options to occupy your two-wheel fix. The exception is when the International Motorcycle Show comes to town. So each year we sojourn south to the outskirts of Detroit to help ease some of our pain. During the ride down to Novi we tried to think what new bikes had captured our attention this year. On the top of my list was the new XR1200 from Harley Davidson. I had read a few reviews for this European only bike. Words like "best handling Harley" and "I would buy one if they sold it in America" really piqued my interest.  H-D changed its position on selling the bike in the states. For 2009 they decided to release 700 bikes here. I wondered if this would this be the one bike from H-D that I would consider buying. I had ridden a slew of Buells this year. Everything from the new 1125CR to Firebolts and even the Ulysses. I really like the concepts and styling that Eric Buell brings to H-D's two cylinder power plants. So in the back of my mind I was expecting to see some of that Buell finesse applied to the XR1200. But, truly, "the devil is in the details." The XR1200 looks great in pictures. Coming around a curve and shot with a long lens this bike just screams "buy me." Up close is when some of the luster fades. First, the pipes on this bike just look massive. The nickel plating seems out of place and they are not tucked in nice and neat to the bike. They just seem to hang out there. The pegs are quite a ways back, sport-bike fashion. But the bike feels much more like a standard, which would dictate moving the pegs forward. Then there's the fender on the back of the bike. It is just huge. It seems oversized. Last but not least: the tank. If you are a motorcycle designer and you really want to capture the essence of a classic motorcycle, get the tank right. The tank on the XR1200 seems out of proportion. H-D is not alone in this problem. The 50th Anniversary Triumph Bonneville tank is just an abomination, capturing none of the original tank's features and flavor.  ... ... A lot of this is nitpicking. But with so many options in the market, everything should be just right. Of course, a lot of a bike's visual problems might go away once you fire up the engine. Here's hoping. What surprised a few of us was how much we really like H-D's Nightster. This is one bike that just works.  .... Overall, the show was a lot smaller this year. BMW, Aprilla and Moto Guzzi were missing. That's too bad because I believe that anytime you have people paying money to see your bikes you shouldn't be absent. Kawasaki was there in full force. They had mpg stickers on most of their bikes. The Versys was presented in a brand new flake Kawasaki green. We heard tons of comments on the color. It was love or hate, none in between. Another very interesting bike was the Kawasaki ER-6n. With a price tag of $6,399, this is a great value for someone wanting an all-around sport standard. The front is a little robo cop, but overall we really liked what this bike has to offer.  The only thing missing from bikes like the Versys and the ER-6n is ABS. Again, the Europeans have had this feature on the Versys for a couple of years. It sure would give beginning and intermediate riders much more confidence when riding in iffy conditions.
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