These two motorcycle trailers made plenty of people laugh as they rolled through the Midway. The bulldog trailer was anatomically correct.
The angular sign to the Daytona International Speedway pointed toward the clear blue skies overhead. The wind came in gusts but otherwise it was a perfect day for racing. Which is good, since tonight wil be the first Daytona 200 ever to be run under the lights. But I wasn’t here to check out the races. I was here to wander the Midway and check out new bikes, see old friends, and maybe make a few new ones.
With red Honda flags whipping overhead, I barely made it to the grounds outside of the Turn 4 Tunnel when I almost got run over by a crazy lady riding a bar stool. No, I didn’t start drinking early today. This lady was zipping around on a Hoss Fly, a four-wheeled rolling bar stool with a racing steering wheel, polished aluminum wheels and a 350 cubic inch engine! And the engine had a rumble you could feel in your heart. She seemed startled and a little embarrassed for scaring me like she did and rolled by muttering something to the extent of “sorry.” The contraption is made by Boss Hoss Motorcycles, who had a healthy contingency of beefy V8 motorcycles on display. And while the boom of the Hoss Fly was impressive, it was nothing compared to the rumble of the V8 when they fired it up. Don’t know what you’ll do with 640 hp, but the big block squeezed into a bike frame is something else to see.
On the other end of the spectrum, one of the first tents I ran across was Ridley Motorcycles. Ridley is an Oklahoma-based manufacturer that makes automatic motorcycles. No need to worry about pulling in the clutch here. Ridley had its full 2009 lineup on display, like the Auto-Glide Classic, and was also offering demo rides. And while the notion of an automatic motorcycle drew curious on-lookers in, it was their Vintage Motorbikes that got the lion’s share of attention. The motorized bicycles look like something straight out of the garage of Hendee and Hedstrom. The little single cylinder bikes have an aluminum monocoque frame that also houses 75 oz. of fuel. It’s got a Springer fork up front and antique white brick tires. And if you run out of gas, just start pedaling. I almost couldn’t get a clear shot of the vintage-styled motorized bicycles because people kept stopping to check them out and stepping in my shot.
The Victory CORE Concept may someday be more than just a concept.
I then made my way over to the Victory Motorcycles rig. I ran across Victory’s Lead Industrial Designer, Michael Song, on Main St. the night before and he told me that they had the Victory CORE Concept here and told me to stop on by and check it out. Man, that bike looks smoking. While I was there, Victory’s Greg Brew was kind enough to run down some of its features to me, like its five piece, sand-cast aluminum frame. The upper cast is an aggressive-looking narrow tank that holds about 3.2 gallons. It also houses an 11 liter airbox with the intake wrapping around the steering head. Below the seat is another cast that houses a battery box, with room for fuses, relays, and ecm. Weighing in at about 467 lbs. with 103 hp coming from the Freedom 106 engine, the CORE has an impressive power to weight ratio for a ‘cruiser’ motorcycle. The motorcycle uses the lightweight X-Factor wheels Victory introduced this year, and has a chunk of African mahogany for a seat with LED turn signals incorporated into it. Of course, Brew admitted that the seat would have to be changed out if it went into production, but aesthetically it looks great. The bike was built in only six weeks, including pouring the frame, and the crew got it ready just in time for the New York IMS show. Asked if we’ll see it in production in the near future, Brew said that it’s already generated over five million media impressions, which serves as a barometer for Victory to gauge whether they should pursue production, and that they’d love to build that bike as a production model.
Just down from the Victory tent was Indian Motorcycles. It was my first time to see the bikes in person and I was impressed with Indian’s efforts. The first model I ran across was the 2009 Chief Vintage. With its signature valenced fenders, a tan leather seat with old school tassles, the Ivory Cream paint was very regal, and the Power Plus 105 engine and two-into-one stainless steel exhausts glimmered in the sun.
I was impressed with the styling and fit and finish of the 2009 Indian Chief Vintage. Now when do I get to ride?
Unfortunately, there weren’t any demos going on as Indian has made an agreement to conduct demos at dealerships exclusively while it’s still in the process of establishing its dealer network. But I did get a chance to talk to Mark Pomerantz, Indian’s Manager of Service & Marketing, and made sure that when the motorcycles become available for a review that he keeps Motorcycle USA in consideration. The stream of onlookers was steady while I was there, and I know that there’s a lot of interest in a full review of the motorcycles, so we’ll keep our fingers crossed.
Next in line were Triumph Motorcycles and an opportunity to check out the 2010 Thunderbird. I got an opportunity to sit on the bike and pull in the clutch and get a feel for its center of gravity. At six-feet tall, it was an easy reach to the ground from the comfy leather seat’s 27.6-inch height, and the action was light on the throttle cable. The 1600cc liquid-cooled, vertical twin features machined heads, a tank-mounted console with a speedo and tach, and pipes that run low but look a little tame. Its rear fender sits high off the back tire, similar to Harley-Davidson’s Deuce. There was another Thunderbird that received the full touring treatment, including a tall windscreen, highway bars, floorboards, leather bags and a pillion with a small backrest. The Thunderbird is a very important model for the venerable British marquee. It fills the gap between the behemoth Rocket III and the smaller America cruisers. We also scored the previously unreleased full spec sheet, so check it out.
Gotta love the Midway. Not only do you get a chance to see many of the newest motorcycle first hand, but you also never know who you’re going to see. I looked up just in time to see Arlen Ness cruising by on his Victory Vision, but he was gone by the time I got my camera out. I also could have sworn that I saw Michael Jordan enter the Speedway, probably to watch tonight’s Daytona 200. With the sounds of an early race priming the track with spent rubber, the sun was going down and it was time for me to roam.
