Not only can you see (and sit on) all the latest bikes from all the major manufacturers, but there's usually a bunch of custom and vintage bikes there too. This year was no exception. I took a ton of photos and will split them up across a few posts so let's start with Harley-Davidson.
My last post contained first impressions of the new Seventy-Two Sportster based on photos from Harley's website. I had the opportunity to actually see it in person and it does look great. I'm a sucker for the red and black paint (go figure). It's also quite comfortable with the low seating position, forward controls, and not-too-tall bars.
One thing I don't understand is that Harley's website talks about the handbars having internal wiring. Seeing the bike in-person, the wiring is clearly outside the bars like every other stock Sportster.
Even the photo on the website that talks about the internal wiring shows it running outside the bars. What am I missing? Here's a screen capture from their website:
That aside, I do like the bike even if the tank is too small to hold a decent amount of gas. If you're in the market for a new Sporty, it's a really good choice.
Out of the current lineup though, I still really love the Iron. I think the blacked out engine looks fantastic and it's just a great starting point to begin customizing. However, if I had to have a new stock Sporty and couldn't change a single thing on it, I would take the Seventy-Two over the Iron (mostly for the 1200 engine).
The Seventy-Two wasn't the only new bike on display from the Motor Company. They also had the Softail Slim. It's a really fat bike to be called "slim" but I think they might just be referring to the rear tire being narrower than normal. It's a decent looking bike but nothing too exciting.
In case you're an old-school traditionalist, here is a pair of vintage Harleys to enjoy.
Perhaps I went too old-school for you and you'd prefer to see pans and knucks.
If that's the case, here's a highly customized panhead from Custom Chrome. Actually, I'm 99% sure that's an Evo motor with panhead covers.
If you want to see a really amazing (and authentic) Harley, check out this drag racing knucklehead called the Knuckledragger. Everything unnecessary for racing has been cut, drilled, chopped, or otherwise removed from this bike. Awesome.
Come back for more pics from the show!