Bike fans to converge at international motorcycle show
BY MARGARITA BAUZA
FREE PRESS BUSINESS WRITER
If you know the differences among a Ulysses, a Blast and a Lightning, we know where you’ll be this weekend.
If you are not familiar, you have more of a reason to be there.
Those are the names of the latest Buells, the sports bike subsidiary of Harley-Davidson. The models will debut at the Cycle World International Motorcycle Show at the Rock Financial Showplace in Novi.
It runs today through Sunday.
This is the show’s 13th year in metro Detroit, and last year it drew 40,777 enthusiasts to the area. The 27-year-old event is part of a 16-weekend series across the United States and Canada that attracts about 600,000 enthusiasts a year.
The show will feature hundreds of 2008 street bikes, dirt bikes, cruisers and ATVs from more than 19 manufacturers.
Organizers hope the event whets the appetites of a growing population of riders. Sales have been rising steadily in recent decades, show organizers say.
An estimated 1.19 million new motorcycles were sold in 2006 — worth about $10.7 billion — up from 303,000 in 1990 — or $1.3 billion, according to the Motorcycle Industry Council.
“It’s been getting better and better,” said TT Motorcycles owner Robert Leppan of Clinton Township. “We’re the No. 1 Italian dealership in Michigan.”
Leppan said the show attracts hard-core enthusiasts and people who are curious about motorbikes.
“Riding’s becoming more popular among women and with gas prices, mopeds and scooters are definitely getting more popular,” Leppan said. “More people are taking motorcycles to work. It’s a constantly evolving business.”
Women, in particular, are showing more interest.
According to the Motorcycle Industry Council, the number of female motorcycle owners grew 36% between 1998 and 2003.
Manufacturers are catering to the trend, offering feminine bike and scooter designs such as the Kawasaki Ninja 250R, the Honda CRF230L and the Vespa S.
Women’s motorcycle gear is also popular.
Buell is also seeing growing numbers of female customers, said Paul James, a spokesman for Buell Motorcycles.
“We’re finding it to be for the same reasons that men like to ride … the sense of freedom, hitting the open road,” he said.
“People who are already motorcyclists are using their bikes more often, instead of riding in their cars,” said show spokesman Robert Pandya. “It doesn’t look like gas is going to be below $2 again. People are looking for ways to help shave some costs.”
Scooters, which can get 120 miles to the gallon, are becoming hits among the biker crowd, he said.
“The fuel cost savings draw a lot of people in, but after they use scooters for a while, they realize how fun and easy they are and how easy it is to park,” he added.
In Michigan, riders usually search for accessories that will shield them from cold weather, Pandya said.
“People are looking for motorcycles and accessories that help extend the riding season — heated clothing, heated gloves, heated suits, high-tech fabrics that allow people to ride a few extra weeks,” he said.
James said the show is a great way for new riders to get started.
Buell will debut its first liquid-cooled, high-performance motorcycle this year. The 1125R is the first Buell product not to use an air-cooling system.
Harley-Davidson is also debuting a couple of new edgy models — the Rocker and the Fat Bob.
The Rocker is designed so that the rear fender moves and gives it a rocking effect. The Fat Bob is a stocky cruiser.
For James, this is more than about seeing what’s new.
“It’s also a cold winter day out there, and it gives us hope that spring is coming,” James said.
Contact MARGARITA BAUZA at 313-222-6823 or mbauza@freepress.com.
Read the original article at the Detroit Free Press website here.