More Photos from San Mateo…

The things I like best about going to the motorcycle shows are you folks (the people we get to meet) and the cool sights.   I’ve already shown you the photos of folks on the Cyclone and the CSC-250.   What I’d like to do now is show photos to you of some of the other cool things we saw in San Mateo.

As I mentioned in an earlier blog, we were directly across the aisle from Ducati.   This is their Multistrada model.   It’s gorgeous, but then it ought to be…it’s got a sticker well north of $20K!

Ducati also displayed their new Scrambler model.  It’s cool because it’s a simple bike and I like the styling.  Steve liked it, too…

Here’s a macro shot showing the machining detail in one of the Ducati parts on their Multistrada model…

I think that part was most likely cast and the apparent machining marks were actually left by the mold.   I can’t imagine they would be machining every part like this.   Then again, who knows?

Here’s a cool shot from the Kawasaki exhibit.   It’s a cutaway display of one of their high performance multi-cylinder engines…

The Kawi engine display was inside a plexiglass case, which is why you see some of the reflections and artifacts in the photos above.   I shot all of the photos on this page using available light (no flash) and the 28mm Nikon lens on my old D200.   The flash doesn’t really work well in these conditions, and I like using available light.    I had the ISO set on 800 and I think the results are acceptable.   The newer Nikon cameras have much better low light performance, but I don’t know if I’m ready to shell out another $3K for the slight improvement a new camera would provide.

This is a cool Honda had on display.  It’s an original, absolutely pristine 1975 Gold Wing.   That’s the first year of the Gold Wing.  I was an artillery lieutenant in Korea when the Gold Wing first emerged, and I was still caught up in the “bigger has to be better” motorcycle mentality.  I never owned a Gold Wing, but I sure spent a lot of time drooling over the motorcycle magazine photos when I first learned about that bike over there in Kunsan.

One last photo for today, folks, and that’s a superwide tire on the back of a custom V-twin…

It’s not my cup of tea, and I imagine that bike would handle like a shopping cart, but it makes for an interesting photo.

That’s it for now.  I’ve got a bunch more photos to share with you, so keep an eye on the blog tomorrow!