A few Saturday shots…

A busy day, yesterday was.   Attendance at the Long Beach show was high, and it sure was busy in the CSC booth.  Lots of visitors, a filming session by Cycle Sports TV, and more…but I was able to sneak out a bit and grab a few shots.   The best time for us is early in the morning before the show is open to the public, because it lets me get out and around and take photos without too many people in the way.   Steve and I walked around a bit early yesterday.

One of the high points for me yesterday was when my good buddy Fonzie Palaima stopped by the booth…

Fonzie is a very well known motorcycle photojournalist.   You might not know his name, but I guarantee you’ve seen his work if you’ve ever picked up a motorcycle magazine or surfed the Internet.   He’s a fun guy to be around.

Here’s a cool photo Steve took of yours truly on a Royal Enfield.   Kevin Mahoney, Royal Enfield USA’s CEO, came over to our booth for a visit yesterday.   I tried to talk him into giving me a free Royal Enfield (they sure are beautiful motorcycles), but I wasn’t successful.  I still have another day today, though.   So do you, for that matter.  If you are in So Cal and you haven’t been to the Long Beach moto show yet, you really need stop by.   This is one of the best shows ever.

Here’s an early morning shot at the Ducati booth showing their newest model. I think it is the 1299cc Paningale (I didn’t look at it that closely). They are pretty bikes, but they are not my cup of tea (even though I love red motorcycles). Too expensive for me, and too big. They make great photo subjects, though.

There were several custom Hayabusas on display.   These bikes make for interesting paint themes, I think mostly because they have so much body work to serve as a canvas.   Interesting stuff…nothing I would ever ride, but interesting as displays of artistic talent…

Speaking of artistry, the rat look continues to adorn all sorts of vehicles.   There was even a brand new Indian given the rat treatment, as well as those Derelicts custom scooters I showed the other day…

Different strokes for different folks, I guess.   I suppose you could call my KLR 650 a rat bike, but that’s just because I never wash it.   KLR riders are known for two things…being cheap and riding filthy bikes.   We joke about it.   The first time I ever went to a KLR event (one of the tech days down in San Diego), I washed my bike before I went.  Boy, was that ever a mistake…my bike was spotless, and the rest of the guys there ribbed me all day long about it.    It’s suitably funky now after a few Baja rides, lots of mud, and successfully avoiding any effort whatsoever to clean it for the last several years.

Here’s a bike that really caught my eye…it’s a fully restored ’67 XLCH…

When I was a teenager I wanted one of those so bad I could taste it.   That blue was the color I wanted, too.   I left my card at the booth where the XLCH was on display in case the owner wanted to sell it.   Even if he is selling the bike, it’s probably beyond what my budget would allow.    I imagine a bike like that is somewhere in the $15K to $20K range (maybe even more).   I can dream, though.

Susie is coming with me to the show today, and of course I’ll have the Nikon.     Same time, same place, and all that….we’ll be back with more photos later!