MOTORCYCLE SHOW
Two-wheelers take over Tradex
The recent cold snap certainly put a damper on West Coasters’ boasts about being able to ride 12 months of the year, but the ice has receded, the temperatures are climbing and the days are getting longer.
Cue the 2017 Vancouver Motorcycle Show.
The three-day, two-wheeled extravaganza rolls into Tradex Saturday, with the usual assortment of new models, dazzling demos and state-of-the-art gear.
And as in the past, Friday night is dedicated to the ladies, with SHE-Ride night featuring a motorcycle giveaway (a 2017 Kawasaki Ninja 300) and the How To’s of Riding sponsored by Yamaha.
Here’s a look at some of the show highlights:
Select models from one of the world’s finest Harley-Davidson collections will make the trip east along Highway 1 from Boundary Road a show first. The Deeley Exhibition will showcase a number of classic Harleys spanning from the 1920s through to the 1970s.
Canadian Motorsport Champion Jordan Szoke will be demonstrating the disciplined sport of Observed Trials. His wife Amy, an experienced rider herself, and their four-year-old son Wolfgang are also part of the show.
Thirteen-year-old honour student Jonathan Finn, who in his seventh year of racing has amassed four Canadian National Championships as well as multiple regional Championships in Mini Road Racing, will be on hand. Jonathan has been racing full time in the Dodici Polici Italian Cup during the 2016 race season, competing against some of the best MiniGP riders in Europe.
Craig Latimer, Ryan Hawco and (Wild) Bill Hitchon will be performing motorcycle and ATV stunts in the outdoor area. Latimer placed first in the Individual Freestyle at the Canadian Freestyle Motorcycle Championship in 2010 and first at Canadian Freestyle Motorcycle Championship in 2013.
The Pacific Coast Mini Road Racing Association will also be racing both Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Open to ages six through 12, the Yamaha Riding Academy lets children can take a ride on the latest Yamaha TT-R off-road motorcycle. With certified instruction, the latest motocross gear and a 15-minute riding session, your child will be safely introduced to the wonderful world of off-road riding. Participation is limited to eight riders at a time during scheduled session hours.
Flat Track Canada, known as the oldest form of motorcycle competition, will be doing demo races each day of the show (Friday 4 p.m., Saturday/Sunday 2 p.m.).
And while there are lots of cool demos and interesting displays to check out during the bike show, but the real appeal for motorcycle aficionados is to see the new models.
The Tradex floor will be teeming with them this weekend, from hyper sport bikes to laid-back cruisers — and most everything in between.
Here’s a look at some of the must-see two-wheelers:
The ultra-modern and very light G310R is the first product offering in the sub-500-cc category and lays the groundwork for a new model family by BMW Motorrad. Powered by an economical 313-cc single- cylinder, and weighing less than 160 kilograms fully fuelled, the bike comes with standard ABS, a three-year warranty and roadside assistance.
2017 Harley-Davidson Street 750: Narrow and agile, with an aggressive Dark Custom attitude, the Street 750 boasts the 750cc Revolution X liquid-cooled powertrain. Among a number of new optional updates is an antilock braking system and a smart security system. 2018 Suzuki GSX-S750 ABS: The all-new GSX-S750 leans heavily on Suzuki’s MotoGP race experience and a 37-year heritage dating back to the launch of the original GSX model in 1980. The GSX-S750 is the only model in the class powered by a super sport power unit taken from the GSX-R750K5, and features aggressive styling and a look of quality worthy of the GSX-S fam- ily. Standard equipped includes Suzuki’s 3-mode + Off Traction Control System.
2017 Yamaha YZF-R6: Teeming with R-DNA, the newly redesigned YZF-R6 borrows performance and styling from the YZF-R1M and YZF-R1. Performance highlights include six-mode traction control
system, YZF-R1-based KYB front suspension and front brakes that include ABS with larger 320-mm dual front discs, newly designed KYB piggyback rear shock, Yamaha’s D-Mode system, aluminum fuel tank, slimmer magnesium rear subframe and optional quick shift system. SEE THE VIDEO AT VANCOUVERSUN. COM