Chicago Motorcycle Expo

There are several reasons to go to a motorcycle exposition. Most obviously one gets to see all the new bikes, at least from those manufacturers who show up (absent Triumph, Moto Guzzi, and Enfield). Being able to taste and compare all the bikes in one arena is a great way for me to evaluate what I might be interested in if I were to purchase a new bike this year. My attention was repeatedly drawn to the "Adventure" bike category, of which this BMW F800 GS, decked out with a whole bunch of aftermarket goodies from Twisted Throttle, was the acme:



That is a bike that just makes me want to go riding, for a long time, in no particular direction!

Another good reason to go is to look at aftermarket goodies and either buy them or at least ponder the concept. Sometimes a part is engineered and manufactured so well that it is worth a photo of its own. To whit, this throttle lock:



It makes me want it, even though I already have a throttle lock on my MZ.

A third good reason to go to a motorcycle expo is the human eye candy. In addition to seeing all the myriad varieties of riders and rider-wannabees, there are those who are hired to stand and attract your attention. Some are really good at what they do/are. Our pal found himself drawn in...



At any rate, total immersion into one's passions is always a delight. In this case it took a 5 hour round-trip drive, $60 in gas, toll, parking, and admission money in exchange for six hours of walking around on concrete floors looking at bikes and goodies. I'll be there again next year!

There are more photos at my Flickr site.