Our 3-man-team hit Vegas in 3 days for the 2018 AIMExpo. Hundreds of motorcycles later, we are back home in DFW after a thrilling time of learning, networking, team building, and most importantly - riding!
AIMExpo is THE place to go if you are a dealer, work with, or are as passionate about motorcycles as Garrison, Joel, and I are. This year was the 6th annual year for the expo, the 18th annual Las Vegas BikeFest, plus the Monster Energy Cup.
As expected, we saw the incredible 2019 lineup for many of our favorite brands, Indian Motorcycle, Harley Davidson, Yamaha, Suzuki… I could go on...
Day 1:
Yes, we ran into Paul Jr. from Orange County Choppers, but Garrison and I were both so starstruck that we didn't think to get a picture - so we will have to settle for some photoshop fun and our sharp memories.
Aside from being totally starstruck as an OCC fan, Paul Jr. was extremely nice to take the time to chat with us for a few minutes before being overrun by a stampede of other fans.
The Indian FTR1200: Outstanding frame composition and craftsmanship, the new look has completely defied and revolutionized the Indian Motorcycle's traditional body style and lineup. I am assuming this is meant to appeal to a new style of rider vs their more classic styles, and to be honest, it worked on me! I am tempted to add one to my growing collection of bikes which is currently led by a mean Ducati Hypermotard. Go straight to the specs: https://www.indianmotorcycle.com/en-us/ftr1200/specs/
Yamaha was sporting their take on the Can-Am Spyder, the 3 wheeled design that Yamaha calls LMW (A.K.A Leaning Multi-Wheeler), the Sport Touring NIKEN. Which looks like a 2017 FZ-10 from the side, but takes on a whole new riding and steering dynamic from the front. I'm still wondering how this 'bike' would handle back roads.
Check out the https://www.yamahamotorsports.com/sport-touring/models/2019/niken
The Yamaha MT-10: Garrison got to demo the new MT-10, which has replaced the FZ-10 from Yamaha's previous lineup. The only big difference from the 2018 FZ-10 to the 2019 MT-10 is the name change, which finally matches their European counterparts. By the looks of it, the 2019 model is wider near the tank than their previous lineups and is much more tame and comfortable for a commute rider. However, as soon as you get some speed it's a smooth, confident, and agile ride with tons of power from 5,000 RPM to redline - perfect for any "hooligan riding". The new technology utilized in the Crossplane Crankshaft in the 998cc inline 4 engine coupled with the same aluminum frame derived from the YZF-R1 makes this bike weigh 463 lbs wet, which is almost as light as the new R1! Here's the specs: https://www.yamahamotorsports.com/hyper-naked/models/mt-10.
By the time Joel, Garrison, and I ran into 7X AMA Supercross Champion, Jeremy McGrath, we knew we had to get our photo op. He is a brand ambassador for Kawasaki, who was showcasing their brand new 2019 Ninja H2 Carbon. Too bad we couldn't take that bike for a test drive!
Day 2:
By the time Friday rolled around, we all had our green eyes and our riding boots on. The road courses outside of the Mandalay Bay Conference Center at the Expo were well worth the wait! We test rode the new bikes in both Indian and Harley Davidson's 2019 lineups.
Indian Scout Bobber: Low, but NOT slow. The new Indian Scout Bobber is the bagless badass bobber that I hoped it would be. It's iconic look is second only to just how comfortable they were able to make this year's model. Indian carried the new tank styling through to this year's model and added some creature comfort, like the USB charging port, which gives the classic feel a much needed modern twist. Besides how great this Scout looks and feels, the ride is powerful and loud with it's 69 cubic inch engine and 100 horsepower. I'm tempted to pick one up to balance out the inventory of Ducati's in my garage.
Check out the specs on this bad bob: https://www.indianmotorcycle.com/en-us/scout-bobber/specs/
Alpinestars Tech-Air Airbag System: Rider safety is always at utmost importance for us, and we feel that every rider should be well equipped to handle the uncertainties of riding. The airbag system is a liner insert independent of your jacket and is compatible with many jacket styles. The design is comfortable, flexible, and doesn't inhibit rider movement - besides comfort, the product is absolutely genius and we wish we would have thought of it first.
You can learn more about Tech-Air here: https://www.alpinestars.com/tech-air
Day 3:
We got a personal tour of the Suzuki racing team trailer… All I could think was, we have a nice trailer, but could you imaging rolling up to a customer's house with one of these?
The 18-wheeler is monstrous and branded boldly with Suzuki and all of their racing team sponsors. The inside is spacious and organized to a T, with labels on every drawer and cabinet... talk about a motorcycle mechanic's heaven and our ultimate goal!
The Monster Energy Cup was hands down the best way to spend our last day in Vegas. 3 events + the largest single-event paycheck in supercross racing, $1 million.
We took a look around the Toyota, Suzuki, and Red Bull racing team tents, and hung around long enough to see Eli Tomac race his way to the winner's circle and take home the $1M.
Our team will definitely be back to the AIMExpo next year, and I highly suggest this conference to anyone who has a passion for 2 wheels and an open road.
@aimexpo #AIMExpo2018
Mandalay Bay Conference Center in Las Vegas, Nevada
https://aimexpousa.com