I just attended the 27th Annual Cycle World 2008 International Motorcycle Show in Washington, D.C. and have some good news to report. I attended this event in D.C. last year and wasn’t very impressed. It was small in comparison to other shows I have attended and short on vendors. This year however, the motorcycle event seems to have improved on all counts. The motorcycle show had all the new 2008 motorcycles before you see them in the dealers. There were over 19 manufacturers displaying street bikes, dirt bikes, cruisers, and ATVs. Honda, Yamaha, Victory, Harley-Davidson, Suzuki, Buell, BMW, Kawasaki, Aprillia

Ducati had an exclusive display but it was hard to get in and out of because it was enclosed in a small space. The bigger manufacturers were positioned as you came in the door with plenty of room to move around and sample the goods. The Harley-Davidson new 2008 Rocker model is a visual delight with sleek custom looks. As I sat on the Rocker, I had visions of cruising down the highway looking very cool and singing "born to be wild". The Harley-Davidson display gave live motorcycle customization demonstrations and also let attendees pick up a downed motorcycle.

I visited the Sportbike Customs display and was hard pressed to choose a favorite between the beautiful candied crimson cobra design or the head to tail white tiger motorcycle design. The vintage motorcycles were a trip down memory lane with a 1960ish 90cc Honda, which at one time was a standard for all the households. The ATV Outdoor Showcase had a selection of ATV’s to ooh and aah about. There was a beautifully designed V-twin "Beatles" motorcycle, which is a rare find.

In addition to all the great motorcycles, they also had the Boss “Ball of Steel” Freestyle stunt team performing daredevil tricks in a relatively confined space. The stunts were amazing and kept the crowd’s attention. I visited the World’s Fastest Motorcycle display and chatted with the owner and builder of the Dennis Manning’s Bub Streamliner Seven, setting and average speed of 354.832 mph in 2006. Mr. Manning was charming and passionate about his creation and motorcycle racing.

There were many more vendors to choose from this year with a variety of goods. One vendor was an upstart woman owned business entitled, Venus Bike Trap. This company is featuring stylish, protective and decorative women’s motorcycle clothing that is available in larger sizes and designed to showcase a woman’s curve. I tried on several jackets and was impressed with the styling, material, and reasonable prices. They also feature exotic skin boots at a reasonable price in a variety of sizes. You can visit this site by clicking on the link below: Clothing - Decorative.

This motorcycle event is well worth the price of admission as it has something for everyone. Tickets can be purchased on line for a discount and no wait at the ticket box. The International Motorcycle Show is touring the country every month in a location near you. To visit their website and see the schedule, click on the link below: Motorcycle Shows

I will be attending the MidAtlantic Motorcycle Show in February and will give you all the details. After the two motorcycle shows, I will be test riding some of the new models that I saw and will let you know what I think.

Until next week, ride safe.

Nancy