Just curious if anyone else in Toronto had an opportunity to attend the 2007 Toronto Motorcycle show this weekend?

It goes without saying that Harley Davidson had the largest floor space at the show with every single model available to touch and to sit on. What was most interesting for me was that this was my first opportunity to see both models of the new Rocker as well as the Fat Bob. As you can imagine, the area around the Rocker and Rocker C was quite crowded and there were lots of people taking pictures, etc. The Rocker looks much different when you see it live. My initial impression was that its a bit strange looking. I think the combination of the very wide rear tire and rear fender, the big empty space between the bottom of the seat and the rear fender and the raked out forks gives it a distinctively non HD custom look. What was most unusual was the silver/bronze finish on the rear swing arm, rims, oil tank, primary, etc for the base Rocker. Its kinda Fugly but I think I would grow to like it after owning it for a while. I wish they would use this same silver/bronze finish on the engine of the Superglides. The trick hideaway passenger seat on the Rocker C is kinda cool but unless your chick has a cute little butt, I don't think she would feel comfortable/safe on that seat for too long. I think its more cool that practical and I'm not sure how you would ever mount a third party passenger seat on that bike given that it can't attach to the fender.

The Fat Bob was kinda lost amongst the other Dynas. There were a few people sitting on it and admiring the new look but only the serious HD fans seemed to notice it. Its also got an unusual look thats a bit Fugly. I think the fat front tire looks a little odd on a Dyna but I did like the exhaust design. I'm still on the fence regarding the two headlights. I think it will definitely appeal to those folks who want to ride a Dyna but want something that looks a bit different. Given the premium price for these two new bikes, I still think the Superglide Custom and Street Bob are a better value and are far easier to customize. The Rocker might be my next bike once they get the bugs out of the design and there are enough available to get a bit of a deal.

Wandering through the Yamaha, Honda and Suzuki booths was also interesting. This year is the first that HD's bikes were slightly cheaper than the Japanese competition. The Japanese bikes are quite nice but many of their designs are really starting to depart from the standard cruiser look and move off in a different direction. The Yamaha Streamliner and Roadliner Midnight are great examples of a cruisers from an alternative universe. The Roadliner has a strange rear fender, LED white tail lights and weird pointy turn signals combination that looks like it came out of a SCI FI flick. Its definately cool but for those of us who love that traditional old school look, its far too modern. The other interesting Japanese bike was the Suzuki M109R. Part cruiser, part crotch rocket, part ripoff of the HD V-ROD,....check it out in bright yellow. Not my taste but cool. Orange County Choppers even had two examples of their new production bikes on display. They go on sale in the spring in Canada but at $45K a pop, I'm not sure how many serious riders are going to plunk down that kind of money for a bike thats designed to look good vs. ride long distances.

Harley Davidson still sets the standard for all these bikes. Everyone is trying to differentiate themselves in the market while quietly borrowing some design cues from the Motor Company. With all the snow falling around Toronto, it was nice to be amongst so many bikes on a Saturday afternoon. Only 4 months to go before riding season starts......sigh.

Jordan.

 

Where the hell are the pics?!

 

Hoser,,, take off,,,, eh

 

Was at the show on Friday night where the crowds were not as large and I spent some time really looking at the Rocker and Rocker C. The Rocker C appears to look more impressive due to the large amounts of chrome, but that rear seat is absolutely useless even for a 5 minute drive. My daughter who is 12 and about 5'3" and 90 lbs, could barely fit her rear end on it. She hated it. And the passenger sits right up against your back. Driver positioning is okay, but that tank is ugly. I hated the bars and the forward control mounts seem to be different than other softails which begs the question about customizing. I could be wrong but the bolt pattern seemed unique. From the side, it looks like Harley went half way trying to design a custom. The rear fender, the way its mounted, is looking for trouble, IMHO. Perhaps the reason for delay in production.
The Rocker needs a lot of powdercoat to cover up the raw metal parts. As it sits, its butt ugly, but from the side, looks better that the C since the seat is down on the frame as its only a solo riders bike. If the Rocker was available with the C chrome, I think it would sell better.
No pics cause I didn't want to waste memory on my SD card...LOL....best bike in the HD line up this year, IMHO was the Nightster....cool looking retro look, great ergonomics and seat height, bar placement was awesome. For the price, best Harley there.

 

You gotta be kidding me? the metrics are more expensive then the harley's in Canada.

 

Did Yamaha have their new Raider at the show? I've only seen a couple of pictures of it, but it looks like a nice cruiser, and also has some interesting features with 113 engine, 210 radial rear, raked forks, and aluminum frame. Bike for bike, I sure like it more than the Rocker.

 

Thanks for the report, sounds like you know what you're talking about!

 

Yes...some of the metrics were more expensive than the HD bikes. Let me know if these comparison's are fair...

Yamaha Stratoliner S - $22K MSRP CDN
HD Road King - $19,569

Yamaha XV1900 Custom - $18.2K CDN
HD Night Train - $17.6K CDN

and the list goes on.

They did have the new Yamaha Raider up on a platform. It looks great but no prices were given.

Jordan.

 

Canada must have some pretty high tariffs, Stratoliner MSRP down here is a little over 16,500 U.S. I'm interested in getting a look at the Raider myself. I want to see if they have any heat issues considering that it is air cooled.

 

The primary reason for price shiftis the dramatic slide in the value of the US dollar against all major currencies includingCanada.Harley's are becoming a bargain inside and outside the United States as foreign manufacturers lose their enthusiasm foreating the exchange difference.