Long Beach International Motorcycle Show '08

By: Steven Peltier

For many of us, last weekend's Cycle World International Motorcycle Expo in Long Beach, CA was our first stateside chance to see the latest and greatest bikes announced at the EICMA show in Milan. While there didn't seem to be a tremendous number of new bikes unveiled this year, I was still quite eager to get a glimpse of some potential game-changers, most notably the new Ducati Streetfighter S. As expected, the Italians came out in full force. The midnight black beast was prominently on display right at the entrance of the booth. While every bit as aggressive looking as the press photos, the Streetfighter did seem to have a split personality - exquisitely sculpted and clean in the rear and almost haphazardly put together up front. In particular, the pod-like instrument cluster sitting atop the headlight and the teardrop mirrors borrowed from the Monster part bin seemed to me like design afterthoughts. No matter, it took all of 3 seconds to mask my disappointment before I was off to ogle the Neiman-Marcus edition tri-color Hypermotard, a carbon-fiber and pearl white Multistrada in full touring trim, and the stable of superbikes including the mighty 1198S, 1098R, and the now ever-popular Desmosedici RR. Even with the slow economy, I have to say I was quite impressed with the big red display. The rest of the show, however, seemed a bit downsized. Outside of the growing cottage industry around BMW R1200GS accessories, there seemed to be less manufacturers present and an obvious lack of buzz. Harley's new XR1200 was a yawn, and the new Yamaha big-bang powered R1 was downright ugly. I did, however, notice a couple of gems worth mentioning.

KTM made a clear statement with 2 variations of the 1190 RC8 superbike (released in the US earlier in the year), a traditional orange and a black livery. I've been drooling over the press videos of this bike for months, but I was pleasantly surprised to see just how complete this package really is. The rider position is easily one of the most open and comfortable of any superbike at the show, and the workmanship of the components appeared to be top notch and smartly integrated. This bike clearly looks and feels like a high-end machine - clearly more of a serious contender to the 1198 than I previously imagined.

At the other end of the spectrum, I was also pleased to see MotoGuzzi's new V7 Classic. This white and black standard is a throw back to the company's successful 1967 V7 that masterfully solves the formula of how to deliver classic styling with modern components. Given the number of people crowded around this small bike outside of the normal "high-traffic" areas, it was clear that a general approval was shared by many. Here's a link to MotoGuzzi's recent press release that outlines the specs of this fantastic looking bike (http://www.motoguzzi-us.com/servonline/news/dettaglio.asp?indice=271).

I also found Suzuki's concept Burgmann with Gixxer livery to be downright hilarious. I can just imagine seeing groups of hardcore canyon burners rolling up 10 deep with oddly cheerful dispositions, packed lunches and nary a knee puck in sight.

The RC8 is equally stunning in 'KTM Orange'

Simply beautiful...

Is that the new Gixxer...?

Ducati Streetfighter