First off, kudos to Bob's for doing such an excellent job of setting up the trip. We arrived at about 7:35,and found waiting staff members at the gate who directed us to parking and the waiting area inside. Shortly thereafter (and right on time), there was a headcount, and we boarded a very comfortable motor coach for our trip north.?

The Bob's staffers who accompanied us were well prepared with both snacks and movies. We watched "On Any Sunday" on the trip up, and enjoyed a very nicely prepared Wegman's box lunch as well before we arrived at the Javits Convention Center in New York.

Once we arrived, a brief walk through some blowing snow landed us in a very large display hall with a reasonably thorough representation of international motorcycle brands. In the 'expected' category, there were the Japanese Majors (Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki and Yamaha), and a number of major European brands (BMW, Ducati, KTM, Triumph). There were all the American majors (Harley Davidson, Indian and Victory), and some European boutique brands (Aprilia, Motoguzzi, MV August).

In the missing category were Erik Buell Racing, Hyosung, Royal Enfield, and Ural, which we found to be quite surprising, given the exposure afforded by a show in a major city. Surprisingly, Royal Enfield and Ural have made regular appearances at the smaller Washington DC show.

Both Indian and the Vintage Japanese Motorcycle Club had some beautifully restored bikes on display from the the 1920s up through the early 1980s.

There were many attractive bikes at the show but what caught my eye first and foremost was the Yamaha's new sport triple (the FZ-09), which looks like it would be a lot of fun on the right stretch of country two lane. Following that, Motoguzzi's, and Triumph's new custom range demonstrated a surprisingly interesting range of possibilities, with scramblers and cafe variants looking most intriguing to my eye.

Ongoing favorites of mine present included Ducati's Diavel, Honda's F6B Goldwing, most of the new Indian range and the ever reliable and unchanging Suzuki DR650. Accessory and parts vendors were plentiful, with a slight bias toward riding gear. One of the more unique accessories on display was a convertible trailer that could convert between being a compact self folding trailer that could act as a ramp for a pickup truck, or for itself, with a remote control that allows for one person operation.

The amount of time we had at the show was just about perfect, allowing enough time to see everything, as well as fit in a quick lunch before it was time to board the bus and head back for Maryland. On the trip back we saw Worlds Fastest Indian, and got back to Bob's right on time, despite a quick rest stop in Delaware and negotiating a snow storm through most of New Jersey.

In summary, I'd say the trip was well worth it, and I will probably go again next year.

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