ExPo Visits the Motorcycle Industry Dealer Expo 2012!

[Brian McVickers]

Overland Journal and Expedition Portal are at the Dealer Expo this weekend!
Dealer Expo is the motorcycle industry show held every February in Indianapolis Indiana. It is also commonly known as the "Indi Show". We’ll be exploring the show, looking for the best gear for adventure riding and moto travel and getting an up-close look at the motorcycle industry as a whole.
Keep an eye on this thread for daily updates and pictures from the show!

Regards
Brian

 

[Brian McVickers]

Dealer Expo 2012 Day 1 Update!

A great day at the show!

All the companies that make all the great moto gear that we use to ride and explore.
Here are a few of the highlights:

Dealer Expo kicked off with an up-close look at the new Christini All-Wheel-Drive motorcycle.
Under the red cover on the left side of the bike is a power-take-off chain that drives a shaft running through the frame to the head tube.
Within the head tube is a set of gears and two smaller chains that connect to two telescoping drive shafts which run down each fork leg.
The system applies drive to the front wheel whenever it looses traction. It's like a traction control system for a motorcycle!

Along with some impressive results on the racing circuit the Christini is being used by the U.S. Military which has done rider testing to show that the bike saves the rider 30% effort which means less rider fatigue and higher performance all around.














We will be taking the Dual Sport model for a test ride and review, so look for more information in the furture!

 

[Brian McVickers]

Risk Racing makes this bike holder that bolts onto a trailer or into a truck bed to hold a bike securely byt its pegs, eliminating the need for straps.

 

[Brian McVickers]

This one would be an adventure ride of its own!

 

[Brian McVickers]

Acerbis has introduced an evolution of their well-known Koerta armored shirt with the new Cosmo.
It has two pieces, the shoulder and elbow guards and the chest and back protector. Each can be worn separately or together.
The Cosmo is reportedly cooler to wear in hot temperatures than the Koerta.
It is seen in white here but will be available in all black within two months.



Their new front rotor cover provides more protection to the caliper and creates a tight fit by replacing the stock wheel spacer.



A new line of hand guards use a new mounting bracket with three different spacers to choose from for different sized or tapered bars.

 

[Brian McVickers]

Alpinstar has a new pair of protective shorts with padding and impact protection.





Just about every tire company has a DOT certified knobby dirt biassed tire as well as an all-terrain offering.
We saw Dunlop, Michelin, Kenda, Avon and Pirelli today with plans to visit Continental and Maxxis tomorrow.









Look for a few mobile updates from the show on Saturday!

 

[Scott Brady]

Good stuff Brian. Any new bike launches? 660 Tenere?

 

[hochung]

Scott, I think Brian was too busy checking out the padded butts.

 

[MarcFJ60]

I'm curious what bike that Christini is based upon?

The peg mounts for a trailer look interesting, but I'm having a hard time wrapping my head around how they work with foldable pegs.

 

[goodtimes]

Basically, they pull down on the pegs, compressing the suspension.

 

[Brian McVickers]

I'm curious what bike that Christini is based upon?

The peg mounts for a trailer look interesting, but I'm having a hard time wrapping my head around how they work with foldable pegs.

Marc,
The Christini is unique, they have designed and built the frame from scratch as well as then engine.
The fram incorporates the mechanics of the all wheel drive system.
They did say that all fo the engine parts are able to be sourced easily as they are bits and pieces commonly used in other bikes.

The bike stand pulls down on the pegs enough to compress the suspension a bit.
You pre-set the point where the top tube of the stand will lock into place and simply push down on each side once the bike is in place.

 

[Frank]

I would have much rather went here than the international motorcycle show last weekend! I look forward to more pictures.

Scott, the Tenere is not an adventure bike, IMO after seeing it last weekend. Set it next to your KTM, it's no comparison. It has no ground clearance and the oil filter sits inches behind the front wheel. It's a disaster waiting to happen and a huge disappointment. -just my opinion.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[whatcharterboat]

Hi Brian,

Good on ya. Thanks for posting the thread. Geat stuff.

Did you see anything new in the way of lighting, soft luggage or comms / nav gear?

Regards John.

 

[sandalscout]

I remember reading about the Christini bikes back when they only sold conversion kits for Hondas and KTMs. They got REALLY bad reviews for a while, people complaining that the 15 pounds felt a lot heavier due to much of the weight being in the front end and affecting the steering negatively. I have not read much since they started selling complete bikes. I suspect that they figured out that they could assemble the bikes better than most home users could, and get more exact results. Just a hunch. They obviously can do more cutting and chopping than the average shade tree mechanic.

According to this article the 450 is a CRF, and the 300 is a Gas Gas. http://www.bikeexif.com/two-wheel-drive-motorcycle

 

[marksbonneville]

Good stuff Brian. Any new bike launches? 660 Tenere?

I recently saw a new 660 Tenere that came through town (European visitor) and it is a very nice adventure bike even more so than lets say a KLR or others in its size range. I wish Yamaha would bring it to the USA, if they ever do I bet it will be a special order bike like the Super Tenere.


I sure like the Christini and the Bike stand.