2012 Indianapolis Dealer Expo

[fredz43]

I once again had the privilege of attending the Indy Dealer Expo. This event, held at the Indianapolis Convention Center each Feb features displays by a very large number of vendors of aftermarket equipment, supplies, services, etc that pertain to the motorcycle industry. You must be affiliated with the industry in some way, such as being a dealer, employee of a dealer, a motorcycle affiliated publication, etc to get an attendee pass. In the past, when I was president of the HSTA and wrote a column for the HSTA magazine I was able to get Press credentials. Presently, I am able to get a dealer pass due to my part time retirement job at a Yamaha/Honda dealer, Niehaus Cycle Sales. BTW, although it seems the vendors are more enthusiastic to talk to those with dealer credentials hanging from their neck, in the hopes of you carrying their product, I found that those that wanted to talk to people with Press credentials, were eager to give you samples of their wares, in the hopes that you would test them and give a good review in your publication. As with many things in life, there are pros and cons.

In any case, it was a very interesting show. I walked the two main exhbition halls Friday aftenoon and again Saturday from 9 am to 6 pm. On Saturday night they had a big industry party at the adjacent Lucas Oil Stadium, but I was too tired to attend after all that walking. This is where the recent Super Bowl was and it would have been nice to see it, as well as partake of the free food and drink, but I just couldn't. In my younger days, I would have been there with bells on!

Last year there was one Super Tenere at the show, the one at the Yamaha Accessory display and they had it outfitted with all they had to offer for the ST. BTW, I have decided that in typing, I will in the future refer to the Super Tenere as the ST. In conversation, I always refer to it as a Super Tenere, but I am a lazy typist, so sometime I use the short cut S10. In thinking about it, I thought that if we all do that, some newowners may think we actually call our wonderful bikes S10's and they would use that in conversation and that wouldn't be good. Reminds many people of a small Chevy pickup truck. I also rejected Super T, as typing it isn't much shorter than typing Super Tenere and if I use that in conversation, as in "I really love my Super T", I get questions like, "Really, do you drink that for breakfast every day, does it give you energy?", etc. "No, not that kind of tea, you dumbass" is my normal reply after which I get punched in the mouth, so I gave up on that. I really do enjoy writing about the Super Tenere as much as I enjoy talking about it, so I will refer to it as a Super Tenere in conversation and use the shorthand "ST" in typing, just like I type BTW, instead of typing "by the way". But that's just me, so please understand. ;D

In any case, there were a lot of ST's at vendor displays ths year, as they had their products on them, or as in the AMA display, had one with Yamaha accessories next to a poster with the ST promoting their organization. I will post pics of many as I go thru my description of what I saw. (continued below)

 

[fredz43]

Right off the bat I was pleasantly surprised to see a booth with the folks from Bazzaz. I recalled that they had asked for a volunteer near their CA facility so that they could use it to develop their own performance enhancement piggy back ECU type of device. I know that one of our forum members did do that and they told me that they will have this product on the market very shortly. They said that it normally takes them about 1 week for this, it took two weeks for the ST due to the more complicated process that Yamaha used in the software for this bike. For instance, they have a product for the Honda VFR1200 called a Z-Bomb that retails for $64.95 that removes the restrictions in gears 1-3. It was easy in that case, as the VFR uses a gear indicator to tell the ECU what gear it is in and when you shift to 4th, it let's it really run. With this simple plug in, the gear indicator displays 4th gear in the first 4 gears and then displays 5th and 6th as you shift up. This has been a big seller for them and at that price and with that result, I can see why. They also offer their regular piggyback unit, that evidently adds more enhancements to that bike, but I didn't talk about that. As you know the ST uses an algorythm that looks at rear wheel speed, plus other readouts like throttle position, RPM and who knows what else to tell the ECU what gear we are in, so it took a lot more research for them to develop their product for our bike.

This should be on the market shortly, perhaps in the next month. You can go to their site http://bazzaz.net/ then click on New and then on Z-Notes to see what they have developed for other bikes and see those dyno charts. When the ST product is ready for market, it will have info and dyno results posted there.

 

[fredz43]

I didn't take any pics at the Race Tech display,but did get to talk to the person in charge of their ST suspension kit. Again, this product is very close to being released to the market, perhaps in 30 days. It consists of a kit to rebuild the forks, including springs and a replacement shock. They have used their own test riders as well as some volunteer ST owners for evaluation and say the feedback has been vey good. They made sure to use riders of different weights, so as to better evalaute fine tuning for different weights of riders. A fellow AHRMA vintage rider who also rides a vintage XR200 in addition to our Bultacos has worked with them in the past year in developing suspension kits for the XR200 forks and a replacement shock and the results have been outstanding, so I anticipate that we will see some good products from them for our ST's.

 

[Tremor38]

Right off the bat I was pleasantly surprised to see a booth with the folks from Bazzaz. I recalled that they had asked for a volunteer near their CA facility so that they could use it to develop their own performance enhancement piggy back ECU type of device.

..... As you know the ST uses an algorythm that looks at rear wheel speed, plus other readouts like throttle position, RPM and who knows what else to tell the ECU what gear we are in, so it took a lot more research for them to develop their product for out bike.

Hi Fred. What exactly do you mean by 'ST' >

I noticed you are tiptoeing around whether or not they were actully able to remove the restriction. Was Bazazz tactfully avoiding the subject, or are you just toying with us?

Thanks a bunch for the update. I was wondering what had become of their research.

 

[fredz43]

Last year Amotostuff was there along with Hepco Becker and displayed their products, including their various luggage options. The display bike at that time was a GS1200. This year Hepco Becker had a ST fully outfitted with their kit. This was the first time that I saw their luggage racks on the ST, plus Gobi bags and I was particularly interested in that. They also had the GS1200 from last year fitted with the Xplorer bags. I like the Xplorer bags, particualrly in black and almost went for them, as they are very high quality bags. What confused me a bit last year was the fact that the racks for the GS were asymetrical, or offset for the exhaust cannister on one side. They described the racks for the ST as being symmetrical and I didn't know if I would want that, as some of those type leave a big open space between the bike and rack on the non exhaust side. In practice, it actually doesn't look bad at all. You will still have to decide if a 30L bag on each side is enough for you or do you want the wider 40L bags on each side

I talked to them about the quick release racks. They do have quick release fasteners on each side, 3 , I believe, to release the racks, the brace that goes from one side to the other in the back is bolted to each side. So, you can quickly release the racks from both sides, but you would then have the complete assembly of both racks and the cross bar to come off at one time. Not bad, if you don't mind that. I eventually went with the SW Motech racks and with them the flat cross brace stays bolted to the fender and to you relaese the 1/4 turn fasteners on each side and just have two flat racks to contend with. I found this convenient at a MSTA 3 day rally last year, for instance. I had my Trax bags fully loaded for the ride to the rally HQ motel and when I got there, I quickly removed the bags and racks and stored them in the room and left them there as I rode the Ozark twistes for 3 days. Not a big deal, but it is different, Pros and cons again.

Here are some pics of the bags and racks:

 

[fredz43]

Hi Fred. What exactly do you mean by 'ST' >

I noticed you are tiptoeing around whether or not they were actully able to remove the restriction. Was Bazazz tactfully avoiding the subject, or are you just toying with us?

Thanks a bunch for the update. I was wondering what had become of their research.

Hi Tremor,

While they didn't go into detail, I assume that all that work was so they could fool the ECU into thinking that it was in a higher gear so that any gear related restrictions would be bypassed. While it is yet to be proven to me at least if the USA bikes have the same exact restrictions as the Euro bikes, it is becoming evident that there are some restrictions. I am convicnced enough that I am investing some $$ with ECU Unleashed to prove to myself what the effect of removing whatever restrictions we have actually is in practice. Having said that, Bazzaz easily removed the 1-3 gear restrictions on the VFR with $65 plug in device, but still developed a separate piggyback ECU for that bike, so they must have something else in mind besides removing whatever restrictions are gear related.

 

[fredz43]

Here are more Hepco pics showing their headight protector, adjustable gear shift lever, adjustable clutch and brake levers, adjustable windscreen bracket with GPS mount, skidplate. and one item I hadn't heard about, brush guards that go over the OEM guards and extend down the handlebars.
Also a 30L Xplorer bag as fitted to a GS1200.

 

[fredz43]

Although I love my dark tinted MRA Vario screen, a new screen caught my eye, as it just looked right on the ST. It is a V Stream and it comes in several sizes. I believe the one here is a medium size and I haven't heard any reports on how it performs, I have to say it looks very good. The pics may not do it justice, but it sure seems to flow with the lines of the bike.

 

[Tremor38]

Hi Tremor,

While they didn't go into detail, I assume that all that work was so they could fool the ECU into thinking that it was in a higher gear so that any gear related restrictions would be bypassed. While it is yet to be proven to me at least if the USA bikes have the same exact restrictions as the Euro bikes, it is becoming evident that there are some restrictions. I am convicnced enough that I am investing some $$ with ECU Unleashed to prove to myself what the effect of removing whatever restrictions we have actually is in practice. Having said that, Bazzaz easily removed the 1-3 gear restrictions on the VFR with $65 plug in device, but still developed a separate piggyback ECU for that bike, so they must have something else in mind besides removing whatever restrictions are gear related.

Sure. They are Power commander's competitor, so no doubt they will have a similar piggyback device for fueling. We will have to see whether they have successfully removed the restriction or just want their piggyback device to know what gear the bike is in to make a separatae fuel map for each gear.

In any case, I guess we'll know soon.

**this added after the fact** I already saw in another thread that you were getting the ECUu flash and was happy to hear it because you give nothing but the 'straight skinny' on things. I will definitely be reading your review.

 

[fredz43]

We talked to Mr Buchanon at the Buchanon Spoke display, mostly about getting stainless spoke kits for our Bultacos. In the process of showing us what proper torque felt like, he had us tighten some spokes with a wrench and then with a spoke torque wrench that they sell. A neat tool that I probably should add to my collection. I know, I know, I should have asked about ST spoke kits, but got too wrapped up in my vintage bike questions. I am sure they could accomodate anyone that wanted spoke kits for their ST wheels.

 

[Tremor38]

Although I love my dark tinted MRA Vario screen, a new screen caught my eye, as it just looked right on the ST. It is a V Stream and it comes in several sizes. I believe the one here is a medium size and I haven't heard any reports on how it performs, I have to say it looks very good. The pics may not do it justice, but it sure seems to flow with the lines of the bike.

Great stuff, Fred! Thanks!

Looks like they make a 'sport height' and a 'tour height.' Even the 'sport' height is slightly taller than OEM. And they're made in the U.S. of A by National Cycle ::008::

 

[fredz43]

Tires, lots of tires.

Of course, we had to stop by the Hideheau display. He said the K60 Scouts are selling very well.

At the Kenda display they told us that they will be releasing a new adventure tire for the big bikes. The K761 has a nice lookig tread pattern, but is made for the lighter adventure bikes. They will be building a tire with this pattern on the heavier carcass as used on their Big Block tire.
The Michelin PR3 now also comes in a 110/80/19 size for our front tire for those of us that are going to stick primarily to the road.
Don't know much about the Shinko 705, I think it is a more budget priced tire, but the tread looks interesting.

 

[fredz43]

Cardo Scala Rider headsets are one of my favorite products. My son and I started using the first version just a few years ago when we started taking our adventure/sport touring tours each year. We wanted something so that we could talk bike to bike as we toured some beautiful country. We started with the Q2 models and they worked well. They had FM receivers and Bluetooth in addition to the bike to bike. I could listen to the FM output of my satellite radio and link to my cell phone via Bluetooth. The audio was ok for music, but nothing spectacular and were mono and the range was about 1/4 mile. Later they came out with the G4 edition and we upgraded to that. They had stereo, a better range, up to 1 mile range, better fidelity and volume, with auto volume control and could link up 4 riders. In addition, the battery charger cord was USB and you could plug it into your PC, check theur website which would check your unit for updates and then download any updates. Pretty cool and we like them a lot. I liked them so well that I recommended to Niehaus Cyles that they carry them in stock and they have been very popular. Their customer and dealer support has been spectacular. I stopped by their booth to thank them for their support only to find out that the next generation, the G9 will be out in April or May. Further enhancements in fidelity, volume ability to link up to 8 riders and who knows what else. One thing I know is that it means more $$ output for me. The rep did say that he would be able to make it to Niehaus's big open house, called Customer Appreciation Days, the weekend of May 18-20 and will be demonstrating their products and offering free installations.

 

[fredz43]

I was surprised to see a new vendor to the show, ACF-50. I stopped to tell them that we have been discussing their product on the forum and feedback has been positive. They asked me where I got mine and I said that I would have to check my records, as I ordered it way before I got my bike based on recommendations from this forum. I was sure it was some type of aircraft supply company. They said they were trying to change that so that it would also be available thru bike shops. They had made a proposal to one of the largest distributors, Parts Unlimited and asked me to ask anyone interested in helping their cause in this effort to please contact Parts Unlimited or ask their dealer to contact them to see if they would make it available to shops.

 

[fredz43]

I had to do a double take at the Kappa display. I don't know if they have an official relationship with Givi or not, but it looks like their products are copies of several familair hard luggage items. The bags in the foreground are just like the Givi V35's that my son has on his Wee, only without the color panels, for instance.

 

[fredz43]

Spent some time talking to Eric at the Altrider booth about the possibiliy of our shop carrying their products. It was nice to see yet another ST outfitted with a vendor's products.

 

[fredz43]

Techmount had a ST in their display. I only saw the one item mounted to the handlebrs to demonstrate their product as used as a mount for a GPS. I suppose it can be used to mount other items. The rep didn't seem too interested in talking to anybody besides the other employees in their both. No problem lots of other things to look at.

 

[~TABASCO~]

All those products look great ! ::008:: Nice job !

 

[fredz43]

I didn't see a lot of new items as far as adventure type clothing. My buddy, Jim who attended the show with me and is in some of the pics knew the folks at Klim but their stuff is out of my price range. Jim built a KTM and was the support mechanic for another friend of ours who rode the Dakar in 2007, the last year that it was in Africa, and the good guys at Klim gave him a lot of great riding gear for that ride. Jim is helping another friend organize an effort for the Dakar race in 2013 in South America, so he spent some time talking to Klim and others to drum up some support for this massive, expensive undertaking.

Back in my price range, I liked the looks of the Alpinestar Capetown jacket. It is 3/4 length and the black panels are mesh. It comes with a waterproof liner that stores in a pocket in the back of the jacket when not in use.

 

[fredz43]

Even Warn had a ST on display, outfitted with a hookup for an electric winch in case you got your ST stuck or as depicted in these pics, in case you wanted to move a boulder.