Harley Demo Ride

[Randall K. Wilson]

A week ago I went to the first MOTO GP race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. H-D was giving demo rides. A large batch of new harleys as well as Buells were available. I rode a 09 Ultra and an 09 Softail Deluxe. My son- in-law rode a RG Screaming Eagle.

With a lead bike and a tail runner we were escorted out of the Track infield out onto the city streets and then on to the interstate where we got pretty aggresive. Then back to the city streets and back to the track. It might have been a good 15 miles excursion with all kinds of driving situations. Everybody who rode a demo got a free 10 dollar gift certificate to take to a dealer. It was only good for 14 days. (mine has been used already). Also a new 09 H-D catalog. This was the first time I had ever done this and It was fun as the race agenda had gotten kind of boring.

 

[SledDog]

The race agenda got boring? How is that possible? The Doctor, Nicky, Stoner, Spies and a multitude of other great riders where racing. Granted, it was in the rain... I watched it on NBC (crappy coverage) but be to be on-site to see the Doctor win it and breaks Agostini's Moto GP win record would have been a real blast.

 

[Randall K. Wilson]

The race agenda got boring? How is that possible? The Doctor, Nicky, Stoner, Spies and a multitude of other great riders where racing. Granted, it was in the rain... I watched it on NBC (crappy coverage) but be to be on-site to see the Doctor win it and breaks Agostini's Moto GP win record would have been a real blast.

Sorry I'm not a big spectator sports person. I just went for the historical singnificance as much as anything. Our seats were in the S curve and we could not see them screaming down the straight away, hence I was kind of dissappointed in that I was told we would have good seats and they were not ($120.00).

Also I was always told about how the GP run in the rain...ain't no big deal to them. And then when some of the rain came they stopped/delayed things and started getting whimpy and whinny. I know those gents are talented racers/riders, but I will probably not go back again. In spectator sports I always feel I'm on the outside looking in, and I get bored easily. I have fell asleep at major basketball and football games so I don't go to those anymore.

However last year I went to an, I think AMA superbike race at Mid-Ohio and I liked that race much better than the MOTO GP. And there again I think it was the seats we were in.

 

[SledDog]

Sorry I'm not a big spectator sports person. I just went for the historical singnificance as much as anything. Our seats were in the S curve and we could not see them screaming down the straight away, hence I was kind of dissappointed in that I was told we would have good seats and they were not ($120.00).

Also I was always told about how the GP run in the rain...ain't no big deal to them. And then when some of the rain came they stopped/delayed things and started getting whimpy and whinny. I know those gents are talented racers/riders, but I will probably not go back again. In spectator sports I always feel I'm on the outside looking in, and I get bored easily. I have fell asleep at major basketball and football games so I don't go to those anymore.

However last year I went to an, I think AMA superbike race at Mid-Ohio and I liked that race much better than the MOTO GP. And there again I think it was the seats we were in.

Seating is a big factor when it comes to race enjoyment. The only AMA races in Daytona is during Bike Week. It's mostly open seating so we sit where we get a good view of the action.

Other than that, I tend to like the cover by the Speed channel. The MotoGP coverage they show from Europe is excellent. But sometimes you have to be on-site to really enjoy it...

At Indy there was major problem with water run-off on the track. That and a combination of the wind, I can see why they stopped the race short of the 75% mark. the wind was so bad you could see the trash being blown across the in-field.

Here's a link to the Superbike Plant site that has the interviews from the racers...

Soup :: Sorry folks, park's closed. Moose out front shoulda told ya.

 

[Randall K. Wilson]

sledog what color is your '94 FLHR?

 

[SledDog]

Black and silver.... Here's a shot of my FLHR and my Dyna...

 

[NEWHD74FAN]

Sorry I'm not a big spectator sports person. I just went for the historical singnificance as much as anything. Our seats were in the S curve and we could not see them screaming down the straight away, hence I was kind of dissappointed in that I was told we would have good seats and they were not ($120.00).

Also I was always told about how the GP run in the rain...ain't no big deal to them. And then when some of the rain came they stopped/delayed things and started getting whimpy and whinny. I know those gents are talented racers/riders, but I will probably not go back again. In spectator sports I always feel I'm on the outside looking in, and I get bored easily. I have fallen asleep at major basketball and football games so I don't go to those anymore.

However last year I went to an, I think AMA superbike race at Mid-Ohio and I liked that race much better than the MOTO GP. And there again I think it was the seats we were in.

Randall, you missed the factory hospitality suites, the vendor specials you can try & buy, get it mounted right there at low cost (especially on Sunday), like apparel, tires and stuff). In some cases you may run into fellow enthusiasts with Pit Passes, Party Passes and Factory goodies. :newsmile093:

I am with you, I do not like to sit at one location, but check out all areas besides the track...though I have not been to the Indy "Brickyard" which is pretty much a big oval, made for autos, not GP bikes so it may not be as good as the Laguna Seca (2-stroke MotoGP-500 only came two years '93 & '94 at Laguna w/ Kenny Roberts and company); with open track with plenty of twisties here in California this time around, but give it time. :s

Also AMA races at Sears Point was pretty cool...back in the 90's you walk right into the PITS with major 2 stroke MotoGP-250 stars. I still remember helping Nick Ienactch (of Sport Rider magazine fame) put his bike on the bench after his electronic ignition plate was heavily damaged in a get-off after qualifying...he got it wired & epoxied back together by his tuner and took a podium finish later that Sunday afternoon (back then they raced twice, the winner of the 2nd race had preference), a better venue than the single GP race nowadays. This was after having laser surgury in one eye earler in the week while he was still campaigning for World Championship points. I told him, being a moto-jounalist, he should have written about THAT SUNDAY, but I guess he was too modest, smiling and saying "--it's just racing!" :bigsmiley8: