Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/763593
22 nJanuary 2017n www.thunderpress.net THUNDER PRESS by Fleadip LONG BEACH, CALIF., NOV. 18–20—It was a warm and sunny mid-November kind of day in Southern California, one of those perfect fall riding days we revel in here while the rest of the country is burrowing in for another long, dark, depressing winter. On these days it doesn't take much of a reason to haul the bike out and go riding. On this particular day there was a most excel- lent reason to ride. That reason was motorcycles. Motorcycles, motorcycles, motorcy- cles and yet more motorcycles. This is what was on my mind while riding to Long Beach, California, for the Progressive International Motorcycle Show. Rolling into the vast parking lot of the Long Beach Convention Center and seeing it packed end to end with thousands of bikes indicated that I was not alone in my two-wheeled obses- sion. It was a fi ne, sunshiny day and bike parking was free, so there was no earthly reason not to ride in. The giant mural of two blue whales frolicking on the outside of the convention hall seemed to look down upon the sea of bikes and grant their watery approval. With everyone riding in, the show provided a very welcome and well-run gear check so you didn't have to haul around your helmets and stuff all day. Once inside the hall, one was immedi- ately confronted with a dizzying array of everything related to all aspects and styles of our two-wheeled world. Virtually every manufacturer on the planet was represented with big booths displaying all their bikes for the public to sit on. And sit on them they did. They sat on them by the thousands. There was so much bike-sitting going on all day that I wondered if they kept spare seats in the back to replace the squashed foam. And you weren't just relegated to sitting either. In the parking lot several manufacturers were leading test rides all weekend out on the mean streets of Long Beach. Harley, Indian, Victory, Honda, Suzuki, Yamaha, BMW were all there offering free test rides. You could even take a drive in one of those weird, three-wheeled side-by-side Slingshot things if that was your fancy. There was a big line all day at the H-D truck, of course, with happy people checking out all the cool Milwaukee-Eight models. They also had a new bagger on a dyno so you could jump on and feel the throt- tle-hand power of their fantastic new Milwaukee-Eight motor. Back inside the hall on the Progressive main stage there was an endless stream of interesting presen- tations, from Glen Heggstad's solo moto-odyssey through 57 countries, race tips from the pros, tech tips for maintaining and upgrading your scoot, to watching art madman Makoto Endo paint a custom bike portrait with a chopstick! It was cool to take a load off the feet and enjoy the info before diving back into the hustle and bustle on the show fl oor. Once there, you could roam the endless maze of aisles in the Cycle Gear Marketplace, and purchase vir- tually anything that can be possibly bolted onto a bike (or rider for that matter) to make you go faster, brighter, safer, warmer, cooler, or whatever you're looking for to make your ride more awesome. Being the weekend before Thanksgiving there were tons of folks beating the shopping rush of Black Friday. I'm sure there were a lot of Christmas lists checked off all throughout the weekend. Stock gear is great but what about us custom freaks? Well, fortunately for us, throughout the hall was displayed the J&P Cycles Ultimate Builder Custom Bike Show. Forty-nine stun- ning bikes representing four categories entered the fray, all vying for a chunk of $50,000 in cash and prizes. The incredible eye candy on display had folks stopping in their tracks to admire and drool over the glistening iron. When the smoke fi nally cleared on Sunday, the winners were as follows: Freestyle: Cory Ness and his 2015 Hybrid Ness Mod Harley: Andrew Ursich and his 1980 Sportster named Brass Monkey Factory Halogen RIVCO LED Kits Want the per formance of a great LED headlight without paying $500? No problem, replace your factor y Halogen bulb with a RIVCO LED kit! t Super-bright 3600 lumen output rated to last 30,000 hours t Nighttime light field is 30% longer and 15% wider than factory bulbs t RFI shielded and produces no radio frequency interference t Daylight-white light rated at 6000 Kelvin with no blue tint t Plug and play installation using stock reflector & bulb housing For more information call us at 888-801-8222 or visit us online at www.rivcoproducts.com LED-120 / $149.95 Replaces H9 & H11 LED-115 / $149.95 Replaces H7 LED-100 / $69.95 Replaces H4 Ask about our LED driving light kits! PROGRESSIVE INTERNATIONAL MOTORCYCLE SHOW LONG BEACH Two-wheel extravaganza Something for everyone… and then some Get 'em hooked young READER'S RIDES! T H U N D E R P R E S S Submit a picture of your bike at www.thunderpress.net/ readers-rides today! BIKES! RALLY PICS! We want to see them all!