I was at the show two out of the three days (got a three day pass). It was okay, the main reasons I went was because I determined to get my license recently, I wanted to hear their short seminars/talks on whatever topics could be informative/helpful and I wanted to get an idea of the offerings, gear and costs.
My main disappointment (but not terribly surprising) was that the industry almost exclusively caters to hobbyists where as my main interest is as a commuter who wants economy and safety. Thankfully there was a lot of info and gear for the safety aspect but zero bikes for the commuter aspect (unless you consider scooters, which I don't care to).
I already got a small bike and enough gear to get started, will be on the road in about a month. I wanted a bigger bike to start but I found a deal that I couldn't pass up and the jump from small bikes to bigger bikes engine wise isn't catered to in the industry. The days where you could get a 400ish CC bike are gone (except in the used market).
I could have a car in Manhattan but frankly I hate the parking headache/expense.
Some of the speakers I listened to was this brave chick from
Rockthegear.org who described her order with road rash from falling off a bike at high speed and how it affected her life. (She was great and I instantly heeded her plea/advice)
I heard from Bruce Porter of Arai helmets who was very educational on the care, use and proper fitting of helmets. NYS police on laws affecting bikes & bikers, and a few others.
ou are never going to be able to vote for the revolution. Get that hope out of your mind" -Jerry Rubin
