Ralph's Rants: Your daily Ralph- The 2014 International Motorcycle show at the Javitts Center in New York City

The 2014 International Motorcycle show at the Javitts Center in New York City

This past weekend I attended the International Motorcycle Show, or IMS as it is warmly referred to in Manhattan. This show every year showcases the newest, the brightest and the most exciting new motorcycles from every manufacturer in the world. It’s basically like being a kid walking through a big Manhattan toy store for adults.

You get to see all the newest machines and all their great new upgrades.

This year I had the pleasure of talking to the beautiful and intelligent Lorraine from Suzuki who went out of her way to chat with me about the new bikes Suzuki had coming out this year. Out of all the manufacturers’ representatives, she was the only one who saw my press pass and went out of her way to discuss the new models Suzuki had on tap for the coming season, so Lorraine and Suzuki are going to be the focus of this blog post.

Suzuki has added a new sub line to their lineup, the almost naked GSX-S line. These are motorcycles based on their GSX-R line of sport bikes but with more upright riding positions and very little fairing coverage. They are basically standards. These new machines come in two sizes, just like their more sport oriented brethren, 750CC and 1000CC. There is also a 650CC twin with a very similar look based on the old SV650 motor.

These new motorcycles are for the everyday rider who doesn’t want to in a racer’s tuck all day long but still be able to have some fun on back roads. With versions of the powerful GSX-R750 and GSX-R1000 motors installed in both these machines they should be fun rides in sensible and more importantly affordable chassis. The GSX-S750 will sell for $7,999 and the GSX-S1000 price will be announced at a later date as this is a 2016 model and will not be available until sometime in the summer.

Once again I want to thank the beautiful Lorraine from Suzuki for talking the time out and personally walking me through the Suzuki display and telling me all about what Suzuki has in store for the New Year. Job well done!

Other manufacturers including Yamaha, Honda and Triumph had much to offer at the show this year as well. Yamaha’s new FJ-09 offers an adventure tourer look with real world ergoes and for only $10,490 it’s a bargain and destined to be a big motorcycle for this coming year.

Check out my pictures and tell me what you think about this year’s IMS.