Power sports exposition open to public Saturday, Sunday
By Michael Marino
COLUMBUS, Ohio — The 2019 AIMExpo presented by Nationwide wrapped up its trade/industry/media days Friday, and opens its doors to the general public Saturday and Sunday.
The four-day event at the Greater Columbus Convention Center features hundreds of exhibitors showcasing power sports products, offering demo rides, providing exhibitor presentations and more.
Here are some of the neat products that were on display at the show on Friday.
Haynes North America had some of its latest Haynes and Clymer manuals at their booth, including ones for the Honda Africa Twin, Yamaha TT-R50/110/125 and Honda VT1300 Series. The company also offered demonstrations of its online manuals, which are easy to print and are searchable by keywords. No more having to worry about dirty fingers flipping pages or having to search through an index to find the procedure you’re looking for.
Scooter owners rejoice! Bridgestone is bringing its European scooter tire lineup to the United States market. The lineup features tires and sizes for scooters of all sizes, from a 50cc Vespa to a 650cc Suzuki Burgman.
Bridgestone also brought two of its newest products for older machines. The BT46 model (right) will replace the stalwart BT45 as the company’s bias-ply sport touring tire, while the CR11 is an all-new vintage motorcycle race tire. A release date and pricing information were not available.
Cobra makes motorcycles to develop young riders, and their newest product makes training young riders less burdensome and more eco-friendly. The electric-powered 2021 Cobra CX-E5 concept made its public debut at the AIMExpo. Cobra designed the bike to have the same performance as a 50cc gas-powered motorcycle. It has a liquid-cooled engine and a swappable battery pack. The battery is expected to last for about 30 minutes of competition riding and about two hours of less intense riding. It recharges in about an hour using a 110-volt electrical outlet.
The 1980s Suzuki Katana is one of the most iconic sport bikes of its era, and Suzuki has brought the Katana moniker back for 2020. The new model shares many design cues with its predecessor, while boasting a modern 999cc liquid-cooled engine. It is available in metallic mystic silver (pictured) or solid black, with a MSRP of $13,499.
GIVI had a set of its upgraded hard saddlebags on display. The V37 models use the same curved brackets of the V35 model, where the bags are wider at the bottom. The design uses the space below the seat and the frame that flat-sided hard saddlebags don’t, increasing storage capacity and helping limit how far the bags protrude from the motorcycle. The V37 is two liters larger than its predecessor and is available in a black and carbon finishes. Retail price $599.
Beta Motorcycles had its 2020 dual sport model lineup at the show, which features a larger screen on the models’ Trail Tech Voyager instrument display/GPS unit. The four-stroke engines are 2.2 pounds lighter and the cooling lines have been recessed into the engine to improve efficiency. The news models are expected to arrive at dealers in November.
This year’s AIMExpo features a large outdoor portion in a parking lot east of the convention center. Demo rides are available with Honda, Yamaha, Suzuki, Kawasaki, KTM and more.