The shiny pilgrimage: York

A Suzuki V-Strom looked REALLY out of place in this parking lot... more on that later.

A nice display in the tour/ visitor center following a fender thru the different stages of production: forming/ stamping, trimming, cutting holes, polishing, and about 100 painting steps. By comparison, the Vee's fenders are squirted out of an injection molder... done.

Another cool display showing how the sub-assemblies come together. At each "J-hook" (that's what the tour guy called them), another piece of bike is stuck on.

I don't know... a seemingly random assortment of bike guts...

One of the company's most interesting (to me, anyway) products was sitting in the parking lot when I left. The tank and fenders looked to be unpainted stainless steel. I speak enough Harley to know this is a "V Rod."

As I was gearing up, some of my tour mates were milling around their bikes (HD's), and one felt it very important to tell me that he "was at [some place] and saw the Suzukis LOSE the other day!" I really had no clue what he was talking about, and it must have been obvious because he felt the need to say it again - much louder and slower, emphasizing the "lose." I'm not sure what reaction he was expecting, but he got a shrug and a wave. They rode off... feet down and wobbly, in their protective T-shirts and bandannas. I wonder if the Suzuki lost to a Harley.

As I rode out, my hands were getting hot and glanced down to notice that some doo-ragger had cranked the controls on my newly installed grip heaters. I guess I had it coming, what with not buying a shiny cruiser that weighs double, costs triple, and makes less hp than my rice-burner. I imagine if I screwed with some Harley dude's bike while he was away from it, that he'd be ok with it and laugh it off.