From: jlevine@rd.hydro.on.ca (Jody Levine)
Subject: Toronto Bike Show Report, Bra Update
Organization: Ontario Hydro - Research Division
Date: Mon, 4 Jan 93 16:38:22 GMT

    The indoor trials competition was kinda neat.
    Someone here mentioned that the GS1000 front end looked too bulky. I 
thought that it was a silly comment at the time, but after seeing it in 
person, I agree. I get the impression that they had trouble making the design
work and that they needed huge chunks of metal to compensate. This may not be
true at all, but I just don't like the look. They had an FJ there and I
thought that it was more comfortable and better looking. We'll see what the
ride reveiws say.
    The blue and orange ZX-11 should be supplied with barf bag. Everyone who
walked by (myself indluded) looked at it and said, "Oooh, that's really ugly!"
    The HD Cow Glide is interesting. It would be real ...chic (sorry, can't
think of the appropriate English word) to cruise around on that. I don't
think that it would be comfortable for long trips, though.
    There was a Buell (with the flip up rear backrest) for sale. It looks 
fairly ordinary in person.
    Shoei now has a bunch of different mirrored visors for their helmets. They
look really wild.
    I tried on a Simpson helmet. Real nice fit, very thick shield, but mondo
expensive. Does anyone here have one? Any comments?
    I talked to some people (all women, interesting...) at the FAST racing 
school display. I'd love to try it. They all said that it was a lot of fun
and a very good way to imporve one's riding skills. My boyfirend and I went 
off and discussed the idea, and decided that it cost us around $1000, all 
told. Next year.
    Peter Hoogeveen (sp?), the Canadian who came second in the last Iron Butt
competition, was there with his portable dyno.
    The Toronto cops were there with a couple of Harleys and BMWs and we 
yacked with them while we waited for one in our group to go to the john. 
The cops who ride do it becuase they like riding. One was saying that
in his time they used to be forced to ride all winter as a kind of character
biulding experience, but that they all developed joint illnesses and nobody
does it anymore. We got to sit on their bikes. They seemed like ok people,
and I'll have to try to remember that when I see those flashing lights behind
me.
   Somewhat off topic, my boyfirend works for the Ministry of Transpotation
of Ontario, and his office is next to the executive conference room in the
road safety division. He overheard a discussion on those gestapo cameras,
including arguments for and against, and the only arguments "for" involved
revenue generation and had nothing to do with safety. Well, at least they're
not fooling themselves, even if they are trying to fool us (it's 
disgusting). I guess, they way to consider it is as a kind of avoidable 
taxation. If you don't speed, you pay less tax, and less insurance. Maybe 
that racing course is a good idea after all - better to spend the same money 
and vent one's frustrations in the relative safety of the track.
   There were no less than three different Christian biker associations. So
much for harmony and togetherness and all that.
   There was a delegation there from the Ride for Sight campaign. I got all 
of the details as far as where to send donations, etc. As fas as I can tell, 
the bra bidding is still going on, so I'll continue waiting. I'll try to get 
a photo out in the next few days. I've never scanned anything before so I'll
need some assistance on getting the best result. We have an HP scan jet,
legal size, at least two years old, and hooked up to an ordinary PC. How 
should I get the photo printed? Would a polaroid be ok? How do I get the file
into the appropriate format and where do I FTP it to?

My vacation (whine, whine, complain, rant, gripe):
Lac St. Jean was beautiful. There were winter sports, good food, nice people 
and an all around good time. The weather here STINKS! No snow to ski on, 
no naturally frozen ice to skate on, just a thermometer that bounces up 
and down like a yoyo, and a mixture of rain, snow and freezing rain. I like 
winter in my winter and summer in my summer, and the last while has brought 
neither. Yuck. Oh, well, back to work.

Happy new year everyone,
 
I've        bike                      like       | Jody Levine  DoD #275 kV
     got a       you can        if you      -PF  | Jody.P.Levine@hydro.on.ca
                         ride it                 | Toronto, Ontario, Canada