Editor's message

may 11th, 2010

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• After looking at all the pictures and stories Riders Club members have sent in, it’s clear that the riding season is in full swing in most parts of the country. Apart from some weather challenges in Ontario and the BC Interior late last week, we’ve rallied together again to become a motorcycle nation! This picture was sent in by a Rider’s Club member who rides with his wife, father, sister, and brother-in-law.
• The pictures and stories are great and inspiration for all of us to keep riding, and encourages new riders to join us!
• Remember... the May 2-4 contest closed today and the lucky winner will be announced on Saturday, May 22nd at 11:30 am on Motorcycle Experience, on TSN. Thank you to everyone who entered; we here all appreciated the reflective comments about riding and pics.

april 30th, 2010

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• A member of the Motorcycle Experience Rider’s Club sent in this pic of his kids posing on the motorcycles. I love it because it strikes a chord with me. It seems one minute you’re lifting your kids onto your motorcycle, the next minute they’re leaving you in the dust (literally!) on their own dirt bikes, and the moment after that they’re buying their own motorcycle! It’s been a significant week for us and kids and motorcycles – you can read all about it on Dave’s blog – and it’s refreshing to reflect on all the years of riding, and also to feel appreciative that this one thing I do is a key to freedom, power, and joy. I hope this is what our daughter will experience, too.
• A Rider’s Club Member attended the FAST School last September while Dave was shooting a segment for Motorcycle Experience. She missed the show that it aired on, probably because she was out riding! Make sure you look for it on our new Show Feature’s page. Also new this week are a couple of Road Tests, one of that a Rider’s Club Member is considering buying, the BMW F650GS, which is definitely an international fave. The other new one is the classic VMax. Who could ever get tired of looking at a honking big bike like that monster!!! Have a great week, and remember to enter the May 24 Contest for a chance to win the Joe Rocket jacket of your choice.

april 23rd, 2010

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• The Cabot Trail is one of the most beautiful rides in Canada. In fact, both coasts offer challenging and scenic routes. This picture was sent in by a Rider's Club Member based in Nova Scotia, who has Cape Breton as his personal backyard playground. I love this picture! Interesting thing here is that he's been watching the show since he was a kid, and now he watches it with his own kid! That actually closely mirrors my own evolution. And with our 16 year old daughter set to take the CSC course, a whole new road is opening in front of us! If you have a photo of you in your favourite locale, send it in. This glorious country has so many great rides and as Canadians, the great debate always seems to come down to which part of Canada really rocks! In a very polite way, of course - after all, we are Canadian!
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• Motorcycle Experience and Joe Rocket are teaming up to offer an exciting way to honour a fine Canadian Tradition: The May 2-4 weekend! The winner will be invited to surf the Joe Rocket website and select the riding jacket of their choice. To enter, just become a member of the Motorcycle Experience Rider's Club through this website, or befriend Motorcycle Experience on the Facebook Motorcycle Experience page. If you're already a member and wish to enter, just reconfirm your e-mail address so we know how to reach you. The winner will be announced during... when else... the May 24 broadcast of Motorcycle Experience on TSN. And ladies, Joe Rocket has a superb line of clothing that fits safe, sexy and snug!

april 7th, 2010

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• I finally did it on Sunday, even though Friday and Saturday were glorious days here in Eastern Ontario. I had to wait till Sunday because I was working. We got our motorcycles out, dusted them off, dropped in the batteries, did a full inspection, turned the key, stabbed the red button... and lo and behold, they started easily. Anyone who currently has, or has ever had an old motorcycle, knows that you never get over holding your breath in that moment when you crank the motor for the very first time each spring!


• We went for a delightful ride to the gas station, which was enough time to realize that certain riding skills demand to be refreshed each spring, no matter how seasoned a rider you may be. So, it was a quick blast up to a special, mostly unused, local landing strip, to practice emergency braking, obstacle avoidance and turning ever tighter circles both left and right. That really loosened me up, and my motorcycle felt lighter and more maneouverable. I recommend that everyone face their own particular slow speed devil and spend some time in a quiet area just practicing skills. I discovered that the maneouvers we avoid the most are probably the ones we are least comfortable with... in my case, those slow speed turns when my motorcycle suddenly feels like it weighs the equivalent of a flat bed truck! I also discovered that my motorcycle was in need of a bit of handlebar tweaking to make the feathering of the clutch easier, which then, of course, made those slow speed maneouvers much less daunting.


• As a certain motorcyclist well known to this site is fond of saying: motorcycling is a sport like any other - it needs regular practice!
  
  

March 26th, 2010

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• Last week I mentioned that I was beginning to turn my attention to this season’s rides. That means the special rides, as opposed to the daily dodge’n’dart commutes. I’ve been doing a bit of research, and discovered a couple of things:


• A superbike racing school held at Laguna Seca. People who have attended schools at this track all claim that it has been one of the highlights of their riding careers. And whether you have designs on ever racing, any kind of racing school makes you a better street rider.
  An interesting government of Ontario site – my home province – that suggests many great rides, and also has a chart to let you know approximately how long it should take to get to a destination. It’s called Go Ride Ontario. Nice to see tax dollars put to good use! Have you come across websites like this in your own province?
  The Isle of Man TT. I’ve always wanted to attend a race at one of the most challenging tracks in the entire world! Maybe this destination involves more watching than riding.


• Now that manufacturers are fully aware of the impact that women have had upon the industry, there are more events than ever geared toward us. If you have a favourite event that you would like to share, please send me the details and I’ll post it for everyone to read.


• I hope that you’re reading this in a part of Canada that will allow you to ride this weekend. I know it’s not looking good for most parts of eastern Canada, but, I guess us easterners make up for it by riding as much as we can when the weather heats up!

March 18th, 2010

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• This week I was really moved by e-mails from new members the Rider’s Club. It demonstrated to me just how much it takes to prevent an individual from riding.


• Life’s challenges seem to inspire us to ride more, and to invite more people along with us for the ride. The stories that people wrote about were as much about overcoming great difficulties, as they were about a love for motorcycling. I often find myself using riding as a form of meditation, perhaps, if one were inclined to think that way. It’s different, though, because I’m fully present and aware of my surroundings, but I get into a certain zone and the thoughts flow and fall away. Riding is a way for me to deal with stuff, too, and I get the feeling I’m not the only one.


• And speaking of rides… take a look at the new addition to the BMW Ultimate Rides videos we posted this week. Dave and Norm went on a ride in California that they both claim was one of their favourites, and there’s been lots of requests to see this again, so, as you start to plan your summer distance ride, you may find this interesting.


• Check out these photos sent in by Rider’s Club members.
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• Looks like there’s plenty of beauty shots… and fun… to be had this riding season!

March 11th, 2010

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• There’s a feeling that all motorcyclists get this time of year. Farmers get it, too, for a different reason. With farmers – they each want to be the first on the land, first to get out their tractors and get to it. With motorcyclists, well, you know that feeling. It begins acoustically, with the slight shift of an ear toward the recently opened window. Was that a bike, you wonder? The heart beat goes up a bit, brain activity in a the higher cortical region spikes, pupils dilate, head spins on the neck and yes, you have just witnessed your first bike on the road this season!


• I’ve been seeing more than a few bikes on the road in this rural part of eastern Ontario in the last couple of days… makes me crazy with wanting to haul my bike out, do the spring check-up and get to it! Out here, it’s especially inspiring to see folks riding alongside frozen parts of Lake Ontario. Perfect riding weather for my adventure bike! Might want for the forecast rain this weekend to wash the roads clean, first, though…


• Speaking of perfect riding weather, before you head out for your ride this weekend, be sure to check out the tips that Clint McBain has on offer in Suzuki’s Riding Tips. This is the time of year to exercise loads of caution, as car drivers get used to us being on the road again.


• Ride safe this week, my friends!