The Motorcycle Times- June 2018 by The Motorcycle Times

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issue 05

JUNE 2018

Sprockets Bosch Technology to Make Motorcycles Safer There’s no denying the distinct experience of riding a motorcycle. The completely exposed open-air feel, the visceral involvement of sitting above a roaring engine, and the snap-crackle-pop performance all bring an appeal that cars cannot. What cars do bring are active-safety features, a steel box shielding against external forces, and airbags. In other words, security. But numerous companies are constantly improving both the motorcycles themselves and the gear riders wear for protection. Bosch is currently working on several ways to make riding safer by researching thrusterbased “sliding mitigation,” radar detection systems, and vehicle-to-vehicle communication. The most science-fiction-like program entails gas thrusters that could act as a fail-safe when riders get into trouble. A sensor would detect sideways wheelslip, and when it surpasses a tipping point, a gas accumulator would spit out gas through a nozzle in the opposite direction from the way the bike is sliding. The aim is to have that force restore the motorcycle’s balance and prevent the rider from going down. A more realistic near certainty is motorcycle-tocar communication. Anybody who has been on a bike knows that riding on two wheels isn’t necessarily inherently more dangerous; it’s the environment that makes it so. If all the machines on the road are able to talk to one another, as is the plan for future infrastructure and a major key to the development of autonomous vehicles, the likelihood and frequency of collisions should decrease. Simply knowing a motorcycle is in the vicinity is half the battle, as many crashes happen due to drivers’ lack of awareness and visibility. Safety programs using radar, which is becoming commonplace in cars, could further enhance motorcycle safety. Bosch is currently working on motorcycle versions of adaptive cruise control, a collision-warning system, and blind-spot recognition. The systems would alert riders of potential danger through a visual signal, an audio warning, or both. Bosch is also improving its ABS systems for quicker and more stable braking, which the company cites as an issue in one of every four crashes, and working on what it claims is “the world’s first all-in-one safety system for two-wheelers,” known as Motorcycle Stability Control (MSC). The MSC system measures lean angle and other bike motions, and it can intervene and adjust braking and acceleration to help the rider maintain full control. With the possible exception of the gas thrusters, none of these seem far-fetched. The technology already exists; it’s just about adapting it to motorcycles. Safer motorcycles would broaden the appeal of this more efficient means of getting where you’re going and having fun along the way.

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It’s the brand new Duke of torque! I always love riding a completely new bike. No matter if it’s a 125 scooter, a 1,600cc custom cruiser, or a 215bhp superbike, I’m like a kid, keen to find out what the tech is, how it goes, what they’ve done that’s new, cool and froody. And when said new bike also comes with an all-new engine, the excitement ramps up another notch. Okay, it’s nice

2018 KTM 790 Duke

to see new chassis tech, novel brake systems, suspension, rider aids blah blah blah. But for me, the engine is the biggest thing, and almost always the defining characteristic. So riding the new KTM 790 Duke was always going to be a big deal. Even more so, since I’d read a load of reviews on it already from the international press launch earlier this year. All the folk whose opinions I respect said good things about it

– the engine, chassis and equipment all getting the thumbs up from the good guys worldwide. Anticipation mounted as I grabbed the KTM key and headed out. There was a mild sense of anticlimax though at first. The new mittel-Duke is a fairly spartan affair from the rider’s seat. Sure, the engine felt strong enough, and rattling up to a nice 80-85mph cruise was rapid. continued on PG. 03

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2018 KTM 790 Duke But you’re stuck up in the wind, with little or no protection, on a rather planklike seat. I while away working through all the options on the LCD screen. It’s a pretty sorted setup actually, the buttons on the lefthand switchgear make navigation easy once you work it out, and I soon went through the riding mode options (four of them, street, track, sport and rain). Turning off the traction control/anti-wheelie is also simple enough (although it’s annoyingly insistent on turning itself back on again). The fuel consumption seems to be good as well, with well over an indicated 50mpg possible on a gentle throttle, and you can turn the quickshifter off should you wish (I don’t, it’s really really good both up and down the gearbox). She’s not beauty I think it’s fair to say, though I’ve enjoyed worse over the years, and while the design is very purposeful, there are a few weird bits – random hoses and wires, and big hunks of black plastic May 31st, 2018. here and there, hiding the ride-by-wire

mechanism and other essential bits, from the look of it. On the chassis side, there’s nothing that stands out massively to mark this bike as anything radical. The suspension is decent, but without much in the way of extreme adjustability or wildly high quality. Indeed the front forks are unadjustable even for preload, which is all the shock has. Brakes have the KTM logo, the steel tube frame seems super simple, and I’m a bit perturbed by the Maxxis tires fitted as stock. I’m generally wary of rubber from anyone outside the big firms, and together with the cheap suspension and Aldi-style own-brand brake calipers, I’m worried there’s been some weird cost-cutting that will let the job down. The aluminium swingarm catches the eye though, those cast-in strengthening ribs showing their workings to the outside world. Someone like Honda would make this with the ribs on the inner face of the arms I reckon, with a plain-jane outer face – but KTM’s more industrial design lets it all hang out. You might have gathered that at this point, I wasn’t going nuts over the 790. But that was all to change over the next few days, as I got to ride the KTM on

more suitable roads and in more interesting conditions. Firstly, I jumped on it next morning, the first part of that journey is textbook boredom again. But when you

of grip and feedback on the dry Tarmac. The only thing letting us down so far is the brakes, which feel short on power, bite and feel. They go under the micro-

come off the main highway, there are much more interesting selection of roads. This is a route I ride a lot, and the Duke is much closer to its element. The engine punches deliciously out of bends, or away from lights, and the rubber is doing a lot better than I expected, with plenty

scope a bit from now on, and I end up thinking there’s something wrong with the pads on this bike. Those components here should do the job well – 300mm floating discs, radial master cylinder, braided hoses and four-piston calipers. CONTINUED TO PG. 09

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June 2018 , The Motorcycle Times – 4

twocents The Motorcycle Times is published 11 times a year from Feb thru December. Motorcycle Times distributes 15,000 free copies for pickup throughout Ontario from our network of Dealerships, Motorcycle related retailers, Motorcycle friendly locations and Subscribers. For more information about becoming a retail associate of The Motorcycle Times email the circulation Department.

scott macdonald EDITOR

If it has pedal’s, it’s not a motorcycle I live in an urban environment like most of you reading this. I understand and am onboard with many environmental initiatives to help keep our planet green to pass onto my grand daughters generation, but the one thing I just can’t get onboard with are these puny, traffic annoying little electric bicycles. You know the ones I am referring to, they putt along at a traffic snarling 32 km/h taking up entire lanes at times, weaving back and forth like some Formula One driver heating up his tires just before the start of a race. Trucks, city buses and myself included have had to dangerously crowd other traffic in adjacent lanes just to try and avoid bouncing some moron who thinks they are riding a motorcycle into oblivion, or at the very least the sidewalk they are suppose to be riding next to. Can you tell I’m just a little miffed at these buggers? There are pockets of the city I live in that have more than their fair share of these nuisance riders and their irritating e-bikes. It is clear as day that those who have managed to cobble together enough money to purchase one, have become convinced that they are riding a motorcycle. On more than one occasion I have seen riders dress in full leathers, donning full face helmets. I have seen some even try to attach motorcycle style leather saddle bags to them to further convince themselves that they are riding a motorcycle.

The manufacturers of these bikes have great intentions. Basically they want to provide a cost effective mode of transportation that is environmentally friendly - if you only factor in the fact that they don’t burn fossil fuels – for an affordable price that is intended for use in an urban environment due to it’s limited range and is easy to operate. This is all well and good but in North America we are a car culture and our road systems are not designed with these slow

motion bikes in mind. Unlike many other countries where the family transportation is a 125 cc motorcycle which they manage to carry the entire family including Nana and Papa and the family goat. The culture that exists where these bikes were developed is already congested with motorcycle and car traffic with little to no regard for emission control. That’s where these

e-bikes would best be suited and would do the greatest good, but that’s just my opinion. Back here in Ontario, our government has taken it upon themselves to classify these ebikes so that they do not fall into the category of motorcycle due mostly to it’s limited speed. This means that anyone who wants one, can make the purchase and be riding home on the road minutes later. They are not regulated in any way and require no licensing, registration or insurance whatsoever. Add to the mix, some wannabe biker who can’t afford a legitimate motorcycle, let alone the fees and insurance that go along with it, not to mention training and the results are what we see on the roads today. Inexperienced rubberheads that doddle along the busy city streets, pissing off those who have some place to go or make their living by driving, without a care in the world. It’s time our government is pressured into regulating these bikes and their riders. Require some basic training on how to ride and where to ride. Require them to carry insurance so that if they damage property or hit a pedestrian, those victims are looked after. They need to have some skin in the game and be accountable. Until something changes, they will continue to be a hazard to traffic using our roads and to themselves.

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5 – The Motorcycle Times, June 2018

What Moves Your Soul?

June 2018, The Motorcycle Times – 6

breathinglife

Awakening The Beast By Jeff Cowey For the better part of my life the love of building, restoring and re-conditioning motorcycles has shaped my very being. When I was 12 years old, a family friend gave me a Kawasaki A1 250 that was in pieces stashed in his shed. That shed on his family farm was my home for a long cold winter as I tried to piece together my future as a two wheeled enthusiast. Over the years many projects have come and gone. With each restoration the process became more methodical, developing systems, procedures and documentation. Winter is a great time for these endeavors. Firing up the wood stove to tinker away helps pass the long cold months of hibernation. My latest restoration was a 1997 Yamaha V Max owned by a co-worker who had the bike shipped from BC where it sat in storage for the last ten years. With a budget of $1500 for parts, it would be a challenge to bring this machine to life. First order of operation is to remove all body work and tear down all components that need re-conditioning. Wheels, suspension, brakes and all cables are low hanging fruit that will need attention. Draining and flushing all fluids are a must from coolant to final shaft drive. The callipers were seized. Extending the pistons to their outer limits and pealing back the rubber dust covers exposing the working surface, then using brake fluid and steel wool to remove all corrosion to free them up. In this case all flex lines were in good condition with no apparent cracks. Brake pads had lots of meat on them but were replaced anyway. After so many years they will loose structural integrity and become hardened and less effective under load. Flushing the master cylinder, lines and callipers a couple times to remove old fluid and debris. With the wheels off it’s a good time to flush the old grease from the bearings

using penetrating fluid and a nozzle extension pushed to the rear of the bearing. Penetrating oil will help dissolve the grease and compressed air will blow the bearing clean, a rag covering it up will help contain the mess. Bearings were repacked with synthetic grease and rotated to ensure full coverage. Fork seals were shot and this job is best farmed out to a dealership as special tools are required to disassemble them. The Techs will re-build the forks and add the correct amount of fluid giving you piece of mind that this critical job was done correct. Once back from the shop they were masked up, glass beaded and a fresh coat of gloss black caliber paint for the finish. Inspection of the wiring harness and repairing anything that looks suspicious is easy to do with the bike disassembled. Also removing all cables and hanging them vertical to soak in some cable lube. Spark plug wires take a lot of heat and vibration so replacing them at this point is also a good idea. Checking ground connections on the coils for corrosion is often over looked. Having the forks removed, its a good idea to go the extra mile and disassemble the steering crown to check the bearings. Moving the bars from side to side, a slight indexing resistance was detected. Tear down revealed dry pitted ball bearings that needed replacing. The races were in good condition and synthetic grease in generous amounts finished the crown off with the correct torque. I had the same condition on a bike once that resulted in sudden stiff steering causing in a near miss! Focusing on re-condition, a full tear down was no where near the budget limits. A engine sitting for this time period is a concern. Removing the valve covers and turning the engine over by hand will reveal a stuck valve or cam chains out of tension. There is the possibility of rusted cylinders or stuck rings, luckily everything moved freely. A full can of combustion chamber cleaner was sprayed in every orifice possible and left

to soak and occasionally turning the engine over. The oil drain plug was left out to relieve any contamination. Leaving the worst till last, it was time to tackle the carbs. The mouse nest was found in the air box on top of the filter. Luckily the little rodents didn’t make it into the throttle bodies, they did leave a carcass behind! Fuel left in the system on any machine for this length of time is a total disaster. The throttle bodies were seized making removal of the cables a frustrating task. Disassembly revealed a black molasses residue I have never experienced before. With 4 separate pans to keep each carb and components separated, a full can of oven cleaner put a dent in the task ahead. A square four down draft CV system makes this bank of carbs very complex. Numerous brackets, throttle adjusters, linkages, and fuel lines required accurate documentation to ensure proper re-assembly. New jets and re-build kits would put a huge dent in the funds to complete this project. Having a total of 11 jets in each carb, it was decided to salvage as much as possible including gaskets and O-rings. Number drills fed through each jet using finger tip pressure with oven cleaner and a brass brush was a daunting task. Re-assembly of the complex system required a clear mind and intense focus. Firing up the V-Max was an exciting moment as the slash cut pipes barked out a brilliant blue plume of smoke burning off all the combustion chamber cleaner resembling a two stroke on a cold winter day. Syncing the carbs took the better part of the afternoon and after the realization it was idling on three cylinders, reluctantly the carbs came off again. A missed idle jet cured the miss fire. It’s not in my soul to have a bike torn down and not detail every single component. Pro bono ( not in the original deal ), I cleaned and painted each part to give the V Max a fresh face. All aluminum from the factory has a clear coat finish that was severely corroded. Industrial paint stripper removed the clear coat

and many hours of wet sanding brought it back to life with a finish polish on the buffing wheel. Bare polished aluminum will require constant care with Mothers Billet and Aluminum Polish. The engine was masked off, hand sanded, and sprayed with VHT gloss black calliper paint. The body work was in great condition and a polish brought it back to original gleam. A new set of mirrors put the project $50 over budget. A set of Metzler ME 88’s were a nice finish on the radical rims for their time. New tires have a mold release coating that creates a hazardous condition making them slippery when cornering for the first time. Slowly weaving from side to side on a straight road increasing the apex each time will break in a new tire. Scuffing the tire reducing the chicken strips to a minimum is the goal. Road testing the V Max was essential in completing the project to make sure all the handy work actually complies. Heading to one of my favourite twisty roads, I pushed the machine to the limits. At low speeds it would dive into the apex on tight corners requiring a huge amount of muscle to maintain a line. Keep in mind the V Max was designed to be a straight line drag bike and in their time they were a force to be reckoned with. Hard acceleration going in and throughout the corners was the only way to stabilize the V Max and magically I could pick a line and hold it. Exit speed coming out of the corner was 3x the entry speed. Aftermarket frame stiffener kits are available to help cure this ill handling bike, however I prefer the flexyflyer ride. Getting brave on the final lap I visited the V-Boost exiting a tight turn and drifting the rear Metzler for a full gap between telephone poles! At the end of the day I returned the beast to it’s owner thinking this bike is my style. It was tough to hand it over as I was really starting to become attached to it. I am grateful to have the opportunity and honour to resurrect a nostalgic and iconic machine… VMJ 1200~

7 – The Motorcycle Times, June 2018

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Aye Captain, Warp Drive Standing by “Are you ok?” Hmm, that’s a good question. I had crashed before but this was different, this time instead of immediately thinking of my bike, I laid in the ditch and wondered what my name was. “Hey. Are you hurt ?” another good one and still, no words came and no name but maybe if I rolled over and got up things would become clear. Ok then, on my knees, not so bad. Now, I’ll just push off with my arm and then, a totally unexpected face plant informed me that my arm wasn’t working and I still had no clue to an identity. I found some words then and I can’t print the first one. “I’m hurt” squeaked through the newly discovered pain and I’m sure was muffled by the tall grass poking into my now visor free helmet. My savior understood the gimpy face flop and degenerate language as an affirmative reply and bundled me into his car while I thought about lost time and keeping a rearranged shoulder very still. My fantasies of chasing Kenny Roberts on the straights and trying to out brake him were not working out so well. Peeking over his shoulder, my phantom rival watched as I careened straight into the forest with my bug eyes and panicked mind locked down, in too deep and over my line. The chattering forks quieted as I left the road and entered the trees. All was good at first with the RZ’s Vfour burbling off pipe at the apex but when I looked into that straight I became desperate for the two stroke to clear its throat and sing. I imagined that bumble bee yellow and black OW48 disappearing in a blue haze and well, I’ll direct you back to the opening where I woke up in a ditch wondering who I was. A Grand Prix racer was definitely not the right answer. The danger of warp speed and the panic it can create when it’s time to turn again finally started to impress me that day and after a painful learning curve I now ride confident in returning home unscathed. Of course, the unavoidable is always lurking but by not blurring time and space between the turns and always controlling the next corner entry, I earn the privilege of riding fast (where it’s proper). It’s not the outright speed for most but the surge of acceleration that gets us there and it’s dam hard to resist. I am a speed freak for sure but speed comes in many forms and my favorite could be only 50 kph and wiggling on the tires edge. The few times I have experienced maximum speed I, well truth be told, I loved it but the kind of love that screams at you to “STOP IT, please. Don’t. Stop.” We are all freaks here, it’s ok.

Tucked in and clicking up through the gears is something that is impossible to explain and on the street, a mistake. Not the hard acceleration, that’s bloody awesome, the mistake comes when we don’t turn it off in time. As your helmet chinbar bangs the fuel tank and worrisome noises filter up from the engine as the last few hundred rpm struggle against the wind, that long straight gets gobbled up way to fast. Suddenly the corner will be upon you and your mind is still crouched behind the screen in a world of hurricane winds and streaking scenery. Too fast. I was special back then, dim really and it took some spectacular displays of mayhem to teach me that public roads are not a racetrack. Don’t misunderstand, when the time and place is right I ride fast but a controlled fast, steady. After all, the power dialed by our right hand is a huge part of why we ride but 300 kph is without question, unnecessary on the street. So many things can go wrong at those speeds and trust me, the tick of time that it takes you to realize something is happening is all you get and before your brain can command your body, it will be over. Even if you get a chance, have you ever tried steering a bike at warp speed?, or how about some death braking from 290. Gyroscopic, inertia and the law of conservation will teach you a harsh physics lesson. For me and probably you, it’s all about the corners. There is a mantra in the trucking world that says if there is a 50 kph turn at the bottom of a mountain, never go faster then 50 down said mountain. Apply a similar theory to how you ride and you will never find yourself panicking at a corner entry. Find your speed in the curves and accelerate between them but never stray too far above your average turn speed. Obviously, these things are relative. With corner complexities considered, double the posted limit plus a wee bit will leave my golden rule of 20-30% reserve to escape but, wait. Self incrimination by print isn’t actionable, is it? Um, so, not me but someone else would feel comfortable at those speeds and then a bump up on the straights but always staying within reach of the next corner. Following this rule will find you within your limits when it’s time to turn. At the end now and I will finish with another quote by that famous engineer. If you turn your id loose and rocket down that straight in search of a race win on the unpredictable street well, Montgomery Scott has some words for you. “The haggis is in the fire now laddy, for sure.”

2018 KTM 790 Duke But they’re not working at all like they should – as if someone has glazed the pads, or they’ve been contaminated by some polish, wax or oil. Hmmm. I don’t use it, but the rain mode would be spot-on for the journey home. The heavens have opened, and I get drenched on the way back. What I do learn though, is that the tires are pretty good in these conditions too. The roads are awash, but I feel confident about braking and getting onto the gas, and am happy to lean the Duke over a fair way. Good stuff. These aren’t long hauls, but they go right through some of the busiest, most snarled-up roads around. I’m not at all looking forward to it, but the Duke perks me up straight away as we head out and into the maelstrom. Now, it really starts to shine, and feels like it’s in its natural environment. The skinny frame and upright riding position is perfect for splitting traffic, and the instant urge from the motor lets you make any gap. I’m in Sport mode, which is a little less snatchy than Track, and it’s spot-on here. I’ve turned

the traction off too, so there’s plenty of chances to save on front tire wear… It simply urges you to go quicker, harder, nastier, all the way through town, and by the time I arrive, I’m breathless with the adrenaline rush of it all. My meeting is pleasant enough, but I can’t wait for it to finish so I can get back on the 790 for the blast back home. I stop to fill up, and realize that while the range is decent-but-not-amazing, the consumption is ace. The tank only holds 14 litres, so the 140-150 miles estimated range is a big chunk more than you’d expect. Not a big deal on a bike like this, but impressive nonetheless. Round two of my urban battle takes place that evening, and the good news continues. I decide that the light weight of the Duke is another big factor in its hilarity. Even just moving it about to park up at the bike meet, you feel just how anorexic the thing is. It’s got that ‘dirt bike for the street’ feel that KTM does so well – slightly tall, skinny, feather-light – and utterly violent when it comes to punch from the engine. Now, we go out to the countryside huge variety of bends, elevation changes, knee-down twisty sections, short straights for wheelies – it does ‘em all. And the 790 shows that it’s not just a city kid, allergic to the delights of an country hooning road. It’s quick to turn on its ear, agile yet stable, has more ground clearance than you’ll know what to do with,

yet, is simplicity itself to ride quickly on twisty roads. From wheelying out of a bend, to knee-down through the next one, then straight on the back wheel down the next little straight, it’s laugh-aminute stuff.

dom programmes back on – tiresome. I can’t get angry at the Duke for too long though. Even the brakes, can’t lower the mood. Fact is, this is one of the most fun two-wheelers I’ve ever ridden, and carries the KTM banner into a whole

I turn the traction control off, but can’t work out how it’s come on again later. Turns out that even just hitting the killswitch resets the safety net – which is a bit of a pain. I can understand resetting if the ignition is turned off, but even stalling the bike at lights, or putting the stand down in gear will now turn all the bore-

new sector. In the same way as the old 950/990 SM (another bike I loved), it provides a heap of performance, that’s easy to access, and masses of fun to use. Learn how to turn the traction off really quickly, upgrade the brakes and fit some sportier rubber, then prepare for the time of your life...

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9 – The Motorcycle Times, June 2018

CONTINUED FROM PG.03

June 2018, The Motorcycle Times – 10

learnedskills

A Returning Rider’s Perspective on Training By John Lewis The car darted out of the shopping centre lot, saw me and stopped dead in its tracks, frozen in my V-Strom’s headlights. I’d like to be able to tell you that my ABS did its job. I can’t. In 2008 I rode a Honda Shadow. One sunny day in Ottawa an elderly lady rearended my girlfriend’s brother while riding his BMW putting him into a coma. He whispered to the angels a few times before he finally awoke sixteen weeks later. His crash scared me. A much better rider than I and if it could happen to him… well, you get the idea. I put only 7,000 kilometres on my Honda Shadow but I had lost my confidence and so I sold it. But I never lost the itch to ride. Someday I’d put my leg over a bike again. Several years ago I started going to motorcycle shows, buying motorcycle magazines, books and reading voraciously. I learned about technique (as much as you can from a book), road strategy, and risk. RISK! Drat, did they have to bring that up again? The largest growing segment of motorcyclist fatalities are riders between the ages of forty-four and seventy-six— especially returning riders. Yikes, I’m right smack in the middle. I decided right then and there that I was not going to be a statistic. Of course no one plans to be a statistic. My question was, “How can I plan not to be one?” The only thing

that came to mind was training. At the motorcycle shows I checked out all of the riding schools. Courses seemed to be either for getting licensed, for advanced riders, or for people who fancied themselves racers. One of the instructors at the colleges’ motorcycle training booth I spoke with asked “Why do you want to take a course if you already have your M license?” Really? With fatalities going up for returning riders I found his attitude a little surprising. A second instructor suggested a three-hour refresher course. Unfortunately that’s all they had. It just didn’t seem like enough. I came across Police Motor Officer Training video’s on YouTube. Ah ha! This is the training I’m looking for. What’s good for them is good for me. I wasn’t sure if this was even a possibility so I Googled: “police-style motorcycle training”, Bingo! A company that trains Police Departments across North America—Advanced Rider

Training out of London, Ontario. It just so happened that were doing a Police Motorcycle Operators Certification course for the Victoria and Saanich Police in BC in a few weeks and it was open to civilians. I immediately signed up: two weeks, 5 days a week, at least 8+ hours per day, advanced police motorcycle training. It was exactly what I was looking for. Since I didn’t yet own a motorcycle, I arranged to rent the cheapest motorcycle I could find, a 2006 BMW 1200 GS that was available privately. One week before the course I flew in from Toronto to ride and get comfortable on the bike. It didn’t happen. The bike was too tall for my 28.5 inch inseams and too heavy. It was going to take a while for me to tame this motosteed, it was not going to happen before the course that’s for sure. I arrived early for the classroom portion of the course being held in the boardroom at the Saanich Police Department. My

head was spinning with excitement, tempered with a little trepidation. At the end of the session it was announced that we would ride out to the course location in formation. No problem. I know what that is. Riders, staggered, each rider one second behind the one ahead. Nope! Have you ever seen the police ride in formation? Two motorcycles, side by side, handlebar to handlebar, two more motorcycles, side by side, about one metre behind, and so on down the line. And me, in my high visibility jacket right in the middle, praying, “Please dear god, don’t let me wipe out any of these policemen” and screaming inside my helmet “Don’t they bleeping know I haven’t ridden in over twenty-five years?” And so we rode, in tight police-style formation, to the course lot—the lot of the local motor speedway. It was going to be where we spent the next ten days, earning our bruises, and earning our stripes, developing new friends, developing new skills, testing our bikes, scraping ourselves and scraping our machines. Nothing serious, just enough to know that we’d been pushed to our limits and beyond. We’d be pushed until we fell down, or became exhausted, or both. We’d leave with the ability to face adversity without flinching. To overcome panic and react with an aplomb that only having been there can teach. That’s what the police needed. That’s what I wanted. That’s what the Advanced Rider Training’s police mo-

11 – The Motorcycle Times, June 2018

tor officer course taught me. But lets not get ahead of ourselves. I wasn’t there yet. Over the next two weeks we would do increasingly more difficult patterns and drills. We increased our speeds, especially while doing emergency braking, brake and evade, and evasive maneuvering exercises. We would build automatic habits that could save our lives. I’d like to tell you how easy it came, but I can’t. The Police Officers were all good riders and I was the weakest of the civilians, being just back at it after such a long time. Each new skill was a hard fought battle. It was hard work. Challenging physically and mentally. But I didn’t give up. No one did. One of the first things we learned was how to properly pick up our motorcycle. It turned out to be an important lesson for me as I was going to use it often. They hammered into us that you go where you look. “Eyes up” and “Look at the exit” were two of the phrases I heard a lot. Getting my eyes up and looking where I wanted to go proved to be hard for me. During one of our first road rides at a stop sign we had a left turn, slightly greater than ninety degrees, uphill into a narrow lane with a drop-off sandy shoulder. You guessed it, I looked right at the shoulder, rode right off the road and gently laid my bike down on the grassy hillock. Later in the course we would be out doing twisty roads and I once again learned from experience. I came around a left-sweeping corner of a narrow road, had to move over because of an oncoming car, saw the welcoming shoulder, and proceeded to ride right over the drop-off edge, sliding my bike along the gravel. The road was busy so the Police Officers all threw on their red and blue flashers and in a comforting way one asked, “Are you hurt?”, and, “Is the bike OK?” followed with a good-natured, “Then get off your ass and get moving, you’re holding up traffic.” I was a little discouraged after that second incident. I wasn’t about to quit but I was disappointed in myself. But I learned to keep my eyes up and I didn’t have another incident again. The patterns were much better and my head and eyes were up for good. Talk about learning the hard way. When I got the certificate of attendance I was really pleased with myself. It was a hard course and I got through it. I didn’t actually pass because of my accidents and lack of riding hours but completing it gave me the knowledge and skills to prevent or avoid many potential accidents since. Which is why, when I saw the car approaching the exit of the shopping centre parking lot I slowed down my V-Strom, covered my controls, and watched it very closely. When it darted out and stopped it wasn’t a surprise but an expectation. As the car rocked back on its suspension after coming to a jolting stop I knew I didn’t need full emergency braking. I released the brakes and countersteered around it. I can’t tell you that the ABS did its job because it simply did not need to deploy. Advanced Rider Training had given me the skills to be defensive, to react quickly and to act effectively without hesitation or panic and I continued on my way as if nothing had happened, and with barely a story to tell. I will take the course again, hopefully I will see you there too.

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June 2018, The Motorcycle Times – 12

The

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The Motorcycle Times is looking for a few good writers.

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Do you have kids? I don’t. And you don’t need to feel ‘bad’ or ‘sorry’ for me. I have never been someone whose longterm dreams included a white picket fence that corralled a herd of children. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. Many of my best friends and family members have children. My parents had two. And I love to have friends and family bring their beautiful little souls to visit. And then I love to see them go home. I shouldn’t say I’ve never wanted children. When I was about 32 years old, I told My Beloved I thought I might want to have a baby. Or a dog. Or a cat. We started with a cat and never went any further. And, despite the amount of very pleasurable time I have spent with my nieces, nephew and their offspring, I have never regretted my decision. ‘Children’, as someone said to me the other day, ‘are beautiful flowers that belong in someone else’s garden.’ For the past 11 years my VStar and I have had some great times. We explored the roads between Colorado and Ontario in June 2015 after Edward & Nadine’s wedding in Steamboat Springs. We’ve been up & down the St Clair River more times than I can count. This beautiful bike carried me out into the countryside on quiet summer mornings so I could do a bit of writing and take photos. It fell over onto my right leg when I took the corner at Kettle Point far too slowly a couple of summers ago. (For all those riders vehemently opposed to wearing helmets – I was going only 5 kph when I dumped my bike that day. After I dusted myself off, I discovered my helmet had cracked. At 5 kph. Think about that.) We sweated together through the Bloomsburg, PA rally or, as we’ve all come to refer to it, ‘The Hot As Hell Rally’. One evening we left the movie theatre at 9:30 pm and the temperature has just dropped to 99°F. My 1100 VStar was supposed to be my last bike. And it was – until . . . well, until I realized I wasn’t getting any younger and if I really wanted to try a sportier bike, I would have to do that within the next few years. And just around the time I was thinking that, My Beloved came home one day with ‘that look’ on his face. That look usually means he has found something he wants to buy. The sentence usually starts out something like . . . ‘I’ve been thinking . . .’ He doesn’t have to ask me if he can spend money. But when we were first married, we decided we wouldn’t spend more than a few hundred dollars without talking to one another first. And so it was, he came home one Tuesday around lunch and said, ‘I’ve been thinking . . .’ He’d been poking around lots of motorcycle shops – and had found a 1250 Suzuki Bandit he thought he might like to buy. He went on to say how much he had not been enjoying riding his present bike. Under most circumstances my response would have been something like, ‘Oh, yeah?’, but two things happened. First of all, I knew he had not been enjoying riding for the past couple of years. In fact, everyone knew he had

been unhappy riding. In 2014, after a transmission failure, chronic wiring issues, a fire that resulted in him being dubbed “Rocket Man”, and what I began to think were stock options in Uhaul, he had sold his beloved yellow and black 1998 BMW K1200RS. The performance of its replacement, a perfectly good, steel blue 2002 BMW R1150RT, paled in comparison to the K1200. He believed he was now riding ‘an old man’s bike’ and he was not happy. The second thing that happened was that I had also been flirting with the idea of another bike. The problem for me was that there was nothing about my Vstar that I didn’t like. It performed well, it was comfortable, it was a great bike. I just wanted something a little sportier sometimes. I’d sparked the spring-loaded floorboards on the pavement while flying through curves in Georgia. I’d driven a little above the speed limit on ‘abandoned’ roads. And it had carried me, two loaded saddlebags and my pizza box for long trips. But it wasn’t as hot out of the gate as I’d wanted. And there were times when I felt stodgy riding a sedan. So when My Beloved added that he had found two black 1250 Suzuki Bandits, I gave voice to my secret longing. Our first ride – February 25 – was pretty sweet. I found the Bandit to be quick but not too twitchy and it only scared me once. At a stop sign east of the city, winding blowing at what felt like hurricane strength, I pulled down on the throttle and popped the front wheel off the pavement, just a bit. I spent the next few days talking about how excited I was about riding the Bandit. I posted a photo of it on Facebook – just to make it official. I talked about it when we were with other bikers. I talked about it so much I believed I would have no difficulty selling my VStar. My Beloved posted both our bikes online. His went first but I had several bites on mine. A guy came to look at it. That wasn’t a problem. And then a woman from Cobourg contacted us and said she was very interested. Still I didn’t flinch. Until I went outside this morning to wipe down the bike. A bit of a gulp. But I thought I’d be okay. When Tracey came to the door, I knew she was going to buy my bike. Turns out, Tracey and I had a lot in common. She works as a Massage Therapist and owns the clinic. I do body work and sold my clinic a couple of years ago. Her ‘dream’ bike is an Indian. So is mine. As I signed over the ownership, I knew my 1100 was going to a good home and starting a new life without me. Still, when we walked outside and I saw my ride cinched down on the trailer, I swallowed hard. This was a bit more emotional than I had anticipated. I was able to grab one last photo of my Yamaha, and then Tracey and Dan hopped into his truck. My throat tightened. ‘Ah’, I thought to myself. ‘Perhaps this is how parents feel when their children get married.’ But I don’t know. I don’t have children.

13 – The Motorcycle Times, June 2018

Rock Ride

Niagara gears up for “Half-a-Million Raised to Date” milestone The Ride 4 Our Cancer Kids (R.O.C.K.) will be celebrating its 15th anniversary in 2018, and Founders Bob & Lori Thomas hope it will also reach another milestone – half-a-million dollars raised to date. It’s a lofty goal, requiring this year to bring in $70,000, but at the rate that Niagara region has welcomed and embraced the cause, the Thomas’ are hopeful. The event was created after the loss of their daughter, Samantha, three days before her third birthday to Acute Lymphoblastic Lymphoma. Sammy’s ninemonth battle included three rounds of intensive chemotherapy and ultimately a bone marrow transplant at Sick Kids Hospital in Toronto. Shortly after she passed, the Thomas family relocated from Sarnia to Cambridge and set the R.O.C.K. in motion. Their first year brought in over $13,000, the second more than doubled; they knew they

were on the right track. In 2006, Bob accepted the fact that he couldn’t keep his family safe from cancer simply by moving away from the known cancer hot-spot known as Chemical Valley. They returned home to Corunna and began to rebuild the budding charity ride. The population base was much thinner than the Tri-cities, but riders came from all around Sarnia, London and a few making the trek from Cambridge. The event maintained an

average of 100 riders each year, bringing in $25,000 to $39,000 each year for cancer research. In 2016 the event was moved once again to Niagara Falls, and is already establishing itself in the region as a top-notch event. The 2018 R.O.C.K. is scheduled for Saturday July 7, with a start-point at Clare’s Harley-Davidson in Niagara on the Lake. The minimum pledge per bike amount had been reduced to $30 this year, although Bob hopes that most rid-

ers will surpass the $50 mark to qualify for a ballot for their Grand Prize – a oneweek cottage rental vacation in Haliburton Highlands. Other donated prizes for the top 15 fundraisers include a $500 Via Rail Travel Voucher, $250 gas card, YukYuk’s Niagara tickets and much more. Details, online registration and donations are available at www.rockride.com or email bob@rockride.com

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500 West2018 CityRebel Powersports 676 Dundas St, W., Belleville 613-966-8828 or 888-966-8828 www.westcitypowersports.ca

Honda Dealer Name 123 Street Name Offers apply to eligible retail purchase agreements that meet the minimum amount applicable for Honda Financing of $3,000, for a limited time, while supplies last. Valid on select new (not previously registered) Honda motorcycle models obtained from a participating authorized Honda dealer in Canada between May 1, and June 30, 2018. * Financing from 1.9% is available for up to 24 months on select City, Province POSTAL models. Representative finance example based on a 2018 Rebel 500 with a selling price of $8,182 (includes MSRP of $7,099, $560 freight and PDI, up to $523 dealer fee, but does not include lien registration fee [up to $79.75 in certain regions] and lien registering agent fee $5.75, which are due at time of delivery), with $0 down payment or equivalent trade-in required, financed at 1.9% APR equals $80.19 weekly for Tel: 000-000-0000 24 months. 104 weekly payments required. Cost of borrowing is $157.94 for a total obligation of $8,339.94. Taxes, license, insurance and registration fees all of which may vary by region are extra. Dealers may sell forFinancing less. Applicable feesa limited may vary region andlast. dealer. Dealer may be necessary–but, may notmodels be available in alla cases. See aauthorized participating Honda dealer for full details, eligible Offers apply to eligible retail purchase agreements that meet the minimum amount applicable for Honda of $3,000, for time,by while supplies Valid on selectorder/trade new (not previously registered) Honda motorcycle obtained from participating Hondaauthorized dealer www.dealername.com inOffers Canadaapply between 1, andretail June 30, 2018. * Financing from 1.9% for up to 24 months on select models. Representative finance based on Rebel with of without $8,182 of $7,099, $560 andand PDI, up to $523 dealermay fee, but not include models and other areexample subject to change, extension ora selling cancellation notice.MSRP colours, features specifications notdoes be exactly as lien shown. Errors and omissions excepted. to May eligible purchase agreements thatis available meet the minimum amount applicable foroffers. HondaOffers Financing of $3,000, fora a2018 limited time, whileprice supplies last.(includes Valid onModels, select new (notfreight previously registration feeHonda [up to $79.75 in certainmodels regions] obtained and lien registering fee $5.75, which are dueHonda at time ofdealer delivery), with $0 down payment required, financed atfrom 1.9% APR $80.19 weekly 104on weekly payments required. Cost of borrowing is $157.94 for registered) motorcycle from a agent participating authorized in Canada between Mayor 1,equivalent and Junetrade-in 30, 2018. * Financing 1.9%equals is available for upforto2424months. months select a models. total obligation of $8,339.94. Taxes, license, insurance andon registration fees all500 of which vary byprice regionofare extra.(includes Dealers mayMSRP sell forofless. Applicable fees mayand vary PDI, by region dealer. Dealer order/trade may beinclude necessary–but, may not befee available in all cases. See a participating authorized finance example based a 2018areRebel withmay a extension selling $8,182 freight upmay toand$523 but does lienexcepted. registration Honda dealerRepresentative for full details, eligible models and other offers. Offers subject to change, or cancellation without notice. Models,$7,099, colours,$560 features and specifications not bedealer exactlyfee, as shown. Errorsnot and omissions

[up to $79.75 in certain regions] and lien registering agent fee $5.75, which are due at time of delivery), with $0 down payment or equivalent trade-in required, financed at 1.9% APR equals $80.19 weekly for 24 months. 104 weekly payments required. Cost of borrowing is $157.94 for a total obligation of $8,339.94. Taxes, license, insurance and registration fees all of which may vary by region are extra. Dealers may sell for less. Applicable fees may vary by region and dealer. Dealer order/trade may be necessary–but, may not be available in all cases. See a participating authorized Honda dealer for full details, eligible

honda.ca

June 2018, The Motorcycle Times – 14

garageworks

Do as I say, not as I do A Wrench in the Works

By David Heron We’ve all heard this statement before. Yeah sure, I talk a good game but the guy who is always telling people to do it right the first time has now been found out. Not by some whistle-blower but by some one much worse, myself. Kind of like the guy who is always preaching at people who seem to have little, or no, mechanical skills to check their oil or pay the consequences and who then seizes his beautiful Norton when it runs out of oil. I can’t tell you who that was, it is too embarrassing. Anyway, if you have been following my recent progress on this Honda 305, you will know that I have it painted, re-bored, mostly assembled and am almost ready to fire it up. I have related ad nauseum how I stripped and painted and then stripped, filled and painted again just for luck. How I fought with painfully small and difficult oil rings and assembled and assembled again to fit gaskets and o-rings. Like a fool, I thought that the worst was over and that it would be all downhill from that point. Then stark and vicious reality reared its ugly head and I have crash- landed back to Earth. You may be asking, “ What went wrong?” Well, I’m here to tell you. I had the engine in the bike, the new exhaust on, and the valves and timing set. The battery is in and I have a horn and lights. I was almost at the point where I was to add oil and gas and make some noise. One carburetor slide was sticking a little with the newly installed throttle cable. I re-routed the cable and it helped a bit but there was still a little bit of stickage going on. A little 2000 grit paper on the throat helped a little bit more but still not perfect so I took out the carb slide and noticed that the jet needle was somewhat bent. Again, likely my fault , but , who wants to point fingers. Anyway, I lifted the slide spring and pushed out the needle from the bottom and the little needle retainer thingee went flying. I looked everywhere for it but to no avail. It was somehow gone. I scoured the floor around the bike and the whole shiny surface of the bike lift. It was definitely gone. Knowing my typical

luck, which , at best, is far from good, I figured that it may have flown down the open intake throat of the carb. So, out came my trusty small flashlight and I peered down the intake track toward the intake valve. If you want to call it luck, there was no needle retainer down there but, there sure was a whole bunch of rusty, muddy looking crap sitting right above that intake valve. That crap, because that would be the best description, would have created havoc in a running engine, had to come out. I had no choice but to haul the engine out of the bike, take the head off and strip the head, valves, rocker arms and camshaft out and clean the whole mess. It goes without saying that I was very, very pleased. I yelled and cursed so much that it brought the LSW, Long

tank, exhaust, seat, and electrical wiring. Down from the lift rolled the almost ready bike and out came the little hydraulic lift. Down on the floor I went and I removed the engine mounting bolts, dropped the engine and lifted it away from the now naked frame. With the help of my lovely assistant, we lifted the engine back on to the bench and the disassembly commenced. Luckily, I didn’t have to remove those stupid pistons from the barrels because I don’t think I would have been able to face trying to get those damn oil rings back inside the cylinders again. It was like déjà vu all over again. Fight with the tiny cam chain master link. Put wire on the two ends of the cam chain and lift off the head. Actually, this went quite smoothly. I guess that practice makes

for some help. Together we got those valves out. Well, in truth, he did it but I very professionally wielded the stick magnet to fish out the valve retainers from way down deep. The only job that remained was to remove the 2 piece camshaft. Now here is the point where I must complain about the Honda Service Manual. This thing tells you absolutely nothing. There are a couple pictures which seem to skip a number of steps and very vague descriptions to go with them. The right half of the shaft came fairly easily. I took the instructions and used a large screwdriver and a rubber hammer and pounded it out the side. The left side and the cam sprocket were not so clear. Back up to the garage and the owl maker from last month’s article, and I will add, a

Suffering Wife, running to the shop to see what the big deal was. Since I am not spry enough to be able to kick my own butt, I had to be satisfied with kicking one leg with the other and then repeating. After hearing some heartfelt advice from her, something like, “ Shut up. You’re driving me crazy” , I got to the task at hand. Off came the

perfect actually can be true sometimes. So, it was game on. I had installed the rocker arms so I knew how to take them out. I knew how to take the valves out because I had to do that in a Grade 9 auto shop class only about 50 years ago but I didn’t have a valve spring compressor so off to my friend’s in the local garage

very nice guy, was not as afraid about pounding that side out. I now had the empty head. No, not mine. I mean the one from the Honda although I wonder sometimes what is in mine to make me do this kind of thing to myself. Before we actually took the camshaft out, my friend , the mechanic spun it a few times. Basically, the bearings were shot.

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15 – The Motorcycle Times, June 2018

I guess it’s a good thing that I didn’t run with them anyway even without the gummy crap sitting above the valves. I spent the better part of the first nice Saturday this year cleaning, blowing out and re-cleaning until the head was free of all the junk that had taken up residence in it. Oh yeah, it was necessary to use quite a bit of carb cleaner to achieve this spotlessly clean head. Since it was a nice warm day, I opened the big garage door to clear the smell of the carb cleaner. It didn’t work and I was forced to suffer the wrath of the most sensitive nose in Canada and possibly the world. To be fair to the LSW, it really did smell kind of bad. I thought that I was out of the woods because I had soaked the head in Kleen Flo carb cleaner outside. I didn’t even walk it through the house and there had been no complaints. That stuff is so bad it can be smelled even by non-sensitive noses like mine from miles away. Since there had been no complaints before, I figured that a little spray carb cleaner would go unnoticed. Wrong, very wrong, on my part. Anyway, I think she has forgiven me. Now, my question was, where the heck do you find cam bearings for a 50 some-odd year old Honda? These days most of the bearings you find are made offshore, usually in China. To say that the quality is sub-standard can be an understatement. Even those bearings sold by Canadian and American companies are usually not made here. In other words, they are junk. I was worried that it would be impossible to get good ones let alone affordable ones. Well, once again, I was entirely wrong. I went to evil bay, oops sorry, ebay and found NOS, new old stock, genuine Honda cam bearing s for $10 each. A bargain at twice the price. Now, it’s hurry up and wait for the bearings to arrive. Of course, usually they arrive the week after I order them and I expected them this week but they are not here. I may as well tell you about the clutch cover while we’re waiting on bearings. The kick start cover which also houses the clutch activator had been welded and looks crumby. I wanted a nicer one so I found a reasonably priced one on ebay. Well, it turns out that I got one from a 1961 model and they had been changed by the year of my engine. They looked the same but when I went to fit the clutch cable on, I found that the little adaptor that holds the cable at the case was different. The cut out it fit in was much smaller than the original one that came with the engine. I took note of the size of the cut out and went to ebay to find the right one. I got one and it also turned out to be the wrong one. It was the right width but had an extra wall on it that stuck out from the case. How do they say? Money for nothin’ . I have finally found the correct one and should be ready to install it and the case but I need a chain first. I know that I have said this before, likely many times but I think that the chain is the last thing I will have to buy. Yes, you don’t have to tell me, you’ve heard that before….. So have I. We’ll see who’s right…….. Right now, I’m waiting on bearings. Could that be a title for a Blues song? I’ve got the red Honda blues…

June 2018, The Motorcycle Times – 16

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On May 5th Women all around the with her husband. Her bike was one of world gathered to celebrate their passion the most interesting looking as if she built for riding motorcycles. Fergus was the it herself reflecting her personality. Riding place where women from all over Ontar- a super moto, a middle aged woman deio gathered to be part of this international scribed growing up riding off road. Her event. Coming from Barrie, Aurora, Ni- young daughter began riding off road at agara Falls, Welland, Oshawa and all 8 years old and is following her mothers points in between, over 400 women rode footsteps. This woman’s choice in bike VEHICLE STABILITY SYSTEM SEMI-AUTOMATIC DYNAMICSTEERING POWER STEERING VEHICLE STABILITY SYSTEM SEMI-AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSIONTRANSMISSION DYNAMIC POWER in on their bikes. style showed a here. comfort level that began system No clutch or foot shifter here. required Adjusts required effort through An automotive-like systemAn automotive-like No clutch lever or foot shifterlever Adjusts effort through integrating stability, traction Yourup leftand thumb shifts up and your acceleration, speed and steering integrating stability, traction Your left thumb shifts your acceleration, speed and steering Coming from all walks of life the in her youth. and anti-lock braking for an forefinger shifts down. With reverse. angle data. More comfort and and anti-lock braking for an forefinger shifts down. With reverse. angle data. More comfort and improved control. incredibly confident ride. incredibly confident (Manualride. available) (Manual available) improved control. women were as diverse as their machines Three generations of women (Grandcovering the whole spectrum. From fully mother, Mother and Daughter) rode in VEHICLE STABILITY SYSTEM SEMI-AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION DYNAMIC POWER STEERING loaded custom baggers, sport bikes, subikes and distinct An automotive-like system on very No clutch different lever or foot shifter here. Adjusts required effortstyles. through integrating stability, traction Your left thumb shifts up and your acceleration, speed and steering per moto’s, to dakar adventurers, thefor an They shared aWith story how Grandand anti-lock braking forefinger shifts down. reverse. of angle data. the More comfort and incredibly confident ride. (Manual available) improved control. women and their rides reflected individ- mother would transport her daughter uality. One thing they collectively have in around in a sidecar from the time she was common is their passion for the freedom an infant. This being her only source of of being on two wheels. transportation back in the days of gravel Women personalize their rides in roads. The tradition carried down to the Imprint many ways giving the onlooker insight nextDealer generation now as a family, they Dealer Imprint 14 Regional Road and 13, Courtland, ON Goes Here Goes Here into who they are. Colourful floral paint ride together and plan a annual vacation 519-688-3278 jobs, the many decals on helmets, scarves to remote destinations. tied to the bars and the little bell hanging www.lockhartsodyssey.ca Women’s bike clubs are thriving as Dealer Imprint somewhere inconspicuous. Taking the they gather on many occasions to ride Here bond sharing adventures. Some time paying attention to the details, eachGoes and bike will tell a story about the rider. groups sport highly decorated vests de©2011 Bombardier Recreational Products Inc. (BRP). All rights reserved. ®, ™ and the BRP logo are trademarks of BRP or its affiliates. Always ride responsibly and safely and observe applicable laws. Remember that riding and alcohol/drugs don’t mix. ©2011 Bombardier Recreational Products Inc. (BRP). All rights reserved. ®, ™ and the BRP logo are trademarks of BRP or its affiliates. 610376 Always ride responsibly and safely and observe applicable laws. Remember that riding and alcohol/drugs don’t mix.

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©2011 Bombardier Recreational Products Inc. (BRP). All rights reserved. ®, ™ and the BRP logo are trademarks of BRP or its affiliates. Always ride responsibly and safely and observe applicable laws. Remember that riding and alcohol/drugs don’t mix.

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A majority of the type of bikes women ride are cruisers and a large percent of them being Harley Davidson’s decked out with large bags. There were many sport bikes present and observing the tire wear these women rode the machines to their fullest potential. Dual purpose bikes gave the impression that the women riding them had a sense of adventure that would take them off the beaten path. Many of the rides were beautiful customs that boasted huge horsepower. The age demographic of the women who attended this event were middle aged and up. Many women in their senior years rode in with grace and style that was impressive. A very small percent of the women appeared to be in their early twenty’s and most riding sports bikes. It seemed that there was a huge gap in

scribing their club and proudly the town or city of origin. The impression of loyalty and comradery is given by these close knit groups. One woman and her bike fell over while attempting to park. In a split second 7 women had the bike and rider upright all with smiles and laughs! Most intriguing was a woman who had been riding for 42 years. Describing the many bikes she owned over the years. They included everything from a Yamaha RD to a Honda 900 Custom. Sporting full race leathers, riding a CBR and topped off with brilliant pink ponytails attached to her helmet. There was no doubt this woman at 60 years old, rode the wheels off that sport bike. There were many stories of how these women began riding. One thing in common is that they were inspired by some-

17 – The Motorcycle Times, June 2018

one who rode. Many grew up in a family of riders or got bikes of their own to ride with their husbands. Some took a break from riding to raise families but never lost the desire and returned to the open road. One particular woman rode her custom Harley right up to the day she delivered her two girls. Now one of her daughters rides a trail bike and some day may get her licence to ride along side of mom. Many women of today are very independent in servicing or repairing their motorcycles. Owning the necessary tools and having the knowledge is not uncommon. Stories of collectively repairing a broken down bike during a ride show that women are proudly capable. Women also take great pride in customizing their

bikes with lots of chrome or those extra large bags for a long ride. One beautiful custom had a amazing paint job with airbrushed graphics. The owner painted it herself and described watching online instructional videos, it was her first paint job ever. Statistics show that in 2014 women riders make up 14% of motorcyclists. That number has doubled in the past 10 years. Women’s bike clubs are largely responsible for the increase giving a sense of community. Clubs create strong bonds and friendship making riding more accessible for women. The median age for women riders is 39 to 48 with 49% doing their own maintenance and 47% hold a post graduate or college degree. In gen-

eral women who ride are happier with lower stress levels, more confident and have a sense of freedom in independent adventure. There are many world wide famous women riders. From breaking a world record lap time at the Isle of Man TT to completing the Dakar Rally, women are ever present in many forms of racing and competition. Since the invention of the motorcycle, women have rode out of necessity, into war, competition or for pure enjoyment. The OPP Golden Helmets have many female riders who perform flawless precision stunt riding. Manufacturers are going to great lengths to attract and cater to female riders. Designing bikes more suited to the

female rider and creating apparel lines for every type. There are companies that design and build motorcycles specifically for women as well as women only mechanics courses. The industry has adapted in parallel with the increase of women riders who capture a ever growing percentage of the market. International Female Riders Day organized by Jackie McGowan was a historic success. The event ended in a ride where several husbands used trucks to block intersections so the massive pack of women on their Iron Horses could stick together and be safe. It was an honour to attend and document the day designed to celebrate female riders around the world.

noW oFFerInG air miles reward on all PurcHases! HONDA’S FIND miles MY SUMMER RIDE EVENT! WWW.READYHONDAPOWERSPORTS.COM • 430 HENSALL CIRCLE, MISSISSAUGA • SALES DIRECT: 866-819-4116

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*Vehicle Licence fee (if applicable) and HST extra on all offers. Sale Price on the New Motorcycles includes freight and P.D.E., ECRF, WWW.READYKAWASAKI.COM • 430 HENSALL CIRCLE, MISSISSAUGA • 866-819-4112 Licence Administration Fee and OMVIC Fee. Pricing of4theY following R. K P P include a limited time rebate of:EX300AGF $750/EX300BHFB INC.! $500/ www.readykawasaki.com • 430 Hensall circle, mississauga • 877-297-7446 Versys X300 $0/Z800 $1,000/ZX6SEABS $1,500.Motorcycle(s) and 2017 ninja 3000 20 2016 vulcan 900 accessories shown are for il ustrati2015 on purposes only. Actual colours 2015 NINJA 2015 20172015 20116NINJA ninja 300 2015 2016 2016 aaBs –2015 winter VULCAN 900 NINJA VERSYS VAQUERO ULTRA 310 LX 300 650 classic non-aBs ZX6seaBs versysCUSTOM X300 2016 Z800ABS may vary depending on availabiJETSKI lity.Dealer trade or Factory Order may ZX6SE 1000LT 1700 ttest edition (NON-ABS) (ABS) (EEX300AGF) vn900dgF $ * $ * $ * $ * $ * $ * $ ((EX300BHFB) $ * be necessary. Offers subject to change without notice,* see us for full $ * $ * $ * $ * details.Offers cannot be combined with any other offers,programs or $ * *VEHICLE LICENCE FEE (IF APPLICABLE) AND HST EXTRA ON ALL OFFERS. OFFERS CANNOT BE COMBINED WITH ANY OTHER OFFERS, PROGRAMS OR DISCOUNTS AND ARE GOOD UNTIL AUGUST 31, 2016. SALE PRICE ON THE NEW MOTORCYCLES INCLUDES FREIGHT AND P.D.E., ECRF, LICENCE ADMINISTRATION FEE AND OMVIC FEE. FREIGHT & PDE ($650) AND LICENCE ADMINISTRATION ($299) ARE ALL EXTRA ON THE ULTRA 310LX PRICING OF THE FOLLOWING INCLUDE A LIMITED TIME REBATE OF: EX300AFF $1,100/EX650EFF $1,000/ZX636FFFA discounts and are$1,100/VN900CFF good until August 31,2017. $1,400/KLZ1000BFF $900/VN1700KGF $0/JT1500MFF $1,000. 48 MONTHS KAWASAKI PROTECTION PLAN IS INCLUDED AT NO CHARGE ON THE 2015 ULTRA 310LX JETSKI. MOTORCYCLE(S) AND ACCESSORIES SHOWN ARE FOR ILLUSTRATION PURPOSES ONLY. ACTUAL COLOURS MAY May 31st, 2018. VARY DEPENDING ON AVAILABILITY. DEALER TRADE OR FACTORY ORDER MAY BE NECESSARY. OFFERS SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE, SEE US FOR FULL DETAILS.

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June 2018, The Motorcycle Times – 18

lowside

Abrasion

A wearing, grinding, or rubbing away by friction (merriam-webster)

By Scott MacQuarrie Not the wear and tear on your tires or brake pads, but what happens when you separate from a moving bike. According to studies, 3 out of 4 motorcycle accidents involve the rider and/or passenger being separated from the vehicle. You may be thrown from it or simply slide together down the road, and that’s when abrasion happens. Most people select their riding clothes with an eye to both the weather and fashion, but protection is even more important. There is impact protection required, which is addressed by helmets and glasses, and weather protection is important, but abrasion is the enemy. While moving, the road is basically a very large belt sander and you’re on it. This is not a problem while the tires are turning beneath you, but if something goes wrong, whatever you’re wearing needs to resist this abrasive force long enough for you to come to a stop or get off the road. Every bit of resistance your clothing provides is less abrasion your skin needs to endure. For the record, your flesh will abrade at

about an inch a second at 50kph, which is not good. Besides the risk of having the skin and muscle stripped from your body (called “de-gloving”), it adds a high risk of infection similar to burn victims. As well, road debris must be removed using a wire brush. Road rash is a cute term for a horrifying injury that can leave you scarred for life or worse. A secondary infection from a large loss of skin can even kill you. In an accident, what you wear is the ONLY thing that can protect you. Unfortunately, nothing can protect you from hitting a solid object at high speeds and nothing can protect you from being crushed by another vehicle. Training, experience, and proper maintenance are your only allies here. However, you can fight back against abrasion. So what actually happens in a motorcycle accident? Thanks to various studies, we know that most motorcycle accidents happen at low speeds (75% are less than 48kph), where protective clothing works best. We know the areas with the most damage are elbows, knees, hips, and shoulders and more injury happens to the lower body than the upper. We also know most of these injuries are abrasion related. Riders need to think about ALL their clothing not just the jacket. Gloves, ankle

covering boots and pants are important. Most riders just wear jeans, which is quite literally leaving your butt exposed to injury. So what happens to your clothing during an accident? There are lots of different materials available from jeans to Kevlar to leather. How do they compare and what provides the best protection? The European Union has developed standards for motorcycle clothing. Their test uses a large belt sander and a hammer like device covered in the test material. The hammer drops to simulate falling from the bike and the time is measured until a tripwire is hit. It includes other tests, stress on seams, but the results of the wear test showed, 3oz leather lasting almost 10 seconds and denim lasting no more than a half second. There is a huge difference between materials. Jeans, new or old, will take you no more than 4 and half feet before they wear through. After that, it’s you up close and personal with the belt sander. Kevlar is excellent, but the best material available is 3oz leather. For myself, I wear a 3oz horse leather jacket and pants from Langlitz Leathers in Portland, Oregon. They were expensive but I will never have to buy another set. They have literally saved my butt more than once. Motorcycling is an exercise in calcu-

lated risk. A trained, experienced rider, wearing proper protective clothing on a well maintained motorcycle is quite safe. However, I seen a female passenger get off the back of a sport bike in a one piece bathing suit, a full-face helmet and nothing else. Even worse, she had to sit directly on the fender and hook her toes around the axial bolt. When I mentioned the risks, the response I got was “I’m not going far”. The rider himself was wearing full leathers head to toe and full-face helmet. So passengers be wise and protect your own hide. Most riders have proper protection on their head and upper body, but forget their lower body. Sneakers and sandals are worthless and jeans will buy 4.5 feet. After that, it’s a date with a steel brush or worse. I implore you to think more carefully about what you’re wearing while riding. Since your body is your second biggest asset (head being the first) protecting it should be a no brainer. Spend some cash now, buy a good quality set of leathers ‘ONCE’, instead of buying cheap, low quality inferior products over, an over an over - you get the picture. You will actually save money in the long run. A little thought now could save you a world of pain later. And in my opinion, sweating is more bearable than bleeding.

Materials Comparison Chart - Distance wear-through at 50 kph Note: Your flesh abrades at a rate of approx. 1 inch (depth) per second at 50 kph New, 100% Cotton Denim Jeans .......................................... 3’ 10” Senior Ballistic Nylon (melts when friction heated)..... 3’ 10” Leather, Fashion Weight, 1.75 oz/sq ft. ................................ 4’ 0” Leather, Lightweight, 2.25 oz/sq. ft. ...................................... 4’ 3”

Two-year-old 100% Cotton Denim Jeans .......................... 4’ 5” Cordura Nylon Type 440 ............................................................18’ 3” Kevlar 29 Aramid Fiber, Style 713 ......................................... 22’ 1” Leather, Competition Weight, 3 oz/sq. ft. ......................... 86’ 0”

19 – The Motorcycle Times, June 2018

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Offers subject to change without notice. Offers in effect until June 30th, 2018. Offers cannot be combined with any other offers, programs or discounts. “Read and understand your operator’s manual and always wear a helmet and protective gear. Remember to obey all safety regulations, don’t drink and drive and avoid excessive speeds. Be responsible, take a rider training course and respect the environment”.

June 2018, The Motorcycle Times – 20

healingpower

Trevor Brown and Stewart McQueen

A.R.M.ed But Not Dangerous By Dawn Edmonds “Tell me about jail,” I said. “Not jail,” he countered. “Prison.” “Ohh. The big house.” “Yep. Twenty-one-years-old/drugdealer/arrested-at-gun-point/thought-Iwas-gonna-die ‘prison’.” “And yet, here you are today; still alive and a bit older than 21.” He snorted,“A lot older than 21.” So how did you get from there to here?” I asked. ‘Here’ was the First Annual Sarnia Spring Motorcycle Swap Meet organized by A.R.M. I live not too far from Central United Church where the group had gathered for the day to get caught up, have a bite or two and sell some bike bits. There weren’t many people at the meet when I arrived just after opening, but there was a palpable camaraderie among the group members. Not one person walked by the guy I was talking to without calling him by name. He responded in kind. “Oh, I’d been in and out of jail most of my adolescence,” said Trevor Brown, President of A.R.M. - Chapter 102. “I don’t worry much about dying and going to hell. I think I must have been in hell already. Didn’t have a great childhood. “O.D.ed a bunch of times in prison. And then one day a guy came along and took me to a NA (Narcotics Anonymous) meeting. That’s when things started to change. Well . . . that’s when I started to change.” “How so?” I asked. “I learned life doesn’t stop happening. If you wait until life is perfect before you stop using, you’ll never stop using. Like I said, life never stops happening. And you need to learn how to deal with it. You need a program and tools to get

through that stuff. It doesn’t have to be a 12-Step, but that’s the best way.” Trevor paused for a moment. “I’d never had a job until I was clean. Didn’t know how. Didn’t know how to do anything except use.” “Tough childhoods can do that,” I said. He nodded. “So, tell me how that part of your life fits in with this swap meet.” “A.R.M.? It’s the Association of Recovering Motorcyclists started by Jack and Judy Jensen in 1986. It’s all over the world; Canada, United States, England, Norway, Sweden, Australia, New Zealand. “It’s a recovery-based support group where members happen to ride motorcycles. It’s this:

Before the motorcycles come out of the garage, Before the bikes are fired up, We are here to support one another in our programs of recovery and abstinence. “So what’s the difference between A.R.M. and other motorcycle clubs?” “A.R.M. isn’t a motorcycle club,” said Trevor. “It’s an independent group. We don’t want any problems with other clubs, so the bottom of our patch says ‘independent’. “It’s a recovery-based group with about 100 chapters in 13 countries. There’s also a Recovering Women Riders.” “Why don’t women just join A.R.M.?” “Can’t.” “Why?” “It’s against protocol. The women’s group is Recovering Women Riders and they wear a one-piece patch.” “Why?” “Protocol. Women wear one-piece patches and men wear three-piece patches.”

“Sure. But why?” “Protocol.” “Okay. Why did the Jensens start the group?” “When you wanna make big changes in your life, like getting clean and sober, you can’t hang out with the same people you used to hang out with. You can’t do the same things you used to do.” “Sure.” “The problem is some of us really liked riding but knew we couldn’t go back to the clubs we used to belong to. And lots of recovery programs want you to give up the biker lifestyle completely. Cut your hair and sell your bike. A.R.M. doesn’t. The only thing A.R.M. insists on is staying clean and sober and owning and maintaining a bike that’s at least 500 ccs. It’s ‘asphalt recovery’. Twelvestep is not mandatory but highly recommended. We support any guy that wants to live clean. We don’t make anyone go to AA, but we encourage guys to go to some kind of program. You can’t do it alone.” “Did you join A.R.M. right after you were released from prison?” “Nope. I spent the first ten years not riding at all. I really missed it but I never went back to riding with the 1%ers. I couldn’t. There’s nothing but booze and drugs there. I couldn’t have stayed clean. “Then I found A.R.M. There wasn’t a local chapter, so me and a couple of buddies rode back and forth to Ottawa for eight months and eventually started our own chapter. It only takes five guys; guys that wanna ride and stay in recovery.” “What does A.R.M. do for you now that you’re clean and sober?” Trevor snorted again. “Recovery’s kind of boring. Well, not really boring but something’s missing. Drinking, using, selling, riding with a gang – that stuff’s exciting. It all comes with really low ‘lows’ but the ‘highs’ are really high. Recovery is good, but it’s not exciting. It’s putting one foot in front of the other every day for the rest of your life.

“Recovery is like a good steak. A.R.M. is the steak sauce. I think I would have stayed in recovery without A.R.M. but it would have been harder. A.R.M. invigorated my recovery.” Sitting quietly at the table next to where Trevor and I were talking was another member of A.R.M., Stewart McQueen (no relation). He had been nodding in agreement while Trevor spoke. Although the plot-line of Stew’s life was similar to Trevor’s, the details were different. Clean for 10 years as of March 2018, Stew revealed that, at his lowest, even after he had lost everything and had no money, he still spent all his time looking for ways to get drugs. Asked how he managed to get out of that life alive, Stew replied, “I was too cowardly to kill myself.” Eventually, he said, he simply got sick and tired of being sick and tired. After he had been clean for three years, Stew moved from London to Sarnia to become a mechanic. And with the severance cheque from that employer, Stew and his wife opened a shop of their own, After Hours Automotive, seven months ago. He, along with two employees, work the shop; she does the bookkeeping. Not bad for a guy that, by his own estimation, relapsed 40 – 50 times before it stuck. Unlike Trevor, Stew was not a biker pre-recovery. But he joined A.R.M. four years ago and enjoys the road now. When I asked if he was happy – however he defined that word – Stew replied, “I passed my dreams a long time ago. I never expected to live past 30 and now I’m 36. I own a 6-bedroom house in town; I’ve been married for four years and have a seven-year-old daughter and an 11-year-old son. “There’s no alcohol or drugs in our house and we are open and honest about our feelings. And we insist our kids do the same thing – even when those feelings are kind of ugly. We ‘live by example’. Not bad advice, I thought. Not bad at all.

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21 – The Motorcycle Times, June 2018

marketplace

June 2018, The Motorcycle Times – 22

whatshappening June 2, 2018 MCRC Food Drive Show N’ Shine 9-4pm. No Frills Sturgeon Falls, 12035 Highway 17. Bike entry time 9am, fee $15/per bike. There will prizes for First, Second and Third. The proceeds will go to the West Nipissing Food Bank (Sturgeon Fall). Food and cash donation would be greatly appreciated. This event is free and open to all. We are asking the attendees/visitors to bring a non-perishable item . Vendor Registration is 8am. June 2, 2018 BCA Ride for Cancer Barrie Construction Association is hosting the Ride for Cancer. Registration 8 am, Ride Start 9 am, Lunch approximately 1 pm. Leaving from Currie Heavy Towing, 2 Currie Drive, Barrie – End Location The Grand Tappattoo Resort, 30 Tappattoo Trail, Sequin. $35/riders, $25/ passengers. In support of The Canadian Cancer Society. Motorcycle ride through Georgian Bay. Contact Alison Smith, Barrie Construction Association, 200 Brock Street, Barrie, Ontario, alisonsmith@ barrieca.com, 705-726-5864 X3, register at www.rideforcancer.ca June 9, 2018 Camp Trillium Ride Registration 9am at 5 King St N Oakland Ontario. Ride starts at 10am. $30/Rider, $10/passenger. Supporting Camp Trillium in Waterford a respite Camp that provides a valuable opportunity for children with cancer to expierience the outdoors in a camp like setting. We will ride the Waterfront Trail along the shores of Lake Erie. Lunch, draws and prizes will be provided. Contact Dave, daves4875@ gmail.com, 519-757-9821 June 10th, 2018 Shifting Gears for SickKids Join us at Mackie Harley-Davidson® as we combine our passion for motorcycles with the support of an amazing cause! Shifting Gears for SickKids is, raising funds that will directly support the Garron Family Cancer Centre and Oncology department at The Hospital for Sick Children. We look forward to hosting a scenic ride, a fun celebration and draws for awesome prizes, including a NEW 2018 SPORTSTER® IRON 883™! Pre-Registration: $40/rider, $25/passenger. Additional ballots for the motorcycle draw can be purchased in store: $20.for one ballot / $50.for three ballots / $100.for eight ballots. *Please note that in accordance with CRA Guidelines, contest entries are not linked to fundraising* Route Map: https://goo. gl/maps/xDu1swmRj932. 8AM: Meet at Mackie Harley-Davidson® for registration, coffee&donuts, 10AM: Depart Mackie Harley-Davidson® for a scenic 1.5 hour ride, 12PM: Return to Mackie HarleyDavidson® for a post ride party, including lunch, live music and motorcycle giveaway!. Contact brooke.mackie@mackiehd.com, https://www.sickkidsdonations.com/registrant June 16, 2018 MCRC Dice Run to Dover Dice Run from Niagara to Dover. All proceeds go towards weekly hot lunches for children and supplies needed to further educate the little ones (school TBD). Ride leaves from Boo’s Bar and Eatery 2980 King st. Vineland. Kickstands up at 11am for the ride to South Side Louie’s in Dover with 3 stops along the way. $15/rider/passenger includes 1lb of wings and a pop. Door prizes and 50/50. Plus an awesome ride to Dover!! July 2018 Telus Ride For Dad - Everywhere Join for a fun-filled day of riding with a lunch, poker run, prizes and more all while helping raise money to fight prostate cancer for your local community! More info www.ridefordad.ca for a ride near you. July 7, 2018 R.O.C.K. - Ride 4 Our Cancer Kids 15th Anniversary Ride through Niagara. Grand Prize – 1-week luxury cottage rental in scenic Haliburton Highlands (1 ballot for every $50 raised). Start Clare’s Harley-Davidson (590 York Rd Niagara on the Lake). Registration 9am-10:30. All proceeds to fund research through Childhood Cancer Canada. Help us reach our half million raised to date milestone. Preregister online. Minimum $30 in pledges per bike. Free event shirts for first 100 riders, prizes for top 15 fundraisers, club cup, free bbq, and more. bob@rockride. com, www.rockride.com

July 8, 2018 National Service Dog Ride Presented by Gulf-Kuwait Unit of 1st CAV (Canadian Army Veterans), the NSD Ride is at the Columbus Conference Centre in Waterloo. Registration 9 am, kickstands up 10 am sharp. Your day will begin at the hall with some fresh coffee & snacks. Our photographer will be on hand in the morning to take your picture with our NSD puppies-in-training.This year we will be hosting a poker run with $500 in cash prizes. We have a leisurely route for you to travel to your card stops. Once you have your complete hand, return to the hall for a complimentary BBQ lunch followed by prize giveaways. This also includes prizes for the top pledge earners and puppy sponsorship opportunities. $25 poker hand, $15 no poker hand; includes morning coffee & snacks, pictures with puppies, lunch & great prizes! Raise $100+ in donations & ride for free. Raise $200+ in donations ride for free & receive a NSD Ride t-shirt! Design a personal fund raising page, download the registration form and get further details at www.nsdride.com.Join the Journey! Please help get lifechanging service dogs to the people who need them. Rochelle at rochelle@nsd.on.ca, 519-623-4188 x.13, www.nsd.on.ca/events Aug 3-5, 2018 Hogs for Hospice All bikes are welcome. Hogs for Hospice is a 3 Day Motorcycle Rally in Leamington, Ont at beautiful Seacliff Park on Lake Erie. Epic concerts, the best organized registered ride in Ontario, Freestyle Motocross Show, Custom Bike Show, Bike Games, Vendors, Beer Garden and much more. New this Year:‘Iron by the Beach’Custom, Antique and Vintage Motorycyle Show, Jordan Szoke’s Extreme Show – Freestyle Motocross and Trials Display, The Kinsmen ‘Hog Pen’ – A larger beer garden with longer hours and open on Sunday, Country Night on Saturday – With a CMA “Country Artist of the Year”Nominee Randy Houser, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame classic rock band Cheap Trick on Friday, ‘Pit’ Tickets for the concert. Separate washrooms and bar so you don’t have to leave the pit. Get yours early as supply is limited. Free live music at the Hog Pen, New games at Bob’s Bike Games, More Vendors. August 4, ‘Tour the Tip’ ride is a 3-hour organized ride that will take you to the most southern point of mainland Canada inside Point Pelee National Park. A cruise through the countryside and along the lake, with a rest stop before returning to Seacliff Park for lunch. Ride leaves from Seacliff Park. Pre-Registration is strongly encouraged to minimize lineups and allow us to prepare for the number of people attending. 8-10am: Check In/Same Day Registration at Headquarters Tent in Seacliff Park. 10am: Honour our Veterans Ceremony: National Anthem, Blessing of the Bikes, 10:30am: Kickstands up, ride begins, 1:30 pm: Return to Seacliff Park for Lunch. $25/rider (includes 1 lunch), $40/ rider&passenger (incl 2 lunches) www.hogsforhospice.com Aug 12, 2018 Ride for SickKids 8am registration; 11am kickstands up. Policaro Harley Davidson; 191 Wyecroft Rd, Oakville. $50/ riders; $25/ passengers. In support of SickKids Hospital, Toronto. Ride for SickKids is an annual SickKids Leaders (SKL) signature fundraising event that grafts the growing and mainstream popularity of motorcycle riding to a great cause. The event will feature celebrity riders, a family friendly lunch and much more. From the breakfast kick-off to the scenic police-escorted route, this unique outing is becoming one of the most anticipated SKL events. RFSK is proud to have raised over $360,000.00 to-date for SickKids Hospital in Toronto, Ontario. Visit our website and learn how you can win a brand new 2018 Harley Davidson motorcycle!! Register and support the 10th Annual Ride for SickKids. Nella Figliano; info@rideforsickkids.com; 416-8955215; rideforsickkids.com Aug 18, 2018 London Toy Ride 10am to 3pm. Ride leaves Home Depot – Parking lot, Clarke Road and Dundas Street, London. $20 per bike or a unwrapped toy. Salvation Army Christmas Hamper Program. Ride leaves Home Depot at 11:30 a.m, Enjoy a group ride for approx. 1 ½ hours and ends up at the Moose Lodge on Charterhouse Crescent, where you will enjoy Pizza, drinks and ice cream. Steve Brighton, 519-451-0440 , sbrighton@rogers.com, www.londontoyride.ca

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23 – The Motorcycle Times, June 2018

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June 2018, The Motorcycle Times – 24

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