The Motorcycle Times - November 2018 by The Motorcycle Times

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issue 10

NOVEMBER 2018

Sprockets

Yamaha brings Power Assist ebikes to the U.S. for the first time Road cyclists, mountain bikers, and bike commuters looking to purchase their first ebike now have some new options to consider courtesy of Yamaha. The company’s Power Assist line of ebikes have begun making their way into specialty bike shops across the U.S., marking the very first time that the Japanese company’s electric bicycles have made their way into the American market. The Power Assist line consists of four different ebikes, including a drop-bar road bike called the UrbanRush ($3,299), a commuter version dubbed the CrossConnect ($2,999), and the fitness/utility model called the CrossCore ($2,399). The YDX-Torc ($3,499) rounds out the lineup, offering mountain bikers a full-featured off-road edition complete with front suspension, hydraulic disc brakes, and an integrated rear hub speed sensor. Yamaha was one of the first companies to actually experiment with putting electric drives on bicycles way back in the late 1980s and early 1990s. That long history of creating drive systems for ebikes has resulted in a new generation of 250-watt high-torque, mid-drive motors that are powered by 500-watt-hour lithium ion batteries. This gives road riders four levels of pedal assist (Eco+, Eco, Standard, and High) that allow them to ride at speeds of up to 20 miles per hour. The off-road YDX-Toc comes equipped with a slightly modified motor known as the PW-X, which has a fifth mode that provides even more power. One of the biggest challenges that Yamaha has faced in getting its line of Power Assist bikes into the American market is working with bike shops that aren’t necessarily familiar with the brand. While the company has sold hundreds of thousands of bikes in Japan and elsewhere, it isn’t a known quantity amongst cyclists in the United States just yet. But since the bikes were officially announced this past spring, Yamaha has been working closely with bike dealers to build an extensive network of retailers that can offer both online and brick-and-mortar options for customers. There is even a store locator on the company’s website for those looking to take a Power Assist bike for a test drive. All four Power Assist models come in three sizes – small, medium, and large – and are available now. Find out more on the Yamaha Power Assist ebikes website.

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Zero Boasts More Power, Longer Range

SANTA CRUZ, Calif., (October 23, 2018) Zero Motorcycles, the global electric motorcycle sales and innovation leader, today announced the release of its 2019 model line. With more powerful base models, brand new tech features, extended range and bold new styling, this year represents the strongest lineup of motorcycles in Zero’s history. “At Zero Motorcycles, we’ve defined the electric motorcycle industry over the past 13 years by developing a diverse lineup that features the world’s most

power and energy dense EV tech,” said Sam Paschel, CEO of Zero Motorcycles. “Having sold more electric motorcycles annually than all our competitors combined, we continue to be the driving force behind two-wheeled electrification. This is going to be a very exciting year for Zero Motorcycles.” For 2019 Zero focused on its dual sport line to support the surging demand that the brand has been experiencing. The entry price point Zero DS ZF7.2 is designed for those seeking the electric dual sport

experience and who don’t need, or want, a larger battery. In a major breakthrough, the exceptionally nimble model now boasts an impressive 35% more horsepower and an 8% higher top speed. At 96 lbs lighter than its longer-range counterpart, this model is going to be even more fun. The new longer-range Zero DS ZF14.4 now leverages the same battery as the premium Zero DSR to extend its range by 10% over last year. This allows the 2019 Zero DS continued on PG. 03

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Zero Boasts More Power, Longer Range to be configured with a range of 204 miles in the city and 97 miles on the highway. The pinnacle bike in the dual sport line, the asphalt and dirt ripping Zero DSR, continues to be wildly popular among riders with its massive 116 ft-lb of seamless torque. This year it has been newly outfitted with a collection of Zero’s bestselling accessories including a dual-sport windscreen, tank grips, hand guards and a 12V accessory socket. “Zero was founded with an emphasis on off-road and how electric powertrain technology can transform that riding ex-

3 – The Motorcycle Times, November 2018

perience. Whether bombing down a fire road or quietly weaving through a forest, Zero’s dual sport line strips away noise and complication to redefine what a motorcycle can be,” said Abe Askenazi, CTO of Zero Motorcycles. “In a word, effortless. Just you, two wheels, and a fist-full of always-there torque for wherever the road takes you.” Upgrades to the dual sport line drove parallel improvements in Zero’s street lineup with the opening price point and lower weight Zero S ZF7.2 offering the same incredible 35% performance jump as the base model Zero DS. Meanwhile, the new longer-range Zero S ZF14.4 travels 10% farther than last year and can be configured to deliver the lineup’s longest range with up to 223 miles in the city and 112 miles on the highway. To expand the charging capabilities of its dual sport and street line, Zero launched a backwards-compatible accessory version of their extremely popular 6kW Charge Tank that can now be installed at authorized local dealerships. The new Charge Tank accessory is designed continued on PG. 13

CONTINUED FROM COVER

Factory Authorized Sales for... Factory Authorized Sales for...

continued on PG. 09

? Are you MotorcycleS Mo orcycleS ATV’s & equipment Power equipment MotorcycleS Mo orcycleS ATV’s & Power USED

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1.9% for 24mths Reduce this rate 1% under the Purchase Financing Hondaapplicable) Loyalty Program:and If you HST extra. Sale Price on the New *Vehicle Licence (where currently own a Honda Product Available on All Motorcycles includeswithfreight and P.D.E., an MTO Ownership (Honda/ ECRF, Licence Administration 2019 KLX250S 2015-2018 New Honda Auto, Motorcycle ATV). Motorcycles In-Stock!Fee. Acura Fee and OMVIC Freight & PDE or($100/$65), all extra on the following

*Vehicle Licence (where applicable) and HST extra. Sale Price on the New Motorcycles includes freight and P.D.E., Licence Administration 88ECRF, used Motorcycles in stock! Fee and OMVIC Fee. Freight & PDE ($100/$65), all extra on the following on the other products: (F15SMHA/EF3000iSEB). Pricing of the following *Vehicle License Fee (where applicable) and HST extra. Some include a limited time rebate and discount of: (R3 $640/Kodiac $160/ F15SMHA $75/EF3000iSEB $80). Dealer order/trade may be necessary, of the prices include limited time Factory Incentives: RC390 if we sell out of our inventory. Vehicle(s) and accessories shown are for illustration purposes only. Offers good until August 31, 2018 and are $800/450 SX-F $0. Offers good until August 31, 2018. subject to change without notice, see us for full details.

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*Licence fee (if $500 applicable) and HST extra on all offers. OffersRebate cannot be combined with any other offers, programs or discounts and are good until August 31, 2018. Down payment or equivalent trade-in$on purchase Including Rebate Including $500 financing may be required based on approved credit from Honda Financial Services Inc. Sale Price on the New Motorcycles includes Pricefreight Onlyand P.D.E., ECRF, Licence Administration Fee and OMVIC Fee. Freight & PDE ($65/$65/$65/$65), ECRF ($0/$0/$0/$0) and Licence Administration ($0/$0/$0/$0) are all extra on the following on the other products: EU2000iT1C3/ /HRR21610VLC/HHT255LTC/WB20XT3C. Pricing of the power equipment may include a limited time rebate and discount and the Motorcycles as follows: CB300RA $500/CBR500RA $500/VT750C2B $500/CRF250L $500. 1.9% Conventional Purchase financing for 24 month term applies to all 2015-2018 New Honda Motorcycle’s. Financing Examples: $8,000 @ 1.9% per annum for 24 months equals $339.972017 per monthZ125 C.O.B. is Pro $159.28 Total Obligation $8,159.28. Dealer order/trade may be necessary, if we run out of inventory of selected models. Vehicle(s) and accessories shown are for illustration purposes only only. Offers subject to change without notice, see us for full details.

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on the otherRusH products: (F15SMHA/EF3000iSEB). Pricing of the following 6,519 EF3000iSEB *Vehicle License Fee (where applicable) and HST extra. Some Honda ofrebate Redand event include a$ limited time discount of: (R3 $640/Kodiac $160/ * $ * $ * Vehicle(s) and accessories shown are for illustration purposes Including * 4,699 2,715 F15SMHA1,214 $75/EF3000iSEB$$80). Dealer order/trade may be necessary, $ * $ * 764 $90 Rebateand accessories shown are for of the prices include limited time Factory Incentives: RC390 only. Pricing includes factory incentives as follows: (DRZ70 if we sellIncluding out $250 of Rebate our inventory. Vehicle(s) *Vehicle Licence fee (if applicable) and HST extra on all offers. Sale Price on *Vehicle Licence (where applicable) and HST extra. Sale Price on the New HRR221610VLC Motorcycles includes freight and P.D.E., ECRF, Licence Administration EU2000IT1C3 the New Motorcycles includes freight and P.D.E., ECRF, Licence Administration $200/GSX-R750 $500). See us for full details. Offers good illustration purposes only. Offers good until October August 31, 2018 and are 31st, 2018 Fee and OMVIC Fee. Freight & PDE ($100/$65), all extra on the following Fee and OMVIC Fee. Pricing of the following include a limited time rebate of: on the other products: (F15SMHA/EF3000iSEB). Pricing of the31, following October 31st, 2018 October 31st, 2018 SX-F $0. Offers good until August 2018. subject to change without notice, see us for full details. August 31, 2018. *Vehicle License Fee (where until applicable) and HST extra. Some *Vehicle License fee (where applicable) and HST are extra. EX300 SE $850/Z125 Pro $700/KLX250S $0. Motorcycle(s) and$800/450 accessories include a limited time rebate and discount of: (R3 $640/Kodiac $160/ $

12,269

439*

429*

shown are for illustration purposes only. Actual colours may vary depending on availability. Dealer trade or Factory Order may be necessary. Offers subject to change without notice, see us for full details. Offers cannot be combined with any other offers, programs or discounts and are good until August 31, 2018.

readyyamaha.com readyhondapowersports.com readykawasaki.com 866-819-4086 877-297-7446 866-819-4116 HHT255LTC

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of the prices include limited time Factory Incentives: RC390 $800/450 SX-F $0. Offers good until August 31, 2018.

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financing may be required based on or approved credit from Honda Financialon Services Inc. Sale Price on the New Motorcycles includes freight and P.D.E., ECRF, Licence Administration Fee and OMVIC Fee. Freight & PDE 31, 2018. Down payment equivalent trade-in purchase ($65/$65/$65/$65), ECRF ($0/$0/$0/$0) and Licence Administration ($0/$0/$0/$0) are all extra on the following on the other products: EU2000iT1C3/ /HRR21610VLC/HHT255LTC/WB20XT3C. Pricing of the power RF, Licence OMVIC Freight & CB300RA PDE $500/CBR500RA $500/VT750C2B $500/CRF250L $500. 1.9% Conventional Purchase financing for 24 month term applies equipmentAdministration may include a limited timeFee rebateand and discount and theFee. Motorcycles as follows: to all 2015-2018 New Honda Motorcycle’s. Financing Examples: $8,000 @ 1.9% per annum for 24 months equals $339.97 per month C.O.B. is $159.28 Total Obligation $8,159.28. Dealer order/trade may be necessary, if RR21610VLC/HHT255LTC/WB20XT3C. Pricingshown of arethefor illustration powerpurposes only we run out of inventory of selected models. Vehicle(s) and accessories only. Offers subject to change without notice, see us for full details. 9% Conventional Purchase financing for 24 month term applies Obligation $8,159.28. Dealer order/trade may be necessary, if ® or full details.

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November 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

Colours, Twisties and Traffic A few weeks ago, the sun was shining bright, the leaves were starting to turn and there was a hint of fall in the air. It was the perfect day to throw a leg over my ride and take to the road. With no destination plans - which normally turn out to be the best rides by the way, I met up with a few riding friends at a local coffee establishment. After much discussion about who was going to lead the ride, we headed out, northward to explore roads I haven’t ridden in years. As you might have guessed, it was decided that I take the lead, arrgh! Lost that vote by a slim margin of just one vote, oh well so be it, anyway, the good thing is I get to go where I want, instead of being stuck at the back and saying to myself ‘we should have turned there’. The funny thing about some of the friends I ride with is that during the summer we tend to travel to the same places week after week and never really take any chances on discovering new roads. After all isn’t that what makes riding fun? Finding that perfect road with just the right amount of twisties to keep an ear to ear grin plastered on your face? If you ask me, I think it is. Now of course not every road ventured down will produce good results, every now and then I have found myself turning down some country road, only to find out that I had stumbled onto the straightest road in Ontario. God I hate when that

happens, especially when riding with a friend and you get the look at each progressive stop sign - as if to say, great choice Haas, what’s next gravel roads? or maybe even the 401 or are we gonna go back the same way? Ya win some, ya loose some. Anyway, on this most recent of rides, I choose all the right roads - rolling hills, twisties, stretches of wide open road, switch backs, they were perfect for an early fall ride of colour. For the next few hours we carved our way in a north easterly direction until we arrived at the village of Belfountain at the Forks of the Credit. After idling in bumper to bumper traffic for about a half hour or more, we needed a pit stop. The Belfountain General Store seemed a likely place to fill the void in my stomach. I don’t remember it being this slammed with congestion. Years ago, riders would run the forks from Belfountain to Hwy 10 and back again as many times as possible in a day. Now they face horrifically slow urbanlike congestion. Not to mention the police presence at every turn. Many of the roads we used have now been restricted or barricaded. Minivans and SUV’s filled with every family member, find it necessary to stop at every second tree or bend in the road to take another memorable selfie or a family portrait. All of which, back up traffic from one end of the forks to the other

aggravating every rider who has travelled from great distances to ride this stretch of road. Not the best place to test your chicken strips, anymore. Ok, well maybe it’s not that bad, I am sure one can probably run this road with very little traffic on Tuesday or Wednesday around 2 o’clock during the second week of November. Despite the traffic at the Forks, the day was a great success in terms of finding great roads and enjoying the refreshing fall air (that’s how I describe riding with a windchill) and the start of the colours changing. If you are planning to continue to ride till the snow flies, remember, leaves are as slippery as ice and snow. Despite the forecast temperature, be prepared when you ride with layers to stay warm. Windchill now becomes a bone chilling factor you need to consider when you ride and don’t forget to check tire pressure, they tend to drop during colder weather and could compromise the handling of your ride. On a completely different topic, in the interest of keeping things fresh and interesting, we would like to welcome David Rusk, Kiril Lazarevski, Bill Coach and The Swans’ to our family of writers. We look forward to being entertained with what’s on your mind and the experiences you choose to share with us. Have fun and stay alive.

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5 – The Motorcycle Times, November 2018

What Moves Your Soul?

November 2018, The Motorcycle Times – 6

chatterbox Partnership With Harley Davidson Leaves Alta Motors Behind We’re still trying to find out what happened at Alta Motors, but the company sent a press release last week saying it is closing its doors. Alta Motors was seemingly doing well a few months ago, despite some financial struggles. It felt the company would find investments without much difficulty after winning so many races. Apparently not. Alta was expanding its reach, hiring, and doing what it does best, winning races. Against all odds, Alta Motors won the last Supercross race in Geneva, Switzerland, with a customer’s previous-year Alta motorcycle. It introduced its new version the Redshift EXR just a few months ago. The company had partnered with Harley-Davidson. We hoped it would give the Harley-Davidson electric Livewire a lending hand, and vice versa. It turned out to be a different story. Asphalt & Rubber writes: “Today’s news comes after a story we published where the business relationship between Harley-Davidson and Alta Motors began to fall apart, which included further investment from the Bar & Shield brand into Alta Motors, and was dog-eared for the company’s next electric motorcycle platform.” It’s hard to imagine Alta Motors can fold, especially after producing highly

focused electric motorcycles that won many races. Furthermore, it had 50% growth quarter to quarter in 2018, 1,000 units sold in 2018, a 300 unit backlog, and a network of 70 dealerships. It is hard to imagine no modern VCs snapping up that low-hanging fruit. It would be easy to blame HarleyDavidson for the demise of Alta Motors after opening its own “research & development” center in San Francisco, where Alta Motors is headquartered. But we’ll wait for more information before dishing out that kind of judgment. The story is as old as life itself. Startup finds a niche, focuses, and wins. Startup looks for more financial investments, partners with an archaic maker, and still struggles. In less than a decade three EVs, excellent companies struggle, some to their end. AFS Trinity was deliberately kept away from the public and car shows by carmakers. CODA had a great technology and its only “problem” was that the car looked old. And now, Alta Motors is the last one in a line of great technology, great results, and a complete lack of financial enterprise from venture capital groups. Stay tuned as we find out more and wait on answers from the Alta Motors team.

Worldwide recall of thousands of motorcycles for clutch issue

Harley-Davidson is recalling nearly 238,000 motorcycles worldwide because they can get stuck in gear due to a clutch problem. Documents posted Tuesday by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration say clutches can leak fluid internally, making it so the clutch doesn’t have enough lift to disengage the bikes from gears. The safety agency says that can cause riders to lose control and increase the risk of a crash. The Milwaukee-based company says in documents that it has reports of five crashes with no injuries. Affected models include the 2017 and 2018 Police Road King, Road King, Road King Special, Electra Glide Ultra Classic, Ultra Limited, Ultra Limited Low, Ultra Limited Shrine, Police Electra Glide, Street Glide, Street Glide Special, Road Glide Ultra, Road Glide, Road Glide Special, Freewheeler, Tri Glide Ultra, CVO Limited, and

the CVO Street Glide. Also covered are the 2017 Softail Slim S, Fat Boy S, CVO Pro Street Breakout, and the 2018 115th Anniversary Ultra Limited, 115th Anniversary Street Glide, 115th Anniversary Street Glide Special, 115th Anniversary Tri Glide Ultra, 115th Anniversary CVO Limited and CVO Road Glide. This comes on the heels of another major recall back in February over possible brake failures. Dealers will install a new secondary clutch actuator piston assembly at no cost to owners. The recall is expected to start on November 5. Owners of the recalled motorcycles can learn more information by visiting the address below and entering the bike’s VIN: https://www.harley-davidson.com/us/ en/owners/maintain-your-bike/servicerecalls.html

This electric trike could be the future of mobility

Imagine a ride with the open-air freedom of a motorcycle but the overhead frame of a car. Now put it on three wheels, ride in it silence and plug it in when the day is done. This is the premise of the Arcimoto FUV, the latest innovation in the burgeoning mobility segment, and a direct competitor to the Polaris Slingshot. The three-wheeled Arcimoto electric motorcycle seats two, has a 70- or 130mile range, hits 60 mph in 7.5 seconds and has a top speed of 80 mph. When production ramps up to scale next year, the price will range from just under $12,000 to about $19,500. “We use a tool meant to carry seven people 300 miles to take one person 3 miles,” said Mark Frohnmayer, founder and president of Oregon-based Arcimoto. “Driving is not fun to a vast majority of people commuting. It’s a huge hassle to find parking, to navigate the congestion. So Arcimoto is a right-sized solution to the problem of mobility.” A sort-of roll cage extends overhead from the long front windshield to the tail, so the only wind is coming from the side of the FUV, which stands for “fun utility vehicle.” There are available hard

and soft shells for all-season riding, as well as optional doors. Operationally, it’s similar to a motorcycle. Three-wheel motorcycles are nothing new, but they have been a bright spot of growth in the declining motorcycle segment. Prized for their stability and safety while still providing the open road fun of a motorcycle, the Polaris Slingshot and it competitors by Can-Am, Harley-Davidson and others are not just giving aging riders an alternative, but courting a new generation of buyers who don’t want all the trappings of a traditional vehicle. Arcimoto, Frohnmayer said, is taking that a step further, marketing to young urbanites looking for a simple thrill and the convenience of parking in spots where cars can’t fit. It also could be used as a resort vehicle similar to the golf cart, or for fleet purposes at institutions such as college campuses. By the end of 2019, Arcimoto plans to be producing 200 FUVs a week out of its Eugene factory. It’s legal in all 50 states, and has a standard Level 1 charger and a 220V Level 2 charge capability.

Suzuki recalls 6,928 DL650 V-Strom and GSX-R Motorcycles Suzuki is recalling 6,928 of certain 20172018 Suzuki DL650A and DL650XA VStrom 650s, and GSX-R1000, GSX-R1000R, and 2018 GSX-S750 motorcycles. The recall announcement indicates that during installation, the fuel pump O-ring may have been twisted, reducing the sealing performance and possibly resulting in a fuel leak, increasing the risk for fire. Suzuki will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fuel pump O-ring and the fuel tank inner vessel, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin in October

2018. Owners may contact Suzuki Canada customer service. The recall numbers are 2A86-2A88.

7 – The Motorcycle Times, November 2018

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November 2018, The Motorcycle Times – 8

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Slow Makes You Stop Here you are zipping along and something makes you grab the brakes, an animal or a car, or maybe your dumb ass wasn’t paying enough attention, the actual reason doesn’t matter. It’s the quickness of it, the surprise and what does matter is how you reach for and then pull the brake lever. Rarely the binders alone will save you but if used properly they will give you the time (read the ability to think) to expand on your escape plan or at least mitigate the upcoming crash. Or if you practise, you may just stop in time. So, you grab a handful and instantly find yourself listening to the pavement channel and just like that sickening plastic metallic scrape a sliding bike makes, you’ll never forget the hollow sound as your lid skids on the asphalt, the pavement channel. You were fast to the brakes but not slow enough once you got there. Seeing the threat, choosing to brake and getting your fingers on the lever all need to be done as fast as possible but then slow must happen, at least initially. Physics applies to all bike styles and that’s why I have only mentioned the front brake. Suspension travel, inertia and the movement of our center of mass contribute to a huge transfer of weight forward when we slow. Modern sport bikes will put 100% on the front while a longer and heavier cruiser will transition less, leaving more weight on the back tire but still ending up with the efficiency up front. Yes, combining the front with the rear is best but in an emergency situation spare synapses are in short supply. The danger is front wheel lock up and grabbing that lever with the simple thought of “stop!” will put you on your ear. So starting where the highest threat lies and conversely the most efficient way to stop, it must be committed to muscle memory and then you can think about that right foot. ABS is great but we must learn how to manipulate the brakes up to it’s intervention point because even with the wonders of technology, countless variables such as lean angle and rain demand we develop the “feel”. A complex sequence occurs when we reach for that lever and it must begin with learning to be fast at being slow. Whether feathering to a stop light or death braking from 250, traction is king and to brake with maximum effect we must be able to reach the point of loosing it very quickly. Did you know the front tire warns of a lock up with an awesome howling sound that builds intensity with lever pressure? There will be plenty of clues to the calamity that is about to happen but if panic takes you past these, the next warning you get won’t be so awesome. A chirp, maybe, followed by the screech of sliding rubber and then, yep the pavement channel.

It is much harder to release a locked wheel back into motion then it is to progressively squeeze your way up to the maximum and that tick of time loosing the front as it skids is an impossible learning environment. We need to become at least partially comfortable with and understand what’s happening at the threshold or you will be overcome by the craziness your bike is telling you. That’s if your even aware of your bike and not trapped in a full on zombie lock, hypnotized by whatever your about to crash into. Modern tires are amazing but if we don’t help them cope through smooth and direct actions their tenuous hold on the road will break. Every application must begin with the thought of weight transitioning to the front and the effect that has on traction. That first instant of lever movement must be slow to begin the transfer but once started a progressive increase can be applied and as we squeeze harder many things begin to happen. The suspension compresses as inertia tries to continue forward and our center of mass moves towards the front and down. This increases traction through added weight and a contact patch that fattens as the tire sidewalls flex, putting more rubber on the road. Brake pressure can then be ramped up aggressively but carefully, never out pacing the traction threshold which constantly increases as more weight goes forward. The more lever pressure applied, the more weight shift and more weight forward allows more pressure and a faster squeeze which adds weight allowing more…well, you see where this goes. As you begin the squeeze think of everything you have just set in play. Feel the bike squat and unsettle when the forks begin to dive and the shock extends. Understand that all the separate actions are just that, separate and each provides an opportunity to screw it up. Beginning with your decision to brake, a command to the right hand and then brake fluid moves, pushing pistons against pads, pads against disc. Forks flex and stiffen as you feel the forces flow through the frame. The back end becomes vague as the bikes attitude changes. Wait, what’s that crazy howling noise (!) and as your fingers pull quicker suddenly you hold the brake pads in your right hand and the sintered material abrades into dust through your fingers. Impossible and yet you see the rear tire lift off the road as it spins in a blur, then the pulse of a heartbeat in your hand as the lever signals the front wheels deviation, slowing faster then the bike. The howl is screaming at you now demanding attention but you practise so the superfluous is no bother. You are there, at the threshold.

9 – The Motorcycle Times, November 2018

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Sturgess Cycle MSRP listed is subject to change without notice. Dealer is not obligated to sell product atSnow MSRP. Dealercity may sellcycle for less than& themarine Manufacture Suggested Retail Price. For full details visit www.suzuki.ca or contact your local authorized Suzuki dealer. Warranty and King optionalStreet SPP warranty coverage has no dollar value and cannot be exchanged or resold any monetary Road, value. Model may not be exactly as shown. Quantity and colours are subject to availability. PDI charges from $110 to $528, freight charges 615 West, Hamilton 1255forKennedy Scarborough from $165 to $250, taxes, license, insurance, applicable fees and registration are extra dependent on model and may change without notice. Specifications, product features and colours are subject to change without notice. Read your owner’s manual 905-522-0503 or to888-421-3333 416-752-1560 or 877-766-9248 carefully and remember observe all safety regulations. See your participating Authorized Suzuki dealer for availability and complete details. Way of Life! www.sturgessonline.com www.snowcity.com Contact your local authorized Suzuki dealer for current retail promotions and available inventory. Retail Incentives, Gas Cards & additional Warranty coverage available on select new and unregistered Suzuki Motorcycles purchased at participating Canadian Dealers between June 1, 2018 and July 31, 2018. Suzuki Retail incentives are direct-to-dealer incentives deducted from the MSRP. Retail incentives up to $1,000 on select models. Warranty listed includes 12 month factory limited warranty plus additional warranty coverage to total listed warranty coverage. Warranty offered has no dollar value and cannot be exchanged or resold for any monetary value. Gas Cards have the face value as listed and will be sent directly to the customer with the Suzuki Welcome Letter (allow 4-6 weeks for delivery of gas cards). Model not be exactly as shown. This promotion is time limited and subject to stock availability certain conditions may Dealer apply; please seesell your for participating Canadian for complete details. Offer cannot be combined specialvisit offers,www.suzuki.ca promotions or financing specified. charges fromSuzuki $110 to $528, freight charges from $165optional to $350, taxes, MSRP listed is may subject to change without notice. Dealer is not obligated to selland product at MSRP. may less than thedealer Manufacture Suggested Retail Price. with Forany fullother details orincentives contactunless your local PDI authorized dealer. Warranty and SPP license, insurance, applicablehas feesno and dollar registration are extra dependent model. Specifications,orproduct features and colours are subject to change without notice. Read owner’sas manual carefully and remember observe allare safety regulations. your participating dealer for availability completecharges details. Suzuki. Way$165 of Life!to $250, taxes, license, insurance, warranty coverage value and cannotonbe exchanged resold for any monetary value. Model may not beyour exactly shown. Quantity andtocolours subject toSee availability. PDIAuthorized chargesSuzuki from $110 to $528,andfreight from

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November 2018, The Motorcycle Times – 10

wheelpower

By Dawn Edmonds My bike was not a ‘trailer queen’. Not by any stretch of your imagination. It was a red and black 1984 Honda Nighthawk 750 and it was a little rough around the edges. But the riding course I had enrolled in was being held in Shelbyville, Tennessee at the end of October and I needed a bike. I had sold my Yamaha 650 to a friend, but the bike I’d purchased hadn’t been shipped yet. So the bike was not a trailer queen but we were near the end of October. Tennessee is okay this time of the year but Indiana, Michigan and Ontario were too fickle this time of the year to be depended upon for good weather. I had a couple of travel days available on both sides of the weekend training, so I decided to do more of a road trip to Shelbyville rather than motoring straight through. While flipping through the ‘roadside attractions’ booklet, Fairmount, Indiana caught my eye. Not only was it the hometown of American actor, James Dean, it was also where Jim Davis, creator of Garfield had grown up. Pulling off Highway 69 and then onto 26, it was easy to find the Fairmount Historical Museum. Even with a pick-up and bike trailer, parking on the street

was easy. Getting away from the building was a different story. While I was in the museum, it appeared as though a water main had ruptured and traffic was now prevented from leaving the way I had come in. Fairmount is small as small towns go, so I wasn’t concerned about finding my way out, I just knew it wouldn’t be the way I came in. I turned left onto 1st Street, East, but Main Street was blockaded, so I followed the detour onto Mill Street, North. Scanning the road for the next detour sign, something caught my eye. There was a car behind me, so I couldn’t stop. I drove around the corner, pulled as far as I could onto the gravelly boulevard and gawked at what appeared to be an early ‘80s red Dnepr. Sitting on the front porch, watching me stare at his bike, was an older guy – maybe in his late 60s. I got out of my truck and walked across the street. “Is that a Dnepr?” I called out. “Yep.” “Yours?” “Yep.” “It’s in pretty good condition.” “Yep.” I stood there. I had never encountered a bike owner that was so reluctant to tell me about his bike; particularly someone that owned an unusual bike like a Dnepr. “Are you okay if I take a picture of

The Detour

it?” I asked. “Yep.” “Would it be okay if I took of picture of you with the bike?” He didn’t answer right away. Then he said, “Give me a couple minutes.” It wasn’t until he struggled to get up that I noticed the crutches. ‘Broken leg,’ I thought to myself. ‘Must be the reason he wasn’t very eager to engage with me. A bit pissy about not being able to ride right now.’ As he hobbled down the steps of the front porch, I realized that the problem wasn’t that he had a broken leg; the problem was he didn’t have most of a leg. ‘Ugh,’ I thought to myself. As he came closer to the Dnepr, I held out my hand. “Dawn,” I said. He nodded his head and said, “Stanley.” “We have aDnepr at home,” I started. “An ‘81.” “Huh,” said Stanley. “We live in Ontario,” I continued. “Canada. About an hour from Detroit, Michigan.” “Oh, ya?” “Our Dnepr is very similar to this one – red - but we still have the machine gun mount.” “Hmmm. I’ve seen pictures of those but I’ve never seen one in person.” “Driving down the highway in Ontario one day, we saw a Dnepr that still had the machine gun on it. It was wild.” He nodded. “How did you happen to end up

with this bike?” I asked. “I rode when I was a kid. This town was real small then. I don’t think any of us had licenses. Nobody cared.” “Uh-huh.” “But after I got back from ‘Nam, I couldn’t ride anymore.” I didn’t really know what to say. “I’m sorry,” was all I could muster. “Coulda been worse. Coulda come home in a box. A few guys from here did.” He stopped for a moment. “It’s probably not what you’re thinking.” “I got called up near the end of the war. I almost thought I was going to miss it. But late in ‘71, I got my draft notice. I still figgered the war might end before I got through boot camp.” I nodded my head. “Didn’t. And I ended up in Vietnam when things were falling apart. There were always rumours that the war was going to end, but it kept on and on.” “Must have been frightening,” I said. “Sometimes. But not as much as you think,” he continued. “I saw some action but there were lots o’ good ole boys just wanted to ‘Kill!’. I never had no problem staying out of the real fire fights.” “Really?” Stanley nodded. “It was crazy. We had a bunch o’ guys in our platoon just wanted to shoot anything an’ anybody. They’d start shootin’ just to shoot.” I shook my head. “The last battle we were in was the worst. It was February ‘72. Morale

driver – goin’ the wrong way – plowed right into us. Mom and pop were killed instantly. The lower part

of my left leg was mangled in the wreckage. Had to amputate it.” “Unbelievable,” I sighed. “Sure was,” snorted Stanley. “Come home from ‘Nam without a scratch . . . and then lose my leg to

an old wino. Guy’d had seven drunk drivin’ charges before he hit us!” “How tragic,” I mumbled. I gave what I thought was enough time for Stanley to recover from telling me his story. He looked me in the face, shrugged and said, “That’s how this thing (pointing to the Dnepr) ended up in my yard. “Being at home and not much able to work, I really got to missin’ ridin’. Regular bikes were no good to me, so a couple o’ buddies rigged up a bike with wheels out the sides. Couldn’t go really fast, but I could ride.” “That must have been cool,” I said. “Yep. Then one day, a guy from Michigan arrived with this Dnepr on this trailer. Said somebody’d bought and paid for it and asked him to deliver it to me.” “Seriously?” “Yep. Never figgered out who it was but I sure appreciated it.” “That’s quite a story.” “It ain’t a story. It’s true.” It was getting late and my Nighthawk and I still had a few hundred miles to go before the end of the day. I shook Stanley’s hand and wished him well. As I got out onto the highway, I realized I’d forgotten to take his picture. No problem. I had a great story about a Dnepr to tell my husband.

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was real low. Most of the US troops were near the coast. Not much offensive fightin’ goin’ on. We’d heard about a skirmish a little ways up the coast and headed out to see what was goin’ on.” Stanley stopped for a moment. “It was an ambush. The fighting was real hot. Not long, but we lost four guys that day. “A couple days later, we were on a flight back to the good ole U S of A. Man, it was a big relief to get outta that place. I ain’t no sissy-boy, but I cried like a baby when I saw my mom and pop.” “Of course,” I said quietly. “That’s the happiest I have ever been.” I stood there as Stanley drifted off to another time and place. After a few moments, he began to speak again. “We were drivin’ home from the airport. I wanted to drive, but I was tired from the flight, so pop drove. I sat in the passenger seat and mom sat in the back. We were almost home when we saw the detour sign. Just one exit from Fairmount. The traffic had been rerouted ‘cause a dump truck had spilled gravel on the highway. No one had been hurt, but it was a big mess. As we drove down the dirt road, we saw a pair of headlights come out of nowhere. That’s the last thing I remember. “Next thing I knew, I was in the hospital. A drunk

November 2018, The Motorcycle Times – 12

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can be an effective and efficient quite true. Most of my life I have been able to means to manage traffic speed, reduce colrhyme off whatever number or sets of num- lisions and injuries, and combat the huge bers I have used. I know my Social Insurance resulting economic burden to society. The Number (who doesn’t?), my driver’s license cost-effectiveness of the program takes on number, and every and I mean every phone special meaning and urgency when considnumber I had ever called. Now, that was be- ering the present and future government fore cell phones. It would be more accurate funding constraints.’ to say I have never been a math person. But the final few sentences of the report Last month, after reading VEHICLE aboutSTABILITY Norma what drivers focused on.STEERING ‘TheSTEERING apVEHICLEare STABILITY SYSTEMmany SEMI-AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION DYNAMIC POWER SYSTEM SEMI-AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION DYNAMIC POWER An automotive-like system Nothe clutch or foot shifter here.however, Adjusts required effort through An automotive-like system No clutch lever of or foot shifterlever here. Adjusts required effort through McCorvey (the primary “Jane Roe” in Roe plication program, should integrating stability, traction Yourup leftand thumb your acceleration, and steering integrating stability, traction Your left thumb shifts yourshifts up and acceleration, speed andspeed steering braking forshifts an down. forefinger shifts down. Withangle reverse. angle data. More comfort and and anti-lock for and an anti-lock With reverse. data. More comfort and vs Wade, 1973), I ventured down thebraking numbeforefinger planned and implemented with caution. improved control. incredibly confident ride. incredibly confident (Manualride. available) (Manual available) improved control. bers rabbit hole and read a few books about Every effort should be made to focus on and statistics and economics. Freakonomics, Ev- to promote the program on safety improveVEHICLE STABILITY SYSTEM SEMI-AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION DYNAMIC POWER STEERING erybody Lies, and Superfreakonomics grounds. Thehere. program can be An automotive-likeall system ment No clutch lever or foot shifter Adjusts required efforttermithrough integrating stability, traction Your left thumb shifts up and your acceleration, speed and steering revealed several thought-provoking because considerations, and anti-locksentibraking for an nated forefinger shifts down.of Withpolitical reverse. angle data. More comfort and if incredibly confident ride. (Manual available) improved control. ments: the public perceives it as a cash cow to en• Statistics and economics do not reflect hance government revenue.’ life as our experience leads us to believe. A 2017 study in Sherwood Park, AB, CanStatistics and economics show what is really ada: Study Examines The Safety Impact Of happening. Ending Photo Radar showed ‘that weather • Generally-accepted information is often has aDealer much greater impact on the number of Imprint Dealer Imprint 14 Regional Road 13, Courtland, wrong. trafficGoes collisions than photo radar ON revenues Here Goes Here • Just because we don’t like the results of or violation tickets issued . . . In fact, while 519-688-3278 research, does not necessarily mean the re- the presence of automated technology is www.lockhartsodyssey.ca sults are inaccurate. shown to have a technically negative effect Dealer Imprint Consider this example. By the time Rudy on the number of collisions, the effect is miHere Giuliani became mayor of New York City inGoes nuscule and outweighed by other factors.’ the early 1990s, the crime rates in the US and A small study in coordination with the Canada were peaking. In fact, both countries National Center for Biotechnology Inforhad experienced an uphill climb in crime mation (NCBI) in the US concluded that starting in the early ‘60s. Rudy Giuliani and ‘parking an unmanned police car beside a his Police Commissioner, Bill Bratton, decid- road was associated with a large reduction ed to bring in community policing measures in speeding over a 10-day period. Removal such as putting more police officers on the of the unmanned police car resulted in a street, increasing reliance on prisons, and return to preintervention speeding.’And a implementing more aggressive policing of 2012 study by Las Vegas police supported lower level crimes. Within a couple of years, that conclusion. Speeding drivers are most the crime rate in New York City took a nose- likely to slow down when they see a police dive. And Giuliani and Bratton took credit car on the road. for that decrease. I bring the issue of photo radar to your atWhat passed by unnoticed at the time tention because the new premier of Ontario, was the fact that crime rates across North Doug Ford, and his Conservative governAmerica had fallen at the same time as the ment is supporting the idea of photo radar rates in New York City. So how did that hap- pilot projects beginning this fall. Speeders pen? Did the new policing measures in New will not be issued tickets initially but photo York impact an entire continent? In a word, radar is being implemented in school zones according to several studies . . . ‘NO’. Begin- and in some ‘high accident’ intersections. ning with research published in Sweden in Should drivers and riders slow down in 1966 by Hans Forssman and Inga Thuwe school zones? Of course. The death of even and followed by the work of Steven Levitt one child due to vehicle speeding is one too (University of Chicago) and John Donohue many. Should we be focusing our resources (Yale University) in 2001, the researchers on intersections and stretches of highway maintained that ‘children who are unwanted that have high rates of accidents? Again, the or whose parents cannot support them are answer is simple. likelier to become criminals, and that there The big question is, is photo radar the way is an inverse correlation between the avail- in which to reduce the carnage? Statistics ability of abortion (Roe vs Wade) and sub- from the previously-mentioned studies sugsequent crime.’ Legalized abortion became gest that the implementation of photo radar available in Canada in 1969 and in the US in is not as effective in getting drivers and rid1973. Those 20 years previous to the reduc- ers to reduce their speed as the mere prestion in crime statistics is what led researchers ence of – manned or unmanned – marked such as Levitt and Donohue to downplay police cars. And IF this new government policing measures and focus more on access is truly concerned with reducing accidents to legalized abortion. involving vehicles – rather than lining its Whether you support or disagree with coffers – it should consider looking more the outcomes of those studies, it is clear that seriously at increasing the presence of police “conventional wisdom” (a phrase attributed officers in public. Just because politicians to Canadian-born economist, John Kenneth do not like what the statistics show, does Galbraith) can often be wrong. not mean those statistics are not accurate. Consider the impact of photo radar. What Because, as we already know, conventional is the conventional wisdom or widely-held wisdom is not always right. belief about the positive impact of photo If you are opposed to photo radar, conradar? A study done in British Columbia tact your local MPP and let him or her in 2010 came to the following conclusion. know there are more effective ways to ‘Automated photo radar traffic safety en- reduce speeding. ©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.

610376

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Zero for a long winter, the motorcycle’s operating system is the “brains” behind it all. Zero continuously upgrades this system based on millions of consumer riding miles. For 2019, Zero developed and released an industry-first “Long Term Storage Mode” in which the motorcycle automatically puts itself into a lowpower mode to optimize battery state-ofcharge and further improve long-term battery health. Zero also continues to offer its industry-leading five-year/unlimited mile battery warranty. In keeping with Zero’s brand update and visual revamp from last year, all 2019 models feature bold and sleek new styling, including an overhauled color scheme and undercoat graphics package. New colors include subtle Dune and Rhino Gray featured on the Zero FX and FXS, sophisticated Jet Black and Black

13 – The Motorcycle Times, November 2018

CONTINUED FROM PG. 03

Metallic for the Zero S and SR and sleek Sandstone and Caldera Metallic for the Zero DS and DSR.

For more details about Zero’s 2019 line or to see the new motorcycles at a dealer near you www.zeromotorcycles.com/.

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November 2018, The Motorcycle Times – 14

turningwrenches

H2 means twice as much… A Wrench in the Works

By David Heron I managed to score an original Kawasaki H2 750 from 1972. This was the first year for that model and way back then, it took the world of bikes by storm. Kawasaki was secretly working on a 750 4 stroke four when they were beat to the punch with the introduction of the Honda CB 750 for the 1969 model year. Not wanting to be upstaged by the big red Honda machine, they started development of something that would easily eclipse the Honda. This was, of course, the Kawasaki Z1 900 which debuted in 1973. So, as an interim filler until the big 4 stroke could be brought to market, they decided to bring a bigger brother to the H1 500 triple. Enter the Kawasaki H2 750. It had 3 cylinders in a 2 stroke engine and a whopping 74 horsepower. Unlike the peaky 500, this monster pulled like a truck from down low and didn’t stop until about 125 miles per hour. It flexed. It smoked. It wheelied. It burned gas like it was going out of style. And, was by far the fastest thing on the street. In other words, it was the bomb. Muscle cars of the day like Corvettes, Chevelles, Roadrunners and Mustangs were no match for it between stop lights. It was the king of the road and sold well. Things changed when the new Z1 900 came out the next year and the H2 only lasted 4 years. By this time there were new environmental emission laws and the 2 stroke screamers were hard pressed to conform. Thus, it went the way of the dodo. The H2 did not go quietly. Many were

crunched both by over zealous riders and by their own erratic handling and pure crazy speed. Because the 72 was the first year and many of these bikes did not survive due to the aforementioned reasons and they have become much in demand. As I told you last month, I got one. And, it is very original. Many of these were modified or changed over the years and due to Kawasaki abandoning parts after only 5 years, they are rarely in the condition or garb that they came out of the showroom in. This one has the stock exhaust in very good shape except for some slight chrome peeling on the center one and original paint in good shape. All in all, a rare find and, for a decent price. Most people who are lucky enough to have one of these feel that they can ask the equivalent of the gross domestic product of a South American country for them. And usually they can. They are snapped up by people, collectors usually, who have lots of disposable cash and then either restored to better than new condition and trailered around to shows or hidden away. I think that I have expressed my somewhat negative feelings toward collectors in previous editions so I won’t go into that. Suffice to say that I have a low opinion of collectors and their perfect trailer queen bikes. Oops, there I go again. So, let’s get down to the nitty gritty. This bike was listed on a classic bike website and the owner was asking for reasonable offers. I made one quickly and was rewarded by his acceptance of the offer. That was a Thursday night and I promised to pick it up on Saturday. Over this period, I had to break the news to the LSW, long suffering wife and get the cash ready. When I showed up on Saturday, the owner, who knew nothing about

the treasure that he possessed, told me that he had been swamped with calls and offers of immediate cash but he had agreed to sell to me. There was a very unfortunate story connected to this bike. This guy’s friend had owned it and had been working on it in the months before and had suffered a stroke which made it impossible for him to continue with the restoration. A sad thing to hear. The bike had been in the original owner’s garage before the seller brought it to his house. It was missing the ignition switch and the air box. The seller said that he was helping to clean out his friend’s double garage and he would let me know if he found the missing parts. Hopefully, they do show up. So, we wheeled it onto my trailer and it arrived home with me with no hassles and a lack of future stories for you of woe and bad luck. Perhaps things are starting to go my way. I am not holding my breath on this one though. Let’s get on to the stories of woe though. I knew you would be waiting for this. I mentioned before that the center pipe had a bit of rust so I went on Kijiji to see what there was. Lo and behold, a guy in Sudbury had pipes that were in great condition. We arrived at a price for the one pipe that wouldn’t send me into bankruptcy and he was going to send it by bus express because that was the cheapest way to go. He shipped on a Tuesday and the guy at the Sudbury bus station said that it would be in Barrie for pickup the same day at 6:00 PM. I was on my way south for work so I stopped at the Barrie station, a ride that took me out of the way by about a half hour, at 7:30 the next morning. I was asked if they had called me which they had not. They said that the shipments have to go to Toronto

first and then are re-routed back to Barrie. They promised to call when it arrived. I waited until Thursday and phoned them and was informed that the parcel was there for me. Had I not called, I wonder if I would still be waiting for their call. Now, when I look on the internet at pipes for H2s, they say that they cover from 72 to 75. This is all the years that these bikes were made. Unfortunately, the first 2 model years, of which I have are different from the last 2 years. Yes, you guessed it, this pipe was the wrong one. Imagine my joy when, after lying on my side on the hard cement floor and struggling with exhaust rubber gaskets and performing contortions trying to hold a pipe while I tightened the mounts that the darn thing would not fit. The rise on the pipe was slightly different and the back bracket which fixes through the passenger foot peg was entirely different. So, I turned the air blue taking the thing off again and re-mounting the original pipe. Now I have a single pipe for sale and I am back to having a bit of chrome peel on a pipe although it is not overly visible. The line forms to the left if you need a center muffler for a 74 or 75 H2. I have had to buy a few little things such as a new choke cable and a filter for the 2 stroke oil induction as well as a new battery. As you know from old submissions, I am not the most patient person so I decided to go looking for an ignition switch so I can get to work at starting this bike up. I put a plea out on the Canadian Triple forum and got a reply from a friend. He had a switch but no key. I have since ordered the proper key from someone on ebay. I did find that people want a ridiculous amount of money for a precut original key. The way I see it, if it turns the

15 – The Motorcycle Times, November 2018

switch to “on” it is good enough. Anyway, my friend and I agreed to meet for a beer after work to make the exchange. I had to pick up my daughter at the airport in Toronto and he kept me company while I waited. The worst part was that he forgot the switch. He had it in his hand and put it on the floor while he was doing up his shoes. He walked out the door with tied shoes but the switch stayed there on the floor in his hallway. I can’t say too much about this faux pas because I have done the exact thing on many occasions. Well, sort of anyway. I must admit that I never tie up my shoes. If they can’t be slipped into, I don’t wear them. Bending over to tie shoes is not a part of my everyday life. Anyway, I picked up the switch at his house when I was driving by for work. I am still short a key for it , but it is on its way. Of course, if something can go wrong, it will. I see from the parts book that I also need a rubber isolator for the switch. This is on its way too. Hey, it’s only money. So, I want to see if the seller’s boast of a guaranteed running bike is indeed true and I want to know this before I have to seal up the garage door for winter. Time is getting short. There is a threat of snow from the weatherman and I am waiting on tiny seemingly inconsequential parts before I can fire this puppy up. The key has arrived and I am hoping that the rest will be here this week. So, it was hurry up and wait this past weekend. What does a guy do while he waits impatiently for parts to arrive? Why, he finally cleans up the junk in his garage, of course. Now this is the buildup from over 10 years of working on bikes, replacing parts that were too far gone to re-use and laying them down against a wall or in the shelves. I was really starting to trip over stuff which causes blue air. I can only swear at things that I trip over for so long before I have to admit that it is actually my fault that I am tripping over it in the first place. I borrowed a trailer from a neighbour and loaded it to the top with rusty wheels, cables, mufflers and various other steel or at least metal parts and made my way to the local dump. There is no charge, my favourite price, to dump metal and tires and it was hardly even raining as I did it. As an after- dump celebration, I went to the local bike shop and ordered tires for the H2. Save some money, spend some money. With my projects, I do a lot more spending of money than saving it. Again, a sad reality of this kind of sick hobby. There is now an abundance of extra room in the garage. Maybe even enough for another bike but I am resisting that temptation right now. But, I do plan to be smoking out and noising out the neighbourhood this weekend with the sweet sound of this 2 stroke powered project. Wish me luck… As an addendum, this will be my last column. I would like to thank all of the people who have actually read my rantings and ravings. I would also like to thank The Motorcycle Times for giving me the opportunity to try to entertain you with my dumb moves, scraped knuckles and creative swear words aimed at motorcycles. And lastly, I would like to thank my beautiful wife Debbie, the LSW ,for being extremely supportive of my motorcycle sickness. I will continue to play with them in the quiet of my garage.

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Factory Recreation 347 Cranston Cres. Midland - 705-526-2248 www.factoryrecreation.com

Revs Full Throttle Powersports 42 Darte Drive, Welland 905-732-7529 or 866-774-0909 www.revsfullthrottle.com

Northland Recreation Limited 1007 Cowan Park Road Utterson - 705-769-3671 www.northlandrecreation.com

Team Vincent Motorsports 1148-2 Northumberland St., Ayr, 519-632-8810 or 800-221-4360 www.teamvincentmotorsports.com

©2018 Bombardier Recreational Products Inc. (BRP). All rights reserved. ®, ™ and the BRP logo are trademarks of BRP or its affiliates. Offers valid in Canada only from September 10, 2018 to October 31, 2018. The terms and conditions may vary depending on your province and these offers are subject to termination or change at any time without notice. See an authorized BRP dealer for details. †Get up to a $4,500 rebate on select 2018 models: Eligible units are select new, unused and in stock 2018 Can-Am Spyder models purchased from a participating BRP dealer. The buyer of an eligible model will receive up to $4,500 rebate. Conditions apply. Rebate amount depends on the model purchased. All models may not be available at all dealers. See your local BRP participating dealer for details. While quantities last. ††GET 4-YEAR COVERAGE WITH FREE ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE: Eligible units are select new, unused and in stock 2018 Can-Am Spyder models. The buyer of an eligible unit will receive the 24-month BRP Limited Warranty plus 24-month B.E.S.T. coverage. The buyer of eligible units will also receive 48 months of FREE Roadside Assistance. B.E.S.T. service contract is subject to a $50 deductible on each repair. For complete details, please see the BRP limited warranty and the B.E.S.T. contract at an authorised BRP dealer near you. Some models depicted may include optional equipment. Follow all instructional and safety materials. Always observe applicable local laws and regulations. Always wear a helmet, eye protection and appropriate protective clothing. Always ride responsibly and safely. Always remember that riding and alcohol/drugs don’t mix.

Toronto’s only authorized Moto Guzzi, Aprilla, Vespa and Paiggio dealer and service centre

By Mick Brighton

New and used motorcycle sales, service parts and accessories.

34 Futurity Gate, Suite #1, Vaughan 905-760-9933 • www.corsameccanica.com s ime cle T y c r o Mot The

The Motorcycle Times is looking for a few good writers. If you think you have what it takes to be a part of our team, send in a sample story to: editor@themotorcycletimes.ca

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November 2018, The Motorcycle Times – 16

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I arrived to start a new life as a Permanent Resident of Canada in June 2017 and my home is now Toronto. At the end of July 2017 I decided it was time to change my UK drivers licence for a Canadian one. I had passed my motorcycle test in 1967 and riding continuously since then to the present date. I passed my car driving test while serving in the RAF in 1974. Later as a firefighter I drove emergency Heavy Goods Vehicles (HGVs) for 30 years. After retiring I travelled in an RV around Canada, the USA, Europe and Morocco for months at a time. I felt I had the knowledge and experience to drive a vehicle and ride a motorcycle safely anywhere in the world. I was told to go to the Service Canada office and to get there early as there is always a queue or a line-up as you say here, and yes there was. It went from reception through the waiting area and out of the door into the mall. Eventually arriving at the reception desk they gave me a ticket and I waited for my number to be called. When it was called I informed the woman behind the desk that I would like an Ontario driving licence please. Then the fun began. After filling out the necessary forms and having my photo taken I handed over my British licence containing my full car, HGV and motorcycle licences. In return I received only a car licence. “There must be some mistake” I said, “What about my bike licence?” “Sorry,” came the reply, “Ontario does not recognise the UK motorcycle driving test as we don’t have a reciprocal agreement.” None of my bits of paper or official documents to prove I had held a bike licence for 50 years were of any use at all and my pleading was to no avail. I was told I would have to start at the beginning with a multiple choice question paper and pay an exam fee followed by a practical test. “Would you like to wait in the testing room or come back another day? To help, you can read the booklets that are on sale at any good supermarket or bookshop or you can study online.” My excuse not to rush headlong into the test was that I had things to do, people to see and places to go, so I replied no, I would come back another day. Alarm bells were ringing, I had noticed that although we speak the same language, meanings can be different. Could this be true in the driving test world? In England we walk on the pavement or footpath, in Canada you walk on the sidewalk. We drive on the left and you drive on the right. In the UK nobody turns right on a red light, in Canada you can. The test may be a little trickier that I imagined, maybe I should do a little research. So on the way home, at great expense, I bought

two books which boasted they would help me successfully pass my driving knowledge tests in Ontario. Two weeks later I re-entered Service Ontario centre and again I lined up for a ticket. When my number was called I produced my papers, paid the fee and proceeded to the testing room where I waited for a place to become vacant before receiving my questionnaire. All this time I was reading my two reference books and testing myself on the contents including the answer to what does ‘No Standing’ mean and remembering the answer to ‘How many passengers can you have in a vehicle if you have a class G1 licence?’ The guidance note at the bottom of the question provided relevant additional information which was not included in the correct answer. Why not? Two days earlier I had hired a car to go to Niagara Falls, with four passengers. As I had been given a full G licence there had been no need to worry about the questions on a G1 licence and no need to understand the rules of the road. My only concern had been the QEW. Is it a race track or a car park? All manner of vehicles were speeding and dodging from one lane of traffic to another without any indication that they were going to change direction, undertaking and overtaking. There were long periods of time waiting for movement then, bish bash bosh, we were off to the races again. You will be pleased to note that I have since found that this type of behaviour is common to all multi-lane highways in and around the Toronto area. Will I ever have the confidence to ride a bike on these roads? Will I lose my nerve? I began to wonder - here I am in possession of a full “G” licence, which enables me to buy or hire vehicles large or small and drive them on Canadian roads at any time of day or night without any type of testing whatsoever. What does this say about the standard of driving in Ontario? As for the test, I failed by one point. Another week passed after my last embarrassing attempt and once more I went through the same system and retook the test. The questions were different but I was confident, having spent a good deal of time re-reading the test books and looking at every street sign I passed as I walked around the city, this was my time. After the exam I waited outside the room, along with a number of other people. They were all about 40 years younger than me so I was feeling a little obvious and hid myself among the reference books near the testing room. Eventually a man appeared, called out people’s names and congratulated them. “Mick.” “Yes that’s me.” “Sorry but you did not reach the pass mark”. Devastated, I returned home. What went wrong? How could this have happened? This was costing me a fortune in time and money. A friend told me to look online at https://www.g1.ca and the site informed me that “The official site for the Ministry of Transportation Ontario

and I would have to change my way of thinking. I may have been given a full G licence but I was still unable to pass the basic knowledge test. Think about that! On my third trip to the testing room, (by now I was almost on first name terms with a number of staff working there), I approached the test paper in a different way. I had my own pencil, I wore loose clothing and I arrived later in the morning having had a good breakfast and three cups of coffee. I was ready. After a long time pondering over each question, I handed in the paper and waited outside for the result. “Mick, hi there,” she recognized me. Ok I thought, tell me the bad news. Smiling she said, “You passed!” Now for the practical test, after my difficulty with the theory part I was wondering whether I should bother at all. No, I have come this far so onward and upward, let’s get this party started.

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1.9% for 24mths Purchase Financing Available on All 2015-2018 New Honda Motorcycles In-Stock!

Reduce this rate 1% under the Honda Loyalty Program: If you currently own a Honda Product with an MTO Ownership (Honda/ Acura Auto, Motorcycle or ATV).

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New *Vehicle Licence (where applicable) and HST extra. Sale Price on the New Motorcycles includes freight and P.D.E., ECRF, Licence Administration Fee and OMVIC Fee. Freight & PDE ($100/$65), all extra on the Motorcycles following 88 used in stock! on the other products: (F15SMHA/EF3000iSEB). Pricing of the following *Vehicle License Fee (where applicable) and HST extra. Some include a limited time rebate and discount of: (R3 $640/Kodiac $160/ F15SMHA $75/EF3000iSEB $80). Dealer order/trade may be necessary, of the prices include limited time Factory Incentives: RC390 if we sell out of our inventory. Vehicle(s) and accessories shown are for illustration purposes only. Offers good until August 31, 2018 and are $800/450 SX-F $0. Offers good until August 31, 2018. subject to change without notice, see us for full details.

$ * 4,699 Including $500 Rebate Price Only 1,214 ON ALL PURCHASES! $90 Rebate 764 1.9% for 24mths Reduce this rate 1% under the Rebate Purchase Financing Including Honda$250 Loyalty Program: If you *Vehicle Licence fee (if applicable) and HST extra on all offers. Sale Price on HRR221610VLC 2019 KLX250S currently own a Honda Product Available on All 15HP with an MTO Ownership (Honda/ 2015-2018 New Honda EU2000IT1C3 the New Motorcycles includes freight and P.D.E., ECRF, Licence Administration Generator 4 Stroke Acura Auto, Motorcycle or ATV). Motorcycles In-Stock! Including $500 Rebate

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*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, 2018. Down payment or equivalent trade-in on purchase Special Cash financing may be$500 required based on approved credit $500 from Honda Financial Services Inc. Sale Price on the New Motorcycles includes freight and P.D.E., ECRF, Licence Administration Fee and OMVIC Fee. Freight Including Rebate Including Rebate $ & PDE ($65/$65/$65/$65), ECRF ($0/$0/$0/$0) and Licence Administration ($0/$0/$0/$0) are all extra on the following on the otherPrice products: EU2000iT1C3/ /HRR21610VLC/HHT255LTC/WB20XT3C. Pricing of the power Only equipment may include a limited time rebate and discount and the Motorcycles as follows: CB300RA $500/CBR500RA $500/VT750C2B $500/CRF250L $500. 1.9% Conventional Purchase financing for 24 month term applies to all 2015-2018 New Honda Motorcycle’s. Financing Examples: $8,000 @ 1.9% per annum for 24 months equals $339.97 per month C.O.B. is $159.28 Total Obligation $8,159.28. Dealer order/trade may be necessary, if Pro see us for full details. we run out of inventory of selected models. Vehicle(s) and accessories shown are for illustration purposes only only. Offers subject2017 to changeZ125 without notice,

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2018 CBR500RA

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Factory

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17 – The Motorcycle Times, November 2018

(MTO) has NO complete G1 sample tests, and only 8 sample test questions. That’s not enough to provide you with the practical experience you need.” It continued, “We have created 11 free practice tests and a G1 Test Simulator. These tests will provide you with experience answering the same types of questions you’ll find on the real test: each test is based on the MTO Driver’s Handbook, uses the same method of grading, and covers the same driving topics used by the MTO. You’ll be ready to breeze through your official exam on the very first try when the big day arrives”. Why did I not know about this? I know it says G1 but it is the same test for M1. OK. One more try. For a further two weeks I spent all my spare time testing myself against the mock exam questions. Some answers I disagreed with and I failed to understand why some questions were in the exam at all but I had to remember that this was my new country, things are different here

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2018

2017

*Vehicle Licence (where applicable) and HST extra. Sale Price on the New GAdministration Motorcycles includes 450 freight and P.D.E., ECRF, LicenceGSX-R750 Fee and OMVIC Fee. Freight & PDE ($100/$65), all extra on the following Fee and $ * OMVIC Fee. Pricing of the following include a limited time rebate of: XC-F (F15SMHA/EF3000iSEB). Pricing of the following 6,519 on the other products: EF3000iSEBand accessories Honda RusH of Red event EX300 SE $850/Z125 Pro $700/KLX250S $0. Motorcycle(s) include a limited time rebate and discount of: (R3 $640/Kodiac $160/ *$ $ $ * $ * $ * shown are for illustration4,699 purposes only. Actual colours may vary depending on $ F15SMHA *$75/EF3000iSEB $80). Dealer order/trade * 2,715 1,214 may be Rebate $ * necessary, 764* $90$Including Including $250 Rebate availability. Dealer trade or Factory Order may be necessary. Offers subject to if we sell out of our inventory. Vehicle(s) and accessories shown are for *Vehicle Licence fee (if applicable) and HST extra on all offers. Sale Price on *Vehicle Licence (where applicable) and HST extra. Sale Price on the New HRR221610VLC Including $100 Rebate Motorcycles includes freight and P.D.E., ECRF, Licence Administration EU2000IT1C3 the New Motorcycles includes freight and P.D.E., ECRF, Licence Administration change without notice, see us for full details. Offers cannot be combined with illustration purposes only. Offers good until October August 31st, 31, 2018 2018 and are Fee and OMVIC Fee. Freight & PDE ($100/$65), all extra on the following Fee and OMVIC Fee. Pricing of the following include a limited time rebate of: the other products: (F15SMHA/EF3000iSEB). the following October31, 31st, 2018 subject toand change without see License us forfeefull(where details. other offers,oninclude programs or discounts and arePricing goodof until August 2018. *Vehicle License Fee (where applicable) HST extra. Some notice, *Vehicle applicable) and HST are extra. EX300 SE $850/Z125 Pro $700/KLX250S $0. Motorcycle(s)any and accessories a limited time rebate and discount of: (R3 $640/Kodiac $160/ $ *

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October 31, 31st,2018. 2018 Down payment or equivalent trade-in on purchase *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 financing may be required based on approved credit from Honda Financial Services Inc. Sale Price on the New Motorcycles includes freight and P.D.E., ECRF, Licence Administration Fee and OMVIC Fee. Freight & PDE ($65/$65/$65/$65), ECRF ($0/$0/$0/$0) and Licence Administration ($0/$0/$0/$0) are all extra on the following on the other products: EU2000iT1C3/ /HRR21610VLC/HHT255LTC/WB20XT3C. Pricing of the power equipment may include a limited time rebate and discount and the Motorcycles as follows: CB300RA $500/CBR500RA $500/VT750C2B $500/CRF250L $500. 1.9% Conventional Purchase financing for 24 month term applies to all 2015-2018 New Honda Motorcycle’s. Financing Examples: $8,000 @ 1.9% per annum for 24 months equals $339.97 per month C.O.B. is $159.28 Total Obligation $8,159.28. Dealer order/trade may be necessary, if we run out of inventory of selected models. Vehicle(s) and accessories shown are for illustration purposes only only. Offers subject to change without notice, see us for full details.

*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, 2018. Down payment or equivalent trade-in on purchase financing may be required based on approved credit from Honda Financial Services Inc. Sale Price on the New Motorcycles includes freight and P.D.E., ECRF, Licence Administration Fee and OMVIC Fee. Freight & PDE ($65/$65/$65/$65), ECRF ($0/$0/$0/$0) and Licence Administration ($0/$0/$0/$0) are all extra on the following on the other products: EU2000iT1C3/ /HRR21610VLC/HHT255LTC/WB20XT3C. Pricing of the power equipment may include a limited time rebate and discount and the Motorcycles as follows: CB300RA $500/CBR500RA $500/VT750C2B $500/CRF250L $500. 1.9% Conventional Purchase financing for 24 month term applies to all 2015-2018 New Honda Motorcycle’s. Financing Examples: $8,000 @ 1.9% per annum for 24 months equals $339.97 per month C.O.B. is $159.28 Total Obligation $8,159.28. Dealer order/trade may be necessary, if ® we run out of inventory of selected models. Vehicle(s) and accessories shown are for illustration purposes only. only Offers subject to change without notice, see us for full details.

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November 2018, The Motorcycle Times – 18

raintrippin

The Forecast is Rain. Good, Let’s Go for a Ride! By John Lewis After a long hiatus from riding, a year and a half, 26,000 km, and 12 1/2 days of advanced rider training ago, I returned to riding in a church parking lot in Saanich, British Columbia. I was on a 2006 BMW GS and my instructor for the day was a Police Motorcycle Officer named Larry. For several hours Larry had me starting and stopping, turning and swerving, and generally getting reacquainted with the basics— all on slick, wet asphalt, in the pouring rain. A couple of weeks later I left Victoria to ride my new-to-me V-Strom back to Toronto I didn’t expect that it would rain nine out of the 10 days of my trip. I also didn’t expect that I’d be delighted that it did. A few weeks after my return from out west I planned to ride, with a half a dozen or so acquaintances, on a weather-iffy day, to a motorcycle show about two and a half hours North of Toronto.

Out of the eight riders who committed to go only one other rider showed up, the others canceling because of the weather. The thing is, the two of us had a great ride and a great day at the event where it was mostly sunny with only a couple sprinkles during the day and on the road home—certainly nothing to worry about. This year I refreshed my motorcycle skills with another advanced riding skills course. On the first morning it rained as we performed tight cone patterns with decreasing radii and increasing difficulty. Not even once did my bike slip on the wet asphalt. Riding and practicing in the rain, over and over again, at the beginning of my return to riding built my rain-riding skills and helped me develop rain riding confidence. Now, I often head out for a ride on weather-iffy days. Usually it might sprinkle or not rain at all and I have a great day. I can be out for six hours and not see one other motorcyclist But why? Rainy days can be magical. As you ride out of the rain, or the day clears, the air is so clean and the vistas haze-free and outstandingly beautiful. I got to wondering why I like riding in

the rain and why so many riders don’t. I have learned what it takes for me to ride relaxed, and with confidence, in the rain. It boils down to 3 key areas of focus: traction awareness, weather awareness, and personal awareness. Traction Awareness: Protecting Traction On dry days a few things can cause traction issues: spilled oil or antifreeze, gravel, fine sand, etc.—especially in corners. On rainy days the list is much longer. The good news is that even on rainy days most of the roadway has good traction if you avoid the hazards. Here are some things I’ve learned that I must be looking out for: 1. The road surface during the first 20 minutes of rain—especially if it hasn’t rained for awhile. Oils and other contaminants rise to the surface and create a greasy sludge that can have a huge impact on traction during the first 20 to 30 minutes. After this time the contaminants should have washed away. Some riders take a break to put on their rain gear or I have a coffee until they think the asphalt is clean. I don’t usually do this but I am aware that the roads may be more hazardous and take extra

precaution in my riding. You have to decide for yourself. 2. Road surface traction-reducing hazards: wood and steel grate bridges, cobblestone roadways and lanes, steel construction plates (also found on some ferries), maintenance hole covers and grates, painted or plastic lines and arrows, debris, wet leaves, railway crossings, etc. Avoiding these hazards or accommodating my riding to deal with them has kept me out of trouble so far. 3. Rider inputs: throttle, braking, shifting gears. Riding in the rain provides me with a great opportunity to practice my riding skills. The key, I’ve learned, is to keep it smooth: smooth on and off the throttle, smooth braking, and smooth shifting. It keeps me upright in the rain and greatly improves my non-rain riding as well. Also, judicious use of the front brake at slower speeds. 4. Tire awareness. This is important for a motorcyclist regardless of the weather, but it is especially important when I am riding in the rain. Because I like to ride in the rain I bought tires with good rain performance. If you ride a crotch rocket with racing slicks

Weather Awareness: Adapting My Gear and My Riding On one rainy day last year I stopped for gas in Port Perry. The gas island was on a plateau with slopes leading up to and away from it. Having finished getting gas I left the gas island heading down towards the street at which time I came very close to dumping my bike. I’m not sure if I hit some oil or anti-freeze, or used my front brakes but my front end slipped out. I also don’t know how I reacted to compensate but I didn’t drop the bike. It happened very fast and I was going very slow. It didn’t spike my adrenaline and I didn’t have to stop. What I realised, however, is that I hadn’t consciously registered that it had started raining or purposefully changed my riding for the changed weather conditions. If there is lightning I get to safety. It’s time to stop riding for a while. Otherwise, when it starts raining I make a point of making a mental note that it’s raining and I adapt accordingly. I haven’t had a near-dump since. The adjustments I make when it starts to rain are all common sense. 1. Increase my following distance, not just so I have enough room to stop, but also to give the vehicle behind me the time and space to stop. The extra time also gives me more time to look for an escape route should I see trouble looming from behind. 2. Decrease my speed. The relationship between speed and stopping distance is not linear. By reducing my speed by a little, I reduce my stopping distance by a lot. I do this approaching intersections wherein there sits a left-turning vehicle and in other high risk situations. 3. Keep my bike more perpendicular. In the wet, it’s not the time to experiment with trying to get my knee down. Riding conservatively, and keeping my bike as upright as possible has, thus far, kept me out of trouble. That said, the tire grip I experience riding through curves in wet weather has never provided any reason for concern. 4. Brake while my bike is upright. Although I generally do this anyways I pay special attention to making sure that my cornering speeds are appropriate for the wet conditions and visibility before I enter a turn. 5. Brake early so I can be smooth on the brakes. 6. Dry my brake pads before entering a high-risk area so I can stop quicker and in a shorter distance 7. Look out for tailgaters and let them pass as soon as possible 8. Plan before passing a truck that is causing a lot of spray. If the spray takes me by surprise continued on PG. 20

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19 – The Motorcycle Times, November 2018

you have to decide for yourself if it’s safe to get out there in the rain. For me, I have to make sure that I ride on tires that are in good condition and are properly inflated to keep me safe in the rain. Road tires, I’ve learned, provide 80% or more of their usual traction on a wet, but decent surface. My experience, both riding in the rain and doing advanced motorcycle skills rider training in the rain is that traction isn’t an issue if you avoid or accommodate the hazards noted above.

November 2018, The Motorcycle Times – 20

raintrippin The Forecast is Rain. Good, Let’s Go for a Ride! CONTINUED FROM PG.19

it can be quite off-putting but if I’m ready for it I can ride through it quickly without much issue. 9. Watch out for high-gust areas like canyons and bridges. High wind gusts can be a hazard in dry conditions: they can be catastrophic in wet conditions as they can push you off the road. (I almost learned this the hard way.)On the road home last year I rode through the remnants of a hurricane that hit further south in Saskatchewan. On the first day there were high gusts but it was dry. I was able to countersteer into the wind. On the second day there were high gusts AND rain. The countersteering didn’t work, the gusts just pushed my bike and me along the wet

asphalt. As soon as I was able to do so I got off the highway. This is a perfect segue to my last rain-riding consideration… Personal Awareness: Monitoring Myself I am happy to accept the inherent risks of motorcycling. I am happy to accept the slightly increased inherent risks of riding in the rain. On that day in Saskatchewan, the combination of high wind gusts (up to up 90 km/ hr) and rain tilted my risk meter beyond acceptable and I stopped riding. My motto is: Live to ride another day! There is no such thing as being macho when riding. The risk is either acceptable or it’s not. It takes personal awareness but I know my limits. That’s being a smart rider. Being personally aware also means

being a prepared. I always keep a rain suit, rain gloves, and a spare dry base layer in my side cases. Should the weather change I am always ready. When it comes to rain gear my focus is not on fashion but on keeping warm, dry, and seen. My rain jacket is a high visibility jacket. In addition to being prepared, personal awareness is about monitoring myself. Rain riding can be more stressful. A personal check-in from time to time to make sure I’m not clenching the handlebars keeps my rain riding relaxed, my inputs smooth, and my bike doing what it’s supposed to. Rain riding also takes greater concentration which might cause fatigue. Rain-riding in colder temperatures can lead to hypothermia—a lowering of the body’s core temperature. This can cause reduced dexterity in extremi-

ties, confused thinking leading to increased risk-taking, lack of coordination, and drowsiness. And, the onset and emerging confusion can keep you from realizing that you’re becoming hypothermic. That’s why I stop more often to get warm, dry, and rested, before continuing. Sure there are a few more things to consider when riding in the rain but with a little attention to these things you can be out enjoying some great riding. That’s why I am glad it rained 9 out of 10 days on my trip home from Victoria last year. I learned, out of necessity, that rain doesn’t have to be a big issue if I’m prepared for it and I adjust my riding accordingly. Hopefully my rain-riding experience will inspire you to develop your rain-riding skills and have you saying: The Forecast is Rain. Good, Let’s Go for a Ride.

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November 2018, The Motorcycle Times – 22

whatshappening January 4-6th, 2019 The International Motorcycle Supershow The 43rd Annual North American International Motorcycle SUPERSHOW, Presented by Dalton Timmis Insurance, will hit the International Centre, January 4-6, 2019! Tickets are $20. plus tax. but you can find a coupon for $3. off. You’ll see thousands of Motorcycles at the Show; New, Used, Vintage, Racing, Scooters, Custom, Choppers, Touring, Cruising, Performance and Motocross bikes... Your OneStop-Shop for everything in Motorcycling! Don’t miss the biggest Motorcycle show of the year, the‘BIG ONE by the AIRPORT’, the Motorcycle SUPERSHOW in January, the only motorcycle show you’ll need to attend! Check out all the Newest items in Motorcycling in massive displays with New Bikes, Huge Manufacturer and Dealer Displays, walk the Century of Motorcycles Exhibition, discover the hottest Shopping Bargains, check out the Enormous Used Bike Markets and find all of your Parts & Accessories for sale in hundreds of Exhibitor booths. Meet over 100 Clubs, Rides & Rallies, and Purchase your Bike right at the Show. Meet industry celebrities and watch some of the biggest names in bike builders compete to win $50,000 in Cash and Prizes at The Canada Cup Championship Custom Bike Competition. With 425,000 square feet of exhibits! Huge Dealer & Manufacturer Displays, NEW Motorcycles on Display, Accessory SuperStores, Heritage Museum and Hall of Fame, Over 1000 Motorcycles, Motorcycling Seminars, Canada Cup Showbike Competition, Over 500 Exhibitors in 7 Halls, Race Bikes & Famous Racers, Special Guests, Entertainment Stages, Used Bike Markets, Unique Feature bikes, and FREE Parking! It’s the ‘BIG ONE by the AIRPORT’, and you won’t want to miss it! www.motorcyclesupershow.ca

February 15-17th, 2019 The Toronto Motorcycle Show The Toronto Motorcycle Show is the biggest manufacturers show in Ontario, with a wide-ranging and exciting line-up of exhibitors that celebrates the motorcycle lifestyle. From the open road, to the track and to the trail, this is your chance to see the newest models from the big names. Find everything you need for the season ahead, including bikes, aftermarket parts, gear, accessories and more! Talk to experts, join a riding club, plan your next motorcycle trip and meet awesome people who share your passion. The Show is jam-packed with special features and events that are sure to please riders of all ages, including the kids. Mark the dates now on your calendar and make plans to join us at the Toronto Motorcycle Show. Whether you’re a hardcore rider, a newbie to the sport, thinking of getting your license or just a fan of the motorcycle lifestyle, we’ve got you covered! And with activities and entertainment for the whole family, we guarantee riders and future riders, of all ages, will have a blast! So grab your best pals and come get your fix of 2, 3 and 4-wheel action and interaction at The Motorcycle Show! Friday, Feb 15th 12pm - 9pm Saturday, Feb 16th 10am - 8pm Sunday, Feb 17th 10am - 5pm at the Enercare Centre, Exhibition Place100 Princes’ Blvd.Toronto. Ticket prices are TBD. www.torontomotorcycleshow.ca

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Get A Step Ahead If you have your charity event or ride planned for 2019, get a head start and let our readers know about it now. It’s FREE. It will be posted on our website, facebook page, print and digital edition of the The Motorcycle Times (space permitting), please email the following information in text format to: circulation@themotorcycletimes.ca. Date: Name of Ride: Times: Location: Costs/Fees: Description of what is going on: Supporting: (Charity) Contact Name: Email, Website & Phone Number: Please contact a sales rep for charity event display advertising rates. 905-962-1890

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23 – The Motorcycle Times, November 2018

Visit a Local Kawasaki Dealer Today for Complete Details Ready Kawasaki 430 Hensall Circle, Mississauga 905-896-1600 or 1-855-896-0430 www.readykawasaki.com

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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”.

November 2018, The Motorcycle Times – 24

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