You may recall that last season on A Motorcycle Experience, host David Hatch made a side bet with Yamaha “Scooter Sense” host, Bryan Hudgin.

Dave bet Bryan that he couldn’t ride his Yamaha BWS125 scooter from Montreal to Toronto – with stops in Ottawa and Kingston along the way – using only a $25.00 gas card, tent and sleeping bag for the 3-day trek. Well Bryan not only accepted the challenge but he also completed the journey in record time with gas money to spare. Bryan wisely used “Scooter Sense” t-shirts to barter for food and lodging was provided by the great outdoors. He was able to camp out on viewer Bruce Haskin’s lawn on the first night while sneaking into a provincial park for the second!

In the end, Dave lost the bet and was forced to wear a Yamaha motocross jersey for 7 days straight. Dave has nothing against Yamaha off-road apparel, but he certainly did stand out at a good friend’s wedding!

So, as the fall riding season approaches, Dave and Bryan are at it again. Dave wants Bryan to push the envelope and take on another challenge. Will it be a “Northern Lights” ride from Toronto to James Bay? A “Rocky Mountain High” cruise from Vancouver to Calgary? A “Maritime Mayhem” tour of the East Coast?

Neither man can decide. Instead they are throwing the challenge out to the loyal Motorcycle Experience TV audience….putting you in the saddle! Do YOU have a great idea for his challenge? We’d like to hear it. Post it here on the Yamaha motorcycle blog under the “Leave a Comment” section! Perhaps you’d like to invite Bryan and the Motorcycle Experience crew to explore your home town or favourite local back roads? It’s completely up to you. Just remember, Bryan must remain safe while executing the challenge. Beyond that, the sky’s the limit!

Please send us your suggestions by August 15th. Dave and Bryan will weigh the pros and cons of each submission and decide upon a winner – then they‘ll shake hands and it will be game on!

Stay tuned to the Yamaha motorcycle blog at http://motorcycles.yamahablogs.ca for updates on when and where the challenge will take place. Bryan will also be updating to the blog and Yamaha Facebook page as the challenge plays out. Finally, you can watch the tour in it’s entirety on TSN’s A Motorcycle Experience in the spring of 2011.

Don’t delay! Get your submissions in before August 15th! We may choose yours!

Thankfully, spring is not far off. Despite ol’ Wiarton Willie popping out of his hole and seeing his shadow (signaling another 6 weeks of winter), IMO, I think warm weather is around the corner. So why not create a little hype and excitement for the coming riding season?!?

Believe it or not, a young Canadian couple (you’ll read about below), rode this cute, little C3 scooter from Vancouver to Barrie.

Recently, one of our Ontario DSM’s, Dave McDougall, passed along this note from Garnet Kinch of Brantford Motorcycle:

Hi Dave,
You got to take a look at this web site (http:/scootercanada.weebly.com).  It is a super testimonial to Yamaha.  An 11-day, 4500 km trip across Canada,  Vancouver to Barrie, not one but 2 people, plus camping supplies and food, all on a Yamaha C3.  We sold one yesterday because of this!

If you haven’t done so already, click on the link and read/look at the details from Mike and Keri’s cross-country scooter run. It’s impressive – and motivating! My experience riding scooters spans the length of our parking lot, but after reading their story, I can’t help but feel a little envious. I’ve traveled across Canada a few times, but always by truck and trailer. While my adventures will remain with me forever (like when Chuck Mesley and I ran out of fuel in Southern Alberta and were stuck in the middle of nowhere for 5 hours!), it’s not quite comparable to hopping onto a scooter with only a bagful of supplies and going for it. (Harry and Lloyd would concur …)

Mike and Keri began their cross country trip in Vancouver on Sept 2, 2008. It took them 11 days, 4,486 km, and $153.76 (115.68L) of fuel to reach their final destination in Barrie, ON.

Mike and Keri did a great job keeping friends and family informed of their trip with their website, but we wanted a little more …. so I emailed them for some extra info. As it turns out, Mike is on another adventure! He’s currently working onboard Royal Caribbean’s Freedom of the Seas as an entertainer, while Keri is at home in Barrie, ON.

Mike was kind enough to take some time away from entertaining and answer a few questions about their 5,000 km scooter trip, right here on Bike Blog. We’ll be sure to contact Keri as well, and get her take on the trip. Word has it they have another crazy trip in the works!

Bike Blog: Mike, how did you and Keri decide to travel across Canada on a scooter? Are you nuts??
Mike Craigmyle: I love the freedom riding a scooter gives … the whole “Go anywhere, do anything, nobody to stop you” attitude is me in a nutshell. And after I brought it up at a party and endured my friends making fun of me, I HAD to prove them wrong

Why did you choose the C3? 
I’ve always been a fan of anything motorized … a fan but never an owner. So after years of dragging Keri to all the “Toy” shops in our travels, and spending hours on the Internet learning as much as I could, I made the plunge and bought a C3. The final straw was when the company I worked for offered to pay me for every kilometre travelled. I did the math and had the C3 being paid for in a matter of months! Also, I loved the boxy retro style, the storage, and the ride comfort. Oh … and the fact that it is the most fuel efficient, and reliable 49cc scooter you can buy helped, too!

For those of you who don’t know, the Photo Contest is being run on our Facebook page. It’s easy to enter; all you need to do is become a fan of our page, upload some sweet pics and hit “submit now” on the Contest page …

Our goal with the contest is to get you guys being creative, and show us – and everyone – what makes you and your Yamaha the cat’s behind. The contest ends on February 28, 2010 and so far we’ve received over 200 photos. Awesome.

So what do you get if you’re photo is chosen by our panel of judges? A $5,000 Yamaha Shopping Spree! Not too bad, eh? Also, if one or two or three photos really standout, we may use them in corporate YAMAHA advertising. We don’t really have  a clearcut leader at the moment, but there are quite a few inspiring and interesting submissions. Here are some of my favs:

Midnight oil: Luke Tudor surely had some assistance in this sweet shot of him and his R1, and it’s paid off.

The impossible shot? Craig Adams isn’t afraid of a little hard work. I’m guessing it was a PITA trying to set up this unique photo with his Nytro but worth the results.

Michael Zwier clearly loves his VMAX.

Adrian Van Vugt sent us a whole collection of images featuring his FZ. If you flip through the album on Facebook, you’ll see that Adrian and his Yamaha have explored nearly every inch of this country.

Girl Power: Katrina Bryant’s photos impress me for two reasons: first, because she’s put a lot of effort into her work, second, because it’s not often you see a woman riding a sleek and powerful R1. “A bike is only as dangerous as you make it,” she says. “Any bike accident on any size bike will yield similar results, the cc of the bike only dictates how quickly you might arrive at your destination.”

 …. we’re stuck for words as well. Bear-skins, lamp shades, vintage YZ … Jessica Off is definitely leading the contest as far as creativity goes.

Shaun May and his family show off their beautiful blue C3. It brings tears to Mr. Scooter Sense seeing love like this ….

It’s not going to be easy choosing a winner. We need your help. Visit our Facebook page, become a fan, and comment on these and others contest photos. Tell us what you like or don’t like and who gets your vote.

Thanks for reading!

DanBro

There he is, Mr. Scooter Sense. Here he mirrors the consummate professional … but nowadays, “Huggy” is the renegade of the office, with his thick orange locks, Grizzly Adams inspired beard, and unwillingness to be controlled by “the man.”

Want to know everything there is to know about this two wheel phenomenon? Then follow this link and watch as Yamaha’s PR guru, Bryan Hudgin, takes us through the dynamic world of scooters in the riveting series, Scooter Sense. Enjoy!

DanBro

At YMC, we’re proud to have a legion of “biker chicks” who are not afraid to get behind the handlebars of a V-Star or kick up some dust on the trails with a TT-R. To  help promote and motivate other women to try motorcycling, we’ve asked some women at Yamaha to tell us how they got into the sport and what kind of impression it has made on their lives.

Our first edition of “Biker Chicks” comes to us from one of our Graphic Designers, Amy Campbell. Amy’s pretty cool; she sings, writes songs and plays guitar in her band, “The Gnomes,” she isn’t afraid to hop onto a mighty cruiser, and she can probably beat me in an arm wrestle. Read on to find out how Amy started riding….

“The Story of an Outlaw Scooterist”
By Amy Campbell

I received an email last week practically begging female riders here at Yamaha Motor Canada to contribute some stories to the Bike Blog. (I think that Danny is just being lazy and has run out of things to write about. Who hired this guy anyways?) Anyhoo, I’ve been working here at Yamaha for almost two years and realized that I slipped under the radar, and had not written a blog introducing myself. So forgive my lateness and let me begin….

My name is Amy Campbell (or “Cowbell” as Huggy likes to call me), and I am a Graphic Designer here at Yamaha. Most of those flashy brochures and posters you find yourself collecting at dealerships or shows have graced my desk. But enough about the daily grind, I’m here to share my riding experience.

Before I started at Yamaha, I had purchased a little scoot, which was not a Yamaha (and for my own protection, I will not divulge what kind it was). When I brought it home, I did not have my license but would go out to the garage and pretend to ride it, making very realistic engine revving noises. I’d wax poetically over it, waiting for the day that I could take it out for my first real spin.

After Amy signs her big record deal, this cute little scoot could be worth some serious coin.

Now, it should be said that I am a very impatient person, and could not find the time to get my M1 permit written; the local DMV office had become my nemesis (who sets their hours anyway?).

In November of 2007 I became employed here at Yamaha, and vowed to actually get my license the following summer. As the days grew warmer, I got the itch and found myself hanging out in my garage at home with my helmet on, but my interest had shifted slightly. I still loved my little scoot but found myself flirting with the idea of a cruiser. Just thinking about all that chrome and the loud growl of the pipes made me feel as if I was cheating on my little scoot, but who was I kidding, I couldn’t fight the urge any longer.

So I took the riders training course offered by Humber College one (sweltering) weekend last June, and that was the end of my dreaming. I rode as much as I could last summer. I even loved how my gloves smelled faintly of gasoline (my mom tells me that I should have been a boy).

This summer brings a whole new experience for me, as I didn’t have to wait until July to start riding. I started riding in May and found I was not cut out for the early morning commute. The cold air was too much for me, and I’d arrive at work in the morning resembling a piece of frozen fish left out on the lake all winter. But my determination and passion for riding was not extinguished in those early mornings; I just wore my snowmobile get-up the next day!

Looking forward to getting out on the open road a lot more this summer, perhaps I’ll see you.

Amy “Cowbell” Campbell

On Sunday, May 10, just over 40 riders signed up to test ride some of our finest motorcycles at Kelly’s Cycle Centre in Hamilton, Ontario. Those in attendance got to try out many of our Star series cruisers, including the all-new V-Star 950, sport models like the YZF-R1 with its new cross-place crankshaft, and we also had some scooters on hand for those looking for a fun, safe and quieter ride.

The crew at Kelly’s put some real aggression and enthusiasm into the event, and we were thrilled to see that reflected by the riders who put all of the bikes through their paces in every demo session. In fact, our team was showing off “guns” the size of Ron Burgundy’s after filling up the fuel tanks so much! Kevin, Chris, Orton, and Aaron of the Power Tour staff made sure that the day ran smoothly and on time, and they even captured some of it on film. You can watch it below….

And just to clarify, we’re pretty sure that the comment from the guy in the R1 testimonial (“It has, absolutely, God awful power …”) is actually a compliment. He was probably just a little nervous being behind the Yama-Tube lens (don’t fool yourself, it’s not easy being on the big screen) and mixed up his wording. But who knows, maybe that could be our new catch phrase for the 2009 YZF-R1?!?

Joe from Hamilton isn’t the only rider who had a memorable time with the R1. Click here to read a review of a Suzuki rider who has fallen for the all-new R1.

Anyhoo, we appreciate all of you who stopped by Kelly’s for the demo ride and enjoyed our new models.

So where is the next stop on the Power Tour? Find out by visiting Yamaha-motor.ca. Don’t be shy, get out to your local demo ride and answer the question that everyone is asking, “What kind of Yamaha are you?”

Danny B

Well, it’s that time of year again to suit up and head out for your first ride of the season. The bright sun, warming temperatures, and the sight of pavement are a few good signs that the riding season is upon us once again. I’ve already managed to get out for about 5 rides this year and would like to pass on some very important factors to take in to consideration before hitting the streets on your scooter or motorcycle.

The first and probably the most important thing to keep an eye on is the road conditions. The roads in Ontario and for that matter most of Canada are in pretty rough shape after a winter filled with snow and cold temperatures. Pot holes, pot holes and more pot holes. These gigantic craters cause problems for all motorists but especially those on two wheeled vehicles. If you’re not paying attention one of these massive indents in the road can send you over the handlebars before you have time to react. Make sure that you’re always looking far enough ahead to allow yourself adequate time to react.

Another road condition that you should keep an eye on is the amount of sand and salt that still remains on the roads. Until we get a few good rainfalls there is still quite a bit of loose material on the roads left over from winter snow removal. This can prove to be a big problem. Your tires do not like unstable surfaces. If you’re not paying attention, your bike will be on its side before you even know what has happened. Take a little bit of extra time and slow down on the corners until those streets are clear. I’ve seen it to many times. Riders are excited at the beginning of the season and try to lean too far. Before they know it their nice new bike is getting scratched up along the concrete.

Salt and sand are not your only obstacles on the corers. Until the weather gets a little bit warmer your tires won’t grip the pavement as well as they normally would. The combination of warm concrete and hot tires creates much better traction than in the cold. Slow your turns down by a few kilometers in the cold and don’t try to drag any knees until it gets a little warmer. Oh yeah, don’t forget to air up your tires after sitting all winter, guaranteed they will be soft.

Much like myself there are a number of riders who can’t wait to get on the road. Spring is one of my favorite seasons to ride. We have just finished putting up with four plus months of snow and cold so the mere sight of payment is enough to get the adrenaline pumping. Even though the temperature is still fairly cool, riding can be just as enjoyable as it is in the warm weather as long as you’re dressed properly. A good pair of insulated pants, a heavy jacket, and thick gloves will go a long way. Something else that I like to wear is a balaclava. This really reduced the amount of cold air that can funnel down your jacket and into your helmet. Also, if you have the option of hand guards and a windshield I would recommend these accessories as well. They are a nice option that will reduce the wind and keep you a little bit warmer.

Spring riding can be one of the best times of year to get out on your bike. By keeping an eye out for those pesky road conditions and wearing cold weather gear your spring riding experience will be that much better.

Soft side up!  cheers Aaron

By Aaron Dowden, Marketing, Yamaha Motor Canada

Living 17 km from my workplace – Yamaha Motor Canada in the northeast end of Toronto – definitely has its advantages, primarily that I’m able to ride my BW scooter to and from work every day. (They don’t call me BeeWeeMan for nothing!)

Not only does it save me money, scootering is also way more fun than my car to take to work. And with the increasing gas prices of late, I’ve noticed a steady increase of fellow scooter commuters (aka “scoommuters”) on the roads.

For those of you out there who are terrified of car and truck motorists (aka “cage drivers”) – don’t be. I have yet to have any serious problems with cars… Mind you, I play by the rules.

Every once and while I’ll see a fellow scooter rider weaving in and out of traffic, driving in the bicycle lanes, or cutting around cars at stop lights. Please don’t do this!! Not only are you putting yourself at risk, but you’re giving your fellow scoommuters a bad name!

Really, scooter commuters are environmentally-friendly, fun-loving, sensible folk on the whole. Automotive drivers tend to get very irritated when scooters don’t play by the rules… and for good reason.

It’s important to remember that scooters only have two wheels with a little bit of metal to hold them together. Most cars wouldn’t think twice about pulling in front of a scooter to prevent it from driving around them.

I don’t know about you, but I like having the use of all of my limbs!

I’d like to hear any experiences, or tips, that other scoommuters might have to help stay safe the cage-drivers world.

- Aaron

It’s amazing how a preconceived notion – for example, that one thing is superior to another – can be shattered when one actually experiences it. The following is a case in point.

Twice in the past month, I’ve had to go downtown for appointments and deliveries. To save money, I like to sign out a scooter from my employer, Yamaha Motor Canada instead of taking my car. (In Toronto, scooters and bikes park for free at any meter, and in designated parking lots.)

My first trip downtown, I picked out the 2008 BWs scooter (aka the “BeeWee, right). It’s still a two-stroke unit, but this year it has a catalyzer built in to the exhaust to reduce emissions. It’s always been a favourite of mine because of…

• Performance: It’ll do almost 70 kph right out of the box.
• Cargo space: I can drop my full face helmet in the cargo under the seat, lock it and walk away.
• Fat tires: Perfect for negotiating streetcar tracks.
• Fun: You can’t ride this scooter without smiling!

My surprise came on my second trip downtown, which followed the same route as the BeeWee, but this time I chose the Yamaha 2008 XF50 scooter (right, also known as “C cubed” (C3). It’s new, still 50cc, but four-stroke, fuel-injected and liquid-cooled. It has the same fat tires and lots of cargo room, but I thought, “there’s no way it can keep up with the BeeWee!

Wrong.

What a rockin’ little beastie! The C3 generates the same smiles per km, but it tackles the big hills better than the two-stroke and for some reason, the C3 seat is more comfy than the Beewee, too.

The C3 never went below 53kph going up the same hills that slowed the BWs down to just under 50kph. (I know this sounds slow, but it’s rare to break 65 in downtown traffic.) I only found myself slower than the traffic flow twice, and I was usually able to pass dump trucks and buses no sweat.

Next trip downtown, I’m taking the “C cubed” scooter!

Chris

Scooters are my favourite type of bike, overall, but I have ridden other kinds of bikes. My first bike was a Yamaha YZF600R, and my favourite model remains the V-Star 1300. My fav trip on a bike? To Peggy’s Cove, Nova Scotia (near Halifax).

When I’m not riding, I enjoy playing hockey and learning all that I can about a cool Web practice known as Search Engine Optimization (SEO).

I love talking about Yamaha products – but just as much, I’d like to know what you want to talk about… especially all you fellow scooter commuters and lovers of scooters in general! Aaron