Let’s go back in time for a moment…. Just over 2 years ago, friend and work colleague Chris Anderson entered a rally in Gatneau, PQ on his BWs scooter. It was the first time I had heard of the Mad Bastard Scooter Rally (MBSR) and suddenly another friend, Percy, asked if I could help him locate a scooter to ride in the same rally. I just so happened that I was in the process of destroying a pre-production C3 scooter, so I delayed the job long enough for it to get “one last ride.”

Both guys competed and had a “really fun time” as Chris said to me after. He asked if I would consider riding in the next rally and I replied that if he was going, then I would be there too.

A few weeks later, Chris became a victim in a motorcycle accident and was lost to this world. But I remembered the promise to him, and along with Percy’s encouragement, registered for the 2011 rally. Back to the future and here we are, June 2011.

Before we go any further, an explanation of the MBSR might be required.

Consider a bunch of scooter riders, all dressed in silly costumes, riding more than 700 kilometres (the kind of distance that would make the average touring bike rider think twice about doing in a day), and collecting clues and photos in the hope that they get the most “mad points” and get back to the starting point within a time allowance. Of course, do it all for charity and then you have the basis of the Mad Bastard Scooter Rally.

The map of madness.

With the well wishes and sponsorship of many people from Yamaha, along with the use of a new 2012 BWs 50 scooter, Percy (aka Scooterman) and I, the Dragon Slayer (such testosterone-filled titles) started on the journey on a cold, wet Saturday at just before 4:30 am. Yes, that’s right, early in the morning. The lightly modified BWs sprang to life and along with Scooterman’s C3, we left the hotel start line as team “Chris’ Caped Crusaders.”

The 2 little scoots have similar performance, so we raced along with throttles wide open, drafting each other and generally trying to outdo the other for speed whenever possible. Every so often, a stop to check the directions we had been given before the start, then back to racing.

The route wound east out of Barrie (a city 90 minutes north of Toronto) and eventually took us on some beautiful back roads of southern Ontario. On a 50cc scooter, there is plenty of time to see the scenery – I counted all 37 cows in one field as we zoomed past.

Stopping for fuel at the compulsory stops became part of the competition between Scooterman and I. We both vied for putting in the most fuel but in most cases there was no difference – he put in 2.72 litres and I put in 2.73 at the first stop after 138km. It was like that each time. We laughed that we could probably complete the whole rally on a fuel budget of 10 bucks each!

(The 2011 MBSR Slideshow … not for the faint of heart!)

The roads wound north from Gooderham up into Bracebridge and Huntsville before swinging South West to Collingwood and into the party beach town of Wasaga.

Here, after a total of 13 hours riding, we had a choice to make: bonus route or not? Keep in mind it is only 30 minutes back to the hotel and the call of the lounge, or some really serious mad points for riding another 5 hours. But we were going for the win, so West we went, up and over the Blue Mountains. The directions mentioned the hills were steep and we were a little concerned, but those four-stroke engines wouldn’t quit and up we went, no problem.

A required stop in Orangeville with the dark closing in on us and we headed back north to Barrie. We rolled into the hotel lot and the finish tent just after 10:30pm for a grand total of 18 hours “in the saddle.”

Scooterman wins the 2011 MBSR!

Result? Scooterman got the overall win (thanks to my direction reading and clue deciphering) and together we took the Team to 1st prize. Scooterman won the grand prize of a new Kymco 125 scooter, but we had already considered the prize ahead of time and agreed to ask it be raffled and the proceeds donated to the charity (Kids Help Phone).

The team prize? A case of Tankhouse beer! We decided to keep that and toasted the memory of our lost friend Chris, who no doubt had a helping hand with the win.

Cheers and see you at the 2013 rally.

Dave Shepherd, aka ‘The Dragon Slayer’

Being springtime, a lot of motorcycle enthusiasts come out of the winter humdrum looking for dry, warm weather to ride their motorcycle or look for a new ride! There are lots of you already on the road.

Our participation at each dealership was good to great, but … as we all know,the rain can sometimes hamper our “test drive” demo rides. Nevertheless, it’s a good time to polish up the ride!

Meet your author: Jamie Moberg.

Riders all of all ages are coming out to see the 2011 Yamaha motorcycles, hence our future Yamaha Stryker rider.

‘Rides of the Week’ went to the Stratoliner Deluxe and the new 2011 FZ8. Very popular rides with great reviews!

This week the Western Canada Power Tour travels to the Lower Mainland of BC with stops in Chilliwack and Langley, and then travels to Vernon and Kelowna in the Interior. Click here for a complete Power Tour schedule.

I’m looking forward to seeing all of you motorcycle enthusiasts as you discover:  “What Kind of Yamaha are You?”

Join us!

Cheers,
Jamie Moberg

The 1st Stop of the Western Canada Yamaha Motorcycle Power Tour started out with a great response, with fantastic weather and a full day of riding 2011 Yamaha Motorcycles. The Staff of Duncan Motorsports, Vancouver Island, BC, were extremely positive about their Power Tour day and it showed by the turn out of riders … some all the way from Victoria … on a Wednesday!

With a possible total of 88 rides throughout the day, 87 rides went out …  all positive. The Stratoliner Deluxe was the ride of the day as it was booked up for rides before any of the others. A popular choice!

See attached pictures for a better visual on the day.  The guy with the Yamaha Tuning Fork Tattoo owns a Raider S and is a true “Yamaha Man”!

I’ll keep you posted.

Cheers, Jamie Moberg

We rode on to our first stop at the gigantic Manic 5 dam , which is the world’s largest multiple arch and buttress dam. I will admit, talking to the camera is quite unnerving when security feels the need to follow your every move!

As Keith Urban would say, this is “Where the blacktop ends….” The party was about to get started….

Sadly, the party ended about 60km later when I realized that when I moved back on the seat, my butt was no longer hitting the tent I had strapped on behind me. Crikey!

I turned around, looking at the bare, plush passenger seat where my tent had once been. As the dust settled and darkness crept in, Mike and Tyler in the UHAUL made their way closer.

“You guys didn’t pass anything on the road, specifically my tent?” I asked.

“Nope,” they replied.

Crikey.

I rode back for about 10kms, scanning the ditch lines, but … nothing.

This was bad for two reasons: The first being that I no longer had my “free accommodations.” What with all the wild fishers on the loose, sleeping under the stars … in Northern Quebec … in October, seemed a little ambitious. More importantly, this was my wife’s expensive tent that I had already damaged on my God forsaken motorcycle/TV trips the previous year and received a good scorning for.  She was NOT going to be happy now that I had lost it.

Probably the only time Huggy was smiling while traversing the demanding wilderness of Northern Quebec.

Sitting in the middle of nowhere while darkness overtook the valleys was not an option. We pushed on to Relais Gabriel and arrived at the gas pumps with the lights on full blast. We had 317kms under our belts but now came the hard part. Where was I to sleep and what was I to eat? The one thing about riding those long distances is that it gives you time to think, and since I hadn’t ate for about 12 hours, this was my first priority.

I asked Brownie to get the camera and we walked into the restaurant. Approaching the counter with a smile, I gingerly asked the hostess (in what was probably the worst French accent ever), “Je m’appelle Bryan. Tu parlez l’anglais?”  Her response: “Oh Yea! Hi Bryan”

YES! WE’RE MOVIN’ ON UP! Surprisingly, my offer to clean the men’s bathroom for a plate of spaghetti, and the women’s for bacon and eggs in the morning, was warmly received. I would even say that it didn’t require much negotiation. Then again, most people are happy not having to scrub toilets. It wasn’t long before I was twisting my fork, followed closely by my best Cinderella impersonation!

He’s lucky! The guys first stop featured a very generous hostess, who provided Huggy with a bite to eat, but not before he shined the porcelain!

My belly full, and the bathrooms sparkling, I stepped out onto the porch. The next order of business was sleep. I cast my eyes on the UHAUL in all it’s glory (kind of like in cartoons when a dog looks at a chicken and imagines it grilling on a rotisserie) and started looking on the bright side of sleeping in the cargo box. Off the ground, mostly water resistant, fisher-proof … it would do. I spread out my sleeping bag and got comfortable (sort of). For the first time in my life, I sure felt like an old-time Hobo! Now where to put this stick and handkerchief…….

Huggy’s new sleeping quarters after losing his tent. What’s the saying, “He who endures, conquers…”

Stay tuned for Parts 3 & 4.

For more photos please visit: facebook.com/yamahamotorcanada and click on the “photos” tab.

The season premiere of A Motorcycle Experience will be on Saturday, March 5, 2011 at 11:30AM EST. All shows are broadcast on TSN.

Bryan Hudgin begins his Trans-Lab road trip

Labrador Labour of Love: Part 1 of 4

Labour of love? Now that’s an understatement. It was 585km of gravel road, trees, lakes and mountains (and not much else) just to get to the Trans-Labrador highway! This road is not for the faint of heart, and that’s why the ‘Labrador Labour of Love’ would be my toughest challenge yet. Let me walk you through this trip from the start…

I met Mike Brown (A Motorcycle Experience’s trusted cameraman) and Tyler Hawley (producer) at the airport with my little Ford Focus rammed to the gills. To their credit, airport security didn’t pull a heavy on me when I unintentionally tried to smuggle a Swiss Army knife and matches in my carry-on luggage, which was a camping tent. Seems I forgot the knife and matches were included in there with the pegs (insert sheepish grin here). I shuddered as I imagined how a similar situation would play out, in a US airport, with an over zealous rent-a-cop.

Why the heck was I taking a tent as a carry-on? Well, ego is a powerful motivator, and I had agreed to another challenge for A Motorcycle Experience.  The host, Dave Hatch, had dared me to complete the same challenge as last year, albeit on the remote and rugged Trans Labrador Highway. So there was no food, no accommodations and no money (except for fuel) from Monday morning until Wednesday night. Just me, my Super Ténéré, some fishing and camping supplies, and 1140km of barren road. This is how the ‘Labrador Labour of Love’ name was coined. The payoff? If I successfully made it to Point B without breaking any of the rules, Hatch would host an entire show with the word ‘Yamaha’ written across his forehead.

The camerman and producer were allowed to eat...

...But Huggy wasn't!

We arrived in Baie Comeau Sunday night after a layover in Montreal. Through a series of hand gestures, broken french and a bit of charades, we 3 Anglos managed to get a cab for transport to the hotel. I settled down to sleep a little later, but not before sharpening my knife and reading up on edible plants.

Monday morning brought some confusion, including a last minute run to Wal-Mart for an SD card, and another cab to get to the UHAUL dealer (which was odd as they were also a competing motorcycle dealer. Seeing as I was dressed in full Yamaha regalia, and after waiting an inordinate amount of time, I was sure to check the brake lines and lug nuts before I left.) Patrick from Baie Comeau Motorsports had “Tenny” perfectly prepped for the long trip. Since we were doing the lion’s share of the ride on gravel road, I had opted for knobby tires instead of the more pavement-friendly versions that are stock on the Super Tenere.

The roads are nothing to write home about, but the landscape sure is!

My tentative agenda had the Labrador Labour of Love crew leaving at 9:30AM to make our way towards our first stop 216km down the road, arriving at the Manic 5 dam at 12:30PM.

At 12:15PM we rolled out of Baie Comeau Motorsports parking lot… Yes, quite a bit behind schedule already. Oh Brother.

The road to Manic 5 dam turned into remote in a hurry. It wasn’t long before a combination scent of freshly cut wood and thick diesel fumes were confusing my olfactory system, “… smells …so…sweet…but…[ahem]…why…is…it….hard…..to….[cough]…breath?”

The logging trucks were going by fast and furious and, as such, I increased my speed to stay out of the way. It wasn’t long after that I crested a hill and narrowly missed a plodding porcupine on the other side. Meh, no big deal. About 10kms later I rounded a corner and saw some sort of cat/fox/coyote hybrid. After more thought, I realized it was probably a fisher which was confirmed by almighty Google when I returned home. It was then I realized, ‘Tenny, we’re not in Kansas anymore!’……

The story's not over! Stay tuned for parts 2,3, and 4 to find out if he made it.

For more photos please visit: facebook.com/yamahamotorcanada and visit the photos section.

The season premiere of A Motorcycle Experience will be on Saturday, March 5, 2011 at 11:30AM EST. All shows are broadcast on TSN.

Viewers of A Motorcycle Experience and Yamaha bloggers have spoken. It was time to up the ante! So we’ve manned up! It’s time to tackle North America’s Final Frontier!

What’s the deal? From October 3^rd – 7^th, the much talked about, 2012 Yamaha Super Tenere will transport me the 1113KM’s from Baie-Comeau, QC to Happy Valley-Goose Bay, NL on the legendary Trans-Labrador Highway. The term highway may be a bit of a misnomer here. As a resident of populous Southern Ontario, I tend to think of a highway as a 6-lane, concrete overpass filled, stop-and-go nightmare for my daily commute. To the residents of Labrador though, the Trans-Lab qualifies as a “Highway” because it’s the one and only road that can take you right through the heart of Labrador. Stop and Go or scenic wilderness? The latter works for me!

Of course, it wouldn’t be a challenge without any adversity. Last year’s rules of no money, no food and no accommodations, (yes that means a tent…in Labrador…in October…. What have I got myself into?) are still in effect. Toss in additional factors like nearly 1000KM of dirt roads and hundred’s of KM’s between gas stations and I think we’ve got quite the trek on our hands!

On the heels of this, I phoned Tim Kryski, our district sales manager for Newfoundland and Labrador to get his thoughts. We gabbed for about 20 minutes but only three of his comments really stuck with me after our conversation. They were, “Labrador in October? I can remember 2 years ago when they had 6-inches of snow in the middle of September”. THEN, “I’ve ridden motorcycles all my life and never once had the urge to do that trip” AND FINALLY “I had a person tell me it would have been fun if they didn’t need to have their feet down the whole time.”  (GULP) “Really? Gee Tim, I sincerely appreciate the pep-talk!”

But what is a life half-lived? Let’s cast away the boat lines and get this show started! The tour will start at Baie-Comeau Motorsports on the morning of the 4^th. After that, we’ll try and stick to the tentative agenda below. If you live on QC’s HWY 389 or the Trans Lab look for the crew! I will be doing my best to provide updates (as long as wireless internet lets me) as the trip unfolds on the Yamaha Facebook page and Twitter accounts, so if you’re wanting to get all the grisly details be sure to bookmark; www.facebook.com/yamahamotorcanada or follow us on twitter at: YamahaMotorca.

In the meantime, anyone with any tips, preferably those that deal with edible plants, winter camping and how to fight off bears, please be sure to write in!

Monday, October 4

9:00 AM – Baie Comeau Motorsports

12:30 PM – Manic 5 Dam

2:00 PM – Manicougan Reservoir

4:00 PM – Relais Gabriel, QC

Tuesday, October 5

9:00 AM – Gagnon

10:00 AM – 52^th Parallel

2:00 PM – Mount Wright

3:15 PM – Enter Labrador!

4:00 PM – Hewlett Minpaco, Labrador City/Wabush, NL

Wednesday, October 6

8:00 AM – Hewlett Minpaco

12:00 PM – Churchill Falls

4:00 PM – Central Labrador Plateau

6:00 PM – Frenchie’s Service Centre, Goose Bay, NL

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!

Amy Campbell ain’t no tart – she’s a biker chick!

I live approx. an hour and a half north of Toronto, which is definitely on purpose. For those who know me, know I am not a fan of city life. I recently spent 2 days downtown Toronto for training, and was overjoyed each night to return to my little 2-horse town …..

Living where I do also lends itself quite nicely to riding. There are many two-lane blacktops that sprawl through rural landscapes and quaint little towns. I spend many hours cruising up and down the various county roads and have seen much more than I ever would have if I didn’t ride (I’m not much of a Sunday driver).

One afternoon “Man” and I were taking a leisurely ride through rider’s playground – also known as the back roads. Man wanted to check and see how his new Man-machine (aka the home-made Rat Rod) was running, and wanted to test it out on a long stretch. I decided, since it was such a nice day, to wait up ahead and work on my super-dope arm tan. I felt confident enough in my abilities as a rider to ditch my heavy coat and was sporting the classic black tank top with a skull on the front.

Amy’s “Man” is a man’s man. I mean, check out that stone cold expression and thick goatee. I bet he eats metal and drinks broken glass for breakfast.

So there I was at the side of the road, with my bike (all polished up to boot!), tank top, ripped jeans, black shades and my cool soup-bowl helmet. I noticed an old pick-up truck bombing up the road behind me, the smoke this truck was spewing was quite impressive, not to mention the lack of an exhaust pipe. I didn’t think much of it until the driver pulled right up beside me and started calling over, “You heading up to Charlie’s?” I love to role play (!) so I answered back, “Not right yet, I’m just waiting for someone.” (I thought it was best to keep details to a minimum, my mom always told me to keep a little mystery). The driver then leaned a little further out the window, “Well you be careful, the cops are watching the place, tracing plates of everyone who enters … just a heads up,” hee says, and leans back inside the cab.  “Oh” I reply, “Well, thanks for the warning,”  and then off he went.

At this point my level of Biker Chick status broke through the roof, in all actuality, the roof was blown clean off. I couldn’t believe that the guy had mistaken me, “Scooter Girl,” as one of the local hoodlums, stirring up trouble wherever I land … actually it’s not that far-fetched. When Man finally got back, I told him the story. He found it hard to believe that I could be mistaken for such a badass. On the way home I kept a close look-out for ‘Charlie’s” Rebel Biker Hideaway, but never found it. I’m guessing that they don’t hang a wooden sign out front advertising as such.

In the meantime, I will leave you with this picture.

It’s me with my new BFF, just before we headed out to a local rebel bike night. The kind of place where really tough people (much like myself) park their bikes and chat over dangerously hot coffee (I’ve also been known to throw down a couple decafs). Don’t let my cheerful smile mislead you, I’m the trouble-causing type of girl that your mamma warned you about. (Sorry about the blur, ‘Man’ took the shot and obviously is too manly to worry about petty things such as focusing, lol)

And just for kicks, here’s one from last summer with my old BFF – the 650 (a warning for the faint, this picture is pretty tough).

Thanks for reading!

Cowbell

 
By Danny Brault

[In the tune of "Bicycle Race" by Queen.] “Dan Pecora wants to ride his motorcycle … he wants to ride his bike…. ” And he wants to ride it a lot! So who is Dan Pecora? He’s your average Joe kinda guy who really, really likes to ride motorcycles, and after reading an email of his where he marveled at some new Yamaha models, I decided to call him up for a few words on the blog….

The chatty 57-year-old, who has operated equipment and snow plow trucks in Golden, BC for more than 30 years, offered more than a few words, and has spent more than a few miles on the road. In fact, after only listening to his endless tales of road trips, my butt started to get sore. Born and raised in the beautiful mountain town of Golden, Pecora is one of those special kinds of motorcycle riders; the ones who aren’t riding for any other reason than the experience itself. Here’s what we found out about “Biker Dan … “
 
Dan’s vitals
Age: 57
Dealer: Alpine Motorsports, Salmon Arm, BC (Universal Cycle in Calgary for tires)
Residence: Golden, BC
Years riding: 41

His FJR1200 …
“That bike has been everywhere! The Arctic Circle, Gulf of Mexico, both coasts of Canada, the top of Pike’s Peak, hot weather, cold weather, rain, ice and sleet—we’ve done it all. I have towed a trailer with it as well. You have to colour coordinate it, so I painted it as well [laughs]. I’m nuts, what can I say!”

Dan’s dream …
“I remember when I graduated back in 19 … okay, when I graduated [laughs], I put in my yearbook, that my dream was to open a Yamaha dealership. It hasn’t happened yet, but I’d love to get some type of PR job out west.”

Why Yamaha …
“I like the product; I like how they’re built and the looks. None of the others match them. There are lots of good bikes, but the fit and finish of the Yamaha—the whole lineup—is unmatched, other than the colours; they keep going back to black [with the FJR]. The motors too, that one [FJR1200] of mine is bulletproof. I’ve put on over 152,000 kms and I haven’t done a thing to it. Just regular maintenance. I had the valves checked a month ago, and one was out a little bit, but we did a leakdown test and nothing was leaking. My mechanic said it was borderline for rings, but that’s it.

“It’s just a tough bike. I don’t abuse it because I’m still on the original sprockets. I didn’t change the front brake pads until 70,000 some kilometres. I’m going to keep it, even if I get a new one, I won’t sell my FJR.”

Thoughts on some other Yamaha models …
“I tested the R1, FZ6R, Raider and FJR1300 [at Vernon Motorsports] and that thing felt like I was sitting on mine. You can’t get the best feel out of a bike in a 20 minute demo ride, but you get an idea. The Raider … I’m not a cruiser type of person; I’m more of a sport guy. I was surprised how comfortable it felt. I wouldn’t have a problem getting a Raider. The FZ6R was a nice bike. It had the cable clutch, so it was a little tricky getting used to and the seat was stiff. The R1, oh God, I’d get into too much trouble on that bike [laughs]. I was very impressed with all of the bikes.”

Dan’s riding background …
“I started riding when I was school with the 360-DT1, and then moved to an RD 250. I just did mostly street stuff, local stuff. In ’89, I bought an FZR1000. I did my first tour with it and went down through Washington and Oregon and Crater Lake. I came out of a gas station in Chemult, Oregon, going like 10, 15 mph, a lady pulled out in front of me and I t-boned her front end. That was it for that bike. I traded it in on an FJ and had it ever since.

“All of the miles on my FJ came from my tours across North America. In ’98, at 45 years old, I got my race license at Calgary Race City. I raced for four years. In my second year, I won the class championship in Vet class. I found an old Kawasaki KZ650, and switched to a GPZ750s motor for my second year; I couldn’t find a Yamaha that fit that class at that time. The next year, I got second place and then a fourth in my last year. I haven’t raced since but would love to race again!”

A sledneck too …
“I’ve had seven Yamaha snowmobiles over the years. From the SL351, GP433, 440 SRX, 750 VMAX, 700 VMAX, ET340, and my EW643B that I’m working on restoring. I raced sleds back in the ‘70s and did some drag racing with sleds in the ’90′s. So, yeah, a bit of a motor head [laughs].”

On his own …  
“I do all of my tours on my own. Every once and a while I’ll do some local day rides. I’ll get a bunch of my buddies and their wives together and we’ll go for a ride. Two years ago, a buddy and I did an “ironbutt ride.” We rode 1,074 miles in 20 hours! That was two weeks after I drove home from Brandon, MB.

“I came from Brandon to Golden, BC, which is 1,700 km and did it in one shot. I left Brandon at 6 AM and pulled into my garage at midnight. If I’m riding by myself, I ride, but if I’m with someone else, I’ll stop and shoot the breeze, grab a bite to eat or take some pictures.”

Advice for the long haul …
“You gotta be ready for it. It’s not something where it’s your first ride of the year and you just jump on and go. You got to plan it out and acclimatize your body to the longer rides. Take it easy and make sure your bike is in good shape; tires, chain is lubed and not worn out, have good riding gear—I’ve never skimped on riding gear. Don’t ride tired, I’ve done it, and it’s not safe.”

Best places to ride …
“Oh, boy … after 8 years of long distance riding and touring, there are lots. Lolo Pass in Montana is a good one. It’s 120 miles of long sweepers. There are some southern roads in BC that are awesome. Hold on, I got my map right here…. [Looking at map] Highway 6 East of Vernon is a superb motorcycle ride; Highway 23 South of Revelstoke down to Creston; Highway 3 that runs along southern BC is great; in Washington State, Highway 20 that runs from north of Seattle through the Cascade national park; I could go on and on….”

Memorable moment …
“The year that I rode the Alaska Highway, that was an 11,000 km trip. I met a couple from Texas and we camped out on the Yukon border. We rode together for a couple of weeks. They were on an older BMW. He had turned 50 and it was the 50th anniversary of the highway, so they thought that would be an excellent birthday present. That’s the year I went to the Arctic Circle and road the Top of The World Highway from Dawson city to Tok, Alaska. That was 150 miles of gravel, but the old FJ handled it well; I never had any problems with all of those trips.”

Dan’s dream road and dream bike …
“I would love to go down to North Carolina and ride the Tail of the Dragon (Deals Gap). It’s 300 and some curves in 11 miles of road. It’s supposed to be a smooth, wicked road. I’d love to go back down East to the Maritimes as well. I got friends all over the place. My dream someday would be to have the money and go tour Eastern Europe and maybe into Russia for a few months.

“The bike, to be honest, I keep my bike in good shape and I would love to be able to afford to take it. A new FJR would be nice though. I wish I could have a few more minutes on it and try to get a better feel. I was impressed with the Raider. I don’t know how good of bike it would be for touring, but it would be great for day rides.”

Why Dan rides …
“It’s cliché, but it’s the freedom; you don’t need a lot of road to pull off to look at something, you’re on your own, it’s the smells, sights, the people you meet … it’s all of it. Everybody who rides is after the same thing—the experience.”

Do you have a road trip story to share? Maybe a secret route and some pics? Then by all means, send them in to danny_brault@yamaha-motor.ca and we’ll get them up here on the Bike Blog! Thanks for reading.