Innholdsfortegnelse for April 2017 i Motorcycle Mojo Magazine

As of this writing, we’ve completed three-quarters of our scheduled bike shows, the sun is shining and there is not a speck of snow to be seen in my yard, and I realize I’ve finally defeated this damned flu. For a number of years now, I’ve noticed a change in the industry: whether it be print or web advertising, booth size at shows or shrinking magazine displays at your local retailer. Most recently, the shows seem smaller and some brands are absent. And attendees are noticing. When speaking with colleagues during show season, we are all a bit puzzled. Manufacturers are changing the ways they advertise and showcase their products. Some have opted to cater to a new generation by skipping shows or relying on bloggers to get the word…

If you’ve ever taken a passenger on your bike, then you might understand that there are some people who make really good passengers and others who don’t. I used to say that the best passengers I’ve ever taken were the ones that did almost nothing on the bike, as if they weren’t even there. To be a good passenger, you must first listen to the person in control of the machine. There should be rules and guidelines to be followed, and signals and ways of communicating must be determined before the ride. A good passenger listens and follows directions, and sits still and doesn’t wiggle. An exceptionally good passenger anticipates what is going to happen next, pays attention to which direction the road curves and simply goes with it. He…

Island BMW Victoria, BC Tel: (250) 474-2088 Vancouver Motorrad Vancouver, BC Tel: (604) 731-5505 Bentley Motorrad Kelowna, BC Tel: (778) 755-5540 Argyll Motorrad Edmonton, AB Tel: (780) 435-6811 Blackfoot Motorrad Calgary, AB Tel: (403) 243-2636 European Motorrad Saskatoon, SK Tel: (306) 934-3717 Wildwood Sports Winnipeg, MB Tel: (204) 477-1701 Budds’ Motorrad Oakville, ON Tel: (905) 845-3577 BMW Toronto Toronto, ON Tel: (416) 623-4269 Maranello Motorrad Toronto, ON Tel: (416) 238-7898 Endras Motorrad Ajax, ON Tel: (905) 619-5522 Wolf BMW London, ON Tel: (519) 951-9482 Ottawa Motorrad Ottawa, ON Tel: (613) 731-9071 Moto Internationale Montréal, QC Tel: (514) 483-6686 Moto Vanier Québec, QC Tel: (418) 527-6907 Evasion BMW Sherbrooke, QC Tel: (819) 821-3595 Carrier BMW Drummondville, QC Tel: (819) 395-2464 Nadon BMW St-Eustache, QC Tel: (450) 473-2381 Atlantic Motoplex Dieppe, NB…

WORLD’S LARGEST Ontario’s Manitoulin Island is the largest freshwater island on earth. It also has 110 lakes, more than any other island. HEADS UP! There are twice as many deer (approx. 24,000) as there are permanent residents (approx. 12,600) on Manitoulin Island. UNCEDED Located on the eastern portion of Manitoulin Island is the Wikwemikong Indian Reserve, the only reservation in Canada that has been continuously occupied by First Nations people, and has never been surrendered to the control or jurisdiction of the Canadian government. Under the Bond Head Treaty of 1836, Manitoulin Island was declared to be a refuge where the native people could live free from the influences of white civilization. NO GRIDLOCK HERE Manitoulin Island only has only one stoplight, located on the swing bridge coming onto the…

My whole family plays on a co-ed soccer team. During one game, I got a yellow card. I was in net and saw my youngest son get hammered off the ball. I was surprised that the jerk who hit him didn’t get called on the foul. Minutes later, the same brute hit my wife, knocking her to the ground. Again, no call from the referee. This fired me up. I remember thinking that the jerk had better not come near my net. Well, when he did, I hit him so hard he went ass over teakettle. The ref angrily carded me. On the bench, my son asked, “What are you doing?” “Are you kidding me?” I replied. “That jerk hit you and then knocked Mom down.” “Dad, that was number…

ORIGINS The Dempster Highway is Canada’s only all-weather road crossing the Arctic Circle. It was opened on August 18, 1979, in Flat Creek, Y.T. It was named after William John (Jack) Duncan Dempster, a Welsh-born member of the North-West Mounted Police (now the RCMP) who served for 37 years (1897–1934) in the Yukon. MILE MARKERS The famed route is actually a combination of Yukon Highway 5 (465 km) and Northwest Territories Highway 8 (272 km), totalling 737 km. During the winter months (and there are several that far north), the highway is extended a further 120 kilometres to Tuktoyaktuk using ice roads and ferries. CHARACTERS This isn’t the first time adventurer Oliver Solaro has appeared in this magazine; some may recall his casual, two-wheeled ice-road ride to Fort Severn on…

The Queen of Speed Valerie Thompson has been appointed to the prestigious Bonneville 200 MPH Club board of directors. Thompson is a seven-time land-speed record holder, a team owner and racer, and a member of six different 200 mph clubs. In 2016 at the Bonneville Speed Trials, she set the fastest time of the event, piloting the 7 Streamliner to 489.6 km/h (304.263 mph), making her the first female to go over 300 mph and garnering her the title of “World’s Fastest Female Motorcycle Racer. EBR: The Saga Continues . . . EBR Motorcycles LLC, located in East Troy, Wisconsin, announced on January 31, 2017, that it will continue to operate in East Troy to honour warranties and provide technical and parts support to current dealers and riders who bought…

BMW: THE NEXT 100 YEARS Sigh, I feel like I’m being chased down again to give in to the future. As a lifelong car nut (it started with Hot Wheels in the 60s), I decided to return to motorcycles after a very long break. I realized part of what I now enjoy so much is the simplicity of motorcycles compared to what cars are becoming. I just can’t get excited about less involvement as BMW foresees. Another unexpected perk is that motorcyclists aren’t a bunch of bad guys – I’ve learned that you’re going to get into friendly discussions that can go on for quite some time . . . two hours chatting in the afternoon sun on the ferry from Nanaimo to Tsawwassen [B.C.] after a great long ride.…

Although it may seem a bit early to discuss this, it’s what those of us who live in a proper winter environment have been pondering for the last few months. Or least I have. Consistently. Daily, actually. Okay, hourly. And what I ponder is this: When is it time to ride again? As soon as I see sun and clean pavement, it’s as if a pressure has lifted off my chest and I can start to breathe again. So, let’s just get out and ride, yes? Well, no. If you shortchange yourself on being properly prepared, you may just find yourself in a hazardous situation. Before taking your bike out for that first ride of the season, you should take the extra time to make sure you are ready. Most…

BOUNDLESS With no fixed boundaries, the Peace River Region covers some 260,000 to 390,000 square kilometres of British Columbia and Alberta. EXPLOR ATION Sir Alexander Mackenzie wintered on the banks of the Peace River in 1792, not far from the town of Peace River, while attempting to find an overland route to Asia. Mackenzie was quoted as saying, “The west side of the river displayed a succession of the most beautiful scenery I had ever beheld.” NORTHERN ARTERY The Peace River in Alberta emerges from the joining of the Parsnip and Finlay Rivers in northern B.C. The river itself is 1,923 km long, but the system from its source to its outflow into the Beaufort Sea is 4,241 km. SYMBOL ISM The official symbol of Grande Prairie is the trumpeter…

ADAIR’S WILDERNESS LODGE Even though the lodge is close to Hopewell Rocks, the village of Alma and Fundy National Park, and is just about smack dab between Moncton and Saint John, don’t be fooled – it is in the middle of nowhere. Cell reception is non-existent and the Internet is very spotty and weak at best. They don’t call it a wilderness lodge for nothing. BAY OF FUNDY The Bay of Fundy is known for many things, such as some of the world’s richest fossil deposits, the second-largest whirlpool in the world and enough tidal force to create enough electricity to power 4,500 homes, but it’s best known for its world’s highest tides, at 16.3 metres. WALK ON THE OCEAN FLOOR During low tide, visitors to Hopewell Rocks on the…

PRIVATE MUSEUM Alan Wilzig is a passionate gearhead and semi-pro race car driver with a collection of over 100 rare motorcycles and racing cars in his 1,393 sq. m (15,000 sq. ft.) purpose-built museum and race shop. NICE CHUNK OF LAND The property measures close to 300 acres, which include a 15-acre lake, open fields, a forest with a trail system for off-road vehicles and a spectacular waterfall. Oh yeah, it also has a 1.8 km long privately owned grand prix-style bidirectional racetrack. GREEN GROCERY GETTER Wilzig uses his McLaren sports car, painted in Incredible Hulk livery, to drive into small town Craryville, New York, to get groceries. Craryville is near Hudson and is 160 km north of Manhattan.…

LO ST IN TIME President Kennedy decreed a permanent trade embargo on Cuba in 1962. With no access to new American vehicles or parts, the Cubans had to keep repairing American vehicles with whatever they could find or make. The result is a rolling museum of pre-1960s cars and motorcycles. A SHIP THAT SAILS THE WORLD At 39.3 metres, the Stahlratte is a traditional two-mast sailing ship built in 1903 in Holland, and was a former boat of Greenpeace. BAY OF PIGS In an effort to prevent communism from taking hold in North America by revolutionary Fidel Castro, the CIA trained 1,500 Cuban exiles to do battle with Castro’s army at Cuba’s Bay of Pigs. The invasion failed miserably, embarrassing both the CIA and the United States. AN EXHILARATING RIDE…

If author T.S. Eliot was correct in observing that “April is the cruelest month,” then it might be equally true that September is the most beautiful month – at least for riding in Ontario that is. The air has begun to cool, the days are bright, the roads are free of salt, and the leaves are beginning to hint at the changing colours of autumn. As a member of the clergy in a busy downtown Toronto church (and a single father of three amazing kids), the chance to get away for a weekend is a rare opportunity. However, when I realized that there was a weekend in late September when I had no vocational or family responsibilities, I decided to plan to get out of the city for a long…

Having worked on motorcycles for two decades professionally, and still personally, I’ve taken apart my fair share. But I’ve always been curious about how exactly they’re put together during the manufacturing process. Motorcycle Mojo was invited to Japan to visit the Suzuki factory, in conjunction with the launch of the new GSX-R1000R, which you’ll read about in an upcoming issue. Suzuki has six plants in Japan, and our hosts took us on a tour of the Takasuka engine plant and head office, the Toyokawa assembly plant and the Ryuyo test track. Unlike some manufacturing plants, where everything but casting is done in one location, Suzuki performs different tasks at its different plants. Raw engine castings and forgings arrive at the Takasuka plant, where all of the machining then takes place…

If you have waxed hair, tight jeans, wear oiled leather or are at all interested in why those trends are popular, pick up a copy of Café Racers: Speed, Style and Ton-up Culture from the Motorbooks Series. If you are simply a fan of motorcycles, history and riders with brass ones the size of coconuts, you, too, will enjoy this book, and probably not just for the pictures – though they are fantastic. Tasteless jabs aside, there’s a reason the café culture, once notable for its outlaw image and reckless abandon on two wheels, is making such a massive stylistic resurgence. Who doesn’t want to be associated with a bad boy image that involves stripping a machine of all its ancillary and superfluous parts for the sole purpose of speed…

Legends – Nunavut Motorcycling in Canada’s northern communities comes with certain limitations, the lack of sunlight being one, and of course there are the oppressively long and cold winters. While it never gets truly warm during the short “riding season,” for Larry Simpson, the challenges are more than offset by his passion for motorcycles and the land he chooses to call home. Travel – The Devil’s Triangle What do a 200-year-old log cabin by a mountain stream, Lucifer, moonshine, the Manhattan Project and Martin Luther King Jr. have in common? Sounds like just another day in the Smoky Mountains! Join Ron Keys on his latest travels to one of North America’s motorcycle meccas as he delves into the culture and history of North Carolina. Press Launch – BMW G310R We…