Innholdsfortegnelse for July/August 2023 i Motorcycle Mojo Magazine

A little more than two years ago, the Canadian motorcycle industry lost one of its greatest supporters and all-round nice guy. Chris Ellis began riding in 1960 and his life revolved around all genres of motorcycles. At a recent Celebration of Life that his wife Kristine hosted at their home, it became so apparent what an impact Chris had on the sport and the people he called friends. There were people in attendance that had several decades of friendship with Chris, many remembering him as the dealer principle of Central Ontario Cycle many years ago. He was a board member of the MMIC for 20 years, and for 25 years he was the Canadian General Manager of Triumph Motorcycles. If you’ve attended a motorcycle show in Canada, you’ve likely seen…

Chris Bragg told me recently that motorcycles literally saved his life. “It may sound cliché to say that I found salvation on a motorcycle,” he said, “but it’s true.” Chris goes by the online name Critter Moto, and according to his YouTube channel (Critter_moto) he’s “just your average 50-something guy who happens to be a huge bike nut.” Chris rides his CRF250L — Lucy — mostly in the vast wild backroads of Vancouver Island. He prefers adventure riding, moto-camping, and “dualsploring,” a term his friends say he coined and uses constantly. He loves the freedom of being outdoors, discovering new terrain, following the curve of the road ahead, and the natural beauty of his immense backyard playground. He also enjoys taking at least one off-island trip each year. Back in…

AVENIDA DA LIBERDADE Built after the 1755 earthquake, Liberdade Avenue was originally named Passeio Público, or “Public Street”; ironically, the 1.5 km stretch originally had two large gates at either end, cutting it off from commoners and making it only accessible to the wealthy. The Avenue features many impressive sculptures and immaculate and impressive architecture. It has continued to be an affluent area in Portugal and is currently the 35th most expensive street to buy property on in the world. LISBON EARTHQUAKE The Lisbon earthquake of 1755 truly changed the way modern city planning and architecture is carried out. This earthquake reached more than just Portugal, with mass destruction hitting Spain and Morocco as well. Across those three countries, it’s estimated that 70,000 lives were lost. KNIGHTS TEMPLAR Established in…

CHUGACH STATE PARK Just a half hour outside of Anchorage is Chugach State Park, which encompasses a half-million acres making it one of the four largest state parks in the U.S. It offers more than 450 km of hiking and biking trails; blueberry pickers will find plenty to harvest, and anglers looking to hook Dolly Varden and rainbow trout invade the park in August and September. Between mud flats at sea level and 31 different mile-high peaks, you’ll find lakes, rivers, glaciers, boulder fields, 300-metre cliffs and waterfalls. The park is as rugged and wild as it gets. STEAMING PILE OF ROCK The caldera on the 4,317 metre summit of the Mt. Wrangell volcano measures about four by six kilometres wide and is estimated to be more than one km…

Reader Lawrence Dunning recently asked to compare the different drive systems used on motorcycles: shaft, belt, and chain. Here’s a look at the benefits and drawbacks of each. Shaft Drive A shaft drive system comprises a drive shaft and a drive unit: one end of the shaft connects to the transmission output, while the other end has a pinion gear, which meshes at 90 degrees with a ring gear within the drive unit. An oil bath lubricates the ring and pinion gears and the bearings. This system has several benefits. The hypoid ring and pinion gears (cut with a spiral shape, not straight cut) combine with the sound-damping effect of oil to make the system quiet. Since the oil bath is sealed, the system is clean. It is also mostly…

Even though I sometimes wish I could do it, I’m pretty sure it’s illegal to mount a tank’s gun on the front of my bike. Yet another chucklehead in a car turned left in front of me recently, and it got me thinking: What can be done to survive one of the most common car-to-bike collisions — caused by that left-turning car — that riders often don’t survive? To be clear: This is when two vehicles approach from opposite directions and one has to turn left, and that vehicle, which must yield the right of way to the one travelling straight, does not do so. Yet post-crash police interviews with offending drivers often reveal the reasons why those drivers challenge a motorcycle’s right of way. Two of the most common…

You’ve probably heard the saying, “Don’t believe everything you read on the Internet”, That’s because anyone can publish anything on the Internet. With print media, however, all materials are reviewed, edited and scrutinized by numerous channels before anything is published. MAGAZINES ARE KEPT AROUND TO LOOK AT OVER AND OVER AGAIN AND CAN BE READ ON THE BEACH OR IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE. NO INTERNET REQUIRED! SHARE THE LOVE ORDER A GIFT SUBSCRIPTION TODAY 1-877-330-3737…

Zero Motorcycles: I was most excited to try out the Zero bikes and was inherently most let down by their performance. The power was there but the handling hindered the riding experience. With an incredibly heavy and unforgiving front end, you had to be prepared to work the bike in and out of the corners. Coming to a stop, you could feel the weight underneath you and, after the first day, no one was too keen to ride the Zero motorcycles again. BMW CE-04: This could easily be touted as the world’s longest manufactured scooter, with a seat that can easily fit three grown men (trust me, we tried). Aside from the length of the scooter itself, I was incredibly impressed with the power delivery of this electric bike and…

It’s hard not to notice how badly Japanese manufacturers are doing in MotoGP of late. Suzuki, of course, has already abandoned ship, Honda has a motorcycle no one but Marc Marquez — and he, only barely — can ride and Fabio Quartararo looks so hand-dog depressed that moms around the world want to give him a hug and a Xanax. Both brands, long so dominant in motorcycling’s top echelon of racing, now look as pathetic as the CRT (Claiming Rule Teams) machines that clogged tracks in the early ’10s. The question is, where do they go from here? At least one pundit — Jeremy McWilliams, former GP winner — says that we “could lose one or two manufacturers over the next couple of years.” And yes, he’s talking about Honda…

Husqvarna has revised its TE and FE lineups with a host of improvements. The two-stroke TE models, including the 150, 250 and 300, receive new engines that now have throttle body fuel injection for more consistent and controllable power throughout the rev range. The new injection system also provides for two selectable engine maps to suit different riding conditions. The engine is wrapped in a new chrome-moly frame with a revised shock mount that is no longer connected to the main tube, which improves the bike’s anti-squat behaviour. Frame wall thickness has also been strategically altered to improve the frame’s flex characteristics, which improves feedback and straight-line stability. It also uses a new polyamide and aluminum hybrid subframe that is lightweight yet stronger than before. New WP XACT suspension is…

As I sit here in Mozambique soaking in the salt water from the Indian Ocean, I’m contemplating how to get back here on my own bike. It’s becoming more and more apparent why tour companies are so valuable to motorcyclists. Many of us dream of new places, exploring the open roads and experiencing different cultures. Although with a job, family, and many other commitments that keep us at home, it can be tough to find the time, or ways to travel on your own. I’ll admit: leading up to this trip, I was stressed out. Work had taken over, not to mention the upcoming summer season meant lots of planning. Taking this trip would mean I’d be pretty much unavailable for three weeks. However, as soon as I arrived in…

MISSION BUILT NOT BOUGHT Barbie the Welder states on her website that one of her mandates, Mission Built Not Bought, is her personal undertaking to empower children to build self-esteem, a good work ethic, problem-solving skills, and pride in craftsmanship by introducing them to careers in the skilled trades. This will bring more talented craftspeople to the industry and close the skills gap that exists in the workforce. At the core of Mission Built Not Bought are four children’s books that she’s written. Each book features a trade and a skilled tradesperson who teaches the two young stars how to fix and build things they use in everyday life. She’s looking for donations through her website to help continue this endeavour. GIVING BACK Barbie the Welder has more than 140…

It was time to turn around. I had spent a showstopping summer exploring the Yukon, Northwest Territories, and Alaska. New cultures and unfamiliar wildlife had broadened my experience, difficult roads had improved my riding skills, and primal wilderness had renovated my soul. All this made it difficult to break camp in Anchorage and point my front wheel toward home, but I was beyond grateful for these once-in-a-lifetime encounters and, growing philosophical, I started to reflect on takeaways from the trek. Beginning with the most obvious, I was reminded that it is nearly impossible to pull up to the fuel pumps or stand with a drink in front of a convenience store and have no one speak to you. “Where are you from?” is usually first, followed of course by questions…

Before I start this product comparison, let me first acknowledge that a few of you — maybe many of you — will be tempted to write in complaining about reviewing products that might be dangerous. As in: Earbuds might prevent their wearer from picking up some audible alert to impending doom, that, had they not been listening to In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida at maximum decibels, might have been avoided. A few points on those warnings: To start, let me be the first to admit there is some veracity to these concerns. That said, helmet-mounted speakers draw no such ire, nor has any criticism prevented Cardo and Sena from making a boatload of money selling motorcycle communications systems. As well, with more than 15 years of riding with earbuds — wired previously; now wireless…

MY DINNER WITH JUPITER In 1973, Ted Simon left on his four-year round-the-world journey that was made famous by his book, Jupiter’s Travels, the granddaddy of all motorcycle travel books. Now 50-years later, J.R. Paterson spent time with the 92-year-old at his home in Aspiran, France, to find out more about Ted Simon and what he’s up to these days. ROYAL ENFIELD SUPER METEOR 650 Royal Enfield has released its latest Super Meteor 650 cruiser and touring variants that were unveiled at last November’s EICMA show. We test these two new models that use the well-proven air/oil-cooled, eight-valve 648 cc parallel-twin engine, which is carried as a fully stressed component in an all-new steel spine frame jointly developed by Royal Enfield’s U.K. Technology Centre and its subsidiary Harris Performance. Find…