Color me Happy

MANY of us out here on the 'right coast' thought this day would never come... but after getting the Classic Gentleman's Express Suzuki VX 800 running yesterday, listening to that sweet, smooth V Twin, that was so much better suited to a bike designed for running from Munich to Vienna to Tuscany to the Istrian Peninsula than a burger bar cruiser, I fired up the 23 year old owned since new Yamaha XT 225 Serow today. 

VX 800 Gentleman's Express

This was one of two Serow's I'd bought from Four Seasons Ft Mac. after using them on Motorcycle Training courses.  After many years I sold the second one to my niece Cindy who lives in the lovely Okanagan Valley, just prior to moving lock stock and cylinder barrels east.  They are well traveled 223 cc dual purpose bikes.

Still lots of snow but great to be back on board!

Although there has been substantial snow melt during the past week of above zero temperatures, most of the fields are still snow covered in fact I took my Polaris Indy Lite for a spin around locally just the other day.  I expect I will cruise the hood once more yet before parking the 340 twin on its summer pad. 

The Indy out in my back yard!

It's been a long winter. 

Ummm, I'll rephrase that... it's been a helluva long winter, record snow falls, record cold temperatures  and even today as I write this I am looking at a snow bank in front of my den window some 4 feet high!

Going to be quite the summer indeed.  I'm booked to fly to Edmonton in mid June from where I will embark on a 'nostalgia' ride to celebrate forty years since I rode across Canada.  I had contemplated doing it again, in reverse on either the VX or the newly acquired DL, but nixed that idea given the added time frame involved.  I will be riding an ancient LS 650 Japanese import Suzuki Savage that I bought years ago from Japanese import/friend Kazue.  She had ridden it across Canada herself.  My niece has kept the bike ride-able for many years now and I am going to thump thump my way several thousand kilometers across the Rockies.  Story and photo's to follow.

Kazue and I before I turned grey, heading XC, spoke about a dozen words of English!

In keeping with simplicity, the 650 cc upright four stroke single 'cruiser' with somewhere around 30 bhp and running a belt through a 4 speed gearbox, it may not be a BMW R60/5 that I rode across the country in '75 but it certainly more nostalgic than a new Gold Wing.

You see, I will be sending a lot of time in the saddle in 2015.  A helluva lot of time.

Mikey on his Sherpa

Long time old friend Mike Smith, who you've seen in this Blog numerous times and I have re-visited one of the idea's we had back in the day.  I don't want to say too much at this point as the plans are still developing but I will say that I'm looking forward to the experience and spending time riding this year is at the top of the list.

Stay tuned...

On the Lighthouse Trail

ps I just got my May issue of Canadian Biker delivered into my mailbox, now that the snow has receded.  There's a great story about riding the back-roads of PEI in search of lighthouses.  If you're not a subscriber (and you should be) then pick up an issue at any one of many locations in Canada. 

Cheers f.