"What's up Doc...?"

USUALLY at this time of year, cabin fever is really starting to get to me!

Big old Blue. on the road again!

Spring is teasing with warm days, great for walks around the property, like yesterday... then turning bitchy and brutally cold like today.  I mean it looks great from in here looking out the window, sun shining but -14C and a stiff NW wind blowing deter any thoughts of riding.  If my CDN flag was out, these are the days it's most tested!

 The motorcycle show's have made the rounds of the bigger centers across the country, we don't get one, not even a local one anymore.  Four years ago I attended the Island show twice but since then nada. The promoter got tired of the hassles, the high cost, the iffy weather and gave up. I thought about making the trek to Moncton again this year but twice we've been stormed out and the show got cancelled.

I read my MC mags as they come in, boring really as pretty much all they cover are "Riding the Alps" for free while they blather on about the wonder of it all, New Ducatis, MV's, BMW's and other exotica that are full of trick electronics (pretty soon riding will be a video game that you can do in your living room, just program it in and there you are ... high up the Furka Pass, knee down blitzing switchback corners like a Moto GP star!) 

Hance reminds me... 'we already have that!'

The Swiss army knife of bikes.  V Strom 650

Although I have a stable of motorbikes, I do imagine myself with maybe a new Triumph 900/1200 or maybe an FZ 07 or even a Versys 300 ADV bike.  Maybe even a good used sports touring bike...

Of course, some would say I already have too many bikes and the practical side of me (I am a Capricorn after all) whispers very faintly, 'Frank, maybe you should sell that old XT 600 and buy a new(er) DR 650'

DT 50/Jeep/NoOne'sArk/Baja tent atop and 21 sp Inferno pedal bike

XT 600 on the MacLean Creek trail Alberta Rockies

Then I go out into the garage.  I look at "Old Blue", my 1990 XT 600A and think of all the great times I had riding it on the Forestry Trunk road (CB May 2007) or maybe the entire length of Baja, perhaps Indian Graves high up in the Rockies (CB January/February 2000) or even to the World's largest erratic in the Alberta foothills, (CB July/August 1999) or conversely I may hand start* my 1989 DT 50 L/C, the last bike from my Freedom Cycle days that may have the smallest engine but perhaps the biggest heart.  I rode that bike 1000 km, mostly off road during the 2003 fire season (CB April 2004 B.C. on 49cc a day)

Versatility plus.

156 mpg Passport C 70

Yeah... my newest bike is an '09.  That would be my SYM Citi-com 300i or the DL 650 V Strom (CB May 2015 Red Dirt Diary) waiting for spring, battery on the tender...

By comparison my '82 and '81 Passports and even my '71 CL 350 are relatively new compared to my 1967 Thunderbolt.  The latter three, I don't ride at all, they are in effect Living Rooms queens, but I do on occasion wheel the '82 C70 out into the garage, do a 10 minute tune-up and kickstart her for a few runs down the road, power-shifting the 3 speed semi-auto by holding the gear shifter to build up the revs.  That little bike I bought over E-Bay many moons ago in Phx AZ before I had digs down there, and it rode the home made rack to first L.A. (No... not Leduc Alberta, but Hollywood) and then on to Baja Sur.  The English speaking filler guy at the Mulege PEMEX must still be shaking his head when I calculated the gas mileage at the fill up (156mpg)

Great maritime scooter 300 Citicom

She ain't fast, but she is certainly cheap to run!

I used to sell bikes... but mostly I just bought.  Never forget the first time Brenda (then g/f now wife) came over to my pad in Calgary.  She actually thought I worked on other peoples bikes. Hahaha...

She was shocked to learn they were all mine.  I think she counted 36 in total!  Hey, don't judge me, other people collect socks or t shirts or fake pearls!

Very cool '08 Velo Sold in 2015

So, why should I sell my cherished 600?  It's air cooled 4 valve sohc engine produces enough horsepower to cruise me along the Trans Canada with soft bags and trunk on taller gearing, at 110 kph if needed, or can chug me along some dinky toy muddy dirt road in back woods New Brunswick. at one tenth that.

XT strolling along the red clay roads of PEI

My 225 is perfect for leading around visiting friends  like Deryl , or Ronnie or daughter Holly.  It's a 1992 model two of which I bought new at that time.  Niece Cindy out in BC has the other one.

I did sell my Velo two years ago, but replaced it last year with the SYM.  Unlike some people I don't chuck stuff away just because the color is out of fashion or it's getting up in age (he says looking in the mirror)

TL 125 Trials, very rare, waiting for some TLC

EVERY spring I go through this, but ultimately my old friends, like the Passport and the three XT's I own (225,350 and 600) get some TLC, tires and chains and brake pads, maybe a valve check (rarely need adjusting) and even though none of them get much riding in, I will take everything for a spin during the season.  I even did some work to my ancient TY and then did some wheelies up and down the yard! 

My old TY

The reality is these bikes were the ones I felt I could least sell when planning the move to the east coast a final time.  I very reluctantly sold most of my vintage Japanese stuff, bikes I'd collected for years and parted with wiping tears from my eyes.  We Capricorns can be sentimental (or just mental) by times.

The clouds have rolled in, much of the ice in the strait has begun to move and officially at least, it will be spring in only days.  For those living in warmer climes like my Phx friend Dave who is probably riding his Pacific Coast or Genuine Buddy as I write this or Ron out in the banana belt which I understand is much colder and whiter than usual, I hope you guys/girls get to make some dreams come true this year.  

Take lots of photos to remind you later of that great adventure you did in 2017!

Thunderbird 885 triple

Cheers from the Doc.

* these bikes are such low compression it can be hand started with the kick starter!