One for the money... two for the show.

AFTER such a thrilling exploration the day before with the Honda 300...

I took the Serow out the very next day. Whilst I was looking for quiet pavement devoid of serious pot holes and corners, and lots of corners on the Honda, with the 225 I was looking for the trail situation, something that varies year to year.  I've covered many miles especially in Queen's county beginning with the climb just outside our door. 

Back roads rock.

Within a few hundred feet, the roads turns into a rough single lane track that is not plowed in winter and serves as snowmobile routes nearby.  I wasn't s/m ing but I was riding my nimble, light and reliable little Yamaha.  I'd been riding this bike since new in '92 and my youngest niece Cindy, has the mate to mine.  As common in those days when I had a bike riding partner, most things I bought in two's.

Like riding in a tunnel

The air cooled, 6 speed, 4 cycle engine with decent suspension, narrow and light... makes trail riding a breeze.  It's recently turned 14 thousand km and it's still in excellent shape.  I don't give my dual purpose bikes a low of attention, I admit... having so many cars and bikes make it difficult to keep them in pristine condition. The XT's in my possession are all work horses.  Apart from the annual oil change, routine  maintenance , chain adjustment, and hand wash, they are for getting me into the back country without breaking down, and getting me out again.  They are all street legal, hence the back roads are not a problem with legalities for me.

It's been pretty warm the last week or so, I'm not complaining, and because I pretty well stay off the highways and patrol the back lanes among the trees, where cool air allows the about the perfect environment, I enjoy exploring.  She has a fairly small fuel tank but at approximately 95-100 mpg... I can cover a large distance without running looking for a fuel stop.

Never know what shape the trail is in.

Very interesting design.

Here's something you don't see every day. 

We've even got some twisties!

Can't help but smile.

Doesn't get much better than this :)

Hard decisions.

This it the northern shore (Blooming Point.) and outer sand dunes.  Not much rise in sea levels to wipe this all out.

I can't tell you how many motorcycles I have ridden in my life.  I wouldn't have a clue.  Even how I got into the "sport" was an odd co-incidence. If you've read this blog for a long time, you will know the story of Butch and Kelly.  Kelly was my next door neighbor growing up in Edmonton Alberta.  She was maybe 15-16 and me... 10 or 11.  Butch was her boyfriend for awhile, could have been a summer or two, which to a refugee kid growing up in a strange city was a lifetime. 

Queen's Point

Ohhh... we wanted to be older, my friends and I.  Steve, Calvin, Greg and the others, like Butch, and have a girlfriend like Kelly. 

End of the road mate!

He would have been late teens I would think.  Did he go to school, I have no clue, what I do know is he had a Honda CB 160, black and chrome with the most significant thing about was the lack of mufflers.  Yup, his pipes were cut off right after the header, kind of like a shorty today. He would pull up to the curb at her house, sit on the saddle of the Honda while propped up on the side stand, lighting up a "fag" and puff away waiting for her.  I can't ever recall him going to the house, maybe as far as the gate, that's all.  When he'd drop her at night, the CB would belch flame with each shift. I can still see the flame from the pipes as he'd wind it to the red zone, shifting each gear. 



Butch... was cool.   

Later at 15, when I had already been riding for 2 seasons, I also briefly had a g/f .  Her father was pleasant enough with me, but the day I showed up on my bike (I think it was the Suzuki A 100) street scrambler, her Dad chased me out of the yard with a broom, or maybe it was a shovel or rake... that I don't remember.  Seems I was good enough to tolerate, but not date his girl!

In those early days, to have a bike longer than a season, was unusual.  Any money I earned went right into my motorcycling.  By the time I was 16 (began at 13) I had a 1968 Suzuki X-6, a bike known then as the Hustler. 

Very cute little camp ground.  Expect to see Uncle Buck at any moment!

It was a two stroke twin which wasn't unusual, but what set it apart from everything then was the 6 speed gearbox.  Of course it also had CCI.  No more guessing or filling a tank cap with oil for the engine's lubrication needs. Next bike was a 305 Big Bear Yamaha with up swept exhaust one to each side. 

Don't get no prettier than this.

After that my first new bike, a T 350 (actually 315 cc over bored Hustler) Titan.

Brings me up to today. 

I just recently traded my 6 speed, Suzuki DL 650 V Strom that I have had for several years.  Great bike, but for this space in my life, too heavy and too tall, being an ADV bike.

To replace it I have acquired a 6 speed Honda 300, very light... fun and excellent handling.  Not particularly fast but certainly more manageable and most definitely better suited to my age and ailments!

One day I'll do all the churches of P.E.I.

I also have a SYM 300 and a Piaggio MP3. 

As much as I liked the DL, it was time for her to find a new garage.

I live in the country.  There are many back roads on PEI either paved or not.  Two days ago I spent most of the day riding the Honda 300.  I even managed to do about 15 km connector on dirt/sand roads between pavement. 

Nice so see the old bikes still running.

What a swell day.  Warm enough to wear light riding clothes while cool enough to be covered. 

My bikes have to be fearless! Even the CBR has to do some dirt.

Thinking back to my very early days, riding first around the City of Edmonton,then venturing farther out beyond the city limits and eventually the Rocky Mountains, over 300 km distant. It was so great to have the freedom to be on my own, exploring.   I put a lot of mileage on the small bikes and have always enjoyed riding just for the pure pleasure of it.

During my CBR ride of just over 210 km distance covered, but no yardstick with which to measure that joy it brought me.

Trout pond.

I find people to talk too wherever I go, in this case, a couple of gals at Queen's Point just outside of Grand Tracadie, on a very secluded beach.  A young guy riding an "older than him" Nighthawk 450 in pretty decent condition. (Photographed at the church in Bloomfield Point.)

Came across this pretty Dutch girl filling her water truck at the pond.  Hi Marika!

Brenda proposed to me in the top left room in 2011... I said I'd have to think about it.

Entering Mt Stewart.

If your passing by, stop in at the bakery and tell Bev, "The Dr. sent you!"

"Just get on your bikes and ride... "

 NOW there's a famous statement! 

... and that's just what I intend to do:)

CHANGE, IS GOOD!

There's and old saying... "You can't teach an old dog new tricks."

Well I disagree with that. Here's why... case in point.

I'm 64.

I'm an old dog.

Since trading in my much loved Suzuki DL 650 "V Strom" a couple of weeks ago, I have been learning new tricks.

That in itself should put the fallacy to bed.  In my riding career, I have gone from a 90cc Honda to a 1200cc V Max and beyond.  I've ridden most everything under the sun (and even some rain clouds) touring bikes, racing bikes, sports bikes (in my day they were "Cafe Racers") Dual purpose bikes, Trials bikes and everything in between.

The technique of riding a trials bike is much different than riding for example... a YZF or CBR... or is it?

Once again I find myself on the learning curve.  Say what?  My latest acquisitions include a small, light CBR 300R, which is not very unusual, but I also picked up a Piaggio MP 3.

Again... Say what?

Magic carpet scooter

I mean... even the name on the cowling emblem, well... it doesn't make much sense. Although Piaggio is one of the biggest sellers of two wheeled scooters in the world, best known for it's Vespa line. If you've spent any time touring Europe, you will see something quite unique that we here in N.A. rarely see.  Honest, since picking up this MP 3, I have been deluged when stopped by stares, questions, comments etc by both pedestrians/road user's and riders.

I mean... it's got a full cowling like many sports bikes, sporty tires, storage like a sports touring bike, a dashboard that supply's info overload, decent acceleration (0-100 km in under 8 seconds solo) and fabulous fuel mileage... my first fill was 100.6 mpg.  It's 250 cc engine will propel scooter and pilot to 80 mph.

Big trunk, could fit a midget in there, Mafia style!  

And... it's got three wheels!  Hence, the MP 3! It is so popular in Europe that even majors like Yamaha have a line of trikes.

Yes, hahaha back at you, I am riding a trike.  Now being a refugee child, I can't recall having had a trike as a kid, but as a grand Dad, I have one now.

What set's the MP 3 apart from say a CanAm Spyder for example, the Spyder "leans" * away from you when cornering.  Centrifugal force, (including your body) forces the mass to head opposite in the direction of the curve.

The Piaggio and it's derivatives, lean into the corner.  My MP 3 puts three contact patches on the road surface and the fat little rear tire gives it good drive.

There's a lot of attention being given to the Ultimate Three wheeler right now, the Yamaha Niken.

Like(n) or not, testing of the triple cylinder Yamaha is proving that once you catch up on the learning curve and get you mind understanding the physics, you will be surprised. It and the little MP,  "stick like glue."

So, is the Piaggio revolutionary???

I don't know.

What I do know is, with a left shoulder impingement (and we're not talking about riding on the wrong side of the road in Jolly Old...) and a right hip with worsening bursitis, just pushing a 500 lb MC around in the garage, or parking lot, is taking it's toll on me.  Some time the pain is so pronounced, just turning the bike around in my garage does me in for the day, or at the least, a few hours!

In my riding career, at 5'4" I haven't often been forced to give up riding some bikes.  I remember very well the Suzuki Dr Big.  A big bore single if I ever saw one.  That bike, like the current flock of over-sized  ADV bikes, has opened up a market for smaller lighter bikes.  Fully loaded with three pieces of luggage, a 650 cc motorcycle with a hundred pounds of bolt on's plus the missus, I was balancing on tip toes, about 900 pounds of steel and rubber!

I was an accident waiting to happen.

The Piaggio not only has a large contact patch to the pavement, but has a very unique feature that will blow your mind.  Case in point.

I'm at a stop light in Metro Summerside, PEI... when a rather large work truck pulls up next to me.

Driver and passenger leaning over him, ask's me how I was able to balance the MP without putting my foot on the ground.  I answered as the light turned green, "it's magic and next week I will be learning to levitate her!"  They laughed but I could still see the gears turning.

So, in addition to having the Piaggio able to lean like a sports bike, using an internal brake, the pilot can "lock" the bike at the chosen lean angle when stopped.  Not sure, but could make for interesting photos seeing my little MP 3 leaning over right or left, pushing the control button and dismount the bike and walk away from it (oh yeah, don't forget to lock the brake as well, because without that, if you're on a slope you'll be chasing your run away three wheeler!

Stay tuned...

Bye bye Suzi!

Looks pretty "Rad" from here. 

*  Okay, the C-A doesn't actually lean, the weight just transfers like a car.