Classic Bike Show on Saturday, Sept 10th

Tristan came up on his Yamaha XS400 to see the "Classic Bike Show" at Spunky's Motorcycle, Parksville.  It was really good last year when they had their first annual show and I really wanted to go again this year.  It was a great excuse to take the Triumph out for a blast.

Many lovely old bikes showed up last year including a few Vincents, Nortons, Triumphs, BeeMers and some really great classic Japanese bikes.   We arrived there a bit late this year, (poster says it goes until 3pm, but in reality it begins to shut down around 1ish).  :(  If the Vincents made it, we were too late to see them.  Here's the best of what was left:

BSA 650 Thunderbolt in fantastic shape

Triumph Trident

1956 Ariel

I loved this one....  It's an ASV!  What's that you ask?  It's "Al's Special Vehicle."  Al was there showing it off.  He built it himself right down to the ASV castings in his footboards.  Check out that beautiful exposed flywheel in the front of the engine.  The sprung seat was lifted off a penny-farthing bicycle!

Closer engine detail of Al's "ASV."  Look at that nice finished wooden box housing his coil.

One of two Norton 850 Commandos that were left.  There were many last year and I'm assuming that some had left already.

The other Norton 850 Commando.  (Tristan is after one of these!  It's the "Interceptor" he tells me.  The one with the bigger tank).

1996 Schwarze "Hot Rod."  It's another homemade job.  This one was built to go roadracing.  He raced it for three years and then turned it into a street bike.  If it ever broke down, I think half of the parts are available at the nearest GE washer and dryer supply house.  It sounded pretty good when he took off for home though.  

That was it.  Not a great turnout, but enough to make it interesting and worthwhile showing up.

He Bought a WHAT?

Well here goes...  It's high time to start a blog!  My wife has one <live link) and my friend started one a few weeks ago, and since my motorcycle collection just grew by one, I need a blog to record my adventures too.  I love motorbikes.  I've been riding them, on and off in some shape or form, for the last thirty five years.

My first was a Honda CB350--a twin and a lovely bike which I would love to own again one day, (yea...won't happen).  I graduated to a 600cc BMW after that, (slash six series), and rode it for many years across Alberta, B.C. and down to Mexico when I was in my teens and twenties.  Next came my 400XS Yamaha which I used to commute to and from university.  It now lives in my brother's garage and still gets ridden regularly.  I can't believe it's eligible for collector plates!  My next bike was a real monster and easily takes the award as my most punchy machine: A Triumph Trophy 1200.  It's quite amazing how flexible the right wrist of a man in his late forties can be.  The Trophy 1200 is classed as a sport tourer which is part of the reason that riding it at 160Km feels like 100Km.  Eventually I decided I needed a smaller bike for local touring and I traded it in on a Triumph Thruxton 900, my current street bike.  (Here they are)

I've always been a bit down on trail bike riders.  Street biker conditioning maybe.  I never really understood what all the fuss was about.  It wasn't until I went out with a couple of friends, who enjoy riding local trails, that I realized what a pile of fun riding the trails can be.  I was smitten and so I added a Kawasaki KLX250S to the growing list.  It's the first off road, (dual-purpose), bike I have owned and I love it.

So, that's what this blog will be about.  My adventures on my bikes--probably more on the off-road side since I've discovered the excitement of discovering "far-away" places practically on my doorstep.

So, here is...