Pg. 4 - What’s Shakin’ Lots to do In August Pg. 8 - Cruising with Critter The Show goes On Pg. 18 - East Coast Rambler Cystic Fibrosis Fund Raiser Works Pg. 20 - One for the Road. Lil’ Red is Gettin’ Wet Pg. 23 - Ride 2 reach 2016 Scott goes to Oakville Pg. 24 - Whispers of a Neoteric Nomad The Last Waltz in New Liskeard Pg. 27 - The Bike Lawyer Legality of Apes Pg. 29 -P.E.I. Billy Billy’s Recovery Party Pg. 30 -Inked impressions Tattoo Shop of the Month Pg. 32 -Len’s Automotive Calendar Feature Shop of the Month Pg. 36 - Len’s Automotive Shop of the Month Pg. 38- Adventures From The Deep South.... Riding with Hockey Stars Pg. 42 - Sticker Stories Sharon Does a Tour of Duty Pg. 44 - Feature Bike Reliving His mispent Youth Pg. 46 - From the far East……Ontario that is. Raining on the 601 Pg. 49 - Friday 13th Port Dover Jorden gets ther for the first time Pg. 51 - Fighting for your Rights Support Bill 154 Pg. 53 - Bikers Church Thank God for Nurses... Pg. 54 - Clare’s Bike Nights the Tradition Continues Pg. 56 - Ladies and Their Harleys Pg. 58 Gone But Never Forgotten Pg. 59 - Joke Page Pg. 60 - Pizza Dave Coming to a Pizza Joint near You
Every Monday Twisted Sisters Windsor Bike Night
3560 Walker Rd. Windsor. Live Music, Menu Specials and your favourite Twisted Sisters. More Info call 519-915-0242
Port Burwell Legion’s “13 Monday’s of Summer Bike Nights”
Starting at 6 til 9pm at 40 Wellington St. Port Burwell, Music, Games and Food all in support of The Legion Br 524. Everyone Welcome.
Every Tuesday The Albion Hotel’s “World Famous Bike Nights”
All Day Tuesday’s starting at Noon till close at The Albion in Bayfield. Live Music, Great Food and Fun! What more do you want from a Bike Night!
Every Wednesday The Lion Pub & Grill’s Wednesday Ride Night
1091 Gorham Street, in Newmarket from 6pm till 9pm, Come on out for Great Food Specials and Fantastic Wings for ½ Price, Beer Specials and a Patio with Bike side Parking. So come on out and Show off your ride.
Every Thursday Clare’s Bike Night Thursday
Starting at 6pm-9pm THE TRADITION CONTINUES. Live entertainment, Food, Draws & Door Prizes, With a Special Guest Club each week. www.claresharleydavidson.com.
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Every Second Thursday Smiley & Company’s Movie Night
Come join us for a Great Classic Movie and some good old family fun. Check out our Facebook page to find out what’s playing that week. www.facebook.com/smileyandcompany/
Every Sunday Hell Bounders Bike/Classic Car Cruise Nights 2016
At Mario’s Bakeshop 13305 Hwy 27, just North of King in Nobleton, Starting at 5pm, Music, Prizes, Awards! For more info contact 905-859-2253 or check out www.mariosbakeshop.ca
July July 28th – 31st – 27th Ontario Regional H.O.G.® Rally
Sponsored by THE ROCK Harley-DAVIDSON® 2240 Long Lake Road, Sudbury, P3E 5H4. Come on up and Join our 4 H.O.G. Chapters (Sudbury, Sualt Ste. Marie, Northeastern and Nipissing) for the Biggest H.O.G. Rally in Ontario. We have a full weekend planned with Live Music, Poker Run, Bike Games,a Show & Shine and much more. Check out www.ontarioregionalrally.hog.com for the full list of events and times.
July 29th, 30th & 31st – “Hogs For Hospice” Leamington’s 1st Annual Motorcycle Rally
A very busy weekend of events in Downtown Leamington. Check out their website for the full list and times of events. www.hogsforhospice.com
July 29th –Aug 1st - A.B.A.T.E Ontario’s 26th Annual Final Frontier
At the ABATE Grounds. Live Bands All Weekend, Camp-
ing, Bike Games, Show & Shine, Vendors, Mud Wrestling, Wet T-Shirt. For tickets Call Surf: 519-282-2978, Chico: 519-477-4365, or Horse: 519-983-5324.
July 30th & 31st – Rockin on the River in Blind River
135 Royer St., off HWY #557, Blind River, Ontario, P0R-1B0.Weekend Pass before June 1st $25 after June 1st $45, For more information and Listed bands check out www.rockingontheriver.com
August Aug. 5th to 7th - Big Daddy’s Cowpaddy’s 5th Annual Rodeo & Roast
The Big Bash of the Summer in the Eastern Ontario area, 11101 County Rd. 15, North Augusta, Ontario. Gates open at 12pm, Tickets $25 in advance or $30 at the Gate. For More information call Greg or Susie at 613926-0799 or check out www.BigDaddysCowpaddy.ca
Aug. 6th – Malicious Cycle and Clothing’ Annual Show N Shine
At Malicious Cycle 3595 St. Clair East, in Scarborough. Noon till 5pm. Awards, BBQ and a Good time to be had by all. This is a family Friendly Event. For more Information Check out www.maliciouscycleandclothing.com or on Facebook.com/maliciouscycle. Rain Date August 7th.
Aug. 13th – Oshawa’s Bikes on Bond
A Free event in Downtown Oshawa Bond Street open to Motorcycles Only, 2pm till 8pm. Vendors, Music Featuring Paul James, Open to All! For more info www.bikesonbond.com.
th Aug 6th - Classy Chassis & Cycles Sunny Saturday Aug 13 - Classy Chassis & Cycles Sunny Saturday BBQ’s BBQ’s
1399 8th Line Smith, Lakefield, 11am-2pm. Jonny’s Homemade Burgers & Live Music, all proceeds go to the Trenton Military Family Resource Centre. www.usedhd.ca
1399 8th Line Smith, Lakefield, 11am-2pm. Jonny’s Homemade Burgers & Live Music, all proceeds go to the Trenton Military Family Resource Centre. www.usedhd.ca
Aug 6th – Jacox Harley-Davidson® Ride To The Blue Mountains
Aug 13th – Save The Ta Tas Ride
Aug 11th – Clare’s Niagara Tent Sale/Bike Night
Aug. 13th - Johnny Rebel’s Annual Show, Shine and Super-Session Jam
Departing from Jacox Harley-Davidson®, 2815 Argentia Road, Mississauga at 9:00am. To register, please contact our Marketing Manager Julie Martin at jmartin@jacoxharley.com or at 905-858-6763 by Friday August 5th. From Noon till 8pm Tent Sale by Day and Bike Night, Live Music, Food Truck BBQ, Guest Clubs Door Prizes. Check out www.claresharleydavidson.com for more details.
Aug 12th – Clare’s Port Dover’s Bike Night
334 Main St., Port Dover. Starts at 6pm till 9pm Live Music, BBQ and Good Times for All. The Tradition Continues. For more info call 519-583-9200. www.claresharleydavidson.com
Girlz ride to Dover at On the Fringe in Port Dover 225 Main St. A benefit for breast cancer awareness. Girlz; ride the scenic roads to Port Dover for fun food and exploring the town. All Riders should be in town by noon and park by the lift bridge. We will have a show and shine and BBQ behind On The Fringe. Come join the Fun! The Angelo’s in Port Dover. Hosted by N.B.S. Riders and Port Dover’s own local bands “Route 6” and “No Big Deal”. Registration starts at 1:30pm and the music starts at 2:30pm. Visit www.johnnyrebels.com for event info.
Aug. 12th to 14th – 5th Annual Kirkfield Invasion
973 Portage Road in Kirkfield. Weekend pass only $50, Live Music, Painted Ladies, Biker rodeo, Show & Shine, Camping, Bikini Contest, Wet T-shirt Contest and much, much more. For more information and Tickets call Rick: 705464-2766 or Poppa Ed’s Taxi: 705878-4343 or contact any Kawartha Charity Rider.
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Aug. 13th - Jacox Harley-Davidson® Demo Day/Test Our Metal
Registration begins at 9:00. Rides run from 10:00-3:00 at Jacox Harley-Davidson®, 2815 Argentia Road Mississauga. Rides run on a first come, first serve basis. For more information please contact our Marketing Manager, Julie Martin at jmartin@jacoxharley.com or at 905-858-6763.
Aug 13th – Woodbridge Custom Cycle’s Grand Opening Show & Shine
At the Shop at 180 Winges Rd. Unit 22 in Woodbridge. From Noon till 5pm, Awards, Live Music, Food and refreshments. For More information call 905-264-8414
Aug. 20th – Aces & Eights Annual Corn Roast
Music, Food, Camping, Prizes, Come on out and join us for a great day with good people, $20 donation for more info contact Hoss at jimbo5843@hotmail.com
Aug. 20th – B.R.O. Port Colborne Poker Run
Registration starts at 9:30 till 11:30 at The S-Bend Restaurant, 5801 Hwy #3 in Sherkston. Ride starts at Noon sharp, $20 includes a Pig Roast and Live Music. What a great way to spend a Saturday! For more info email: sbendray@live.ca or call 905-894-4072
Aug 20th - Jacox Harley-Davidson Reunion
2815 Argentia Road, Mississauga from 12:00 – 3:00 with LIVE MUSIC, GREAT FOOD, and more. For more information please contact our Marketing Manager, Julie Martin at jmartin@jacoxharley.com or at 905-858-6763.
Aug. 27th & 28th – Bike Fest Chatham-Kent
Saturday at Tecumseh Park in Chatham and Sunday at Dukes Harley-Davidson® in Blenhiem, on Staurday: an Escorted Ride, Beer Garden, Live Bands, Motorcycle Showcase and a Raffle for a 2016 Harley Heritage Softail. On Sunday The Chatham-Kent H.O.G Poker Run and Pancake Breakfast followed by a BBQ with Live Music, 50/50 Draw Vendors and much more. Check out www.bikefestck.ca or www.duckeshd.com for more details.
Aug 20th - Classy Chassis & Cycles Sunny Saturday BBQ’s
1399 8th Line Smith, Lakefield, 11am2pm. Jonny’s Homemade Burgers & Live Music, all proceeds go to the Trenton Military Family Resource Centre. www.usedhd.ca
Aug. 27th – Tombstones Motorcycles Home Opener
At the New Home of Tombstones Motorcycles, 7848 Castlederg Side Road in Caledon, Just outside Bolton. Come on out and see our New Shop and Make a Day of it! For more info check them out on Facebook at Facebook.com/tombstonesmotorcycles.
Aug. 27th – Uxbridge Legion BR 170 Poker Run 109 Franklin St. in Uxbridge. Check in at 8:30 am $45/Bike and Rider, $25/Passenger, Includes Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Dance and Prizes. Dance only $10 per non-rider. Secure Overnight Motorcycle Parking. For more info email AcordFire@gmail.com or call Blair 647961-0358. Rain Date Aug 28th.-
Aug 27th - Classy Chassis & Cycles Sunny Saturday BBQ’s
1399 8th Line Smith, Lakefield, 11am2pm. Jonny’s Homemade Burgers & Live Music, all proceeds go to the Trenton Military Family Resource Centre. www.usedhd.ca
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Aug. 28th – 5th Annual Quinte Ride For Paws Ride
At 7 Creswell Drive in Trenton (behind the Metro). Meet & Greet starts at 9:30am with the Ride starting at 11am, $15 per Bike , BBQ starting at Noon. For more info contact: 613-392-0759 or 613-8477670
Aug. 28th - Critter & Black Gold’s Annual Show ‘N’ Shine
Join The Mag Crew at 1228 Gorham St. in Newmarket for the day and Enter your Bike to Win. Trophies for All Classes, BBQ and Live Music. Starting at 10am and going till 4pm. For info and vendors call 905235-5353 Ext 2 and talk to Al. See you there
September Sept. 2nd & 3rd – Goderich’s West Coast Blues Festival Blues All Weekend Long in Downtown Goderich. Friday do the Downtown Shuffle Walkabout Blues Wristband just $10, Saturday’s Show and Shine from 2 – 4pm in the Middle of the Square. Check them out at www.westcoastblues.ca . Sept. 3rd - The Annual Snake River Motorcycle Rodeo
468A Faught Road in Cobden, Gates open at 9am, $25 per person, Bike Games on and off All Day, Live Music by Southbound, Camping and of course The Pig Roast. For more Info Check out fb.com/pages/ Snake-River-Motorcycle-Rodeo or Call Andrew at 613-808-1388
Sept. 10th - Classy Chassis & Cycles Swap Meet
1399 8th Line Smith, Lakefield, 9am-2pm Vendor Tables Available, Call to Reserve Your Space! 1-888-292-8305 Used Parts, Accessories, Clothing, Everything Bike Related For All Makes & Models! Jonny’s BBQ Lunch. For more info visit www.usedhd.ca or call 1-888-2928305
Sept. 23rd, 24th, & 25th – 14th Annual Biketoberfest
A new location and format this year with it being a 3 day event being held at The Raceway in Welland with help from the Welland County MC. Free Camping no Entry Fee and all the events that go with Biketoberfest plus a lot of New ones added. And as always a chance to Win a New H-D Bike. Tickets for the Bike are $20 and only 6000 have been printed. Contact Bruce Bissell at 905-714-6885 or check out www.biketoberfest.ca
Sept. 24th - Iron Cowgirlz 2nd Annual Ride for Ms. Dazzle
Starting at Thurst-ty’s Cycle, 298 Pretty River Parkway in Collingwood and ending up at The Old Mill House Pub, 141 Mill Street in Creemore Registratio starts at 9:30am till 11am, $20 per Rider Donation, a Breakfast Truck will be on site. Join us for a Memoral Ride through the beautiful Georgian Bay Roads. All proceeds go to “Esprit Place for Battered Women” in Parry Sound. for more information and to Pre-register check out www.msdazzlesride.weebly.com or email ms.dazzleride@gmail.com. or call Marcy at 705446-1131
Sept. 25th - Black Hawks MC 12th Annual Show ‘N’ Shine
At Bobbies Bar & Grill 2965 Homestead Rd. Mount Hope, 1pm til 4pm. Come on out and join the party you’ll have a good time. More info at www.blackhawksmc.ca
October Oct. 15th - Canada’s Largest Annual Motorcycle Auction, at Classy Chassis
1399 8th Line Smith, Lakefield, Steal A Deal! Preview bikes on line Beginning Oct 1st Live Preview day Friday October 14th 8am-5pm. Visit www.usedhd.ca or 1-888-292-8305 Call to secure your Bidder Number.
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OK, I have gone under the knife and as far as I can tell, I’m not a whole lot further ahead than before I went in. In fact the intrusion has taken away some of the very limited mobility that I had enjoyed. Unable to get a surgeon to perform the operation up here in Newmarket, after a long wait I was forced to go with plan “B” and get another surgeon in another part of the Province to get it done. So I ended up down in Mississauga at The Trillium Hospital with Dr. Taromi doing the operation. Perhaps the wait was just too long. Apparently, according to the Surgeon, It was a lot worse in there than expected once he opened me. The muscles were deteriorated, shrivelled up and apparently rendered pretty much useless (None of these terms are particularly appealing as a description of any part of a man’s anatomy.), and other than cleaning some things up as best he could, they sewed me back up and sent me home and we will see what adventure now lies ahead for me. I know that I still have a bunch of physiotherapy treatments to come and he was indicating that a new shoulder may be in order. But what do I know?............So the adventure continues! I want to give a shout out to my buddy “Buff ” who has been going through some hard times health wise lately. Hang tough Brother! We like to keep up to date with what is shakin’ and bakin’ with our advertisers as they are the ones that allow us to keep this thing rolling. Josh from TombStones has found and purchased a property at 7848 Castlederg Side road North of Bolton and will be moved in and ready to serve his customers even better by the first of August. Classy Chassis has added yet another feature to their amazing property in Bridgenorth. Two Fat Greeks Food Truck and Catering will now be serving some fantastic food at reasonable prices from 11:00 AM to 8:30 PM daily giving you another excuse to stop in and check out the great deals that they offer on used bikes and merchandise. With all this shit going on, my riding has been seriously compromised and the events that I have been able to attend on behalf of the Mag have been extremely limited. So if I haven’t appeared or don’t appear at your event this year please cut me some slack because it is out of my control. We are getting ready for Our Annual Show and Shine up on Gorham St. in Newmarket on Aug. 31 and hope to have another great event. We have started hosting a Ride Night at the Lion Pub on Leslie St. and Gorham St. right here in Newmarket. The
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1st one went off last Wednesday and we had a respectable turnout considering that other than Facebook and word of mouth we have done no advertising yet. We ran another one this Wednesday just past, on what was the hottest day of the year with the mercury climbing to a record setting, 36 degrees Celsius and we had another decent turnout. Some of us took to the spacious patio while others retreated to the air conditioned comfort of the bar. It is a good sized bar with real good food and a great staff of girls to serve you. It would make an excellent place to start, finish or have as a stop on a poker run or other such ride as they have a huge parking lot with great access from main roads and is close to the 404 Hwy. They have great specials on every day and Wednesday is half price wing days so come on out and join us some Wednesday evening. We get there around 6:00 PM. I may not be able to make it every Wednesday but will try my best. We will be adding things like door prizes and draws as the event gathers steam. Several Months back while delivering to Dukes H-D one of their customers was there dropping off his bike and called me over to show me the renovations that he had made to his trailer. I was very impressed and took some pictures of it. Every Month since I
have intended to run those pictures but my intentions fell victim to my failing memory and each month passed and the shots had yet to run. This Month I will make amends and run them. Better late than never! We have had a bunch of new advertisers lately and we love the support that we are getting. Most, from their names, it is quite evident what they do and what they are about, others, not so much. Sometimes I just have to ask and if the answer tweaks me I figure that it might interest our readers as well. Roro’s Glass Art and Crystal Skulls, seems clear enough as she has some great glass art and quartz Crystal products which are imported from around the World, Viking Statuary and jewelry, and a great selection of Biker related items and a whole lot more. A visit to her face book page will show you that but she has more to offer than that. Rhonda is also a Mystic, a Medium and Reiki Master. She does spiritual and emotional treatments and healings and can put you in touch with the departed. She also operates a Biker rest station with water and two reclining massage chairs to soothe the road weary rider. She rides a Harley-Davidson Heritage Classic and drives a restored 1957 Chevrolet Belair and lives in her small house with her cat and dog and seems like a very interesting and sincere lady. She caught my attention and tweaked my curiosity and I found it all interesting. I’ll have to stop in when I’m down in the Port Burwell area and check it out. Brothers of the Blade – Daybreak 2016 This has been a favourite event of mine since the very 1st one that I was privileged to attend years ago and it never gets old. This is an annual event for the Club and is done in support of Group homes for mentally challenged individuals
through The Brothers of the Blade Wish (Working In Support of Handicapped) Foundation. Money is raised to fund many different projects that may include repairs and maintenance at the homes or for equipment where Government funding falls far short of the mark. This is a day of smiles and fun, for not just the patients from these homes but the support staff and families and provides something
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more than just a day’s outing or just token attention. This is an honest and sincere event that the patients truly look forward to and is something that they cherish. It is a day that The Brothers of the Blade their families and supporters look forward to as well as it brings so much pure joy to all concerned. Words cannot express the true magic of these events and the friendships and honest relationships that develop over not just the course of the day but over the years that they have been doing this. There is a lot of planning and preparation that goes into each of these events as they are usually attended by 150 or so guests but this year there was an unanticipated surge in the last few days leading up to the event and the word came down that this year there would be almost double that of previous years as word of this marvelous event spreads and homes from as far away as London want to attend. As you can imagine, there was a fair bit of scrambling that went on to accommodate that kind of attendance but they pulled it off, getting additional food, refreshments, seating and prizes in time to make everybody happy. The Club members and selected supporters line up and give Motorcycle rides around the property for all with extra emphasis on safety as specially constructed loading platforms are used to load and unload passengers and all must wear helmets. Each guest gets their picture taken as they are mounted on the bikes and the pictures are then printed and given to them. Some have every picture from every year that they have come to this event and cherish each and every one. Bird man, from the Aces and Eights MC who is a licensed Falconer along with his lady, Lace, brought one of his hawks out again this year and again received a lot of attention. They do modified biker games such as “The Weiner Bite” and the “Egg race” and
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field day events like the “Find the Potato in the Hay Stack” that are a huge hit as the guests get to compete and have fun and prizes can be won. The Tattoo Parlour is also very popular as removable tattoos are applied to the limbs of the guests who delight in getting them and display them proudly throughout the day. Then there is the massive barbecue that the Blades put on for their guests that is more than just hamburgers, hotdogs and soft drinks but includes a huge spread of salads, fresh fruit, ice cream and other delicious items. Every guest gets a medal commemorating each year’s event and these too are kept, collected and cherished. One guest this year had the many medals that he had won at “The Special Olympics” proudly displayed around his neck along with this year’s medal from the Blades Daybreak Party. The goody bags that are given to the guest are provided each year by Ray and Margaret who collect donations process. The Blades do another similar event each year up in Manitoulin that is bigger and has been going longer and they hope to get one going with the Muskoka Chapter of the Club because I guess you can’t have too much of a good thing and you can never see to many huge smiles that are the results of honest, sincere efforts on the part of these Club Members, their families and friends and supporters. The results and benefits to those they serve are obvious from the years of doing this and the smiles that go on through memories that carry them through to next year. I am honoured to have been allowed to share in this and put together these bags out of love for these wonderful people and they bring much joy to so many in the
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event and share in the joy that trouble putting faces together It’s Kool To Drink Healthy with names. If you meet me out they bring to so many. Inked Impressions about sometime and you Fill your 18L Jugs with and Tattoo Studio of the Month Ausee a blank look come across gust 2016 face, please don’t torment Reverse Osmosis Water my I love doing these features as me, just say who you are and I’ll I get to meet some amazing peo- At Our New Inside/Outside Fill Station catch up. It sucks to get old, but ple, see some fantastic artwork it is better than the alternative. and learn what inspires these artBack to the Tattoo studio! ists who can express themselves I checked the place out while through their art and in turn can talking to Rick who was preparoffer an artistic translation of what ing for his first appointment of their clients really want to express the day and hanging out with in the form of a tattoo. one of his three Sons, Decon Better who had accompanied him to I, in turn, get to explore and Better hopefully translate into words Tasting Tasting work today. what these incredible artists are Water Rick is a dedicated single Dad Ice trying to say with their art and who takes family very seriously their talent and what inspired 2228 Chiefswood Rd, RR 2 Ohsweken N0A 1M0 and he tries to provide his sons them to follow their heart into the with proper guidance and posiMon - Fri 8:30am to 6pm art of tattoo. 519-445-0292 koolkidzice1@gmail.com tive encouragement. I love art and true artists and This is a great looking studio envy them their experience, quirks and talents and most of and Rick takes great pride in it and his work. He is an inall their courage and commitment to explore their dreams credible artist and a very interesting guy who has travelled and develop their talent and their skills to levels that they and worked extensively around the World and his life exever imagined and showed the sceptics and doubters that perience comes through in his work. they were on the right path all along. He listens well and picks things out of conversations I have known Rick for quite some time now but wasn’t with his clients that he then tries to translate into the tattoo. He was doing a cover up on the lower back of an attractive young lady while I was there and I was amazed as he transformed what was there to something entirely different while retaining most of the original design but concealing the unwanted content by adding or extending lines to the original work. He made the whole process look simple. I knew as I listened aware that he was a tattoo artist. It just never came up. to him tell me of his accomplishments and experience that When our man Scott told me that Inked Impressions in this piece would be hard to write as there is so much to Port Perry wanted to be the feature shop, he told me that tell. “You know this guy.” Stop in and check the shop and him out when you are I thought OK I’ll take your word for it. in the area. When I walked through the door I said to myself, “Hell Len’s Automotiveyeah! I know this guy!” but this is kind of common for me August Shop of the Month Photoshoot as I meet so many people and being blessed with a good, As I have said many times since this feature’s inclusion but really, really, short memory, things don’t always come in The Mag I have thoroughly enjoyed doing these articles clear to me all the time. I do remember faces but just have as they are an education for me and I believe our readers
as well. It gives insight into these businesses and the people behind them that you might never have gotten otherwise. Len’s Automotive, I knew very little about, other than he was a regular advertiser and had some great displays that drew lots of attention at the Motorcycle Shows and various events around the Province. Our paths crossed quite often and he and his crew were always friendly and easy to talk to. I was certainly aware of the shop’s presence in downtown Jarvis as I would pass through there on my way to and from Port Dover. I even seem to vaguely recall dealing with him at his shop in Cayuga after experiencing some trouble with my truck while delivering to the Ontario Hydro yard a bunch of years back. I became more and more aware of his shop and the Trikes that he was carrying and offered him the feature as I believe it provides good value for the advertisers, especially new businesses or those with a specific service or specialty that is hard to convey to the public in an advertisement or even a series of advertisements. I was in for a pleasant surprise, an education and a
totally great experience as well as an awesome day. I arranged to have “Beautiful Brandy”, my model for the shoot, come down early that morning from the wilds of Gravenhurst and meet me in Newmarket and with that all coming off without a hitch, we continued on down to beautiful downtown Jarvis. We parked and walked across the Street to find an very enthusiastic young gentleman by the name of Craig fighting a losing battle in trying to keep the dust from the row of trikes out in front of the shop as there was some major construction going on and the brisk wind carried a constant supply of the grit the shiny surfaces of the trikes. But Craig being the consummate professional detailer that he is, carried on undeterred and relentless. We went in and introduced ourselves and while Bran-
dy was changing I got some shots of the shop and then I got an idea of just how big an operation this was. I knew nothing about the body shop, detailing shop or the towing operation or any of that. I had met Len on many occasions but hadn’t met Ernie other than to say hi at shows and such and had absolutely no idea of the size and scope of the business or the knowledge and experience that these men possess both individually and as a team. I also knew little about the Rewaco Trikes but they now had my complete attention and I was all ears. Len and Ernie are a fascinating team who have done some amazing things with this business and I was in awe of their accomplishments and the fact that they are just laid back kind of guys who are easy to talk to and immediately put you at ease. I got busy with Brandy out front getting some great shots much to the delight of the downtown traffic and towns people. She was an absolute treat to work with and made my job easy, we even grabbed a couple of the monkeys that they use to make their up their displays at the shows and
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great people at the helm doesn’t hurt either. I did my interview portion and as my notes grew from one to two and then more pages I knew that this would be running long but this is an amazing shop with some truly great people. And it is a great story of determination, initiative and drive and I love a Canadian Business success story. I find it really inspirational to see people accomplish their goals and fulfill their dreams and it is especially meaningful to me when it is a family business. We had a great time and Ernie even gave Brandy one of the monkeys to take home to tease her kids with. If you are in the Jarvis area and in need of pretty much anything automotive from a tow to body work or mechanical assistance or need any of your vehicles (large or small) detailed or you want to talk Trikes you’ve come to the right place! Clare’s Harley-Davidson – Port Dover
in their showroom to use as props for some of the shots. We finished up the shoot and Ernie gave me a grand tour of the whole operation and it was a lot to take in as they take up a fair bit of real estate and encompass a lot of different businesses and services from this one location and the fact that they do them all so well is just incredible. I guess that is what comes from hiring good qualified people and letting them do what they were hired to do but having
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Since I missed the Grand Opening of Clare’s new shop in Downtown Port Dover and being right in the neighbourhood I figured that I should stop by and get some shots and a better idea as to what the shop was about. Being under the Clare’s banner I would expect nothing less than first class all the way and I was right. They have done an incredible job on decorating the shop both inside and out and it’s sure to be a success and a great addition to Main St. Port Dover. They have a great selection of Genuine H-D apparel and collectables and a friendly staff to serve you. They also host a bike night once each month on a Friday that is being very well attended. Angelo’s Hotel Well, being in Port Dover at Clare’s H-D which is right next door to one of my favourite spots whenever I’m in town, Angelo’s and having heard rumours that they do indeed serve 50 here and I was anxious for a visit. Having worked up a powerful thirst doing photoshoots and interviews all morning in the dust storm that is a constant these days in Downtown Jarvis, I figured that a beer break was in order. Brandy, my model and road mate for the day concurred, a motion was put to a vote and the decision was carried unanimously. We made the short walk to that fine establishment and settled in at the bar for a short break. Faith, the great looking bartender was quick to bring me that familiar brown bottle with that magnifi-
cent looking label that simply spells pleasure. I paused for a second just to prepare myself for the sensation that was now merely the bending of an elbow and a sip away. As I raised the bottle to my lips, a brief whiff of the hoppy goodness escaped from the bottle and teased my nostrils and heightened my anticipation for an instant before I let the ice cold, golden nectar flow freely, refreshing my parched lips, teasing my tongue, soothing my dry throat, quenching my thirst, lifting my spirits, bringing an immense smile to my face and a sense of euphoria to my entire being. I could almost hear the choir of Angels singing Halleluiah as the luxurious liquid made its way down my throat and settled peacefully in my stomach spreading warmth throughout my body and soothing my jangled nerves. I was even able to temporarily forget the ache in my left shoulder. I was brought back to reality by the beautiful bartender, Faith saying that wants to be one of our models in a future shoot. She certainly
seemed to have all of the qualifications. So we conducted our usual intensive, extensive interview process right on the spot. I got her name and number and am including a picture. No voting is required as I have already made an executive decision. Watch for her in an upcoming edition of The Mag. With our short but sweet break having the desired effect we were able to carry on and complete the final part of our mission with a stop at Kreative Khaos Tattoo Studio,
in Brantford (More about this next issue.) before making the last leg of our journey back to Newmarket. Hog Town – Baconfest 2016 Much to my regret, I couldn’t attend this year’s event due to the surgery on my shoulder and due to a misunderstanding and miscommunication, our Mag Rep for that area wasn’t able to make it either. I called Teresa and she was very understanding and filled me in on the details of the event and was kind enough to
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“Sign Girls” Bryr and Nicole did a great job of lifting the moral and spirits as well. The winners were as follows; 1st place: Kale Broschak – 245 feet 2001 HD Ultra 2nd place: Dino Gaudino – 187 ft. 2009 HD Road Glide 3rd Place: Rob Sloan – 101 ft. 2007 HD Ultra A full pull is 300 feet The Custom Bike Show - Sponsored by Midwest Motorcycle Supply was also a very well run event which pleased the attendees and produced the following Winners:
send some pictures as well. It was a complete success despite the fact that it rained a couple of times during the day with an estimate of between 12,000 and 15,000 people showing up. There was enormous Club support with lots of bikes filling Main St. which had been closed for the event and everyone had a ball. The store was super busy as were all the vendors in “Hogland” (The Arena Fairgrounds) and The Middlesex Pork Producers served up huge amounts of bacon to the hungry attendees. There was lots to see and do in “Hogland” and The Harley Pulls sponsored by Parts Canada - Drag Specialty were once again, a huge hit with the crowd. The
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Best in Show: DG Custom Cycle (Dave Green). Aylmer, Ontario People’s Choice -Angel from Hell Bike –(Flashlight Bike) Brad Poysor – Mt. Brydges, Ontario There were about 2000 people in attendance at “The Hells Bells” AC/DC Tribute band show and the Harley Pulls. Mike & Teresa at Hogtown would like to thanks everyone who participated: in Baconfest 2016, Vendors, Volunteers, Staff and all that attended. This event would not be possible with each and everyone one of you....see you for an even bigger, better event next year July 8th, 2017. Mount Forest Legion Show and Shine – 2016 Something happened to their ad this year as it didn’t run. They have been doing this event for quite some time now and have always advertised with us but for some unknown reason we missed it this year and when I was informed of the mistake it was too late to get it in the printed version of the Mag but it was added to the online version and posted on our Facebook page. It was a nice but rather finicky day, with sunny skies one minute and then clouding over the next, as I rode across to Mount Forest. I was a little later than usual in leaving having got caught up in stuff at the office and the traffic coming into Town was quite heavy. There were lots of bikes of every make and model imaginable lining both sides of the Street and filling the large
parking lot as I rolled in and found a spot to leave the Trike. There was also a good sized crowd milling around and checking out all the great looking bikes and visiting. I immediately spotted many familiar faces as I scanned the crowd and set off to explore and meet as many as I could. They had changed things up in the Beer Garden this year by repositioning the tent, rearranging the seating and stage and moving the serving areas to outside the tent and it seemed to really make a difference in the flow of service at the bar and allowed more tables to be under the tent. The barbecue area was constantly busy serving up great burgers and hotdogs. They had a great band keeping everyone entertained and there was a whole lot to see and people to meet. I have always had a great time at this event and made lots of friends over the years that I’ve been covering it. I took a quick run out to Main St. to check out some of the fantastic looking cars and trucks that ranged from antique, vintage, racing, sporty, muscle cars, hearses and just about any other type of vehicle that you could imagine lining both sides of the road the full length of the downtown. There was a sea of people young and old and everything in between out enjoying the sights and sounds of this amazing annual event. There were lots of food vendors and lots to see and do. It is a marvelous carnival atmosphere that breathes vitality into the magnificent Downtown area that used to be the centre of attention in all these smaller Towns in different times but tend to get forgotten in today’s World of big box stores and large Malls. There is also an enormous fireworks display later that one day that is the highlight of the event and I will have to hang around and see one of these years when I get my life to slow down a bit. But I went back to the Legion just in time as they were about to give out the awards for the Show and Shine so I positioned myself to get pictures of the winners. They had some really great looking trophies this year and they went home with some deserving people. It was time to say my goodbyes and wander on home as we were on deadline and Al and our newest addition to our crew Lydia were working away trying to put things together. Plus my shoulder was crying out for some of the pain pills that were waiting for it at home. It was another great event and we will make sure that we don’t lose track of the ads next year. I got to around Loretto and figured that I deserved a short beer break and swung into the Loretto Hotel as they used to sell 50 there. I pulled into the parking lot to find it crowded with motorcycles and the deck loaded with people.
There was also a huge hole running the length of the building and subsequent piles of dirt taking up space in the normally huge parking lot. The Hotel was recently sold and it is apparent that the new owners are doing some serious renovations and improvements. I wandered through the patio and received a warm welcome from the crew of guys and gals enjoying some of the great food and beverages that the hotel has to offer before making my way inside to be greeted by another bunch of riders. It turns out that The Highway Riders MC were doing a poker run that day and this was one of the stops. They asked if I would mind taking a group shot of them and you know I had to comply and wandered back outside fished my Nikon from the back of the Trike while they gathered the troop’s and set up for the shot.
That done and the crew preparing to continue on their way I went in and partook of a cold beer (No, not a 50) before sliding off to complete my journey home. If I don’t see you at another event in the next monthcome on over to one of the Bike Nights at The Lion Pub here in Newmarket or we’ll see you at our Show & Shine on August 28th.
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Well, the boss & I finally got a chance to get some touring done at the start of the month spending some time relaxing in Kouchibouguac National Park on the ocean in N.B. We were going to visit the beach but the long boardwalk to the ocean looked too much for this old guy to handle with the back and hip problems, plus I didn’t spot a bar or medics on the long route to said beach, maybe next time.! While we were away I did miss two great rides, one by the Bacchus Club in Fredericton which my brother Machine covered for me and another up north in Bathurst put on by the Darksiders MC. Unfortunately, the Darksiders didn’t get back to me in time for this issue but Machine sent me a great report and pics to share with you as follows: “Well the 1st annual ride for a cause was a huge success, with over 40 bikes, members of various clubs attended Bacchus MC, Robin Angel, Dying Breed MC, Veterans MC, Darksiders MC, Sedition MC. Elm City Riders, supporters and friends. One of our supporters asked for some help and we answered the call. The ride raised $750. for Jade Tripp who has cystic fibrosis, she’s in Toronto waiting for a double lung transplant for 260 days. Her dad said that her fortune turned great after the ride, not only with the money raised, but she got the call for matching donor. She has since been in recovery and has sent a picture giving thumbs up.
Proud to have been a part of this event. All the best to Jade and her family Machine” Bacchus M.C.,striker. THE RIDERS MAG ----- PAGE 18
I have to remind you guys to look out on the roads, according to the police, we have six brothers killed in N.B. since April. The most recent was a 53 year old rider after hitting two young moose ended up getting over by an RCMP cop! So watch in front of you and cover your back‌ The investigation continues as to cause of death but as bikers we know the real truth that will never be released. R.I.P. my brother G.B.N.F. We did get out to the great cancer run , organized by Paul (Butch Jr) who took over from (17 year veteran) Ovie and had a great time down in the St. Antoine area. There were about 150 bikes on the run and made a pile of money for the cause. Keep up the great work!
Now we are packing to get to the great Cape Breton run in a week or so. Got a replacement, Ian Carter (Carter Customs) to handle deliveries for this issue as we will be at the N.S. rally. Safe ride out there. Atlantic Jeff signing off.
theridersmag_atlantic@yahoo.ca
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One for the road
Lil Red’s Getting’ Wet! 2nd Annual Brotherhood of Bikers Show ‘n Shine This was my first Brotherhood event, and being that it was at A&W, it was a good start! I’ll be honest, it was bigger than we expected. Pulling into the lot, we were directed where to park and register our rides. And right there, John grabs the mags and off he went to put them on EVERYONE’s bike. Lol We met his wife Karen and Shawn Antoski (yes..the NHLer) while registering and then noticed the vendors. Frenchie was there with his Black Gold tent, as was Tam for the Quinte Ride for Paws (August 28, Trenton City Hall
parking lot, Be there, or be square!!!). I knew my son was looking for something from Frenchie, so I directed him there once we saw him. We headed over ourselves to say hi (and of course, our Tam is only too gracious to take a bundle of mags to give to everyone walking by her tent!). We headed over to look at all the bikes. There was a beautiful Elvis themed bike (that apparently Orange County Choppers had a hand in) and it was something. From the footboards looking like a musical notebook, to the old fashioned microphone as the bike’s speakers, it was something to see. (And yes, it won) Buzz won with his Honda in the Vintage category. He was there promoting his Bikes By The Bay. I will
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…..with Lil Red
say, it is really something to see these events help in pushing other local events. After walking around and catching up with a few friends, Shawn headed up to the mic to make a speech. This event has some serious connections to a Non-Profit organization called ”Fear Nothing”. I’ve done some research and will be sitting down with Shawn soon, so I will be sharing it in more detail in next month’s article (as I think most if not ALL of us can relate). It’s in relation to mental illness but more so, SUPPORT for mental illness. To see and understand the stigma surrounding mental illness, and how something such as stress (see, we can ALL relate) can be a huge contributing factor, I think bringing it to the forefront is a novel idea. I hope this event picks up steam for next year. (Check out Fear Nothing on Facebook). I encourage you to read an article on it in Psychology Today. I bet you’ll be able to relate in some form. After the speeches, (and Shawn leaned in to kiss the top of John’s head for a photo op..but actually kissed a Montreal Canadians hat!!!! Ugh…Shawn we need to talk lol) and awards and the meet ‘n greet, (and not to forget the food, it’s at A&W after all. So much for bikini season!) we took some time to take some group photos of all the guys involved in promoting this event. I was unaware that the picture taking was happening as I was heading in for some burgers, but I’ll tell ya, having a large group of guys yell ‘LIL RED’ at ya, gets your attention pretty quick! For a 2nd annual event, it was fun to be a part of. 13th Annual Kawartha Biker’s Church Show ‘n Shine
Ah Mother Nature…why must you be such a dirty little bitch?? Really?? Rain?? Of all days!! We ventured out anyway (I mean it IS the Biker’s Church show ‘n shine and Pastor Dave ALWAYS has great people, food and trophies so what’s a little rain?) The sun was out for the ride up, and we’ve always loved riding in and around Peterborough. Since my skills in direction is lacking at the best of times, Mike got us to the event in great time. Pulling in, we saw all the rides and headed on over to let Pastor Dave know we were there. They asked if I’d like to enter my ride in the show ‘n shine, and I though what the heck (And no..I didn’t win a trophy but just having people look at it is usually enough for me!). After parking the bikes (which I’m getting better at, thanks for asking!) we headed for the tent. It was great to see Bear and Renegades, and I knew I was heading to their table once we finished our set up. Looking around, you could tell that the weather was a hindrance on the numbers (I was here last year and it was a big event) but the band was playing, the BBQ was fired up and people were hanging out. (I’ll be honest, the rain came for a brief time but Pastor Dave had a tent up for us so were we all good!) I found Pastor Dave and spoke with him a bit. As usual, he’s being called here and there so I opted to check out the rides entered in the show ‘n shine and to sneak a peek at the trophies. I won’t be shy to say that at all the events we see, these trophies are some of the best. And BIG!!! I’m not sure how some riders will get them home! We headed over to the Renegade Brothers to catch up with Bear. They have a number of events (charity events for kids especially) and have a camping weekend that we hit last year that introduced me to some funny contests I’d never heard of (but apparently are quite common in the riders community). They all wished for Critter to get better soon when they heard that our Critter had surgery. Wandering around the bikes, we met up with a couple named Linda and Gary. They knew our Critter well (Honestly, EVERYONE does really!) and we checked out their rides. Gary’s was a really sweet looking silver customized HD (this bike won the Judges Trophy) and Linda had a pretty pink and white ride that won Best Cruiser Asian and Best Custom Asian. They had Gary’s new truck there with the bike trailer, and said they meet up with Critter at these things. All of a sudden, I caught a glimpse of a dog…and there in full Harley gear! Hat, vest, and according to Big
Bill, helmet and goggles! So in talking with Big Bill, he said to tell Critter he said hello, and began talking about Willie G (the pup). We took some pics (how can you NOT) and Mike realized that my ride was up against Big Bill’s. Ah geez, thanks for coming out Lil Red. You can go home now. And based on the awards given, I was correct. He walked away with 5! Really Big Bill?? Share the love! Lol. He won Best Plating, Best in Class, Best in Show and People’s Choice and Best Custom North American.
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Best touring went to Rooster, Mike Osborne won for Best Sport and Cookie won Best Vintage Asain. (This girl always wins lol). We joked with Big Bill as to how he would get these babies home. It just so happens that Gary and Linda trailered their bikes to the event and live not too far from Big Bill, so they kindly offered to take them back for him to pick up.. like in a truck! This event has a trophy for best tattoo. Now I love Mike’s eagle tattoo, so I pushed for him to enter it. It’s really nicely done. But he went up against Spkye from the Renegades and Spyke had a full back piece that took the prize. The Peterkin Band was playing some awesome rock ‘n blues, and the crowd seemed to know all the tunes that they chose for their sets. The rain hit, but it was a short shower, and everyone was back out in the sunshine. Something else at this event is the food. Pastor Dave always provides great burgers. And this year, someone brought brownies! Aw come on!! I cannot get to a svelte like figure with this shit around! I bought it anyway cause well, it’s rude if you don’t right?... Well, in MY mind it is. Lol I’ll be honest, those that skipped this because of the weather, missed a really great event! I’m hoping that next year’s event isn’t hindered by rain as it really brings out a large crowd. Well, and the fact that we almost made it home from the event, only to hit the storm 15 mins from home….some mags didn’t fare too well, nor did my pants!! But I laughed the whole time… Wheels, Water and Wings I’m guessing my little ‘talk’ with Mother Nature worked, as today looked to be a beautiful day for a ride. So today I opted for the Animal mask, just for fun. Taking time to shine up the bikes, (and deal with some
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soggy mags) we then headed out to meet up with some folks in Madoc to ride up with. Some folks that were on time had left after 15 mins of waiting for the rest of us, so the rest of the group we met with saddled up our rides and geared up to Bancroft. The day was great for riding those fantastic roads. And just to mention, the fine folks at Wheels, Water and Wings have provided a guide for some of the best scenic roads to discover on your bike. I’ll be sure to reference them when posting these roads to try (and will let you know when we’ve tried them and how they measure up!). Once entering Bancroft, people generally stopped to gawk and even laugh out loud at this monster thing on my helmet. We pulled right into the centre of town (they block off the roads, like they do in Dover, just for bikes!) And this was a great idea. Looking around, they had a couple of vendors, a MidWay, Beaver Tails (yes..food!) and other food trucks/trailers to choose from. Some of the downtown businesses
were open and were all too happy to welcome the riders in for whatever they were looking for. Some rides we had noticed, were the same for the day before. Big Bill and Willie were there with their ride (entered in the show n shine) as well as Linda and Gary with their rides entered also. Mike and I wandered around, buying 50/50 tickets and a couple of shirts, Mike found one that read ‘My other ride has tits!’ (Aw hunny, that’s why I love you..you let me pick
out this piece of clothing lol.) It was a surprise that we ran into some of the Renegades again. We caught up with Bear briefly, then headed over to the show ‘n shine. Judging was taking place, and it appeared this is what people were waiting for. As always….hit me up when an event is coming. And don’t forget the Quinte Ride for Paws on August 28! Lilred@theridersmag.com
It was a great morning to head out to Motorcycle Enhancements for their Ride 2 Reach event. It was my second time attending the event, first one riding. I arrived early, pulled into the parking lot to a handful of bikes. I searched out John to say good morning. I wandered aimlessly taking pictures and meeting some fellow rider’s. The crowd was growing and everyone was eager to start the ride. Ride 2 Reach is a registered non profit organization that supports seven children’s hospitals across Canada. It’s purpose is to organize fundraising events in which the proceeds will be donated personally by the volunteer motorcycle riders. John gave a great speech and thanked everyone for coming. We started out along some great roads winding our way through some light traffic. We had awesome blockers as we got close to the halfway point of the ride which was a Tim Horton’s/ Wendy’s parking lot. I got off my bike, grabbed the camera for some more pic’s of people pulling in. I got asked to be a blocker on the way back, so I kindly said hell yeah. Being a blocker is a risky job as you get yelled at all the time, and almost hit every time you stop traffic. There is know greater joy, than watching bike after bike roll past you. Everyone had huge smiles on their faces, that couldn’t be wiped off as we headed back towards our destination. I was one of the last bikes in, pulled up and again grabbed the camera for more pictures of the growing crowd. The band was warming up as I wandered around. John was on the grill cooking up some yummy food for all the biker’s. It was a pleasure attending this great event for a great cause. I wanna thank John and all the volunteers for hosting this event, and I look forward to being there again next year.
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Mid-summer has now arrived here in Northern Ontario with temperatures reaching the 30ºC and none too soon. Although being a dryer than normal summer, it just seems that the heat has just not been around compared to previous years. Don’t get me wrong, I for one prefer the cooler dryer weather compared to humid and hot, especially for riding. I surely hope that everyone out there has been taking the time to enjoy this great riding season and precautions whether it be mechanical of physical, proper preparation is key for a safe riding season.
Biker’s Reunion “FINAL RIDE”
Well there you have it, after 15 yrs. in the making and over 1.16 million dollars raised, the famous Northern Ontario Biker’s Reunion comes to an end. A fantastic group of tired volunteers lead by B. Phip-
pen pulled off a copycat event from the previous year’s providing entertainment for the entire family. One characteristic that was missing somewhat again this year is “biker orientated” entertainments such as biker slow games and competitions for participants to challenge themselves as well as others on skills and knowledge. Although they had the most interesting list of entertainers that I have ever seen and an awesome job was done in setting it all up, there was still something missing. A bike wash was set up but it was a self-serve instead of having either bikini clad woman or for the lady riders, a beefcake timeslot that for a certain fee that is donated to charity you can have your ride washed for you while you enjoy the scenery. There was also a great motorcycle show where the prizes are awarded on people’s choice but there is nothing to acknowledge the technical part of the construction of some of these machines. It seems that if you had the cash to spend on a scoot and dress it up like a trailer queen, you stood a better chance at winning than a guy that rode a couple thousand kilometers with an old barn find that he had completely restored and fought the elements in order to be there. In my books, there’s something to be said about such riders. I tip my hat off to them. So basically what I’m getting to is that if this event would have carried on, I think a rename would have been in order and have the word biker removed to simply call it “A Friendly Family Rally” In any case, a great job one last time from everyone involved. It was great to run into old friends such as Alain from Great Spirit Jewelry and Jo-Jo from Newmarket with her assortments of fine accessories. Even David from Black Gold was there visiting and saying hi to everyone while passing out some Mags around. I’m looking forward to seeing you all at other events real soon! Keep up the great work!
Temiskaming Shores now on the map!
While at the Biker’s Reunion last month, the opportunity presented itself to set up distribution points in that area and with the help of our newest assistant, Rose, we already have a couple of establishments where you can pick up your printed copy of the Rider’s Mag along the Hwy 11 corridor going through the Tritowns. Rooster’s Restaurant in downtown New Liskeard which has been a supporter of the Mag for some time now as well as
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Gilli’s Truck Stop right on Hwy 11 will now have the Mags updated on a monthly basis with new editions for our readership up that way. Should you be from that area and wish to become a distribution point at no cost to you or your customers, feel free to contact me and I’ll certainly help you out in getting that set up. Having said that, a great big welcome and thank you for steeping up to the plate goes to Rose as well as our first couple of distributors. To stay up to date with the various distribution points of the Mag in your area, make sure to check out the map on our website www.theridersmag.com . Our go-to guy Al does an amazing job at keeping everything updated and informed. Thanks Al for everything you do behind the scenes. Much appreciated my friend!
Northern Ontario Biker Friendly White List
Now to the new section of my column that I call the Northern Ontario Biker Friendly White List which identifies biker friendly places and services in our neck of the woods. We all know that the Riders Mag is all about the people that makes this community as great as it is and that is why I will be concentrating on more of the people than the places. All good or bad, good people work for them and those are the ones that will be recognized. Most of the time, they have no say as to the work standards of their employer or their corporate decision makers… this month’s selection for the N.O.B.F.W.L. would have to be the awesome service received from Taylor at Mitmen Motorcycle, a local custom shop that dares to think outside the box and shows the passion and the love for the sport. We can’t forget the fair and honest guys at Protech Powersports that still boast the cheapest price for tire install in the Sudbury area and not to forget Guy’s smil-
ing face, the proprietor of the biker friendly Lavigne Tavern who makes sure that the beer is always cold and always offers a vast amount of entertainers every weekend Although these are mentioned this month, they are not by any means the only ones we have in this awesome area of the province. Check back every month for more Biker Friendly people and their locations. If you would like to nominate an establishment for this list, drop me a line with their info and I’ll look into it! As previously mentioned, most of you have already your dates all set in stone for any activities that you are planning for this summer so what better way to put the word out there to people that would actually come out to your event by advertising it in the Riders Mag now that we’ve been established for over a year in Northern Ontario as well as country wide! Well my friends, I can help you do that by simply getting a hold of me either via text (705662-1526), email thatnorthernguy144@gmail.com , Facebook.com/Rider’s Mag North Ontario. Let’s get together and make this happen before it’s too late. This would also secure your spot for my attendance and great free reporting on your event to be covered along with professional photos that some may end up being published in the magazine and online. Together we can show the world what a great lifestyle we all enjoy! We support those who support us! Several times now, I’ve had the privilege and honor of attending pub nights at our local Cross Pistons Saloon. What a great time playing pool and sharing a few laughs with a friendly bunch of non-judgmental guys. The interesting and informa-
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tive, hilarious at times conversations that flows throughout the evening make it a pleasure to be there sharing a refreshment or two with the guys. The display of love and respect that these guys have for each other as well as everyone else is the true meaning of brotherhood. Just wanted to reach out and offer my gratitude to everyone that makes these evenings a good time for all. Always looking forward to the next one! MLHR. Most of my regular readers know that I’m open to anyone’s fair and honest opinion and I welcome any submissions to add to my column. I’m proud to add this letter that I’ve received from a good friend of mine just in time for this publication. Thanks Hardcore for your input to this month’s edition. It can become overwhelming sometimes... So many that I love still asleep to their own enslavement. Those that are awake, still remain completely entrapped by it... the corporate mainstream media relentlessly spin their fear mongering. Like a lullaby they harmoniously perpetuate their propaganda to the comatose masses... what to think, how to feel, who to hate... all laid out and spoon fed in nauseium The consistent narrative of fear is relentless. The zombified masses continue to freely sacrifice their rights and freedoms. All for a security that will never come... one law at a time, rights become privileges and freedoms become subjective to an inter-
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pretation of a new law. A perpetual erosion of the freedoms and founding principles of any democratic society anywhere. Freedoms now are nothing more than a proverbial carrot to always be dangled just out of reach... it is this illusion of freedom that enslaves most to a system of controls and masters... We have even lost the true meaning of the word... Freedom (or to be free), by definition, is an exemption from external control, interference and regulation. Sadly we now live in an over-regulated police state. There is no aspect of your life that isn’t regulated or controlled by your government, and this will only get worse. The powers that be, relentlessly spin the webs of propaganda... bridging the gaps of reality with fabricated biases or flat out lies. Their relentless fascination with the destruction of the biker sub-culture and particularly 1%er’s is a reflection of the systems absolute contempt for any who embrace the idea of freedom. To truly be free, one must embrace the true definition of the word. One who seeks to achieve freedom by petitioning those “in power”, has already failed, regardless of the response. To seek the blessing of “Authority”, is to accept that you do not have a choice. In doing so... by definition... you are already a slave. Freedom is a simple choice... The very act of choosing freedom is the precursor to the actual act. Freedom will always be persecuted by those who wish to enslave or control your thoughts. Every day, in every re-action you make, there is a choice to be free. Freedom is your inalienable right to make those choices for yourself. Freedom cannot be given, it must be taken and exercised relentlessly. “When a man is denied the right to live the life he believes in, he has no choice but to become an Outlaw” Hardcore 1%er Outlaws MC - Sudbury, ON In conclusion this month, I will leave you as always with a quote from Nelson Mandela that goes like this…. “I Never Lose…I Either Win or I Learn!”
LEGALITY OF APE HANGERS
High handlebars are back in style. I don’t know what they are called these days but when I was growing up we called them ape hangers for obvious reasons. The legalities might surprise you. In Ontario, the maximum legal height of motorcycle handle bars is prescribed by Ontario Regulation R.R.O 1990, Reg. 596 (10) under the Highway Traffic Act which provides as follows: 10. (1) No person shall operate upon a highway a motorcycle or motor assisted bicycle equipped with handlebars that are more than 380 millimetres in height above the uppermost portion of the seat provided for the operator when the seat is depressed by the weight of the operator. R.R.O. 1990, Reg. 596, s. 10 (1). The handle bar height restriction has been in place since 1960. It was revised in 1967 to establish a maximum height of 15 inches. In 1978 that was converted to the metric measurement of 380mm. There have been no changes since that date. So high handlebars have been illegal since 1960. Obviously there are lots of bikes on the road with handlebars higher than 15 inches. The issue seems to be one of enforcement. The issues of high handlebars was considered in great detail in the case of Waterloo v. Hampton 2012 ONCJ 838. You can find the case if you go to CanLII Ontario. In this case Raymond Hampton was pulled over when a police officer noted that the handlebars on his 2000 Harley placed his hands above his shoulders when riding. The officer measured the height at 830mm and laid a charge. Raymond defended the charges and argued that the regulation is unconstitutional. The case ended with a very thorough and detailed 16 page judgment. Raymond had 2 lawyers or paralegals representing him. Witnesses included the police officer, a safety representative from the Ministry of Transport (by affidavit) and a motorcycle expert. The court reviewed excerpts from Hansard of comments about the regulation in the Ontario legislature, similar regulations from all other Canadian provinces and 52 states and photos of brand new stock mo-
torcycles for sale with bars more than 410mm above the seat height. The court also reviewed the Charter of Rights, the Federal Bill of Rights and 16 previous court decisions mostly related to constitutional law. I mention this because it shows how far some bikers will go to prove a point. In the end, the JP agreed that Raymond had the right to challenge the law in court. Then he held the regulation was constitutional, that the evidence showed that the bars were too high and Raymond was convicted. I am guessing Raymond got a fine of $100 or less. Raymond, if you are out there: nice try, you fought the good fight. For readers in provinces outside Ontario the regulations from some of the other provinces were listed and I reproduce them here for your information: Manitoba- 390 millimetres, s. 51 of the Manitoba Highway Traffic Act, , Nova Scotia- 12 inches above the point of attachment to the frame s. 21(a) Standard of Vehicle Equipment Regulation under Nova Scotia Motor Vehicle Act, British Columbia to the top of the driver shoulders s. 7.14(b) of Division 7 of the Motor Vehicle Act Regulations under British Columbia Motor Vehicle Act. Saskatchewan maximum handlebars height of no higher than the shoulders of a seated driver s. 230(a), Vehicles Equipment Regulations 1987 under Saskatchewan Traffic Safety Act. Quebec height as handlebars are installed by the manufacturer s. 150 Regulation Respecting Safety Standards for road vehicles, 1998, under Quebec Highway Safety Code. For those travelling to the USA, the following information from the same case may be helpful:
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Eighteen States of the USA have height restriction of 15 inches for the handlebars – Alabama, Alaska, Delaware, Georgia, Hawaii, Indiana, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, Rhode Island, Texas, Utah, Vermont and West Virginia as well as District of Columbia. Seventeen States of the USA have some restriction on handlebars height- Arizona, California, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Maine, Mississippi, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. Remember this case is from 2012. Any of these regulations may have changed since then. Ontario’s regulation has not changed.
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The points I take from this case are: 1. Clearly there are many bikes on the road and in showrooms with bars that are too high so the police are not enforcing this regulation strictly. The trigger in this case was that the rider’s hands were above his shoulders. So if you are riding a bike with high bars do so at your own risk and don’t overdo it because the higher the bars, the better your chances of getting pulled over; 2. Of course the Ministry of Transportation justifies the regulation as a safety issue. Three reasons were given. First, the handlebars should not interfere with your field of vision which should be 120 degrees side to side. So again, if the bars are near the rider’s eye level you are asking to be pulled over. Second it is said that it may be impossible to hold on to the bars when making a sharp turn because the outside bar (i.e. the right hand bar on a left hand turn) may be pulled beyond your reach. Third, high bars may create instability due to forces exerted well above the centre of gravity of bike and rider, especially when emergency braking; 3. The regulation does not specify whether the height is measured at the hand grips or at the highest part of the bars. In Raymond’s case, the hand grips were quite a bite below the highest part of the bar, although they were still clearly over 380mm. If obstruction of vision is a justification for the rule, this suggests that the height should be measured at the hand grips as the bars themselves should not be a significant visual obstruction; 4. In case you want to check your bar height yourself, the measurement system used by the police officer in this case was to measure from the ground to the front of the seat with the rider on the seat. The officer then measured from the ground to the highest point of the handlebars. If you subtract the first measurement from the second, the difference should be equal to the height of the bars above the highest point of the seat when it is depressed by the rider. Thanks to editor Al Wolske for suggesting this topic. If you have any other topics you want covered or any questions, I invite you to submit them to me at www.bikelawyer.ca. As always, please remember that this column is provided for general information and is not intended as legal advice. Always consult with a lawyer before taking any actions that may have legal consequences. Ride safe and enjoy it.
For July Well It’s June 30th and time to head for Prince County Hospital for day surgery. I’ve got a crew of great doctors waiting to do what they do best, but first up is Dr. Hoare. She is the doctor to do the stretching of my throat. She puts a balloon down and then inflates it in three different stages. Next comes Dr. Solomon who is a great guy and the man who did my operation when I had throat Cancer. HE took out my voice box, lymph nodes and muscles in my neck and shoulder on my left side. He is the guy who saved my life, and is going to do a biopsy on me today. So that is what I’m doing today. It’s a good thing I have such great doctors on PEI. Thanks guys! I have one more person to thank and that is Trevor. He is the guy who takes over when the doctors finish. He puts the new flapper valve in so I can talk again. It takes the place of my voice box. So that is over and I’m moving on to July 1st. I’m moving a little slower, but in the right direction and that’s forward. I went to the Villan’s clubhouse because they are closer than my house and they are having a barbeque for Canada Day Weekend. I said I’d be there so I parked my Road King (that I wasn’t supposed to ride) and stayed for the night. What a great day we had. I hurt a lot but the beer was good and they put on a great feast of hamburgers and hot dogs, potato salad and so much more. Everyone had a great day, and the party that night was better if you can believe that. I asked Matt, one of the Villians, if he would detail my Road King for me. He said yes, so I asked how much. He told me to bring it to the house on Friday and leave it and he would do it for free. He said he would have everything he needed and would do it Saturday. It would take about 8-10 hours. I said “Great but you ain’t doing it for nothing” He replied “I’m not, I’m doing it for you.” Now that’s a brother, and that’s why I respect all the Villian’s. They treat me like one of their own. So Im licking my wounds and not feeling well but I’ll get better as the week goes on. Thanks to everyone in this article for helping me get through this week, and the last week! For August.... Well here I am in Summerside PEI. I went to the wing for a few beers with Kevin. He is still the fun loving and funniest man I know. Anyway we had a great time hanging out. I met some awesome people there. We sat and had a good chat about what they do. They are called “The Renegade.” They were the best band I’ve ever seen on the island. Julie Arsenault, the lead singer, was terrific and so was the rest of the band Danny, Pat, Colin and Dale. It was so good I had to rent a room for the weekend! So I’m writing this in the hotel room across from the wing. What a night it was. Kevin had a friend named Mindy Betts. She made sure I got to the hotel safe... What a good woman she was! You know I like to have a few beers and have a little fun! (Just ask my brother Mike up in Gilford Ontario.) Karaoke was on Sunday, and there were a lot of people there. Some were outstanding. Before getting into what happened at karaoke I want to tell you that when you come to the island you should stop and meet some of these people at the wing. It is the RCAF association which I am proud to be a member of. They would love to meet you! Anyway, the bartender, Paula, is a friend and she does a great job at taking the time to talk and give you the drink you want. If you need infor-
mation on anything she will get it for you. I met two people at karaoke I’ll never forget. They were quite the couple. Korey Palmer and Tracey Gallant They made my night. They stayed with me all night and watched all the participants. I think as everyone else seemed to think Leona Cormier was the best with Owen Palmer beside her singing. The birthday girl, Karen Oatway with all her family and friends and all the rest of the people wished her a happy birthday. I am sure you all have a place you go to meet people and have a good time. So I hope if you come to my part of Heaven you will come say Hi to PEI Billy. I’ll be at the wing waiting to take you for a cruise around the island. Bye for now. PEI BILLY
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Right in the heart of beautiful downtown Jarvis Ont. sits Len’s Automotive. It is a one stop shop for all your automotive needs, offering everything from used cars, full body shop services, automotive repairs detailing and road service through the towing operation. What brings us here is their involvement in Motor Trike conversions and the fact that they are Canada’s Premier Rewaco Trike Importer and Dealer and have some amazing deals on new and used trikes and are a fantastic Canadian success story. The building, in itself, is a rather ordinary looking corner garage but at present the businesses it contains may seem kind of unclear, due to the fact that this is such a multifaceted operation and there is a lot going on here. There is a large selection of great looking trikes along with the spectacular, mammoth, truck/vehicle hauler, parked out front along with the used cars and trucks. If this is your first trip here and you’ve never met or talked to either Len or Ernie before at the many large, excellent, displays that they set up at all the major Motorcycle Shows and events seemingly everywhere. If you haven’t heard anything about this place, then this amazing display of Trikes is the first indication that you are not entering just another shop or checking out just any motorcycles. What started out 35 years ago as a towing company/ performance and body shop/used car dealership in Cayuga Ont., before taking over a gas station at this corner in Jarvis and moving the entire operation where he still is today. There have been many changes, additions, renovations and expansions along the way to be sure. This is largely a Family business with a lot of reliable, long term, employees who keep things running smoothly and efficiently and are extremely adaptable to change and make the enormous growth and expansions possible. Len and Ernie are an extremely dynamic and effective Father/Son team who share like interests, enthusiasm and personalities. They are both affable, laid back easy to talk to kind of guys whose knowledge of their products and services is immediately evident in the way they confidently answer questions with no hesitation. Their pride in ownership, commitment to their business and their shared ambition and respect for their customers is also evident. Len’s Automotive has a rather large footprint in this town and is growing larger all the time at a rapid pace. The main shop, store, office and showroom on the corner lot that is run by Cathy, Deb, Kim, Tracy and Corinne also houses the Garage and Service area where Sue along with Brian and Ernie who are both factory trained and certified work their magic as well as the body shop facility where Len and Jim are large and in charge. This side of the street
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has been expanded pretty much as far as it can go. So they spread out to a large parcel of land, kitty corner to this property on the opposite side of the street. There, they custom designed and built a spectacular building to fit their needs, that is home to the huge detailing shop, run by an enthusiastic and very capable crew made up of Craig, Mike and Chris, that is large enough to comfortably, work on a number tractors, trailers, motorhomes, cars, trucks and motorcycles all at the same time. The large efficient towing operation and storage compound yard is also based out of this property. If that is not enough, they have recently broken ground on the property directly across the road from the main shop on the adjacent corner and are in the process of erecting a brand new building on that location. Brightly painted stakes amongst the piles of dirt and gravel are currently marking the perimeter of the new spot and Len, Ernie and crew keep a constant, anxious eye on the progress of construction as they have big plans for it and can’t wait to move in and bring it to life. The advent and addition of Trike Division wasn’t really a planned move but something that came about when Len tried out a trike and decided he had to have one. I don’t think Len really grasps the concept of one, which is evident from the number of successful businesses they run and from the large selection of Trikes and other services that he has to offer. Things just seem to evolve from an idea to a full blown business and then thrives on the enthusiasm, energy and talents of the owners and employees alike. So back in 2007, one trike and some enthusiastic forward thinking, spawned the creation of this new and exciting division and evolved into doing hundreds of trike conversions on a huge variety of different motorcycles ranging from Harley-Davidson, Honda, Victory and many others using the Motor Trike conversion kits. He and the crew were all factory trained to do the conversions and offered full service and follow up on those conversions and have earned a solid reputation in the Motorcycle Community. These machines have a 3 yr., 60,000 KM warrantee and have proved to be roadworthy, trustworthy, durable and dependable. The Rewaco (pronounced; Re-Va-Co) Trikes really caught Len’s attention and they decided to pursue a distributorship. This would prove to be a long, tedious and very expensive process, involving extensive testing, much jumping through hoops and hurdling of a seemingly endless government obstacles, dotting of I’s and crossing of T’s. But Len and
Ernie remained tenacious and determined and they finally got the green light, with the machines getting full North American EPA., MTO and DTO and safety approval. It was well worth it in the end as they have sold around 60 of them since they got clearance back in 2014 and things are looking very promising for the future. The crew here were fully trained and certified at the Rewaco Training Centre in Belgium and can solve any problems that occur but they have had very few concerns with the Rewako line. Len is the Exclusive Importer of Rewaco Trikes into Canada and is one of three distributors operating in Canada and the only one in Ontario. There is another near Edmonton in Alberta and another in Chilliwack B.C. and an affiliate in the USA. They are looking to further expand the dealer network across North America. These Trikes are extremely marketable and offer many features not available on anything else on the market. Starting at around $40,000.00 and Len’s can offer complete financing and can spread the payments over a 20 year contract. They can also arrange full insurance policies through Intact Insurance Company. There are currently, three body styles available, offering seating for two or three people, three options for wheels and offer two different drive lines Mitsubishi or Ford with a standard 5 speed transmission, can be turbo charged and have a 600 lb. towing capacity. The option of the automatic 7 speed transmission has sparked additional interest in these amazing machines that already have so much to offer. They are excellent handling machines with the
fully independent rear ends, eliminating the chatter from cornering. Something that the owners of other types of trikes with a fixed rear axle find so disconcerting. They can be fully adapted to meet the needs of those with physical challenges such as accommodation for wheel chairs or other appliances or equipment. These Trikes have resolved the problems and concerns that became an issue for owners of older Volkswagen trikes and other similar conversions that were very popular in years gone by, until the government and insurance companies raised concerns with weight distribution and other issues and they were essentially forced off the road. The Rewaco models have been engineered with a transverse mounted engine that sits ahead of the rear axle so that between 25% and 70% of the vehicle weight is on the front end, which resolves those issues. If you are thinking of moving to a trike as an option to your riding experience either to convert your existing bike with a Motor Trike Kit or thinking that you’d look good on one of those sleek looking Rewaco Trikes, stop by and check them out in the heart of Jarvis or check out their amazing and informative Website.
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June 26th marked the 6th annual Bob Probert Ride raising money, and awareness for local heart health and rehabilitation. There was a record breaking 1200 riders that day, all leaving Thunder Road Harley Davidson on a hot, sunny, and what I considered to be a perfect day for a ride. The tour went around Essex County giving the riders and example of where to go if they are just out for a ride. The Verdi Club in Amherstburg being the first stop, Colchester Bar and Grill second, the Sandbar in Puce third, and all finishing in Olde Walkerville. The scene described by many that attended and stayed till the end said Walkerville seems to have been transformed into a mini Dover, with most if not all bikes completing the entire ride, it was wall to wall motorcycles. The restaurants and bars were
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packed, and all had a great time. Congrats and thatnks Dani Probert and her family, Hotel-Dieu Grace Hospital, all the volunteers, NHL alumni, and everyone for making this a memorable event. I would also like to say that to my knowledge there were no accidents or incidents of any kind. Can’t wait til next year.
The “Run to the North Wall XXI”, Sunday July 3, 2016, was attended by approximately 300 motorcyclists from everywhere, and I mean literally everywhere. Beside the many who attend from riding clubs to MC’s, there were 2 riders that really stood out. They were Australian Vietnam Veterans, Eamon who lives in Colorado, and Phil who shipped his motorcycle from Winmalee, NSW Australia just to participate in this ride. I had a chance to speak to both of these gentlemen and promised to stay in touch via email, or snail mail, with news from our Mag. Hopefully we can
his Tim DeGuire had been diagnosed with cancer, and the prognosis wasn’t good at all. Ron decided to have a benefit dinner for him, and I asked if there was anything I could do. I put up a poster at my place or work telling everyone I could about the benefit, as well, reposting on social media to get the word out, the benefit was in 2 weeks and time was short. Ron put together an awesome crew to help out, including Cindy Brenner, Courtney Mac, Kat Trina, Kathy Trojiani, Laurie Lynn, Jeff House, Bill Drouillard, and members of the Bad Examples RC. I would also be remiss to fail to mention the generosity of Dan and the staff of the Moose Lodge in Windsor, who put this together on such short notice, and The Purple
get them to write something about their experience here. Another well organised and safe event, Thank you North Wall Riders.
A long-time friend Ron Storrey approached me at work one day with some pretty bad news, a friend of
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Monkey Gang, and Hospice Wellness Band, who donated their time to entertain at the event. Tim was overwhelmed with the compassion and generosity this community showed to him and his family. This is just yet another example of the way the “bike” community steps up to help one of their own in times of crisis. As well as is said at one of these benefits” F&%K CANCER.” With the season heating up, with no signs of cooling down there seems to be more and more to do, just a reminder so you won’t miss out on some of the upcoming events. Mark your calendars, QMC Bandfest at the Acres July 23, and their annual Shoot and Scoot August 27, 2016, if you remember as a kid playing with bows and arrows, slingshots, spears etc.. you won’t want to miss this. Also the 1st annual 22K march on the Essex Region Conservation Authority Chrysler Canada Greenway will be on September 10. This event will officially kick off SPAW, (Suicide Prevention Awareness Week) in Essex County, this initiative is being started by my oldest son Jeff, PPCLI Sgt. retired, it would be good to see a positive turnout by
the motorcycle community, veterans, and first responders, all are welcome. September 11, run to the Afghanistan/UN Peacekeeper memorial, and on September 18, 2016 the annual Cpl. Andrew Grenon Memorial Ride, hosted by 1st Cav. I will be posting a reminder of some of these events in the next issue as well. On a more personal note, we have lost 25 riders this year so far in SW Ontario alone, please, please ride safe Two of those taken too early, Gone but never forgotten Colin and Laurie Jackson, taken way too early. Colin a member of the IHMC and his wife were tragically lost last month in an accident, will be sadly missed by all that knew them. RIP. I would like to take this opportunity to put this out to our readers, I would like to start a column, bikers helping bikers. whether it’s mechanical issues, or you’re looking for a biker friendly place to hang out in certain parts of the country, let’s get together and help each other out. And again please ride safe. Lockup
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Tour of Duty What a wonderful, hot summer for bikers! I haven’t been able to get away as much or as far this year due to a lack of resources and a busy dog sitter, but the King and I did get to a few runs. June 11th was the Tour of Duty, organized by Chapter 11 of ABATE. It was a sketchy, wet morning so I had pretty much decided not to go, but then a quick call to Surf and I was on the road, headed a couple hours down to the meeting point in Seaforth. The weather did improve on the way and by the time I arrived at the Seaforth Legion, the sky was blue in all directions. Many were already there and it was just great to see so many good friends, some that I hadn’t seen for week and some that I hadn’t seen for many years. It was quite a surprise to run into Jack, and to see Tom again. Everyone registered for the run and headed out to the stops, which were all at Legions. Participants had to answer history related questions at each stop so it was a learning experience and a ride for a great cause. I didn’t go on the ride and neither did my buddy Tom, so we hung out for a little while and reflected on life. By the end of it all there were almost 50 bikes registered and $3,000 raised for Wounded Warriors of Canada. A great day for a great cause. Smiley’s Renewal of Wedding Vows
put on more miles than most of us dream of riding. They have now given their motorcycles to family members and borrow them now and again if they want to get out for a rip. It turns out that these two people were Mike and Linda’s witnesses when they eloped 20 years ago in Port Huron Michigan. Jan had saved Linda’s original flowers from that night and gave them back to her for to-
I left Seaforth, still under blue skies, and headed to Ripley (believe it or not) for Linda and Mike Smiley’s Wedding Vows Renewal. These two people have such a strong bond of true love and true friendship that it almost restores my faith in love . . . almost. The property was beautifully decorated and the aisle was created using guests motorcycles. The service was very close and personal. Many friends were also there and I met a few new people as well. Jan and Don entertained me with their stories of motorcycling in some areas I have only dreamed of riding. This very “normal” looking couple has likely
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day. They are Mike and Linda’s adopted Mom and Dad. It was great to meet them and I really enjoyed their stories. It was soon time to head home so I left with a smile on my face and great thoughts of love and family in my head. The King and I took the short cut home through the swamps and the bends, a beautiful rode but full of wildlife. As the King and I swung around a curve a family of geese was stretched across the road with Ma and Pa in
front and back positions and a bunch of babies waddling in the middle. The King squeaked the tires as we braked and swerved to the right, but then the geese turned around and headed right so we squeaked a bit more and swerved to the left. Even with the King barreling down on him that last Pa goose didn’t pass his babies, he would have taken the hit before he left one gosling behind him. However he did boot the last one pretty hard in the butt, pushing the little guy past a sibling and nose first into the ditch while Papa narrowly escaped the crash bar. I’m pretty sure I heard Papa goose squawking “AAAAAALVIIIIIIN!” as it was all going down. That little goose sliding down the ditch on his neck/belly was a pretty funny sight. More proof of death defying love and family.
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Royal City Riders MC Poker Run The King and I attended the Royal City Riders MC Poker Run on the following weekend. The King and I didn’t want to get up at 6am on Sat morning so we didn’t. Giant met up with me and we left a bit late, so we arrived a bit late. Luckily the girls hadn’t quite packed up the first stop yet so we registered, got our maps, drew the first card, and helped carry a few boxes to the car for the girls. Then it was off to the Plattsville for the second card. When we arrived at The Trail’s Edge, the run had also just arrived so there was plenty of time for coffee and visiting. All the stops were biker friendly restaurants with patios, shade, and a bit of a breeze. It was turning into a real steamer of a day, the kind of day when those damn FLH pipes burn the heck out of your thigh if you stop for too long. Luckily, there was not a lot of stopping. Once we arrived at the property, a few sun shelters were assembled, the coolers were stocked, and the games began! Games included a plunger race. The girl is at one end of the field with the plunger between her legs and she must get to the other side of the field where the man waits with a roll of toilet paper between his knees. The object of the game is to put the toilet paper roll onto the plunger handle. That was a fun one to watch! The games went on throughout the day and the melting heat continued along with high spirits, jello shooters, and lots of laughter. Morgan won her first trophy for the slow race. A little rub on John’s head for good luck earlier in the day may have helped. I had not properly calibrated the heat factor into my consumption equation so I shorted myself a bit on coolers at the LCBO store. I would like to thank those who rectified my miscalculation, which helped greatly in keeping me “highdrated” during the party! Another big thank you to Adam and Tammy for the property. And many thanks to Paul and Kim who provided the main pig roast meal and then got up at stupid o’clock the next morning to feed us a breakfast wrap and
coffee for only a few dollars. And if you haven’t heard The Bottle Kids yet, they are a really fun, kickass band. Thank you to all the members and friends of the RCR MC for putting together a great run and party. Mark Jack’s 24th annual Memorial Ride Mark Jack’s Memorial Ride turned 24 this year. Like so many of the “old” runs, it is almost a quarter century old. Registration was at Trixie’s in Ayton, a quick jaunt from home, and the weather was stellar. The bar and patio were packed with people and many stood out front as well. The ride was very well attended so there were many new and old friends to hang out with. Mark’s bike was on the run as well, it’s getting old but running like a young thing. It’s quite heartwarming to know that Mark’s bike is in good hands. The ride itself could have been accomplished rather quickly but the long way was chosen to make the best of the more scenic and less traveled roads. Ted’s Range Rd Diner was one of the stops, and if you ride just past Ted’s and up the hill there is a lookout where you can see Lake Huron, Georgian Bay, Manitoulin Island, and parts of Michigan. The run also stopped at Fox HD where Weiner took a look at a troubling chain problem. There was a BBQ and lots of cupcakes at the final stop along with many door prizes to be won. My hand wasn’t worth handing in but I was lucky enough to win a motorcycle stamped out of licensed plates to add to the collection. It was great to see everyone and run into a few friends I hadn’t seen lately including the Kitchener bunch, Al and Kathleen, and many more. Mario Karts Live I don’t participate in as many dangerous activities as I once did but I sure like to watch other people putting themselves at risk for the sake of entertainment so when I was invited to the Mario Karts Live games, I was quite excited! The event was held at an undisclosed private property somewhere in Grey/ Bruce. Costumes were optional, eye protection was mandatory, and a few minor burns were in-
evitable. Mario Karts Live has very few rules. Each participant wears a decorated, cardboard box with three helium balloons attached. The three balloons are the participants three lives. There are two locations in the field that have three extra lives each if participants are insane enough to
continue after losing three lives. In the middle of the field are two Tiki lanterns and two buckets of ammo. At one end of the field is the table with backup ammo and more Tiki lanterns. So, what is the ammo you ask? Roman candles of course! Participants have to pop each other’s balloons by firing Roman candles at one another in an uncontrolled atmosphere. This was definitely fun to watch!!! You’re not having fun til they call 911 came to mind. Thanks to Dave and Annette for a truly brilliant and entertaining afternoon, that was really something else. Until next time . . . .stay safe and ride on!’
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Reliving His Mispent Youth
This month’s feature guy is Steve and he calls himself “Old Car Guy Steve” and there’s a reason for that. When I first showed up at his place, when I finally found it and saw all the old cars I had to ask “Well since you have all these old cars around what’s the deal on the beautiful bike?” And his reply was perfect saying “I am trying to relive my misspent youth.” This is his story and yeah it’s an apt title for this. Steve grew up in south Etobicoke back in the 50’s and 60’s saying he got his license in 1967. He started out riding on a Honda 150, like so many of us we started out off road and small but he says that he saw a Triumph 650 Bonneville for sale in the newspaper. He went and looked and bought the bike. He said after I rode that Triumph I thought I had died and gone to heaven, it was so awesome after
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riding the Honda. Well, being young and ingenious in the 60’s he and his best buddy who was riding a 650 Norton decided that it would be a great adventure to ride across Canada on their bikes. So they started out and as the trip progressed his buddies bike kept running worse. It got so bad he insisted that his buddy ride at least beside him or preferably behind him because he couldn’t stand the oil, gas and whatever else was emanating from the tailpipes of the bike. They safely made it to Vancouver and since the Norton was on its last legs they crated it up and shipped it home on the train and started riding two up on his Triumph. Well in Steve’s opinion that hadn’t finished the ride until they got to the west side of Vancouver Island. So they rode two up once they made the crossing on the ferry and the hung
out on the beach on the pacific side for a couple days before they decided it was time to head home, yes riding two up. It went well enough through the lower mainland and into the mountains before the weather started to turn and they were moving along with a westbound storm and couldn’t seem to get out of the rain. It was cold, they were wet and his triumph was starting to run poorly and finally quit at a gas station in Moose Jaw Saskatchewan. Steve said to his buddy you know I have had about enough of this and I think I would sell the bike and take the train the rest of the way. Well be careful what you wish for because he put that bike on a ranch and they sold it for him, and they took the train home. When they arrived the Norton had arrived ahead of them. When they tore it down and found a hole in one of the pistons, burnt rings and valves and they marvelled that the bike had even made it as far as Vancouver. It wasn’t till years later that Steve regretted leaving that Triumph behind to be sold but he bought himself a Panhead and did it up. The first was a 62 the second was a 61 and he loved the bikes and rode them a lot but that they were somewhat temperamental and often needed the plugs removed and cleaned. He could never tell whether the bike was flooded
or not but if it didn’t start in a half hour pull the plugs. When the new Honda cb750 came out in 1973 he did a straight across trade for a brand new Honda against his 1961 pan. He liked the Hondas reliability and its speed but he never really got with the whole ride and didn’t like the seating position. He found it downright uncomfortable and he didn’t ride it that much. Steve ended up selling it when he got married for the first time and didn’t ride again for 15 years. Around 1990 he got himself an Ironhead Sportster, think about that for a minute he had issues with pans and he got himself an Ironhead Sporty, well he says he belonged to the Milton H.O.G. Chapter at the time, living in the Georgetown area. They did a couple rides out to the East Coast and attended the 50th Anniversary Rally of the Daytona Bike Week in 1991. He later bought an 883 Evo Sportster and converted it into a full dresser and he rode that bike quite a few places as well. He had always wanted a dresser and even with the 883 engine he never had to gear down while riding two up going up a long hill. He stretched the frame by 7” to get the space he needed, changed the front end to an FL with a 16” wheel and also a 16” rear and full
dresser fenders and bags. For some reason he sold that bike and bough himself another Ironhead Sportster, I gotta tell you the lengths some people will go to relive their misspent youth but there are devotees who do love all that sort of stuff. Eventually he sold this Ironhead as well ultimately picking up a big Yamaha 1600 Royal Star which Steve admits he was just outright afraid of the bike. He never seemed to fit the bike properly and always felt it was too big and that possibly something was out of alignment. It never quite steered the way he felt it should. Well he did as he always does he sold the bike and moved on. So he was without bike again for a short while but he was busy collecting a lot of old cars and as I started out saying he had a lot of old cars. He was surfing Kijiji one day and saw this beautiful old FL and that it was the bike he wished that he had back in the 70’s when he was first riding. He fell in love with it and had to have it. Turned out the previous owner also loved the bike and his wife had suffered an injury that prevented her from riding so Steve called and said “Hey I have way too many cars and I love that bike”. So the bike owner said bring out that 57 Chevy sedan you wanna trade and let’s have a look, the deal was done. Old car guy Steve says he spends as much time tinkering and polishing as he does riding this old beauty and although the bike is not for sale his history says otherwise right? He would still like to take another long ride but his lady friend Glenda, whom you see modeling on this bike, is not that keen on riding on the back of this one unless Steve changes up the seat which he says he’s not willing to do because he likes the extra suspension for his bad back. They’ll figure it out and Steve will continue to relive his misspent youth.
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They say that there are two things that are inevitable in our lives, death and taxes but ask any motorcycle rider and they will point out that weather is the third inevitable in their lives and the last month in Eastern Ontario has been proof of that because we have had to deal with near record breaking high temperatures and humidity as well as intense rain showers that turned roads in many places into small creeks. Yet with all this going on it also highlights the kind of determination some riders have to not let the weather stop them from having a good time with other riders while at the same time supporting a good cause. In early July the 6*0*1 club held their 1st annual Motorcycle Kickstart Classic in the town of Spencerville and while the
town co-operated with them by letting them use part of the Main Street as their start off point for their ride it appears that Mother Nature had other ideas. It rained so hard that when the rain hit the ground it bounced back up a couple of inches after it hit the road surface. When we first arrived there were only two motorcycles parked on the street and it looked so desolate with just two riders standing under that long porch roof of what was once the Spencerville hotel. After greeting each other we all headed down to the Legion to have breakfast. Once inside we were met by five more riders and within the next half hour our numbers grew to about a dozen people. No one even mentioned the possibility of the ride being cancelled. Once everyone had a good hearty breakfast we all went back to the old hotel where the numbers of riders had now grown to about 20 and with the rain coming down still more motorcycles were riding in. You have to keep in mind that just about anyone who rides to Spencerville has to travel some distance to get there and there had been plenty of notice
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from the weather channel that our area would be most likely be under a heavy rain warning for the whole day and in some places even the possibility of hail. As each bike came it was like seeing the cavalry arrive in some western movie. A few riders rode all the way up from the Cornwall area and there were a number of familiar faces in the crowd including Brother Bozz aka Mike Bossio and Grinder aka Mike Maloney, who also happens to be the creator and the donor of an incredible piece of metal sculpture which will be the trophy awarded each year for the Motorcycle Kickstart Classic. I bumped into Susie & Greg Kinghorn whose 5th Annual Big Daddy’s Cowpaddy will be taking place August 5th to August 7th and as I have mentioned in the past that this is a great party to attend so be sure to mark it on your events calendar. By the time we left to attend another event the numbers had grown to over 40 riders and in the end, host, John Gibson tells me there were about 55 riders who took part in the ride and the games that took place afterward. I also heard from sources unnamed that the prizes were some of the best that they had seen for an event in a long time which only shows how hard John and the 6*0*1 crew had worked to host this event. It goes without saying that next year we know where we should all be. I couldn’t help but notice that the majority of riders who took part in this event even in the pouring rain were ‘older’ with the majority being over 40 and for many of them the term ‘raingear’ was the leather jacket they wear in the good weather too and the term ‘Old School’ seemed to be the order of the day! On that same day we went up to Oxford Mills to take in the 12th Annual Vintage Motorcycle Rally that is in the village park but this year that same rain really took its toll on attendance both of exhibitors and attendance. That truly saddened me because events like this I always encourage both younger and older riders to take part in because for the older riders it is a chance to once again look at the iron horses we once rode decades ago and for the younger riders to see the history of motorcycles and
honor riding on two wheels. There were some bikes in the park and it’s always a good time walking down a line of ancient iron and remembering I used to own one of those. We bumped into an old friend Doug Smith who had originally started out from his place in North Gower with some other vintage riders on their bikes to ride to the rally but part way there the vintage Suzuki that Doug was riding informed him that it was too old for all the moisture and the electrics failed so he was able to get it back home and drove down in his car. Doug is a true die-hard in motorcycling and even has his first bike from back in the 60’s, a sweet little Bridgestone and at one time he used to ride a vintage Harley with a 1929 side car and be hired out to participate as an extra with it in movies and television shows about the old days. On the weekend that the Merrickville Motorcycle Show took place the weather decided to play nice and the sun was out and the temps were in the high 20’s which was a far cry from last year where the event was rained out and a bit cold. The town of Merrickville is filled with trendy little shops and studios, cafes and eateries set in among the parks and historic locks of the Rideau Canal. It has become a designated stop for area bikers as well as those from Quebec and New York State. We set up a several booths that included The Celtic Brotherhood , The Riders Mag (E.Ontario) and James Taylor and Joseph Nammari from Pace Law Firm’s Motorcycle Division in front of the Legion. Aside from handing out the Mag and chatting with the riders the TCB also displayed one of their ‘new’ tricycles they fabricated for the Busted Bucket Challenge Project which was sponsored by the Pace Law Firm. On a couple of occasions Hauler took the trike for a cruise through the crowd and it was hysterical because when he would pass the show and shine area designated for the custom bikes and choppers all the builders were out admiring it and taking pictures of the trike and wanted to try it out. At one point James took the trike for a spin and not long after Grinder aka Mike Maloney did the same which proves there is a kid inside every biker and you just have to have the right toy to bring it out. While the numbers were down from two years ago there was still a pretty fair turnout for the show. I hope that next year the town will spread the various categories of the show & shine out more so the public are encouraged to walk and take in the whole event.
We had a lot of people drop by to say hello including Muffler, Snax and some of the other members of the Outlaws MC, Dave Kuhnle founder of the Motorcycle Ride for Autism, who hung around and handed out flyers and info about this year’s ride and we also were visited by Tony McElrea who was the founder of the original motorcycle show that used to take place at Lansdowne Park back in the middle to late 2000’s. I miss that show and I think a lot of people who bitched about parts of it back then have changed their opinions. But you don’t always know what you have until you lose it which is just one of life’s lessons. Another event that happened in the last month was the 2nd Annual Memorial Ride for Peter North, aka Sinister Chopper. I miss Peter’s presence in our community because while there were times that his rather noisy exits from an event, cruise night or even my home annoyed me, I enjoyed his energy and his full speed ahead lifestyle. I know of many others who feel the same way. Gone but not forgotten. The month of June also saw the A.O.A. of Ottawa hold their annual BBQ and welcomed people to come by and celebrate the clubs presence in Ottawa for about 39 years. I am blown away about how fast time flies by but fly it does and besides I suspect the 40th annual celebration will be one amazing party to be at. I was saddened to hear that A.R.M (Association of
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challenges that vary from riding those tricked-out tricycles I mentioned earlier through an obstacle course, to having people trying to try other challenges while wearing special optics that simulate some of the effects of brain concussion and injury. We Try to help motorcycle riders who have been injured in an accident. Throughout the last several years my colleagues in the Mag especially Critter and Al have supported TCB and myself in this endeavor and then out of the blue in early June I was contacted by the Ontario Brain Injury Association to inform me that the Brotherhood and myself had been nominated to receive the OBIA’s prestigious Fellowship Award. An award given to citizens who have made significant contributions to increasing people’s awareness of acquired brain injury. Wow! That was mind blowing for us because let’s face it you don’t usually see mainstream anything acknowledging bikers for their efforts to make the world we live in a better place. Anyhow I also want to thank Ray Bonner & James Taylor of Pace Law Firm’s Motorcycle Division for all their continuing support so that we can not only improve getting the message out (over half a million people with brain injury and the need for not only early diagnosis but also protection from being marginalized by the insurance industry) but also improve the various tools we use to make not only fellow bikers but the public much more aware. As always I remind you to please support events and rides that are created and run by area riders in your community because they are the same folks that come to your ride or event! Also if you have an event or ride or if you are a business that deals with either motorcycles or the people who ride them, you might like to advertise or become a distributor for ‘The Riders Mag’ and if so please contact me by email or phone. And as always I want you to all remember .. We make our motorcycle communities stronger!..By making them better! Email: theridersmag.beau@gmail.com Follow me on Twitter: Riders Mag East http://twitter.com/ motorcyco_beau Read The Riders Mag online:
Recovering Motorcyclists) would not be holding their 2nd Annual Rodeo but that aside I hear that both Gene Amell and Blair Gardener were heading down to the States for a national event for A.R.M so I hope they have a great time and look forward to perhaps a 2nd Annual Rodeo next year. I also want to remind everyone that the 26th Annual Cowpaddy Boys Roast & Rodeo will be Aug 12th to 14th down on Hall Rd in Augusta. I hope that many of you will drop by the Mag booth and say hi or maybe even hang out for a while with us and watch the rodeo events. Gail and Steve support many other events as well as The Riders Mag and I hope that you will be sure to come by and take part in one helluva party. As many of you are aware The Celtic Brotherhood is deeply involved in traumatic brain injury and PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder) awareness. We continue to reach out to various motorcycle communities to not only see to it that those with brain injury or PTSD are better understood by their friends, http://theridersmag.com family and the Brotherhood! Motorcyco Beau! public in general. As part of this trying to bring awareness, we created the Busted Bucket Challenge, which is an interactive, bunch of
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Port Dover, Friday the 13th. It’s a day that thousands plan for years in advance. It started in 1981, longer than I have been alive and has grown from 25 friends to a medium sized city of strangers. I rode over 250km on back roads to get there on a rainy Friday morning with my buddy Mark; both our first time there. We had no idea what to expect, but heard all the rumours. Our reaction was the same as we rolled in: “holy shit”. It was about 3 times bigger than I had expected. The day saw sporadic rain, which showed on our bikes that were covered in mud when we arrived that attracted looks, comments and photos as we parked in contrast beside polished chrome and custom paint jobs like they just rolled off the shop floors. After barely finding a parking spot we were ready to tour around. But first, we needed to stop at the beer store for roadies. I can’t pin down a more perfect town to have the event. It backs on to the lake, complete with a big beach and pier; has plenty of restaurants and bars with character; and I can imagine on any other day, it can offer a kind of quiet serenity. Most of the locals that live there were out on their front porch or lawn, playing music, drinking or people watching. I couldn’t help but to talk to some of them to get their thoughts on the chaos of roaring pipes, drinking in public and loud music. I first met Christine Haggen and Dan Grincevicius, a couple friends hanging out on a front porch with about 8 other people and a cooler full of booze. Christine has been living there since ’86 and makes an effort to bring in her friends for the event each year. She claims
that July 2012 was the biggest ever. They told me we missed out on the big parties, which happen on the nights of Tuesday to Thursday leading up to the event (noted for next year). It drew disappointment in my poor life choices to show up on the day of the event, but they insisted the party would continue all weekend, as this town of 6,000 will explode to nearly 100,000. In the words of Christine, “it’s a like fucking apocalypse”. The second local I talked to was local Betty Jameson, who I nearly proposed to after hearing her name, and her daughter Debbie Blinn. At 81 years of age, beautiful Betty was a surprising large fan of the event. In fact, her favorite part was a leather-skinned guy walking around in a g-string. As she explained this to me, she let out the most joyous and naughty giggle I have ever heard. She tells me everyone loves the event, young and old. Although she came here to retire and settle down, she loves the party and people-watching. Every local I casually encountered throughout the day echoed this common love for the event. As we walked around more, I ran into Donny Peterson, a fellow writer for the Mag as well at the local 81 booth talking to police. Proudly portrayed on the table was a “Don Peterson For President” t-shirt with his face on it. I couldn’t hear the whole conversation, but heard Donny tell
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the officer, “Hey, if I become Premier of this province, I’ll be your boss!” as he laughed in a complete relaxed state of revere. They seemed to take it well because he didn’t leave in handcuffs but I could tell from their forced and almost nervous laugh, they were buying time for a comeback that didn’t arrive.
We continued around, looking at the bikes, grabbed some food, watched the waves roll in, drank more beer, browsed vendor booths and finished with some live music. There was more than enough to keep us busy all day. Eventually, as all good things, they had to come to an end and we had to get back to the hotel we booked in in Brantford. Go figure, everything locally was booked well in advance. The hotel was probably half full with riders who were at the event, so we picked the least up-tight and most foul-mouthed individuals to hang out with. We found ourselves drinking with Shirley, Bob, Brennan, Vinnie and Kim from Kingston outside their room, sharing stories. Just as I
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would share what I thought was a good one, it was topped with stories that ended in punchlines like “I knocked out my brother with one punch and left him in the ditch” or “I hit a bump and reached behind me to tap my wife’s leg and she wasn’t there! She was 4 miles behind me on the road!”. My face hurt from smiling and laughing so hard.
I’m pretty sure my last thoughts of the night were “why the hell didn’t I record this?”. After a couple hours of constant laughing, everyone decided to call it quits. We ventured back home the next morning in the rain. It was +5 with 35km/hr winds for another 250km. It was cold and miserable (I’m pretty sure I saw some snow flakes at one point), but it was worth it. I thought of the countless others who ventured twice or four times as far as us to be there and immediately felt like we were the lucky ones. We sucked it up and pushed forward, knowing that it will be at least 2 more years before we go back again. And we will be back. Jordan Starr
I am in mourning . . . The summer of 2016 is rapidly turning into the slaughter of 2016. So far this year, according to OPP statistics, 24 motorcycle drivers and 3 passengers have lost their lives. Widows & orphans weep for their loss. The survivors of this unacceptable situation have lost their: Fathers, Brothers, Sons and in some incidents have lost their: Mothers, Sisters, and Daughters. To put it in perspective, these families have lost someone who is irreplaceable. The devastation that follows in the wake of a sudden death calamity is akin to losing someone to the ravages of war. The total motorcycle fatalities for all of 2015 were 31, a number which was considered extremely high, but it appears that number will be eclipsed unless we all wake up and smarten up. The alarming stats surrounding the sickening needless carnage are even more sobering: 92% of the fatalities occurred during clear weather conditions and an upsetting 76% were caused by either distracted vehicle drivers that collide with motorcycles while entering an intersection or making a turn (Support Bill 154) and inexperienced motorcycle drivers losing control. In other words much of this tragedy is cause by operator error. OPERATOR ERROR, now that’s a situation that can be remedied . . . Perhaps operator education should accept part of the blame for not teaching ‘real world’ strategies to student operators, Eh Ollie? The necessary training is there providing students shell out additional cash to attend advanced courses but, in light of these current statistics; isn’t it time that new riders went out into the world armed with more practical knowledge than the basic maneuvers on a 200CC kiddies machine? Newbie’s would be wise to remember that even a chimp can be taught to ride a motorcycle but his longevity in modern traffic situations is extremely doubtful. Let’s face it – we live in a time when EVERYONE wants to ride a motorcycle but not just any motorcycle. Many freshly licensed riders willingly move up to more powerful machines that demand skill – skills that take time to develop. Motorcycle manufacturers contort to make it easy for these amateur riders to purchase a machine that is beyond their capabilities but the question of ability is never part of the acquisition process. Extremely low interest rates coupled with never-never payback plans are enticing to new riders particularly when the agenda is exacerbated by peer pressure. I’m not singling out any particular segment of society as responsible for this phenomenon of increasing motorcycle deaths but the problem is there and there are solutions. Old school riders (myself included) began by riding junk and, over time, gradually moved to more powerful machines. The majority of us had our share of falls and close encounters. All of this took place in a world populated by significantly less traffic than can be found on the 21st Century highways and byways. In addition, you have a motoring public that is distracted by an ever increasing number of gadgets, and the modern affliction of shrinking timetables - which leads to stress and the willingness to misjudge driving situations in an attempt to shave seconds off being trapped in a cage. Also mixed into this soup of frustration are the few unbalanced individuals who just don’t give a fuck about other human life. Freakin’ freaky when you stand back and scope it out, Eh Ollie? OK, while I’m at it, I may as well include some of our own . . . riders who compensate for certain inadequacies by showing off, also clubber wannabees’ whose mimicry
of outlaw riders was copied from the tube, and the many fools who think that motorcycles are a prop to be used to shock & awe the audience. That is allowable when performed by an experienced professional and confined to a show or the race track, but out in the real world – not so much. The impression of the fearless rebel loses much of its allure when you’re lying at the curb, in a tangled mess of blood and guts, while someone like me works hard to (hopefully) keep you breathing long enough for the paramedics to arrive. Life has a way of culling out the young and inexperienced. The meteor strike that will decimate many riders’ ability to experience motorcycle ownership is coming in the form of extremely high insurance rates. Unfortunately, many of us older riders will also feel the pain. Scores of us have injected our children with the love of motorcycling; but have we done our part in preparing them for the realities of modern road riding? Are motorcycle clubs doing enough to educate their Prospects on the subtleties of group riding? Are there bikers in your life that demonstrate inexperience when handling their rides? All of us can share our knowledge and hopefully save a life. It is important that we impart our concerns to the individual riders that matter in our daily existence. It has been my experience that approaching the subject is unpalatable but, as long as it is handled with respect and love, the significance of the advice will be acceptable and utilized. I am always saddened by the loss of a loved one to the ravages of age although this is the normal cycle of life. But I am filled with rage when a life is lost due to negligence that could have been prevented by the intervention of some modicum of basic safety. Becoming a Road Warrior is a never ending learning curve that presents unusual obstacles and experiences every time we throw our leg over. Whether we choose to adapt to the life lessons is entirely up to us. Up there, at the very top of the list, is the most basic biker right - the right to return home unscathed. For the remainder of this ridin’ season I plan to: ride sharp – use patience – look ahead – curb my temper – ‘cuz there are loved ones, metaphorically occupying my bitch seat, whose lives would be abruptly altered if I succumbed to my injuries. Rooster Rider OCC Treasurer rooster rider @roostah rider
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Thank God for Our Doctors, Nurses and Technicians! We all know at least one biker who has been cut off by a motorist turning left. This time it’s a friend of mine in Hamilton by the name of Rob Foster, struck on June 10th and he was in a room with another man from the Delhi area who is in worse shape, also cut off by a left turning motorist. Ironically, the driver that sent Rob to the hospital was turning into the Beer Store! With five broken ribs and a little other collateral damage, he was unable to breathe on his own. Hence, I want us to be thankful for our local medical staff because without them, some of our friends would no longer be with us, including Rob. The good news is twofold. Rob is on the mend and he’s not just thankful for the doctors and medical staff at the General Hospital. I know he’s quite surprised and thankful for all the support of his friends who not only came to visit and cheer him up. It’s more than that. When I and another Biker’s Church member put out the word of his accident and asked the community to pray for a speedy recovery, the outpouring was astonishing! Over one hundred people logged in and specifically said that they were praying for Rob’s recovery. Only one person said something silly like, “Sending kind thoughts...” which did not even get sent directly to Rob. When I ask for prayers, I am asking for prayers! Within a week, Rob was off the breathing assist, chest tube gone, the broken vertebrae were deemed almost inconsequential. We got exactly what we prayed for, a speedy healing. Never underestimate the power of God! That’s why we pray, in good times or bad. This is really a story of faith, hope and love, as mentioned in 1Corinthians 13.There, Paul says, “..faith, hope and love are here to stay, but the greatest of these three is love.” What this means is that your friends ought to be able to support you in are those three things, to give you hope, increase your faith in the Creator, and obviously to show you the care that you need. The best way to be sure you can find this in a friend is to hook up with a faith community like one of our Ontario Biker’s Churches or find one that you like near your home. Meanwhile, I want you ready in your own foundation of faith for both the good times and the bad to be able to trust God that He will be there to help whenever you ask. Most of my prayers start off with a thank you to God and it’s time for our monthly prayer now. Please pray with me: Our Father in Heaven, Thank you for our health and thank you that you guide the doctors when we ask for healing for our friends. I ask you now to be a bigger part of my life. Help me to know that you are always near and that you love me in spite of my shortcomings. Keep me as a part of your family in the name of your Son, Jesus. Amen.
God bless you and have a safe rest of the riding season. Ride like you’re the only one with a brain that’s working! Feel free to email me if you want an extra prayer for anything. Pastor Ken 905 870 8584 kenang@cogeco.ca hamiltonbikerschurch.com
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I had a chance to stop into Clare’s Harley-Davidson of Niagara’s first Thursday Night Bike Night on June 9th there was a great turn out with the parking lot pretty much full of bikes and the company demo fleet truck was in the parking lot as they had demo rides earlier this day. For me it was a great excuse to go for a ride and blow the dust off my bike and run into lots of old friends. I ran into famous local and former feature lady Sandy well known in the local area as an avid rider, she was working hard getting the door prize tickets out and she handed me one on her way around and shortly thereafter Lisa was doing door prize draws and my number got called and despite my weight loss Lisa sent the t-shirt guy inside to get
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me the double X version. It’s not a terrible thing I started buying that size a few years ago as I just couldn’t keep my XL’s tucked in anymore, now I have dropped a waist size and can’t keep my new smaller pants up. Each weeks cruise night has a local motorcycle club who promotes their particular interest and charity this week’s club was the Welland County Motorcycle Club and the proceeds of the 50/50 draw went to their favorite charity which was prostate cancer research. The band of the week was the Dave Kennedy band, and in addition to awarding me an XXL tee shirt Lisa also gave away hats and tickets to a local speedway. No bike night is complete without an impromptu bike
show and this week’s winner was Randy E. For his 1999 Fatboy, he was selected by people’s choice and in addition to a trophy also won a bag of Clare’s H-D swag. 97.7HTZ FM was on hand and along with Clare’s H-D is giving away a 2016 sportster to enter just fill out a ballot at any Clare’s bike night in Niagara or any HTZ-FM event they are giving away the bike in September. Biketoberfest the popular local event in Niagara that has been going on for more than a decade has moved over to Welland County Motorcycle this year and Bruce is still in charge and this year for twenty bucks you get a shot at a brand new Harley-Davidson street glide motorcycle , proceeds from this bike draw go to support Pathstone. Each week at both locations in addition to a club of the week a local food truck or BBQ outfit as well as a local band this particular weeks foodies were pig out roasters and they were serving food all day for both the demo rides and the bike night later in the day I did not indulge in the food but it sure did smell good. If all this wasn’t enough Clare’s H-D was also running in store specials with discounts on textile and nylon jackets as well as a discount off regular priced leather I am told that these specials change weekly so you can expect a different deal each week so if you’re a shopper it may make sense to show up every week or at least check in and see what’s on special until they give you a deal on what you need. Clare’s has an all new location in Port Dover on Main Street and they are kicking of monthly bike nights this summer on Friday nights with a similar format club of the month, live band, food truck or barbequers and of course they are giving away door prizes and offering discounts as well, it’s a nice ride to Dover check it out.
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Ladies and their Harleys
This month’s feature lady is Manon and she is a Lab Technician at a local hospital who administers those stress tests that you hear about and if you’re a middle age overweight biker have probably had at least one of them done. She says that she likes her job and the place that she works and she sent me an email to say “Hey I am moving soon so maybe we should get this shoot done while I am still in my old place”. Since I had all the info, we found a day that made sense and got this done. Manon says that she had always wanted to ride and in her former marriage she had a couple of kids who were getting older and the desire to ride was only getting stronger so she told her then husband that she was going to take the riding course at Sheridan College to get her motorcycle license as it had always been a dream and she wanted to get that accomplishment out of the way before her 40th birthday. So having never rode a bike before and not coming from a riding background she went out with two girlfriends and did the course. Passed it on the first try and bought herself a Sportster and started riding. She says that she didn’t ride that 2008, 105th Anniversary Bike a lot as she found it difficult to ride but she did hang onto it for two years. Over that time her former husband did buy himself a bike as well but she says that her idea of riding and his were completely different. She liked to get out and ride with her girlfriends and his idea of riding was taking a short ride to a highly visible
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location and hanging out then riding back. She didn’t talk about the end of her marriage but she said that she went in search of lady riders and also stayed in contact with her instructor from her bike school days. They formed a group that they called M.E.O.W. I know I know it sounds awful girly but ironically it stands for Meet Every Other Wednesday which is what they did and they went for rides. After a couple years Manon decided that she really liked riding but that the sportster was just not the bike for her she wanted something bigger. She was looking around at the events she went to and also at the dealership checking out the Demo Days. She finally settled on a Switchback which she said was a great looking bike but still didn’t have what she was looking for in terms of touring. Although she did ride it a lot and made several trips to Pennsylvania and rode the Dragons Tail and even took the bike on a Royal Caribbean Cruise Ship where they were permitted to go on an escorted ride on each island that they visited it still wasn’t the bike that she would finally settle on. Ironically the sales guy that sold her the Switchback told her that in his opinion it was largest bike that a lady of her stature could ride but after a couple years of riding what she described as a great looking comfortable ride it still wasn’t enough to meet the demands of her girlfriend riding and also with her new boyfriend.
She was working out at a local gym and ran into a guy in the gym and struck up a conversation and they found they had a number of mutual interests including riding. Then they ran into each other again at a later date in Port Dover on Friday the 13th and they have been dating ever since. he is a large part of her riding adventures saying that over the 7 years she has been riding she has racked up a combined total of nearly 100K across the 3 bikes she has owned. A couple years ago after completing a busy summer of riding she was aching for a touring bike and she knew there was a demo day going on but she couldn’t make it based on her work schedule. So she called her local dealer where she bought the Switchback and the sales guy who had told her she probably wouldn’t ride something larger was not there so she spoke to a different guy and explained her problem. He said “No worries if you wanna ride a Street Glide tell me when you can come down and I will set you up”. Well she went down and took a Street Glide for a ride and the rest was history. She traded that Switchback in and got this beautiful Street Glide in late 2014 and got a real deal on it. She has wasted no time in getting out there and riding. Besides going to Dover she has been to St. Mary’s
Pennsylvania which is one of their favorite weekend rides, the Dragons Tail in North Carolina, all through South Dakota and Wyoming a couple weeks after Sturgis. More recently rode Mount Washington in New Hampshire as well as taking a tour around the southern side of Lake Erie from Buffalo to Detroit. Manon said they were planning a return to the Maritimes to ride the Cabot Trail and the Confederation Bridge and they were going via the U.S.A. side with a return visit to Mount Washington. Although she says having ridden up once that was enough and she will wait at the bottom for her riding friends to ride up and down before continuing on to the Canadian Maritimes. She also plans to visit the big event in Erie Pennsylvania. She plans to swap out her inner fairing for a paint matched version saying she thinks they look sharp and she is right they do look sharp. The only other change on her agenda for this bike is maybe an upgraded air intake as she liked the hypercharge look but she wanted to do some more looking. As for a new or newer bike when I asked she said “For right now I love my Street Glide, I have ridden it all over the place and it’s the best bike ever”. But she did say that if she ever saw something that just took her breath away that she might consider trading up again. She wasn’t too sure that she would find anything that rocked her world like this Street Glide does but if she does there will be tons of mileage on this one cause this Lady Loves to Ride.
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bucket to the patient and ask him or her to empty the tub.” Oh, I understand,” I said. “A normal person would use the bucket because it’s bigger than the spoon or the teacup.” “No “ said the Director, “A normal person would pull the plug….Do you want a bed near the window?”
A women asks man who is traveling with six children, “Are all these kids yours?” The man replies, “No, I work in a condom factory and these are customer complaints”.
A big city lawyer went duck hunting in rural Tennessee. He shot and dropped a bird, but it fell into a farmer’s field on the other side of a fence. As the lawyer climbed over the fence, an elderly farmer drove up on his tractor and asked him what he was doing. The litigator responded, “I shot a duck and it fell in this field, and now I’m going to retrieve it.” The old farmer replied, “This is my property, and you are not coming over here.” The indignant lawyer said, “I am one of the best trial attorneys in the United States and, if you don’t let me get that duck, I’ll sue you and take everything you own. The old farmer smiled and said, “Apparently, you don’t know how we settle disputes in Tennessee. We settle small disagreements like this with the ‘Three Kick Rule.’”
During a lull between the speeches at a recent Parliament Hill Correspondent’s dinner, Sophie Grégoire-Trudeau leans over to chat with Harjit Sajjan, the Minister of Defence. “Ya know, I bought Justin a parrot for his birthday. The bird is so smart, Justin has already taught him to pronounce over two hundred words!” “Wow, that’s pretty impressive,” says Harjit, “but, you do realize that he just speaks the words -- he doesn’t really understand what they mean.” “Oh, I know,” Sophie replies, “Neither does the parrot.” During a visit to a mental institution, I asked the Director “How do you determine whether or not a patient should be institutionalized?” “Well,” said the Director, “We fill a bathtub, then we offer a teaspoon, a teacup and s
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Dave’s Pizza Quest I’m sure I’m addressing many like minded people when I say that I love pizza...whether it comes hot from the oven or cold from the fridge. My first experience was with Dino’s Pizza, located in my home town of Kirkland Lake. It’s been open since 1970 and whenever I go back, I have to have one.or two. It was, and still is, served loaded. By that, I mean that you can almost make a second pizza from what falls off your slice as it’s removed from the box. This folks, is the reason for this article. I’ve remained unimpressed over the years with the chains that skimp out on ingredients. I don’t want to pay twenty five bucks for a piece of bread. I know there are better mom and pop places around and I decided to try some out based on recommendations
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from friends. Managing Editor Al thought this might be useful info for we hungry bikers riding into a town and needing a hearty meal. My criteria isn’t complicated. Decent doughy crust, enough sauce for flavour and moisture and of course, generous amounts of toppings. If anyone runs into a place like this on their travels, feel free to send it in and add it to the list. I’m in Southern Ontario so I’ll be limited to my area. Now, having said all this, if you’re a fan of thin crust, or say, speciality pizzas and you figure it’s good quality and value, feel free to throw your two cents worth in including the town and address. If you’re in Kitchener, head to Pepi’s located at 87 Water Street. Sit down restaurant also serving subs, wings, salads. Bewdly has a great little ‘A’ frame place located on Rice Lake Road. It’s really a take out shop but there are a couple of picnic tables located on the deck. While I was on said deck enjoying my pie, two customers arriving at different times said that I really needed to try their panzerotto. Guess I’ll be making another trip. Will try more places as the recommendations come in. Good thing I always have my appetite available! Pizza Dave
Colombian Biker Met an old biker from Colombia way, alongside the hiway, one morning in May. Bag upon bag piled on his machine, not even the map covered tank could clearly be seen. Just two skinny wheels were touching the shoulder, and two small black boots firmly did hold her. I walked up to him with a couple of Critter’s Gazette, saying HELLO to the brown wrinkled face in the oversized helmet. “I’m not from here, Mike is the name”. I said “I’m from here and my name is the same!”. Gave him two Riders Mags with my toons about bikin’, but I realized “Upcoming Events” be more to his likin’. We chatted a bit and then he was gone to, The road from Port Dover, off to Torontoo. I called Al at the mag and shared on the phone, he mentioned a bikie event with a South American tone. So if you see an old man with packs up to here, Proudly support him and give him a cheer. ‘Cause he’s traveled a lifetime on dirt and on road, give him a hug, buy him a drink, and lighten his load... ... and don’t ever forget... keep to the code. MrMike TRM
Well, as you all know, at my age, my friend, and most of our friends, are retired and do have the time to address such “Honey do’s”.... So, he invited some of us neighborhood buddies over to help with the project. One is a sheet metal fabricator. One brought his welder. One brought beer and Nachos. One brought a grill and burgers. Took us about 6 hours, and 30-40 beers, but we got it done just as we finished off the last of the beer and burgers. As usual, the wife is still not happy! Can’t understand, cause all us guys love it! Personally, I cannot wait for rain. Late in the night, he finally regained consciousness. He was agonizing in pain. He realized he was in a hospital ICU with tubes in his
The lawyer asked, “What is the Three Kick Rule?” The Farmer replied, “Well, because the dispute occurs on my land, first I kick you three times and then you kick me three times and so on back and forth until someone gives up.” The attorney quickly thought about the proposed contest and decided that he could easily take the old codger. He agreed to abide by the local custom. The old farmer slowly climbed down from the tractor and walked up to the attorney. His first kick planted the toe of his heavy steel toed work boot into the lawyer’s groin and dropped him to his knees. His second kick to the midriff sent the lawyer’s last meal gushing from his mouth. The lawyer was on all fours when the farmer’s third kick to his rear end sent him face-first into a fresh cow pie. The lawyer summoned every bit of his will and managed to get to his feet. Wiping his face with the arm of his jacket, he said, “Okay. Now it’s my turn.” The old farmer smiled and said, “Naw, I give up. You can have the duck.” A man comes home after an assignment of 3-years and he finds, there is an additional member of the family, a 29 months toddler. Furious he demands an explanation: He says, “How could you do this to me! Did you cheat on me with one of my friends, was it Josh, was it Nathan, or was it John?” His wife with a daring look says, “Your friends! Your friends!” “Don’t you think I have my own friends too?” Today, a friend’s wife said to him, “Honey, get off your rear and fix that gutter downspout! And, I want it done before the end of the day!”
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mouth, needles and IV drips in both arms, a breathing mask, wires monitoring every function, and a nurse with beautiful but sad eyes was hovering over him. He realized that he was obviously in a life-threatening situation. The nurse gave him a serious look straight into his eyes, sucked in a breath, then spoke to him slowly and clearly, enunciating each word to be sure he understood. “You may not feel anything from the waist down.” Somehow he managed to mumble in reply. . . “Can I feel your boobs, then?”
Yesterday my daughter emailed me again, asking why I didn’t do something useful with my time. “Like sitting around the pool and drinking wine is not a good thing?” I asked. Talking about my “doing-something-useful” seems to be her favorite topic of conversation. She was “only thinking of me”, she said and suggested that I go down to the Senior Center and hang out with the guys.
I did this and when I got home last night, I decided to play a prank on her. I emailed her and told her that I had joined a Parachute Club. She replied, “Are you nuts? You are 78 years old and now you’re going to start jumping out of airplanes?” I told her that I even got a Membership Card and emailed a copy to her. She immediately telephoned me and yelled, “Good grief, Mom, where are your glasses?! This is a Membership to a Prostitute Club, not a Parachute Club.” “Oh man, I’m in trouble again,” I said, “I really don’t know what to do. I signed up for five jumps a week!!” The line went quiet and her friend picked up the phone and said that my daughter had fainted. Life as a Senior Citizen is not getting any easier, but sometimes it can be fun. Meet Sally Mulligan of Comox, British Columbia who decided to take one of the jobs that most Canadians are not willing to do. She applied for a job in an Okanagan lemon grove though she seemed far too qualified for the job. She had a liberal arts degree from the University of British Columbia and had worked as a social worker and school teacher. The foreman frowned and said, “I have to ask you, have you had any actual experience in picking lemons?” “Well, as a matter of fact, I have!” she said. I’ve been divorced three times, owned 2 Chryslers and voted for Trudeau.” Dear Dorothy, My husband is a liar and a cheat. He has cheated on me from the beginning and when I confront him, he denies everything. What’s worse, everyone knows he cheats on me. It’s so humiliating. Also, since he lost his job 14 years ago, he hasn’t even looked for a new one. All he does all day is smoke cigars, cruise around and shoot bull with his buddies and has sex with hookers while I work so hard to pay our bills. Since our daughter went away to college and then got married, he doesn’t even pretend to like me and hints that I may be a lesbian. What should I do? Signed: Confused Dear Confused: Grow up and dump him. You don’t need him anymore! Good grief woman, you’re running for President of the United States Of America! The students at a local college were assigned to read two books, “Titanic” and “My Life” by Bill Clinton, and to write book reports. One student turned in the following book report; with the proposition that they were nearly identical stories! His cool professor gave him an A+ for this report. Titanic: Cost = $29.99 Clinton : Cost = $29.99 Titanic: Over 3 hours to read Clinton : Over 3 hours to read Titanic: The story of Jack and Rose, their forbidden love, and
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