Airbag Safety and Best Practices

In North America Airbags, aka Supplemental Restraint System (SRS), first started being installed in cars back in mid-1970’s and have been required by law since 1989. We all understand the basics – in the event of a collision, the airbags (but perhaps not all of them) will deploy to help protect the occupants. Pretty simple […]

Prescription Medicine, Drugs and Driving

This can often be a confusing issue. Whether we like it or not, at some point we’re going to end up taking some form of medication. Perhaps it’s just something from the shelf at your local pharmacy, known as Over The Counter (OTC) to treat the symptoms of the Common Cold, or perhaps it’s something […]

Check Your Nuts!

Hopefully by now everyone have switched to Winter tires but have you checked your lug nuts since they were switched? Well if you haven’t switched to Winter tires yet, you’re long overdue but it’s not too late and that’s something you should get done as soon as possible. The next thing to think about is […]

Towing an RV Travel Trailer Tip – Load Distribution

Once the weather starts getting nice, people all across North America hook up their travel trailers and head off on camping vacations. Sounds lovely. But one thing that most drivers don’t think about is how they load their trailer, which is hugely important. Time and time again, RV camping trailers sway out of control, flip […]

Ghost Car

Sometimes life is just stranger than fiction. This evening while coming home from Minden, we (fellow instructors Traci, Michelle and I) had an interesting and rather scary moment when we met a Ghost Car. Driving in Pea Soup thick fog (Traci was driving, I was in the front passenger seat, with Michelle in the back), […]

Select “D” For Dummies

August 3rd, 2009 admin

Ok, so not all drivers of automatic transmission cars are dummies but it can be argued that those who choose to drive a manual transmission are not so much “smarter” but certainly more attentive while behind the wheel.

The advent of the automatic transmission opened the door to a greater number of drivers on the road. It allowed people who didn’t have the skill or wherewithal, to drive cars with manual transmissions. A car with manually tranny connects the driver to the vehicle and they become one. The driver is now intimately connected to the vehicle and all that is going on with it. Automatic transmissions, allow drivers to become further complacent about the task of driving because it so much easier. Less attention to the road is required. Automatic transmissions have been readily available in North America since the 1950’s and are without a doubt easier to drive. Select “Drive” and go. Interestingly enough though, 80% of all European drivers opt for a manual transmission and their driving skills are considered to be higher than drivers in North America.

Several years ago, I took on the task of teaching (my then wife) how to drive my manual transmission BMW. Like all those who first learn the skills involved, she was pretty jerky at first had her fair share of stalling at various stops. “What’s that smell?” she asked at one point, to which I replied “My clutch! Now stop it!” but overall, she picked it up pretty quickly.

One day while returning from a wedding from the previous night, I found that I was far too hung-over to drive. I pulled off the highway and told her to take the wheel. Although, she was still learning and uncertain of her skills, it was a wiser choice than me continuing to drive in my hung-over, sleep deprived condition. As we came off the highway and came to a stop at a busy intersection, her panic kicked in not wanting to stall at the light, frustrate other drivers with her inexperience or further damage my clutch. “What do I do?” to which I replied, “Deal with it! You’re the driver…figure it out”.

What was interesting is that she admitted that she had to “think ahead” more and look further down the road to observe more of her surroundings. She had to anticipate and mentally process more information. Hmmm…did she just become a more attentive driver? Yes. Her situational awareness while driving improved drastically.

No longer could she just hit the brakes and slow down without further thought. Doing so would mean she would be in too high a gear for her much slower speed leaving the engine chugging and at the point of stalling when she tried to accelerate again. She also found that she could no longer be complacent when rolling away from a stop while on an incline. She checked her mirrors far more often to check if a car was behind her, for fear of rolling back into them.

Over time, her skills improved and she became smoother and more aware of what was going on around her. Now – many years later – she drives an AUDI with a manual transmission and she’s a better driver because of skills that she had to master.

Ride for Sight Review – 2009

June 28th, 2009 admin

Another year and another Ride for Sight. Once again the GTAMotorcycle.com team stepped up to the plate and surpassed our goal of $35,000 by an additional $4,000. Our most successful team member was Megan who personally raised over $10,000. Megan became a huge influence for our team last year when she rode to Trenton with “Aminal” (one of our more colourful members). This year she was eager to ride again in her prized spot seated behind our furry friend.

I rode up to Collingwood Friday afternoon with the most wonderful weather, arriving sometime mid-afternoon. After stopping in at registration, I made my across town to the campground in search of my team. Of course they were not as easy to find as I had hoped. Around in circles I went until I finally came across some of my fellow teammates who provided the detailed directions that I needed to find our campsite.

Once I pulled in, I was greeted with a cold beer from my buddy Lynn and eventually I set up my tent. Unlike many of my fellow campers, I was able to shelter from the deluge that later came upon us while animals lined up two-by-two looking for some guy named Noah and his Ark.

Friday evening I was asked to help out with setting up the beer tent for the concert and as it turned out I was the first one to arrive. While killing time, I helped out the owner of the local Pizza Pizza in setting up his booth while I waited for my team to arrive. Eventually they did and we proceeded to setup the beer tent as much we could until our team captain and remaining crew arrived.

In time, the setup was complete (after hauling tables and chairs from to and fro) and the party was ready to begin. As for me, I wasn’t really in the mood to hang around at the concert all night so I made my way back to the campsite. Eventually, some of my teammates returned to the campsite and we relaxed with a reasonably quiet evening around the campfire.

The next day I arose to find my team far more tired than I was. I missed out on the morning coffee and watched my team slowly rise from their tents. Before long I realized that I needed to get my butt in gear and head out so that I could make the start of the parade, which was set to start from the International Centre back in Toronto at 10am, which was nearly a 2hr ride away. The rest of the team would have to make their own way down and with that, I headed off on my own. In hindsight, I made the right choice. I was the only one to make it in time for the parade departure.

I arrived at the International Centre with only 10min to spare, with only enough time to knock back half a coffee. Grrr…I really needed that but before I knew it someone announced, “Riders…start your engines!” What? Already? Damnit! Ok…quickly I saddled up with those GTAM members who were there (none of which were the ones from the Collingwood campsite) and we quickly strapped on our helmets and departed for the parade. Poor Megan was left wondering where Aminal was and although she missed riding with him, she was far dryer for it.

It was a bit of a shame to see that only about 200 riders joined the Parade to Collingwood compared to last years 3000. Several factors played their part in that and the rain was only one of them. Yes it rained and it started in the wee hours of Saturday morning. I was woken by the torrential down pour on my tent. Not that I really cared though, I knew I would be dry. Some of my teammates didn’t fair so well and got rather wet. Although, some poor sods in another part of the camp woke to shin deep water in their tents having chosen the lowest point possible to setup their campsite.

Rumour has it that they simply hopped on their bikes in the morning and rode off, leaving everything behind. I hope that they at least returned on Sunday to collect it all since camping gear isn’t cheap.

Back to the Parade…I met up with about 10 more of the GTAM crew at the International Centre and with only moments to spare, we fired up our bikes and began the ride back up to Collingwood. I must admit that I was rather disappointed with the straight run right up Airport road to Collingwood. At least last year, we took a nice wondering route to Trenton and there were no stops. This year wasn’t nearly as nice and we had to stop three times so that our police escort could catch up and get ahead of us to continue blocking intersections. Although, why they wasted resources to block adjoining gravel side roads with minimal chance of traffic is beyond me.

Anyway, eventually we made it back to Collingwood and all 200 of us were ushered into a muddy gravel parking lot near the registration building. Having already registered the day before, I headed off on my own to a local Canadian Tire to buy some tools (my chain was in serious need of adjusting) and from there I picked up lunch.

Eventually I returned to the campsite to find that the entrance was blocked off. Security was preventing people from passing through the deeper swamped out areas of the campsite where the previously mentioned tents were still flooded. It was obvious that many riders had trouble passing through there earlier from the deep ruts and gouges that could be seen scaring the ground. Many riders had crashed in the mud.

After arriving back at the campsite it was time to start drinking. I missed escorting the Pedal Power cyclists arriving in town and headed to check out the bike games. I really arrived late and only caught the last bit of the Slow Ride challenge to watch a friend and fellow GTAM member Steve fail miserably. Note to self…avoid Steve in parking lots.

After chilling at the campsite for a few more hours (with rain coming and going all afternoon), I figured it was time to check out the concert. As it turns out, there were shuttles ushering people back and forth. Of course not everyone knew this so I can only imagine how many people rode there and back and how many drinks they had consumed before the trip back to their tents. Since the GTAM crew was once again tending bar, I figured they could use some support and since I wasn’t planning on working the bar, the least I could do was bring a couple dozen coffee’s for those who were.

Coffee’s were delivered to the GTAM crew and beers were consumed by everyone else and all in all, everyone had a grand ole time. After a couple of hours wondering around the concert and a phone call from my lady, I decided it was time to head back to the camp. Once there I found a fire burning circled by a few friends and I was happy to finish off the night with some quiet company.

My weekend was wrapped up with some good friends Sunday morning over breakfast and a long lonely ride home in time to pick up my son for Father’s Day.

All in all it was a decent weekend but there was much room for improvement. Collingwood was not a great choice as the venue for Ride for Sight. Camping in one area (a site not suitable for camping), bike games and vendors in another, demo rides 5min away and the concert was a 40min hike away. The shuttles came in handy but most people didn’t know about them and for those who were entitled to the “High Miler” dinner were left wandering around searching aimlessly because the directions on the map were wrong by two blocks. Thankfully the locals knew the location better than the organizers did.

All in all…our objective was accomplished and we raised a lot o
f money for blindness research but many of us were left with a sense of disappointment. Despite the good times that were had, it was a far cry from last year in Trenton and only a small fraction of the overall riders attended. In hindsight though, that was a good thing. There simply would not of been the space to accommodate 3000 campers in that small space.

I look forward to next year but I hope for a better venue. I would like to see us back at Trenton again. If it returns to Collingwood, I may find other plans for the weekend once my fundraising is done.

Riding the Roundel

June 11th, 2009 admin

By
The Lonely Rider &
Stella, The Riding Princess

Not too long ago, Stella The Riding Princess and I were visiting BMW Toronto. She was there to place an order for some goodies for her F650GS for an upcoming trip to Montana and I took the opportunity to introduce myself to the Motorcycle Sales Manager, Tim Sarch.

Recently Stella had mentioned to Tim that she had joined the BMW Motorrad exclusively female test ride event and commented on how much she enjoyed the new F800GS. Due to the relationship she has with the dealership, he offered to let her take one for a day. He and I talked for a while and after discussing this website and other associations, he in turn offered a motorcycle for me to take for a day also.

With much anticipation, Stella and I returned a few days later, on a Friday morning, to take out a couple of Ultimate Riding Machines – Stella on the F800GS and me on a R1200GS. I was as giddy as a kid to finally try this bike. Thoughts Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman came to mind since this is the base model of the GS Adventure machines that they rode around the world on for months on end. Of course this ride was only going to be for one day…unfortunately.

To get a really good feel for the bikes, we needed to ride a variety of roads. We began with a stretch of highway that quickly took us well north of the hustle and bustle of the big city to some quiet country roads, which were far more enjoyable to ride on without all the road congestion. At this moment, I wished that I was fully loaded and headed off for several days of blissful riding.

Both bikes were very stable at highway speeds, despite the crosswinds and we found both bikes were very comfortable. Personally I got a sense that huge distances could be chewed up rather easily without experiencing much discomfort to my backside. Stella was of course eager to take the F800GS for a long haul and to compare it to its smaller sibling, the F650GS.

The F650GS has long being known for its go-anywhere capability and although it is fire-road friendly, the single cylinder version isn’t quite up to par for high-speed distances. Could the F800GS fill in that gap with it’s more nimble twin parallel engine, without loosing the dual-sport aspect? She was immediately impressed with the F800GS’ stability, balance and lightweight. The steering is quick and just right and the overall impression was that the bike is quite joyful to plod along at idle speed or react instantly with abundant torque when the throttle is rolled on. Not to mention the doubtful rigid seat that supported well throughout the ride with no discomfort at all.

Once we got a couple hours out of the city, we found some nice twisty back roads and I was very impressed at how sure footed the R1200GS actually was. I thought for sure that it would feel more like some lumbering hippo but instead I found it was very nimble in the corners. Despite being a big, heavy Enduro bike and quite capable of riding on rutted dirt roads, the suspension was rather stiff and linear making it very easy to flick it from one tight corner to the next with total confidence. My smile was ever growing in my helmet as I leaned through corner after corner at a comfortable, yet spirited pace through Mohawk Territory.

After stopping in Bala for lunch, we assessed our route – and the time of day – and realized that we would have to cut our route short in order to get the bikes back to the dealership on time. With that in mind, we headed back and picked up the pace even further. It was during this brisk pace on the highway that I noticed the total lack of wind buffeting of my helmet. The large, adjustable windscreen ploughed nicely through the air resulting in virtually no helmet shake at all. It was also around this time that my fuel light came on and not knowing how far the bike could go at this point, I started thinking about nearby gas stations. I selected the closest station on my GPS, even though it was out of our way – of course the first one we pulled into isn’t a gas station anymore. Selecting the next nearest station (even further off the highway), we finally found what we needed. Great…now we are both fuelled up but running very late. It would have been useful had I known to look at the information display options on the bike to find out exactly how far I could of gone before running dry. Live and learn I suppose. Back on the road, we kept to our spirited pace and selected a series of back roads to avoid major rush hour gridlock at known problem points on the highway.

In the end we returned to the dealership 500km later and 30 minutes late with huge grins on our faces. It was an amazing day despite the chilly, damp weather and we both thoroughly enjoyed our loaner bikes and ourselves.

Roundel wearing bikes really are the Ultimate Riding Machines in each of their styles. Though perfectly capable of long dirt road detours, the GS motorcycles also make excellent street bikes. With their upright sitting position, cornering confidence and dual sport suspension, the GS’s are ready for the real world and they are sure to bring many great experiences that leave you grinning from ear to ear and yearning for more.

*A special thanks to Tim Sarch at BMW Toronto for loaning us the motorcycles. Of course we are now both thinking of upgrading from our current Beemers to the models we rode on the ride.

Ride Hard…Ride Dirty…Ride a GS!

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