Innholdsfortegnelse for June 2022 i Motorcycle Mojo Magazine

“THE AIR WAS FILLED WITH SMOKE LEAVING THE SURROUNDING MOUNTAINS AS A BLURRED IMAGE IN THE HAZE” In 2020, we changed the plans for a bike trip due to Covid-19 and stayed within our own province of Alberta. In 2021, with governments reducing restrictions and allowing travel again, we opted to ride through British Columbia. We delayed our departure time to ensure interprovincial travel was allowed, which was fortuitous as we missed the record heat wave in B.C., but the resulting forest fires meant smoke was going to be our constant companion. To help pick the route, we used an older issue of Destination Highways British Columbia by Brian Bosworth and Michael Sanders, which ranks what they consider to be the best 185 motorcycle roads in B.C. The planned route…

On a whim, I signed up for the Crystal Loves Moto girls-only clinic in Nelson, B.C., with my friend, Carly, because, well, what could be better than a weekend road trip and women riding dirtbikes? Who wouldn’t, right? There we were, two moms zipping away from the city of Vancouver in a blue pickup truck, our dirtbikes in the back, windows down and music blaring, hair blowing in the wind. As we lazily curved around the mountains under the steamy blue sky, crunching on snacks, guzzling soda pop and laughing our cares away, the ideal song seemed to select itself from my playlist that perfectly matched the vibe. “There’s a place where I am going. It’s outta my control, so I’m gonna coast for a little while!” — Coast, by…

Here is a photo of Sylvia Gwendolyn Bridgehouse, born in 1923, sitting on what the family believes is an early 1940s Harley-Davidson WLC. Sylvia married Douglas Gardiner, who was in the Navy and stationed in Halifax. After the war, Doug and Sylvia moved to Toronto, and later Hamilton, where they raised six children. The oldest was my friend Wayne Gardiner, who became an avid motorcyclist, riding enduros in the ’70s and later focusing on road bikes and touring. Perhaps it was this picture of his mother that encouraged him to ride? SUBMISSIONS TO REMEMBER WHEN? ARE ALWAYS WELCOME. IF YOUR PHOTO(S) IS PRINTED WE WILL SEND YOU $25.00 HIGH RESOLUTION DIGITAL PHOTOS ARE ACCEPTABLE AS WELL AS PRINTS. IF YOU WISH THE PRINT BACK PLEASE INCLUDE A SELF-ADDRESSED STAMPED ENVELOPE.…

“THE FIRST OVERHEAD-VALVE SPORTSTER XL WAS INTRODUCED IN 1957, KNOWN AS THE IRONHEAD SPORTSTER BECAUSE IT HAD CAST-IRON HEADS AND CYLINDERS” In this issue we review Harley-Davidson’s latest Sportster model, the Nightster, which is based around the all-new Revolution Max platform. This latest platform is truly revolutionary, as it sheds several traits that have been Sportster hallmarks since its introduction in 1957. The traditional Sportster features that are gone on the Max include air cooling (now liquid), pushrod-actuated valves (now dual overhead cam), a 45-degree vee angle (now 60), a dry-sump crankcase (oil is now in the crankcase), a full-cradle frame (now three pieces with no downtubes), and its XL designation (now RH). We thought we’d give you a timeline of the major changes the Sportster has seen throughout its…

Fresh from producing 194,261 bikes in 2021 — making that its best year ever since it was founded 99 years ago, in 1923 — BMW Motorrad is on a product-driven roll that’s taken Europe’s largest manufacturer of premium motorcycles back to pre-Covid sales levels, and then some. However, that production number was achieved despite the German manufacturer having thusfar failed to upgrade the transverse in-line, 24-valve six-cylinder engine powering its range-topping line-up of K1600 land yachts and mega-baggers to make it Euro 5 compliant in time for the new sound and emissions regulations, which were introduced in January 2021. That being the case, it was widely presumed the end had finally come for this über-premium model line-up, which has been on offer for the past decade. However, with a total…

Milestones deserve attention and the Greater Vancouver Motorcycle Club celebrates a significant anniversary in 2022 with 100 years of history. Since inception, the GVMC has continuously promoted power two-wheeled sport, both on-road and off-road. As crucial as motorcycles are to the group, it’s always been a social club – perhaps even moreso. Proving that: “My dad met my mom at one of the GV’s dances late in 1948,” says long-time member Chris Carey. And it all started when pioneer Vancouver motorcyclist Fred Deeley began importing BSAs in 1916, followed by Harley-Davidsons in 1917. After a short time selling motorcycles and forming bonds with like-minded enthusiasts, Deeley and a small group of friends often ventured out on their machines for weekend picnic rides. In the Beginning The roads they traversed were…

Thursday mornings at MotoGP events are hectic. Forklifts buzz about, taking pallets of spare parts and crates of unobtainable machines from tents and cargo containers to their home for the weekend: the pit box. Race teams have this down to a science by now, especially this late in the season. They methodically unpack, stack and assemble a professional and familiar environment for their riders the way most of us select what we are going to wear in the morning. Meanwhile, the fearless pilots of these machines are bombarded by journalists looking for interviews and photo ops while they try to get settled into their temporary weekend digs. As one of those journalists, MotoGP Thursday mornings are my favourite part of the “weekend.” You get to talk to riders before they…

The Harley-Davidson Sportster, introduced in 1957, boasts the secondlongest uninterrupted production run in motorcycling history. Only the Royal Enfield Bullet is older, 25 years the Sportster’s senior. However, the American-made icon has one big advantage over the now-Indian-made classic: it has seen considerable evolution over its decadeslong production run. And by far, the Sportster’s most radical change came with the introduction of the Revolution Max platform, which we first saw on the Sportster S model. To give you an example of how radical the changes are, the only part the 2022 Nightster tested here shares with the air-cooled Sportster is the license-plate bracket. A few things that all Sportsters have shared in the past were a full-cradle frame, a 45-degree air-cooled V-twin, and pushrods. These are all gone on the…

Saying “that bike looks stock” to someone who just put time and energy into piecing together a custom motorcycle might offend a builder. Not Dennis Firth. “I see that as a compliment,” the Calgary-based creator says in regard to his one-off street and trail inspired 1973 Honda CL350. “This bike is far from stock, but as I got rolling with it, my goal was to make it look like it came from the factory this way.” Firth has been riding since he was 14. He bought a 1964 Honda Super Cub in 1969, when it was legal to ride a 100 cc (or smaller) machine in Alberta on a learner’s permit. Living in Red Deer at the time, for two years the little step-through took him to school and on…

THE WHALE TRAIL Whale-watching was not the reason for the ride to the end of the road, but it was a nice distraction from being on the bike for days on end. The idea was to ride as far as possible, until the road ended. Quebec’s Highway 138, also known as The Whale Route, on the north shore of the St. Lawrence River, terminates in Kegaska, a tiny fishing village only recently made accessible by road. It fit the bill. 1929 RALEIGH MODEL 15 DE LUXE When Roger Brown was looking for a new project to restore he happened upon this Raleigh Model 15 de Luxe in original condition — covered in surface rust, but otherwise in pretty good shape, considering its age. After a sympathetic restoration, this 93-year-old machine…