A Tasmanian on the Road

Once upon a time there was a young lady from Tasmania. She had very ambitious dreams, such as riding from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego, and she thought that she had found the right bike for the job when I sold her my Nella, the BMW F650GS.

Detective Bob, a closet adventurer himself, recently discovered Deb's postings on the ADV-Rider Forum, and found the bike looked familiar. Thank you, Bob, for finding her. I couldn't believe how far Nella and her new rider had already traveled.

Dreams coming true. Accompanied by her Dad Deb got her 'bike legs' in Alaska. And Nella got to see the world.

Let the real adventure begin.

Meanwhile, somewhere in Peru...

Pictures courtesy Deb, thanks for allowing me to post these. Save travels, and keep the shiny side up! Her Blog can be found here.

Time to say Goodbye

I am guilty of infidelity, and I blame it partially on the Italians. My riding statistics show 2,200 Vespa km (in 10 weeks) vs. 1,800 Beemer km (over 6 months), and as a bonus an abundance of quality time spent together with my better half.

With many ideas buzzing in my head, among others the investment in a new(er) bike, but also traveling abroad (for fun!), I felt that the time had come to say good-bye to my trusty steed.

I was determined to give Nella in good hands. This is when Deb, a young lady from Tasmania currently residing in Canada came along. She is planning a trip down the Pan-Americana, and was in the market for a reasonably priced, well equipped, and maintained bike that can do the job.

 Deb checking out Nella.

It was love at first sight, and Nella's fate was sealed.

It is always hard to see a bike go. Nella has been a sweet little re-entry two-wheeler, well balanced, easy to handle, fuel efficient, and already came with all the farkles needed for serious travel. It served me well during the past 8,000km, and didn't lose much of its value during the 14 months in my possession. The only limitations I had found were the vibrations coming with the single cylinder as well as the lack of power when fully loaded. Other than that, Nella was the perfect bike for me at that time. Good bye, Nella. Farewell miladies and happy trails.

A Nightmare from Munich

I got the name wrong, and the location is only half-true. Her ADV-Rider inmate name is Nightmarion, her blog is Maschinenbäuerin (translates somewhat along the lines of "Mechanical Engineeress", the wordplay is funnier in German, tho) and she is actually from the Stuttgart area, but she lives and works in Munich.

Initially on a business conference in Vancouver, Marion M. decided to extend her stay (who wouldn't) to explore the hinterland of BC, on two-wheels no less.

She rented a cute little Suzuki GS500 equipped with a touring windshield and saddle bags, and determined to see as much as possible in a short week's time the poor mule had to endure a distance of 2,700km.

Marion for sure got her adventure riding: She got lost (probably several times), dropped her bike (because a stop sign 'jumped at her' as she did put it, hence not her fault), had multiple bear sightings, and obviously met a lot of awesome people along the way. Canadians are just the nicest people and the landscape is breathtaking! she said. Yes, Marion, I know, that's why I came to live here ;-)

Coming from opposite directions I chose the convenience store at Dewdney Junction for a landmark and meeting point, and with the deemed precision of an atomic clock, the art of punctuality that only Germans master to perfection, we both arrived exactly at the same time, just as planned.

It was a little nippy, with low hanging clouds and it looked like it was going to rain, so we had a cup of tea before heading home.

 Wait a minute...Something is smoking...

We soon left HWY 7 to escape traffic, and took some smaller roads. Too bad, the weather didn't play along. There was almost no view of the mighty mountain ranges.

 However, the clouds made for a dramatic scenery.

I wished for Marion that the weather would have been better, but no such thing, this year it is cursed, but listening to her tales from the road, I am pretty sure she enjoyed her trip nevertheless, and will return one fine day.

Distance: 130km (80 mi)
Weather: cloudy, calm, 14C (57F)

PS: My bum knee hurts. Darn!

A Lady's night out, and a mishap

Phew, just back from a business trip to Ohio, I made it just in time for the gathering at Starbucks, before the Free Wheelin' women, eleven ladies, as diverse as their bikes, headed out to Crescent Beach.

No matter what the weather looks like up in Northern Vancouver, the sun always seems to shine around Boundary Bay. The beach was empty but the dames didn't feel like walking.

We were here on more serious business! This ride-to event was a club meeting, and so our group 'invaded' a fish&chips shack (me a little later, because I wanted to take some pictures...)

Ride to eat is one motto of the club, and it's a good one, so Vita's Bar & Grill catered to our needs. Baked halibut, crispy fries, and fresh coleslaw served in news paper, just the way it has to be.

Summer trips and weekend outings were discussed, planned and decided. At dawn we mounted our trusty steeds and headed home each in different directions.

The mishap was not motorcycle related... it was pure stupidity. Back home I stumbled, and hurt my knee again, the one that got injured last year, dead on in the same spot. Now I am lying on my sofa with an ice pack, and feel the swelling coming. Darn, now I can't ride, and I can't even drive (but maybe I can still scoot around?). I still have my crutches, maybe that's a good thing...

Victora Day Outing

Today we 'play' in Yvonne's backyard around Cascade Falls. She grew up in the area and has probably turned every stone and ridden all the farm roads many times.

Nella obviously likes being taken out the second day in a row. I hope that Paolo isn't going to pout for having been neglected over the weekend.

We are going back and forth through the valley, and do some of the twisties even twice.  Talk about exercise and fun.

After a pub grab involving wings and burgers (nothing newsworthy) we move on and go for a little walk before heading home. We both agree that this was six hours of life time well spent.

Distance: 190km  (118 mi)
Weather: sun and clouds, 17C (63F)

Going North - NOT!

The current April weather drives me crazy. The weather forecast cannot even predict the weather a couple of hours ahead. I was up early to deliver my fellow traveler to the airport. First there were overcast skies, then drizzle. Back home it rained, and I simply went back to bed until 9AM. My friend Yvonne and I had plans to go up Sea-to-Sky Highway, turnaround point being Squamish, but we were reluctant. However, I couldn't wait any longer, and so I did my usual Buntzen Lake loop to test the grounds.

The roads were drying up. Good! So I called Yvonne and met her at her place. After fueling up we were headed to North Vancouver and while crossing the Ironworkers Memorial Bridge it started pouring, in the biblical sense. A wall of water.

The roads were immediately flooded, and turned into rivers, and we were no longer comfortable riding, so we found shelter at a gas station. The storm drains couldn't cope with the massive amount of water.

While waiting for the rain to ease up we pondered about what to do next. Going North was no longer an option, so we turned around, crossed the bridge again... and there was the sun. Ok, then let's go South! And so we ended up in White Rock, where we found out that even motorcycle parking spots are not free of charge anymore. We bit the bullet and payed for the spot, at least it seemed to be tolerated for several bikes to share.

One reason for riding is finding a proper place for food intake. Yvonne and I decided to enjoy Greek cuisine on the outdoor patio of the Cosmos: Tzaziki, Pita bread, salad, souvlaki shrimp skewer, and calamari. Not cheap but well worth it. Yummy!

To work off the calories we strolled down the sea-walk to the pier. The good weather stayed with us. We haven't seen one drop of rain on our way back home, and it turned out to be a good day for riding.

Distance: 140km (89 mi)
Weather: Rain & sunshine, 16C (61F)

Rolling along

With an evening tele conference in mind I left work early to get some scooter R'n'R, and took hubby out to Stave Lake. We only stopped once for pictures but otherwise just kept rollin'.

 We arrived home with sunset around 9PM, just in time for... work.

Change of topic: I don't know what to make out of it. This neighbour is getting on my nerves. Every time I return to our bike parking lot, his/her car parks closer to my Nella. Too close for comfort. What would be the best way to make that moron understand?

ABCD - In quest for the perfect line

Here is my contribution to the 1st of May Blogger's Centerline Day with hubby doing 'The Stig'. The road chosen is called Tum-tumay-whueton Drive, named after the Tsleil-Wauluth First Nation word for 'home'. Quite fitting I thought, since this beautiful piece of blacktop happens to be only a few minutes away from my home.

 Camera Date Stamp: 2011.05.01 08:27:19

I didn't dare to sit down, traffic was unusually high, so I needed to be at the ready to jump out of the way. Thanks, Gary. What a great idea!

The main reason for being on two wheels today was the official announcement of May as the motorcycle awareness month. Various clubs had invited to meet in the Historic Downtown of New Westminster for brunch and a ride. In the beginning Nella felt a little lost among all those cruisers.

New Westminster is a motorcycle friendly community, offering free parking to riders, and the owner of Heritage Grill sponsored the event by offering a full breakfast at only 7$. What's not to love.

It filled up quickly, more Harley's, Victory's, and Indian's, and some Rice Cruisers, but Nella remained the only Beemer in the lot.

Officer, I didn't do anything... The event was also supported by the police, and the female officer was quite interested in Nella, since she is in the market for a - as she called it - 'retirement bike', a lowered BMW F800GS.

We chatted about the differences of our two bikes, and in the end she offered me a seat on her Harley Police bike. If the picture only included a center-line... this could actually have been my ABC for today.

Home again, and getting ready for yet another trip to the Midwest... Flint, Michigan. Hence, no riding for me in the next few days.

Test riding the R1200RT and then some

Saturday morning, the alarm clock goes off at 7AM, and I am out on the road before eight to attend the BMW Motorrad Exclusively Female Test Ride Event at the Town and Country Hotel in Delta. The roads are clear and I arrive much earlier than anticipated. With additional time at hand I visit Deas Island Regional Park and enjoy the calm scenic views over the Fraser River.

Meanwhile back at the hotel, bikes are being lined up for keen ladies to test the latest BMW models. I have a reservation for an R1200RT at 9AM, and the naked version, the R1200R an hour later.

 the 'fat momma'

The motorcycle looks BIG, but elegant in design, definitely not your standard German engineered but otherwise plain ugly model.

With great anticipation I enter 'the cockpit' of the RT. Like with all beemers today, the bikes are adjusted to the various (vertical) challenges that our kind has to deal with when riding motorcycles, and the seat position is perfect, and my feet hit the ground solid. I take the bike off the side stand, and I maneuver it a little back and forth to get a feel for the balance. It is the biggest bike I have ever ridden, so I was reasonably anxious about both the weight and the power. To my surprise it handles exceptionally well.

The first push of the starter button awakes the boxer motor, another surprise, the vibration are way less than I remember from my R80. Another button adjusts the windshield electronically, and off goes the group on their various test rides. No enervating 'clunk' while shifting gears (sorry Nella!), a smooth and sporty acceleration, and the bike wants to lean by itself in the twisties. A wide grin is stamped on my face while imagining touring thousands of miles across North America on this luxury vehicle.

After breakfast, I am up for the R1200R. Naked (the bike, I am of course in ATGATT), I feel the wind pressure on my chest and shoulders. It was o.k. but I wasn't really enjoying it. I must have gotten spoiled by the comfort and protection of the fairings and the adjustable windshield of the RT.

Later on I sit on some of the other bikes and take a few around in the parking lot, such as the F800ST (as seen in front) and the F800S, but nothing compares to the new feel of riding I got on the R1200RT. I am afraid, now I need a sponsor, because luxury comes with a price tag... starting at 20K.

Lunch arrives while chatting along with other participants of today's 'for women only' event, and after that I am heading home. Nella once again fits like a glove, clonk goes the gear, and gaggle the motor, my reliable precious 650cc single cylinder motorcycle.

At home I swap bikes and grab my better half for a little scoot around town before sunset.

All day on two wheels, under blue skies in reasonably warm temperatures... it doesn't get much better than this!