First Season

My First Riding Season

How I Started

Now to look at me you would say that I have been riding for years. However, if you had met me even three years ago, I would have said you had to be nuts to ride a motorcycle in Toronto. The reason I say this is because I dress like a biker, and so for at least the last ten years people would ask me what kind of bike I rode. I never would have thought that someday I would actually be riding.

It all started in the fall of 1999 when one of my best friends got back into motorcycle riding after a hiatus of almost 20 years. He purchased a 1980 Yamaha 1100 XS Special. When he got a little familiar with the bike I had my first ride. We didn't go too far but he didn't scare the hell out of me either. The snow soon came and the bike was put away until the spring of 2000. This is when I had my second ride on the bike. After we got back I thought to myself; maybe this is something I would like to do. I had just purchased a new ATV so buying a motorcycle was out of the question. I decided that if the bug were still with me in the spring of 2001 I would do the deed then. Well the summer progressed and I was talking about getting my license to just about everyone I knew. Seems I had plenty of friends who rode a bike and told me I would enjoy it immensely.

One of my friends even tried to get me to take his Harley Sportster out for a spin. Never mind the fact I had never attempted to ride a bike yet. Another friend from North Bay told me he had an old Honda that I could have for free. Seemed like a plan to me, so off to North Bay I went. The bike was old all right. It was a 1969 Honda CB 350 that had not been started in over 2 years. This bike was to be the start of something great even though it had just half a seat, no front brakes, no working lights, a street tire on the front and a dirt tire on the back, as well as an exhaust that was rotted through. Never mind I had something to start learning on. Next step was to get it started. Since it had sat under a tarp for two years this was not easy. We ended up having to tow the bike behind my truck to get it to roll over! Once the cobwebs were blown out of the bike, it was back in my truck for the journey to my buddy's place.

My friend Dale was glad I had something to learn on. Since he has a couple acres, he told me to learn how to ride circles around his property. Just getting the bike moving forward took a bit of time. Next thing you know I was doing laps around his yard. It was only first gear, but I was moving. I had problems keeping the bike from stalling while negotiating a tight left-hand turn on the side of his house. I remember the sense of accomplishment I felt the first time I did a lap and didn't stall the bike. Next I decided I could negotiate the narrow gap between the house and the garage. This was a big mistake, as I dumped the bike down into the hole that comprised the stairs to the garage. Luckily I was unhurt, except for my pride, while Dale laughed and tried to help me get the bike upright again. I don't know what I would have done if it had not been for my friend’s help and patience in teaching me what to do. I can't tell you how many laps I did around that property but I knew I was hooked. I could hardly wait to get a bike on the open road.

Then Dale bought a Yamaha RD 350. Originally Dale helped his son buy this bike and decided to buy it back so his wife could learn to ride. Well when he got it back one of the cylinders was fried so we took it apart and rebuilt it. We had it rebuilt one late Saturday night in early October 2000. Dale asked me if I would like to take it for a spin. I said I would, as long as he would take his bike out too. So off we went down Muskoka 13 late at night. I think we did about 30km that night and I knew I was hooked. You couldn't get the grin off my face after that first ride on a real bike on real roads. The next weekend I took it for a spin again out to Bala and back to his house. Now all I could think about was getting a bike of my own.

Winter soon set in and then came the January bike show. I went looking to buy clothes and stuff for riding but not a bike. I had a lead on a 1989 Honda Shadow 750, candy apple red. From the moment I saw that model I knew the style of bike I wanted. Of course, at the bike show there were more bikes and brands than you could shake a stick at. I visited all the booths and fell in love with one model in particular. The Suzuki booth had a Red Intruder 800 and I was in love. The bike looked similar to the older Shadows and I knew I liked that style. I could flatfoot the bike and I was pretty sure I would not outgrow it in my first season. However I wasn't sure if I should buy a new bike or go after the older Shadow I had my eyes on. I did purchase a half helmet, half gloves, boots, skullcap and a beautiful leather jacket and matching vest at this show though.

Next was to take the M1 test. So, on February 16th I headed off to Wilson Avenue to get this important piece of paper. I passed and headed off to Humber College to take the safety course that so many people recommended. I was lucky enough to get in, the last weekend of April. The other bike shows came and went and I picked up the rest of the riding gear, I knew I'd need once I bought a bike. While at the shows I picked up numerous brochures on just about anything to do with motorcycling. Included were brochures on a couple of riding clubs in Toronto and surrounding areas.

Around the end of March 2001 I decided to head to Cycle World West to look and drool over the many bikes on their floor. They had a sale on the 2000 Intruder 800. I asked them to check if they had it in red. Now last year’s model was red but it wasn't as nice a red as the 2001 model. I headed home to go through a buy and sell guide looking for other motorcycle dealers that sold Suzukis. I found one in Brampton and called them about the 2000 model to save a few dollars. The dealer offered me a 2001 model for only $300 more than I would pay for the 2000 model. I headed out and put a deposit on my dream bike on the 30th of March. The dealer told me it would be in the first week of May. Perfect for me as I was taking the test that last weekend in April.

Perspective on being a Zen Rider:

One weekend in early April I was going through the brochures I had picked up at the various shows. I noticed that a couple of the bike clubs had web sites. Now when I decided to get into riding I had no intention of joining a club. I figured most of my riding would be done north of the city, in Muskoka, with my buddy Dale. But as the old story goes that plan went out the window, as I investigated two clubs extensively. One club was the Shadow club and the other club was the Zen Riders.

After much searching and joining the Public-Zen message board, I knew I was on the right path. One thing about a message board is that you can get a feel for what the members are really like. Especially on this board as the topics were not just about motorcycles. Upon further searching of the Zen Riders site, I discovered there was somebody in the club that I knew from 10 years before. Gunslinger was an old contact from the printing industry. I had the upper hand on him as I knew his real name but all he knew about me, was my posts to the message board under the nickname “Night Wolf Howls”. So I ventured off to meet for coffee, on a Thursday night, at The Second Cup on Bathurst and Steeles. The people were very friendly in person. I quickly became re-acquainted with Guns and met Buddy (the Club President), BT, Sporty, Stylz, Stickboy and many others. They were all very encouraging as the weekend for my M2 course was approaching.

Friday the 27th of April was a test of nerves. Was I doing the right thing? Could I pass this course? Time would tell. Saturday dawned bright and sunny if not a little chilly as I ventured out to the course at Humber College. Now I'm not going to go into all the details of the course. I will state however that if you have never ridden a motorcycle before this course is for you. By early morning we were riding on our own. The rest of the day was just a blur as we learned everything we had to know before the test on Sunday. Sunday was much of the same with the exception of learning some more riding techniques. We then broke for lunch and came back to two hours of practice before taking the test. Humber College sets up four parking lots with various things for you to practice on for the two hours before the test begins.

Ah yes the test. Talk about nerves. I breezed though it all until the last part. That was braking in a curve. I almost blew it as I skidded to a stop but stayed within the lines and only lost 3 points. I had passed! Once home, I posted a message on the Public-Zen message board about my success. Everyone was very supportive and happy. I paid my membership dues on the 10th of May, as I knew my bike was about to arrive. Money well spent in my opinion.

One of my co-workers had told me two things, as I got ready to take delivery of my first bike. One was that riding a bike was better than sex. After doing both I can honestly say no, but it is a close second. The other was that when riding all your cares disappear. On that point I'll agree. The slogan for the Zen Riders is "We Ride for Inner Peace". After I started to ride and got used to the bike I can honestly say he was right and the Zen Riders slogan is right on the money. There is nothing as peaceful as riding down the road. It doesn't matter to me if it's the super slab or the back roads; I definitely find inner peace.

Now I needed my bike. As it turned out I had to wait until the 11th of May before the "Cub" arrived. Now because my friend Dale lives in Muskoka I decided to take my bike up there in the back of my truck. I figured it would be easier to get familiar with my new ride away from the hustle of Toronto. We did 69kms that first night while making a few stops for coffee and celebrate the fact I had my bike. I don't know who was happier, me or my buddy for me. The next day we headed off to North Bay to show a couple of my friends what I had bought. My friend, with the Sportster, could hardly believe that I had picked up the bike the day before and had ridden to North Bay. All in all I did just over 800 kilometers that first weekend before I headed back to Toronto without the bike. I left it in Muskoka to give myself some more time to familiarize myself with riding the following weekend, again away from Toronto's traffic. The following weekend I did about 700 kilometers before loading the bike back in my truck for the trip home early Monday morning on the long weekend. BT had posted a message about a small parade in King City that we were welcome to participate in. Of course it had to rain. Although this was my first time in rain, I wanted to do this ride with the others from the club. We had a blast.

Into the shop the next morning to have my first service and get the rest of my options installed (engine guards, highway pegs and rear rack). I purchased a small windshield and extra lights that mounted nicely under my horn mount. I was ready to ride. That Thursday, I had my first group ride as we left the Second Cup around 7:30. Sunday was to be my first group ride, as the Zen Riders were the host club for the B.A.D. Ride. I got separated from the main Zen pack and got stuck behind a small accident that occurred on the ride. Wonder and myself made it safely back to the exhibition grounds where a very relieved group was happy to see I had made it in one piece. I was amazed at how this club, that I had just joined, was concerned about my safety. The next big ride I planned to do was the Ride for Sight. My friends were coming down from up north to do it with me. Of course it had to rain as I headed up the highway to meet my friends. All that work polishing went to waste. Oh well what can you do but ride.
Once we arrived at the International Centre I went looking for Intimidator, Cupcake and Star. They were also doing the charity ride. It was nice to see some other people from the club. I was amazed at the reception given to riders as we passed through some of the small towns between Toronto and Collingwood, the ride's destination. Once at the fairgrounds I ran into Smyk, a Zen Rider, and introduced myself. Later that night I ran into another Zen, SFINK because he was wearing his red shirt. My first, but not last instance of Zen spotting.

I was rapidly putting mileage on the “Cub” and one of my fellow Zen Riders told me I was an inspiration to her. Purple Passion was impressed with how I had taken to riding in any and all weather. That was the first time someone in the club had said something so meaningful to me.

I asked Stylz how long was he riding before he took a passenger? He replied after one year. My next question was how many kilometers did that entail. He replied 10,000, and since I was rapidly approaching this number, I thought it might soon be time to take that challenge. So I asked Cougar if she would be the first victim. Luckily she said yes and, though nervous, off we went around the block. Next we went on a slightly longer trip. Cougar was such a good passenger that I soon was at ease while taking a passenger. I will admit that ladies make better passengers than guys.

Trip to PEI:

My next big trip came about rather suddenly. Two of my friends from up north had traded in their bikes. Dale had bought a Shadow 750 and Tony had purchased a VTX 1800. They wanted to head to PEI to run the Confederation Bridge. So, in mid August, my friends and I headed out with a chase vehicle in tow. In the chase vehicle were Christine & Angie (Dale and Tony's wives) while Cougar was going to try to spend as much time as possible on the back of my bike. The one rule I had was that if it rained, she was in the car. We headed out very early Saturday morning and proceeded to do 900 kilometers the first day. Tony was in a rush to get Down East. Every now and then, Rocky felt the need for speed and would pull out letting us know he'd be 60 or so kilometers down the road waiting for us. Since I had made the trip down east many times it was decided that I would lead us through Montreal.

We stopped that night in Montmagmy, Quebec. I was beat, and so was Cougar who did over half the trip on the back of my bike. To say my bike is uncomfortable on long trips would be an understatement. Next day we were back on the road by 8:00 and arrived at the Confederation Bridge just as the sun was setting; this was a beautiful sight. We did 850 kilometers that day and I was exhausted by the time we found a motel and had some dinner. The next day, Cougar and I took a leisurely ride around the province seeing the sights that interested us, particularly the Seat of Confederation. Dale, Tony and their wives headed off to see some things they were interested in.

While riding around with Cougar, I noticed a grinding coming from my front brakes. I asked Dale about it that night and we proceeded to take them apart only to find out the pads were worn after 18,000 kilometers. So I had no front brakes and nowhere to get them in PEI. We left PEI around noon on Tuesday and made it to Markland NB before stopping for the night. I was drained from riding all day in the rain and having to be extra cautious with no front brakes. The next day we again reached Montmagmy in Quebec. Luckily for me the dealer there had front pads in stock and lent me the extra tools, I didn't have on me, to replace them. Cougar was happy to again be back on the bike no matter how uncomfortable it was.

Back on the road we headed to Ontario where we just got over the border before having to find somewhere to sleep for the night. Thursday morning we took highway 17 through North Bay on our way to Burke's Falls to say goodbye to Tony & Angie. All morning we dodged the rain clouds and as we turned through North Bay we just missed the rain. Back at Dale's house Cougar gathered her Explorer and off we headed to Toronto.

First Accident:

I had my first accident Thanksgiving weekend, just after I passed 26,000 kilometers. I was returning from Muskoka when I was cut off. Luckily for me I was wearing a full Joe Rocket suit, full helmet and full gloves, as it was raining off and on. I slid approximately 10-20 feet while the “Cub” slid about double that distance. As it happened, a tow truck driver, that had just made a right hand turn in front of me, saw the accident in his rearview mirror and was a witness for me when the police arrived. Damage to me was nothing; not a scratch or even a bruise, unfortunately the “Cub” suffered damage totaling $2400.00. All cosmetic damage though and I was able to ride the bike home after bending the foot-peg back in place with a small sledgehammer.

The following weekend was the last official ride of the riding season. The annual Popsicle Run. We arrived at the Second Cup by 7:30 a.m. and slowly everyone showed up. Sheriff and Joni even showed up to wish us luck on our trip. Lazer and Twotoes were in one chase vehicle as was Albaby. Pitbull with his and Trotter's wife were in yet another chase vehicle as was Cougar, Roses and Lady Di in Cougar's Explorer. All in all we ended up with 14 bikes: BT, Sporty, Lobo, Guns, Wings, Ace, Granny, Trotter, Stylz, Buddy, Mumbles, Wonder, and me. Popsicle run was a misnomer as we headed out in beautiful sunshine. We did run into that “heavy fog " as Buddy called it, just outside Burlington. Sunday did turn into a Popsicle Run as we made it home around 2:30 in the morning.

As I stated above that was supposed to be the last official ride of the season. Santa had other plans in mind. A call came from Gonzo and Granny that the Zens were welcome to participate in the Keswick Santa Claus Parade. So with Lazer in the lead truck and Mumbles in the Tail Car, twelve bikes showed up and were promptly decorated. BT, Sporty, BlackJack, TwoToes, Buddy, Trotter, Pitbull, Wonder, Blade, Switch, and Gonzo rode in the parade. Cougar and I rode on Granny’s bike. To say the least we were a hit as we took 3rd place in our division. Mumbles again was chef at the after ride feast.

I had a great riding season. The total mileage for this year is just over 28,600 kilometers. I am eagerly looking forward to many more adventures with my Zen Brothers and Sisters. I would recommend to anyone that you join the Zen Riders. I can honestly say this has been the best summer of my life. To think I waited until I was 35 to partake in this fantastic past time. To all the Zen Riders, I say thank you for some wonderful memories. I'm looking forward to many more.

This Article Is Also Available On The Zen Riders Website

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