“Tour de Garages” - Post 2: The Challenge

 

A comment from Trobairitz inspired me to have fun with the "Tour de Garages." It’s a challenge: Can you guess what bike is coming next based on the preview photo? 

Post your guess as a comment, check back to see if you were right … and watch for the next bike. Start with the “Pick of the liter,” posted January 27, 2013.

There are no prizes … but your reward will be my (and probably a whole lot of other folks) admiration. Plus you will be able to bask in the knowledge that if you can guess the make (and better yet the model of even one bike in this series) you are indeed a connoisseur of fine motorcycles … probably, most definitely, even likely … a motorcycle aficionado – an expert (and we will know who to come to with questions.)

But ... if you do manage to guess them all ... I may have to volunteer to do your laundry for a week because you are freaking good! The winner will be announced ... when the garages are closed.

(I’ll admit it isn’t a challenge that I’d try  … but lucky for me, I have the answer sheet!)

Have Fun/be challenged - that's what life is about!

Disclaimer

(Friends and family may not apply- I already admire you guys!)

My "Tour de Garages" begins - Post 1: What, you might ask, does collecting shoes have to do with motorcycles?

 

If you’d asked me a couple of years ago, “what do you collect?” I’d have told you, “Nothing!” But, being older allows me to be more honest and honestly, when I look around I have to admit I could be accused of collecting a few things; one of them might be shoes. (People who know me would also say I collect pens, but that little fetish is closer to hoarding than collecting.) Now I’m not an unreasonable collector. I have a rule … a new pair in and an old pair out. So I bend the rule a bit as I set the new pair on the floor while I decide (in a week or maybe three) what pair I must part with...

And what, you might ask, does collecting shoes have to do with motorcycles? Nothing, except for the fact that I have multiple pair of shoes and only one motorcycle. I do not collect motorcycles, probably because most motorcycles cost way more than the most shoes and I wouldn’t have any place to put more than one motorcycle anyway (unless, of course, I moved the shoes out then I might fit a small scooter in the closet.) However, lucky for me, I do know a couple of people who are collectors though some refuse to admit it.

My friend Ken is one of those ‘not collector’ collectors. According to Ken, he’s an accumulator. By definition; a collector is a person that collects things of a specified type, professionally or as a hobby; a hoarder is someone who accumulates things and hides them away for future use - is he by definition a motorcycle hoarder then? (Oh crap, does that mean I am a shoe hoarder? Shoes and pens, I need more motorcycles please!)

Accumulator, collector or hoarder, doesn’t really matter, what does matter is that I asked if he’d let me wander around his garage and share some of his ‘anti-collection’ and he said yes … opening the way for a series of seriously motorcycle related blogs to begin. We're Canadian eh! If we can’t ride we might as well spend the cold months talking about riding motorcycles so I’m going to poke around a few garages over the next bit … my Tour de Garages begins (you never know, I might learn something along the way.) I don't know how many posts there will be in this series, guess it just depends on how many garages I get to poke about in.

Coming next - Here’s the pick of the litter – not the newest or the oldest, not the best ride or even the first ride – just his personal favorite.

Upcoming posts will have more pictures - less talk (unless it's garage talk), promise!

North American International Motorcycle Super Show 2013

Today marks the beginning of the 2013 season for motorcycle enthusiasts in Eastern Ontario, me included.  It was the opening day of the North American International Motorcycle Super Show at the International Centre, Toronto and I got up at 6am to pay homage to the event . (The bad news; I had to battle headwinds of up to 60 kph driving a giant steel box on wheels. It felt like trying to push a sheet of plywood in a gale and burned 3/4 of a tank of gas to go 291km.  The good news; the wind was coming straight down the pike (so to speak) and there was no snow drifting across the highway. The better news; the trip home was a breeze and took just over a 1/4 tank - gotta love a good tail wind.)

The show was - the usual. There wasn't anything really spectacular to report - a little new, a little old and there seemed to be a lot more space dedicated to vendors flogging their 'leathers' ...

I stopped for a snack in one section featuring a fashion show ... I would have snapped a photo if I could have elbowed my way through the hundreds of men ogling the gals dressed in chaps and fringe. Dressed for riding?  I ate my chips instead.

 

I wandered into the vintage section ...

1967 Yamaha TD1-C

(Claimed, by Cycle Magazine, 1974, to be the worlds fastest TD1-C - top speed 137 mph) 

 



I always enjoy the vintage section, especially when I run into my friend, Phil Mahood - Vincent specialist/restoration)

 Altometheus 2, Bonneville land speed racing side car from the Bar Hodgeson collection.

 

Then I stumbled upon the 'flipped out and farkeled' section (aka the custom and chopper section). I must have missed this room last year 'cause I was just not prepared for the sparkle, glitter and dazzle there was to look at. 

 

Brad, this one's for you ... or maybe it's for Bobskoot - A Honda "Tiger"

Erik, how about an 'electrictrified Ninja?'

Plaid anyone?

 King Neptune was there.

 Soooo much farkle and sparkle

"Ride like it's stolen." If you're actually riding this one - it probably was stolen!

Here's to the 2013 riding season!