The Ultimate Cross Canada Motorcycle Trip

My friend Mike recently completed an incredible month-long trip from Ottawa to Vancouver on mostly TCAT trails. You can read about it here. I highly recommend it.

I put together a google map of his trip and intended to embed it here or on his blog. It turns out you can't embed Maps Engine maps which is crazy so I just did a screen shot.

If you want to see the actual map you can check it out here.

Ultimate Motorcycle: BMW Adventure Bikes

If I had unlimited money I would get a bike like these BMW Adventure bikes. This vid gives you a good idea of what it is like to take these monsters off-road and ride them the way they were designed. Watch for the drifting near the end of the video. That is seriously hard on a bike that size.

I'm pretty sure that these BMW GS 1200s are the bikes that Ewan McGregor and Charlie Boorman use when they go around the world. Awesome series btw.

via Scooter in the Sticks

Night Riding

Here is a sweet vid of some guy riding a bike late at night. I know the feeling - just you and the city lights. Ah it is so good.

Lossa Engineering's short film "Solus" from Jay Lossa on Vimeo.

Also, that is a very cool looking bike.

Representing my Roots

I recently received an awesome little package in the mail from a close relative on Irene's side of the family in Holland.
I can now represent the Netherlands whenever I'm driving. I've always wanted these Euro-stickers even though they are not being used in Europe anymore. Of course trends always take several years to change on this side of the pond.


Thanks Ina!

Working on the Vespa

A couple weeks ago I decided to switch the rear tire and change the oil on the bike.

It went pretty well except I relearned that having the right tools makes every job more enjoyable. It would be nice to own a tool store......

White people like Vespas

StuffWhitePeopleLike.com recently did a post about Vespas. Per usual it is hilarious and carries a bit of truth to it.

Here is a little excerpt which many people have tried on me.

"see how many of the following justifications a white person will use (for buying a Vespa) during the ensuing rant: environment, parking, urban lifestyles, union labor(what?), writers, fuel efficiency, Roman Holiday, study abroad, and being into Vespas before other people."

I do get the urban stuff and the parking, even the Europe stuff but what about the union labor? What is that all about? And writers? Are writers supposed to ride Vespas? Maybe he is trying to describe the liberal elite. I don't know.

My own reasons are a little more on the practical side. (oh here he goes again - this is exactly what was predicted)

But seriously, there is no equivelant scooter on the market right now. Honda is releasing one next year but it will be more expensive than the Vespa albeit with newer technology. All the other scooters are made by cheap asian manufacturers and the quality is just not there. I am not a real engine/mechanic guy so I really didn't want to end up fixing it all the time.

The vespa is the only full metal chasis scooter in Canada. It is incredibly sturdy and durable for a small bike. And the engine is legendary for being reliable.

The other thing that attracted me to it was that there is reams of info on how to tweak and fix vespas online. Since it is basically the most popular scooter/motorcycle in the world there are a lot of people with a lot of answers.

Finally, why didn't I just buy a motorcycle with twice the engine, manual transmission, and for half the price? Well the last few things I said also apply here but really the main reason is the practicality of a scooter. People try to make their motorcycles practicle for commuting and quick

jaunts to the grocery store but they can never match a scooter for that. They are too big and too serious.

I was never really that into motorcycles but the idea of a scooter instantly appealed to me once I started to think about it.

Plus the Vespa is insanely fun to ride. And that is something I never really counted on.

Flat Tire

Last week while riding to a meeting I must have ran over a screw and it deflated my rear tire (which is barely a couple months old) fairly quickly.
I knew something was up when my back end was sliding/rolling side to side when I hit any bump and when I put my feet down the bike was definitely several inches lower.
After fenangling a ride home so I could use the car to get to my meeting late Irene and I used a friend's trailer to bring it to the shop. (Thanks MW!)
Luckily, the shop was able to get it's hands on a tire which is really quite hard these days because scooters are gaining in popularity so fast the tire manufacturers can't keep up. And so 150 bucks later I am back on the road.


As a not-so-funny aside, I thought for a bit that the screw was one of my own drywall screws but it is definitely a flooring screw - phew.

2nd Annual Enjoyment Awards

It is the new year and I figure that I should continue my annual tradition which was started last year. This are my most enjoyed random stuff of the 2008 year.
Once again, I am not confining my list to music and it is not necessarily only from this year. My list is all about the stuff I got the most enjoyment out of in 2008.
Anyways, here it is:

My most enjoyed artist of 2008 was:
Justin Rutledge because he seems like a real cool guy who happens to make fantastic indie folk/country tunes. I even got to meet him.

Some runners up were Sufjan Stevens (he will probably always be close to winning in this section), Stars and Fleet Foxes.

My most enjoyed album of 2008 was:
It is a tie between Swift Feet for Troubling Times by Ohbijou and Asking for Flowers by Kathleen Edwards.

Some runners up:
Man Descending by Justin Rutledge
Cease to Begin by Band of Horses
Oh, My Darling by Basia Bulat
Where the Bungalows Roam by Jim Bryson
Fleet Foxes by Fleet Foxes (I am still really into that one)

It's just so hard to pick.

My most enjoyed song of 2008 was:
Nothing really is catching my attention here. Apparently my enjoyment was spread over so many songs this year. If I had to pick (and I don't have to because this is my blog and nobody is forcing me) it would be between Royal Wood's Julia or Gonzalez, Working Together.

Runners up:
The Other Side by Ohbijou
Scared at Night by Kathleen Edwards
In the Night by Basia Bulat
Clear the Crowds by Jim Bryson

My most enjoyed live performance of 2008 was probably Radiohead in Montreal because we were so incredibly close to the stage and the after party, jumping out of windows from bar to bar until 5:00 in the morning with a great bunch of people was so fun.

The runners up would have to be Kate Maki at the Black Sheep (with Nathan Lawr and Jim Bryson) or even Royal Wood also at the Black Sheep. Basia Bulat also put on a great show on Canada Day at Jazzfest but it wasn't quite intimate enough as the last time I saw her open for Great Lake Swimmers.

My most enjoyed Local Band (Greater Ottawa Area) of 2008 was:
Kathleen Edwards and her bandmate Jim Bryson.

Runner Up:
Ohbijou and their album compilation with Ottawa band The Acorn.
If I moved out of the Ottawa area I wish I could pick Library Voices (who won a Bucky Award for their band name) but I haven't listened to them enough to really pick them.
Also, I wish Forest City Lovers were from Ottawa so I could pick them too.

My most enjoyed music venue of 2008 was:
Black Sheep Inn, Wakefield QC hands down. I have a feeling it will win every year. It is just too perfect if you get there early enough to snag a seat in front of the stage.

I also nominated it for CBC's Searchlight contest (as did many other people) for best small club for seeing music. I hope it wins and I really think it has a good chance.

My most enjoyed beer of 2008 was:
This is so hard to pick. Probably that smoked beer that I had at Pub Italia in Ottawa’s little Italy or that McAuslan Cream Ale that you can only get on tap in a few places (including the Black Sheep).

Runners up would be the Danish strong beer Faxe or the white beer Hoegarden or the many cervezas we had in Spain (many because of location though, not the distinctness beer). Spain did have the best sangria though as I am sure it always will.

My most enjoyed TV show of 2008 was:
Fringe. I know maybe it's a bit cliche but I still really love the sci-fi craziness. It also has a healthy dose of conspiracy. It is made by the same guys as Lost but unlike that show it is actually understandable.

Pushing Daisies is also a great show but there just wasn’t enough new episodes.

My most enjoyed movie of 2008 was:
I just can't think of anything....I don't watch enough movies I guess. Nothing really stands out. Maybe I could pick the Wallace & Grommet shorts that we re-watched during the Christmas holidays.

My most enjoyed technology of 2008 was:
Linux Ubuntu because it has changed my computer expectations forever. I will never use Windows Vista.

My most enjoyed purchase of 2008:
Without a doubt it was the Vespa.

My most enjoyed city of 2008 was:
San Sebastien, Spain.

Madrid and it's sourrounding towns are close runners up though.

My most enjoyed sport of 2008:
Definitely snowboarding since I went once a week in the winter. This year we aren’t going quite as often it seems but I don’t have any other sports.

And last but not least my most enjoyed person of 2008 was:
Irene - she wins again!?! amazing!!!!

It's Official

We are going to Spain in November.

I wish I could just move to Europe. No more suburbs, no more SUVs and trucks, no more slow public transit. Only real culture and real history and real transit and chic living and amazing food and lots of Vespas.

Madrid, San Sebastian and Bilbao here we come!

Free Parking for Scooters in Ottawa

A guy at my local Vespa dealership started this petition to get counsel to look at setting up free parking for scooters and motorcycles in Ottawa. I want as many people to sign it as possible.
Other cities in Canada have it so why not the capital city? Scooters are a benefit in that they reduce traffic congestion and gridlock so why not encourage their use by providing free parking. This is the rule in Europe where the streets are lined with scooters wherever you go.
This is in Paris, where I found the scooters to be just another part of my romanticized vision of the city.

In other news, Irene now has a helmet and jacket so she can ride on the back of the Vespa. Good times ahead! I just need to get a top box for her helmet and we are all set up for doing day trips into the Gatineaus.

Vespa Ride in My Neighborhood

I put together a video of myself riding around in my neighborhood on my new Vespa S150. During the ride I surpassed 1000 kms. Time for it's first service.

And yes it is quite fun.

My Vespa

I finally got it and I have finally removed myself from it long enough to blog about it. Yes it is awesome and yes it is more fun than I thought it would be.
Here are some high-def shots of it in front of my office. We are currently getting amazing weather for it too so I have put over 100 kms on it in zipping around town. Its got really good pick-up to 80 kms but over that it takes a bit to get to 100. I am still getting used to the signals because you have to remember to turn them off.
I hope I get a lot of use out of it this summer.
I am taking my motorcycle course at the end of June with a friend of mine. Should be fun. But until then I am limited to the M1 restrictions which kind of sucks. I could go into all the details but it would probably bore you. All you need to know is that the Vespa is the scooter for the ages. Beautiful design coupled with brilliant engineering and years of refinement. It is known around the world (maybe not so much in North America) as the best scooter money can buy.
Every once in a while I get someone asking me why I didn't buy a regular motorcycle. Well, really I never really had a huge interest in motorcycles. They never seemed practical enough. Then I ran into the Vespa.
Anyway, the merits of the Vespa merits a blog in itself. I gotta go riding.

The Last page on the Internet......

Somebody sent me a link to the last page on the internet. I guess that means I have seen it all. I may as well never go on the internet again.
Oh well. I bought a Vespa now so I probably will only be on the internet when it's raining. I pick it up tomorrow so here is a little Vespa preview.

And now for a little Vespa craziness. This guy is pretty amazing.

Don't worry, I won't be trying that anytime soon.

Kill To Get Crimson

I am not sure about the title but the disc is typical Knopfler. Its not bad.
But the best part is this......
Vespas on the album cover!!!!!

Killacycle

You know the whole environmentalism thing has gone too far when they start doing this kind of thing.
We can learn several things from this:
1. Wear a helmet when riding a motorcycle (especially fast ones)
2. Only professionals should attempt burnouts (not tech geeks trying to impress other tech geeks)
3. Gas is overrated.
4. Calling your motorbike the 'Killacycle' is probably not a good way to market it. (Especially if it kills you while you are trying to market it)
5. People (read americans) are idiots.
6. Don't let some random blond model girl tell you where and how to do a burnout.

But as idiotic as this thing is, I still have to admit that I am impressed. Its like a having a wind-up car as a kid. In reality though it doesn't really make sense because it has way to much useless power. Its like an american muscle car.
The other thing is I have never really understood the concept of saving energy by using electricity because thats energy too. It makes you wonder what ever happened to that Steorn perpetual energy machine.....

oh it was nothing. big surprise.

My Piaggio

So after several months of looking (and drooling) at scooters I have pretty much decided which one I want. I am pretty sure I want to buy a new one because I really don't know enough to be able to fix them and I don't know anybody who is either.

Anyway here are the specs for my Piaggio Derbi Boulevard 150 (which I still have to buy)

Manufacturer		Derbi
Model Year		2007
Model		Boulevard 150
MSRP		Request a Quote
Engine		4-stroke, 2V, forced air-cooled
Displacement		149.8 cc
Bore x Stroke		62.6 x 48.6 mm
Carburetion		28 mm
Compression Ratio		11:1
Ignition		Electronic CDI
Starting System		Electronic
Transmission		CVT with centrifugal clutch
Suspension		Front: 35 mm hydraulic fork, effectual run 76 mm Rear: Lineal gas single shock, effectual run 60 mm
Brakes		Front: 220 mm disc Rear: Tambor
Tires		Front: 130/60 x 13 in. Rear: 130/60 x 13 in.
Length		73.2 in. (1,860 mm)
Width		27.2 in. (690 mm)
Height		45.9 in. (1,165 mm)
Wheelbase		51.4 in. (1,305 mm)
Fuel Capacity		2.4 gal. (9 l)
Oil System		Oil pump
Maximum Speed		11.5 CV @ 7,000 rpm
Colors		Black, Blue, Red, Silver

It is an Italian made bike with the same engine as the Vespa LX 150. That is the bike I really want. The main difference between the two is the Vespa has a full metal body and is put together all by hand. The Derbi is what is known as a plastic scooter because the body has plastic panels. It also is more modern looking and happens to be about $1000 cheaper than the equivalent Vespa. But the Vespa is better looking and retains its value. The decision to go with the Derbi is mostly economic and because I am just getting into it.

The Vespa LX150
The Derbi Boulevard 150