Peameal Bacon

I got out earlier this month with my homie Chopper Wilf, for a little over night camping session with dirt bikes and beers in Squamish.

Wilfred showed up at my place in his truck, bikes already loaded, and it was just pissing rain out. Good thing neither one of us will back down from a camp in the rain, so we did what any two good Canadian men should do, we stuck to the plan and went fucking camping in the rain. Wilfred's little brother Kaleb lent me his '91 DR250, and Wilf brought his Yamaha XT500. We were going to go to Cat Lake, but it looked busy, and we didn't want to be bothered, so we ended up heading up Squamish Valley. We found a camping spot with a fire pit, set up and went riding before dark.

The rain held of off just enough for us to have a pretty decent dry ride. We explored the area a bit, and found a pretty rad damn that had a gnarly whirpool going on. We drank some beers, screamed as loud as we could and listened to our echos on the mountains, discussed the fact that if either one of us was being attacked by a cougar or bear, the other would ride for dear life and never return to help. It was a blast, and we headed back to camp, stoked the fire, and Wilf made some bomb vegetable stew that went well with my Cariboo brew. I had my tent set up, and in true Chopper Wilf fashion, he set up a tarp over the back of his truck and laid on a towel. I woke up in the middle of the night and it was practically a monsoon outside. I was just so stoked I had a tent, and I wondered how my buddy Wilfred was doing, but I just went back to sleep. Turns out he woke up in a huge puddle in the back of his truck. Fuck, too funny. He's a trooper.

The next morning we hit up the service road hard for a day of riding. I was really surprised at how much balls that little DR250 had. Though I barely kept up with Wilf, this little bike was doing for me what my KLR could do on the trails. I wasn't bagging on it by any means, but it had some pull for sure. Rad little bike. We found an old abandon miners camp at the top of the mountain that had already been tagged by some Filth Mode dudes. I don't think I've found a trail they haven't ridden first yet. We had some good riding, stopped at a few cool spots along the way before heading back to camp. We cooked up a mean Peameal Bacon roast on the fire, with some veggies and Jalapenos, cleaned our shit up and left the woods the way it was.

I had a blast. Always a good time riding with Wilfred, and appreciate him bringing me out for a good dirt biking camp. Sure does make me miss my KLR, good thing I may be getting on another soon!

Cory - The Great North ---- Currently listening to: Led Zeppelin - Your Time Is Gonna Come

Hibernation: Complete

It wasn't very cold, and it wasn't too wet, but I didn't have a motorcycle on the road the last six months, so this winter sucked!

It's been a bit since I've logged in, let alone written a post, and I was quite happy to see I had multiple reads a day, every day these last few months. Thanks for the support to everyone who is reading. I definitely appreciate it.

Tonight I will be hitting up the %18 meet in Burnaby BC. Should be pretty rad. Usually a random line up of awesome bikes. Everything from stock Harley Davidson's, to Cafe Racers, Thumpers, Sport bikes, Dual Sport bikes, everything in between and even a group of sick Ruckus' usually show up. Love this meet, coffee, donuts, sickles, and people that love all things two wheeled. It's held at Byrne and Marine in South Burnaby every second or third thursday of the month during riding season. You would have to check out their facebook page for the accurate details, or follow Motorcycho Magazine on facebook. Norm usually shares the goods.

I finally got my chopper all fixed up and back on the road. I had help from many friends, from everything to pawning my bike to my pal Mitch and his awesome wife Amanda, as I was a broke fucker over the winter, but didn't want to get rid of my bike forever. A very nice man held onto a wheel and threw in a rubber and some bars for me, and a great dude named Skyler re-welded my sissy bar and lent me a jack so I could put her all back together. I can honestly say, being in a band and playing music was fun, but it just blows my mind how supportive everyone in the motorcycle scene have been to me. With the exception of that odd bugger who seems to only want to support himself, everyone has been just amazing to me the last two years, and I am super grateful for that. Wouldn't be riding today without some of these rad people, thank you all so much, you know who you are <3

Will do my best to keep at least a weekly post through this season. After a lot of blogging when I started this page, I think it's a realistic goal. Daily posting is a lot of work, and I'm not getting paid or making money from this, but I love it, and will try to keep it coming...

I will leave this one with something for everyone to think about. Next time you go to a moto-meet, riding event, chopper camping, bike show, or whatever it is you do. Approach that quiet dude in the back, or that girl that just got her first bike, and introduce yourself. Invite someone out to ride. I was that quiet dude who was too afraid to ask people to hang, and I'm lucky I met some rad folks, and ultimately have some great riding friends now. You never know, you could totally change someone's life, and that is rad. This is why I love motorcycles. Have a blast and ride safe this summer!

Cory - The Great North ---- Currently listening to: Doomriders - Ride or Die

Who needs a garage?

So last summer I decided to ride my bike from Vancouver to Toronto and back...

I can't say it was the easiest thing I've ever done, or the hardest, but I can say it taught me a lot about myself. I am currently writing a short book about my trip, experiences on the road, and the incredible people I met a long the way. When it's all finished (assuming I do finish it), it will be titled 'The Great North: On Two Wheels', and I will likely be hand making these books in the style of a 'Zine', or commissioning someone rad to do them for me.

Anyways, my bike got it pretty good on the way back from Toronto. My sissy bar snapped just outside of Calgary, causing myself, my packs, and my seat to collapse onto my rear wheel at 120 km/hr. I managed to keep the shiny side up, and I walked away from the accident in one piece. It was scary, and I don't ever want to experience it again, though it will likely happen at some point.

I dabbled with the idea of getting the bike fixed in Calgary, but with barely any funds left, just a 1,000km roughly from home, I wasn't able to afford to fix the bike. Since I have returned from my trip, it's been a slow process of getting set back up on my feet, and I am just finally able to start slowly working on getting the bike together again. It needs new rear rubber, plugs, seals, the rear rim needs to be re-built (an $850 cost I endured right before leaving on the trip), and many other small repairs. I also wouldn't mind putting a springer front end on it, getting an old/new seat, making a gnarly sissy bar, and changing a lot of shit up on it, possibly some super cool bars, and a groovy paint job if I can afford it, or the gear to do it myself.

It will be a bit before I see this baby running again, never mind the personal modifications I would like to do to it, as I bought the bike in the condition it's still in, aside from the wear I've put into it. Although I do have one glimmer of hope to get the bike back on the road soon (read next post), and to do what I've always wanted to do to it, but for now, it's being parked in my bedroom right where my comfy bed once was. It's just me, my bike, and the couch for the next bit...

Welcome home <3

 Cory - The Great North ---- Currently listening to: Monster Truck - The Lion

Happy New Year!

Welp,

I've been slacking, but hey! I blogged a lot in the month of December to start it off big, and to get most of my stories out of the way before a fresh new year of experiences. It's been a nice extended holiday, and I am back to work on the 22nd, so I might as well get started with this new year of writing, before 15 hour days start kicking my ass.

I just wanted to start 2015 off with a Happy New Year post. Stick to your resolutions, ride hard, love harder, and most importantly, be safe out there on your bikes this year! Please...

Enjoy this video of Robbie Maddison shredding the Olympic park, in Park City, Utah. This guy is mad, no pun intended.

I normally share motorcycle related music videos in my signature, or at least good Rock 'N' Roll tunes good for partying and the garage, but I figured I'd share something I am influenced by in my personal time. Before getting involved with motorcycles, I played guitar in numerous bands for over a decade, and it was my dream to tour. This is an accurate representation of the music that I am passionate about, and listen to on a daily basis. Hope you enjoy! (SPOILER ALERT: It's not Rock 'N' Roll, it's non-motorcycle related, and it's extremely heavy.)

Cory - The Great North ---- Currently listening to: Northlane - Dream Awake

Santa Rides Too!

Merry Christmas! Hope everyone has a great night. Be safe over the holidays, and best wishes to all in the new year! May 2015 bring you lots of joy and all that sweet stuff...

Cory - The Great North ---- Currently listening to: RUN DMC - Christmas In Hollis

Trev Deeley Motorcycles

I know I already spoiled the surprise in a post earlier this month, but I got to meet up with Ryan Bolding, Shop Supervisor at Trev Deeley Motorcycles a couple weeks back, and he gave me quite the tour of the place. I didn't know what to expect heading down to check out one of the very first Harley Davidson dealerships in the world (and the very first Honda motorcycle distributor in the English speaking world), but needless to say, it was unreal.

I was expecting to see some old grumpy dude walk through the door, squeeze my hand half to death and give me a 5 minute tour of the service shop. It wasn't like that. First off, Ryan was rad. Second off, he didn't try hurt me or my hand. Third, he knows his shit, and 'Deeleys' is running a tight ship down there. I was there for over 2 hours, so no matter how much I write in this blog, I won't fully be able to explain how great the shop and entire facility is.

He started out showing me a bit about the system they have that keeps their workflow organized. They leave little room for error, and you certainly won't have to call them up to remind them to pull your bike out of the back to get it done. Bikes that need work get priority, and they even have a quick service center for bikes that need small maintenance or upgrades done last minute, as well as seasonal storage availability. They have a detailing bay, where bikes are cleaned before they go out, and they never give a bike back to its owner without making sure it's been for a test ride, and is safe. Dealing with motorcycles, safety seems to be the main concern at the shop.

While I was there, I was lucky to get to see some of the 'Dyno' process being done. The Dynometer they have in the shop is quite the machine. Fully enclosed, sound proofed, with viewing glass, and the customer was standing right there while the work was being done. It was awesome to see this guy watching his bike get tuned right before his eyes, and he was quite passionate about it. The Dyno-Tech did a great job and the customer was happy. Very rad to see these interactions going down. It was also pretty cool to see there is a legit machine shop in the back, where they actually do a fair amount of metal work on site. These guys aren't just ordering parts and slapping them on to your bike, they do real work.

Ryan walked me around the entire shop, which was pretty nice of him to do, considering he's currently using a crutch to get around after a broken femur from a non-work related accident. We talked a bit about about how he got into motorcycle mechanics, and what it's been like starting out at Deeleys, though it's not where he got his first start. Believe it or not, they are just like any other shop out there. They don't care what piece of paper you have in your hand that says your qualified to be a Harley Davidson mechanic, because the mechanic stuff can be learned by anyone. They care about weather or not you are passionate about motorcycles, if you have a desire to learn, and if you are going to be a good addition to the close team they have going. It wasn't always easy for Ryan either. The first few seasons we're hard for him being at the bottom of the totem pole, but he has stuck with it and worked his way up over time to get where he is as shop supervisor.

To be completely honest, for a bit I forgot I was on a tour, and forgot I was there for the purpose of writing a post about the service shop for my blog. I felt like I was being shown around on my first day of work, and when I snapped back into reality, I was a little bummed that I would eventually have to leave this place and go back to my unexciting job as a Production Assistant in film & television. I would much rather be learning about bikes and hanging out with the rad crew at the Trev Deeley Motorcycles service shop. Anybody who gets the chance to work there is lucky, and anyone who gets there bike worked on at the shop can sleep easy knowing their bike is in good hands.

After we walked around and checked the shop out real good, we had a seat at Ryan's work station, and just had a rad chat, about bikes, our childhood riding experiences, family life, and everything in between. It was pretty cool, getting to chat about old bikes, and choppers, and our mutual love for dirt bikes. I had a blast. Since Ryan has an injured leg at the moment, it's been a perfect time for him to get some stuff done on his personal bike (I believe it's a '49 EL), during whatever free time he can find in the shop. I'm glad I got to catch it while it was there, and he was kind enough to let me snap a few pics. It wasn't the only legit chopper in the shop either.

Thanks for the tour Ryan, and Happy Holidays to you and your family, and everyone else at Trev's!

Cory - The Great North ---- Currently listening to: The Wild - Party 'Til You're Dead

Iron, Throttle, & Wheels

This summer I went on an epic motorcycle ride, from Vancouver to Toronto and back, making it 9,000 of the 10,000 planned km's (full story coming in the new year). On the trip I was lucky enough to make it to the Montreal Tattoo Convention where I was given this amazing tattoo from my friend Mitch Kirilo of Gastown Tattoo Parlour, as a gift to represent my trip.

The Tattoo I was very fortunate to get, is part of a series of Flash from Mitch that has been featured in a book called 'Iron, Throttle, & Wheels' Aka 'ITW Book'. A hardcover collection of Tattoo artists that ride motorcycles, and their motorcycle related artwork. The book is bad ass, and I feel super honored to have this tattoo from Mitch. I love that it's on my clutch hand, where I can always see it. The fact that I got it on my first cross country chopper ride, from a friend who I ride with all the time at home, while we hung out on the other side of the country, just makes it that much more special.

If you're ever down in Gastown, and thinking about booking an appointment for a tattoo with a great shop, stop into Gastown Tattoo Parlour @ 105 West Cordova Street. Lots of great artists and usually a motorcycle or two parked out front.

(Left: A photo I found on Mitch's instagram that he took of the ITW Book. I know most of the designs have been tattooed, but there may be 1 or 2 that have still yet to be done.)

You can order one of these rad books through the book's instagram page - @itwbook


Cory - The Great North ---- Currently listening to: Motorhead - Ace Of Spades