Cory - The Great North ---- Currently listening to: RUN DMC - Christmas In Hollis
Thursday, 25 December 2014
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
Cory - The Great North ---- Currently listening to: RUN DMC - Christmas In Hollis
Tuesday, 23 December 2014
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
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
Monday, 22 December 2014
Iron, Throttle, & Wheels
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.
(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
My rad experience at The Shop Vancouver
Earlier this spring, I found out The Shop Vancouver was looking for a part-time employee to help out the odd day Andrew had school. So I rode down to the shop as fast as I could, and tried so hard to sell myself to T.J as a good potential employee. I hardly believed it when he told me to be there two days later to start. I didn't know shit about bikes, or products really, but I knew I wanted that opportunity to be a part of The Shop, so I was beyond stoked I was being given a chance.
It was fucking awesome. Getting to come down and open the shop up, help people find gear they want, and talk motorcycles all day, was definitely a highlight of my life. I will never forget it. I can be pretty quiet at times, and in the end I only stayed a short time at The Shop. I decided working in a retail environment wasn't for me, and I just wanted to hang out at The Shop, and continue to support it in any way I could, when I could. I learned a lot, and had some rad times, but as the summer approached, it was the perfect time in my life to take a short break from working, to just live and ride, and come back in the fall to my regular work in the film & television industry.
I will always love The Shop. The atmosphere is amazing. I recommend anyone new to riding, who wants to make friends to ride with, or find some rad new gear, denim, helmets, parts for your bike etc. Head to The Shop. Everything you need plus more is there. If you read my Disasterdaze '13 post, you'll see I would probably still have no one to ride with in Vancouver if I didn't meet up at the shop for the Disasterdaze ride. It was a game changer for me, and I met some rad people I will always be friends with on that ride. I also made some amazing connections with people while working at the shop, who I still consider close friends. It's amazing the sense of community around that place, so many people coming through with awesome attitudes and positive vibes, and everyone is always willing to lend a helping hand.
Head down to 432 Columbia Street in Vancouver, and check it out for yourself.
Cory - The Great North ---- Currently listening to: The Sheepdogs - The Way It Is
It was fucking awesome. Getting to come down and open the shop up, help people find gear they want, and talk motorcycles all day, was definitely a highlight of my life. I will never forget it. I can be pretty quiet at times, and in the end I only stayed a short time at The Shop. I decided working in a retail environment wasn't for me, and I just wanted to hang out at The Shop, and continue to support it in any way I could, when I could. I learned a lot, and had some rad times, but as the summer approached, it was the perfect time in my life to take a short break from working, to just live and ride, and come back in the fall to my regular work in the film & television industry.
I will always love The Shop. The atmosphere is amazing. I recommend anyone new to riding, who wants to make friends to ride with, or find some rad new gear, denim, helmets, parts for your bike etc. Head to The Shop. Everything you need plus more is there. If you read my Disasterdaze '13 post, you'll see I would probably still have no one to ride with in Vancouver if I didn't meet up at the shop for the Disasterdaze ride. It was a game changer for me, and I met some rad people I will always be friends with on that ride. I also made some amazing connections with people while working at the shop, who I still consider close friends. It's amazing the sense of community around that place, so many people coming through with awesome attitudes and positive vibes, and everyone is always willing to lend a helping hand.
Head down to 432 Columbia Street in Vancouver, and check it out for yourself.
Cory - The Great North ---- Currently listening to: The Sheepdogs - The Way It Is
12 O'clock Boys
There aren't many words for this one. Watch this trailer and if you are as intrigued as I am, you will watch the full movie and share. These dudes are nuts, I fully dig it.
Cory - The Great North ---- Currently listening to: Meek Mill - I Don't Know
Cory - The Great North ---- Currently listening to: Meek Mill - I Don't Know
Mission & Stave Lake
This spring I discovered the beautiful area if Mission BC. Stave Lake is a damned lake (I believe), just outside of Mission. The damn causes a tidal like change in the water level, creating a pretty cool atmosphere for motorsports, and a Killer party zone for people who get rowdy.
Recently a friend of mine got a Vancouver and surrounding area back road maps book. With hundreds of mapped destinations, treasures. camping spots and explanations on them all, it's easy to make a weekend riding plan. Before we got the map book, we would hit up Stave Lake, which is quite a rad spot for riding. When the water level is low, the beach extends out quite far, revealing some tracks, jumps, and a little haven for motorsports. You'll see everything from quads, to dirt bikes, to jacked up monster trucks zinging by each other, and you'll rarely ever see a police officer, or park official in site. Seems dangerous, but it's nothing compared to the midnight rager's going on there in the summer.
A few times in the last year or two, people have gone missing from Stave Lake, and on occasion people have been found murdered right on the Lake. I experienced a pretty interesting night there once, before I knew of all the history, and I haven't camped at Stave Lake since. I still ride there (during dirt season), and suggest it for anyone as a day time riding spot. We use the back roads map book to find some safer family friendly camp spots in the Mission/Stave Lake area, which I highly recommend for anyone who likes to find new exclusive lakes that are hard to get at for camping. Free camping and adventures are the best, there's of ton's of it in the Mission area. Just be careful and be safe.
Cory - The Great North ---- Currently listening to: Red Fang - Dirt Wizard
Recently a friend of mine got a Vancouver and surrounding area back road maps book. With hundreds of mapped destinations, treasures. camping spots and explanations on them all, it's easy to make a weekend riding plan. Before we got the map book, we would hit up Stave Lake, which is quite a rad spot for riding. When the water level is low, the beach extends out quite far, revealing some tracks, jumps, and a little haven for motorsports. You'll see everything from quads, to dirt bikes, to jacked up monster trucks zinging by each other, and you'll rarely ever see a police officer, or park official in site. Seems dangerous, but it's nothing compared to the midnight rager's going on there in the summer.
A few times in the last year or two, people have gone missing from Stave Lake, and on occasion people have been found murdered right on the Lake. I experienced a pretty interesting night there once, before I knew of all the history, and I haven't camped at Stave Lake since. I still ride there (during dirt season), and suggest it for anyone as a day time riding spot. We use the back roads map book to find some safer family friendly camp spots in the Mission/Stave Lake area, which I highly recommend for anyone who likes to find new exclusive lakes that are hard to get at for camping. Free camping and adventures are the best, there's of ton's of it in the Mission area. Just be careful and be safe.
(Stave Lake at 'low tide'. Whoever took this couldn't fit it all in one picture. Photo credit: Goggle)
Cory - The Great North ---- Currently listening to: Red Fang - Dirt Wizard
Jake
A few years back, I was working construction, doing waterproofing/concrete finishing. It sucked, but I managed to find a gem on the job one day, that I will probably have for the rest of my life.
I was working at the corner of Kingsway and Victoria in East Vancouver, helping build the new Eldorado building complex. There was a back alley that runs up behind the famous 2400 Motel on Kingsway, with a house that shares a property line with the Eldorado lot. I would always notice this old rotten bike in the back alley by a pile of garbage. So I told my boss one day, that if it was still there in time, I was going to "rescue" it. He suggested I just knock on the door of the house it's behind, and ask it belongs to anyone first. I'm glad he did this.
I Finally gather up the courage to knock on the door one day and ask the home owners if they knew who the bike belonged to. An older man named Bill answered the door with his wife, and I explained what I wanted to do with the bike. He told me the bike was actually sitting beside all the stones, sod and other things they had sitting ready for the garden they were about to build. They were planning to use the bike as the center piece of their garden. My passion for the bike really brought a smile to his face, and he told me he wanted to me to have the bike. It belonged to his father "Jake" who had passed away many years earlier. There was still a registration sticker from 1971 on it. I couldn't believe he was willing to let me have the bike.
It sat at my place for many months, before I finally took a saw blade to the old tires that were flat and warped around the rim, and had hardened over time. I clean the bike up, chopped off the rotten clump that was a chain, and I brought it to 'Our Community Bikes' on main, where we replaced all the bearings, and put a new chain on it. we weren't able to determine the exact year, but it's a CCM cadet, and the axles were stamped CCM, which the company stopped doing to their bikes many, many decades ago. The bike was older than Bill as well, as far as he knew. It was very hard to find tires that fit, but 700's with highly reflective white walls were the only thing we found, so they made the cut. I bought some rad black lowrider grips with silver sparkle flake, and used an older motorcycle seat pan I had found at a small local flee market on Victoria in East Van, that I had to shove bicycle seat guts up into and turn it into a function bicycle seat. The day I finished the bike, I rode it around and found a rad light at local bike shop, that I have still yet to re-wire. Added a tool bag to the bars, and a bandana to keep the seat from swiveling, because the bicycle seat guts barely work.
The bike makes tons of noise and is a blast to ride around my neighborhood. Bill made me promise him I would stop by their place sometime and show him the bike when I was done, and I still haven't done that. I think I haven't gone to show them the bike, because I still have one final plan for it that will make it a truly rad piece. Just have to finish collecting a few things that I've been saving for some time, and I will re-post the final picture with Bill when it's all complete one day.
Cory - The Great North ---- Currently listening to: Queen - Bicycle Race
I was working at the corner of Kingsway and Victoria in East Vancouver, helping build the new Eldorado building complex. There was a back alley that runs up behind the famous 2400 Motel on Kingsway, with a house that shares a property line with the Eldorado lot. I would always notice this old rotten bike in the back alley by a pile of garbage. So I told my boss one day, that if it was still there in time, I was going to "rescue" it. He suggested I just knock on the door of the house it's behind, and ask it belongs to anyone first. I'm glad he did this.
I Finally gather up the courage to knock on the door one day and ask the home owners if they knew who the bike belonged to. An older man named Bill answered the door with his wife, and I explained what I wanted to do with the bike. He told me the bike was actually sitting beside all the stones, sod and other things they had sitting ready for the garden they were about to build. They were planning to use the bike as the center piece of their garden. My passion for the bike really brought a smile to his face, and he told me he wanted to me to have the bike. It belonged to his father "Jake" who had passed away many years earlier. There was still a registration sticker from 1971 on it. I couldn't believe he was willing to let me have the bike.
It sat at my place for many months, before I finally took a saw blade to the old tires that were flat and warped around the rim, and had hardened over time. I clean the bike up, chopped off the rotten clump that was a chain, and I brought it to 'Our Community Bikes' on main, where we replaced all the bearings, and put a new chain on it. we weren't able to determine the exact year, but it's a CCM cadet, and the axles were stamped CCM, which the company stopped doing to their bikes many, many decades ago. The bike was older than Bill as well, as far as he knew. It was very hard to find tires that fit, but 700's with highly reflective white walls were the only thing we found, so they made the cut. I bought some rad black lowrider grips with silver sparkle flake, and used an older motorcycle seat pan I had found at a small local flee market on Victoria in East Van, that I had to shove bicycle seat guts up into and turn it into a function bicycle seat. The day I finished the bike, I rode it around and found a rad light at local bike shop, that I have still yet to re-wire. Added a tool bag to the bars, and a bandana to keep the seat from swiveling, because the bicycle seat guts barely work.
The bike makes tons of noise and is a blast to ride around my neighborhood. Bill made me promise him I would stop by their place sometime and show him the bike when I was done, and I still haven't done that. I think I haven't gone to show them the bike, because I still have one final plan for it that will make it a truly rad piece. Just have to finish collecting a few things that I've been saving for some time, and I will re-post the final picture with Bill when it's all complete one day.
Cory - The Great North ---- Currently listening to: Queen - Bicycle Race
Sunday, 21 December 2014
Wheelies, Victoria, and Camping in Sooke
It seems like last minute trips are the theme when I go on dirt bike adventures. Earlier this year, my friend Ryan and I hit up Victoria for a little last minute planned trip. Nothing too exciting, but we had a blast.
We planned this one in about an hour after work one night. I had never been to the Island, and Victoria day weekend seemed like a pretty good time to do it. We gave ourselves about 2 hours to get to Twassen to catch the ferry. I had never ridden the long ferry ride, so I was stoked for that. We packed up, got ready and caught the ferry in good time. By the time we got to Victoria, it was after 11 so we weren't going to be able to do any trail riding, or find any rad camp spots. The night life downtown Victoria seemed so alive. There were university students, lots of girls, and loads of people walking the streets. The vibe was awesome. It was like the entire downtown was Granville, without the juice monkeys, and without the need for police barricades. We debated staying in a hostel just for the purpose of meeting some people and possibly partying, but neither of us are the hostel type, so we asked around about some places we could get away with camping in the City. We got some advice from a girl working at a 7/11. She told us to head down to Beacon Hill park, a large park on the edge of the water in Victoria, with forested areas where we could apparently camp without harassment from the Police. Sounded rad to me.
We rode down, checked out the entire park (after midnight) and found an area by the beach that was grown over by large bushes, with a trail cutting right through the bush. We rode up onto the path, turned into the trail, and found the perfect spot. We got off our bikes and decided to set up camp right there. About a minute after we turned our bikes off, and started unstrapping our bags, a guy dressed in all white clothing, walked right up to us and stopped standing within inches of us, and said "Hey how's it going?" in some sort of thick Russian accent. "Pretty good man." I replied. The guy stood there for a moment in silence, before he looked at Ryan and said "How are you?". Ryan looking puzzled replied "Pretty fucking good man.. what's up?". The guy stood there for another moment before walking away like nothing happened. We kind of look at each other like, this is fucked up, but we just brushed it off. Within the next few minutes, we were approached by multiple men, sometimes 2 or 3 at a time walking up to us, or right past where we were about to set up. Finally a group of 3 guys walked passed us, and one of them stopped and let us know it wasn't a very "family friendly" place to camp, and directed us to a "safe zone". We tried to set up camp in a fucking gay cruising bush! I have no judgement, but damn was it the most awkward 5 minutes of my life. The next morning we told numerous people we met that we had camped at Beacon Hill in the bush, and everyone of them laughed. Apparently it's the place to go if you're interested in feeling the embrace of another man.
We rode down, checked out the entire park (after midnight) and found an area by the beach that was grown over by large bushes, with a trail cutting right through the bush. We rode up onto the path, turned into the trail, and found the perfect spot. We got off our bikes and decided to set up camp right there. About a minute after we turned our bikes off, and started unstrapping our bags, a guy dressed in all white clothing, walked right up to us and stopped standing within inches of us, and said "Hey how's it going?" in some sort of thick Russian accent. "Pretty good man." I replied. The guy stood there for a moment in silence, before he looked at Ryan and said "How are you?". Ryan looking puzzled replied "Pretty fucking good man.. what's up?". The guy stood there for another moment before walking away like nothing happened. We kind of look at each other like, this is fucked up, but we just brushed it off. Within the next few minutes, we were approached by multiple men, sometimes 2 or 3 at a time walking up to us, or right past where we were about to set up. Finally a group of 3 guys walked passed us, and one of them stopped and let us know it wasn't a very "family friendly" place to camp, and directed us to a "safe zone". We tried to set up camp in a fucking gay cruising bush! I have no judgement, but damn was it the most awkward 5 minutes of my life. The next morning we told numerous people we met that we had camped at Beacon Hill in the bush, and everyone of them laughed. Apparently it's the place to go if you're interested in feeling the embrace of another man.
The next morning, we got up and headed right down to the Wheelies compound. Hitting up Wheelies was going to be one of the main stops on our weekend trip. We got there around 9am, and read the sign saying they open at 11. We were super hungry, so we caved and had 4 dollar breakfast at some place down the road. I only got it because it was 4 bucks, and I figured I would still have room for one of the delicious looking sandwiches I kept seeing on Wheelies instagram account, but the 4 dollar breakfast was so big, I was too full to eat by the time we got the Wheelies.
Wheelies is unreal. I'm pretty sure I went there once before, in my fucking dreams. With a huge shop, and a retail space, they have still managed to bring an awesome food and beverage menu to us, as well as a license to sell to liquor. Right from the front entrance, you get a cool vibe from this place. With a large gated lot, there is no shortage of space for meets and shows. Everyone on staff was super friendly, especially the owners Jay and Joel. They showed me the shop area where they are able to work on bikes for the general public, and Jay even gave me some awesome deals on some stuff from the shop. To be honest I didn't want to leave, but we had dirt biking to do.
We ended up connecting with one Ryan's friends in Victoria, and he just so happened to have a big camping trip planned out with his girlfriend for that night, and he gave us an invite to join them. We got some last minute things, and followed Ryan's friends out to Sooke where we set up camp in a Family RV park. It was a rad spot, beside the river, and there were tons of dirt roads, and trails in the area to explore on our bikes. We went to Sooke 'Pot Holes' Provincial Park down there road with our bikes, and it was closed for the season. We found a way around the barricades, and up onto the walking paths, and rode them all the way into the campgrounds of the park. There where nice little hills and lips, and decent jump we found. We rode around the camp site for a good hour before we realized we could continue further down the service road there, that had been blocked off back down near the main gates. It was awesome, we rode the service road area up until we found an area full of construction machines, fill and gravel. There was some fun riding there for sure, and few peaceful spots we we're able to catch views from. All in all, I really loved Sooke, and the fact that there weren't a million bikes/quads there (probably because we weren't supposed to be there).
We had a rad camp that night, beers, fires, buds and food. In the middle of the night I was woken up by the gnarliest animal sounds I have ever heard. Ryan's friend yelled out of their tent, not to worry, and not to get out of our tents. They assumed it was a Cougar killing some sort of animal, but it turned out Police had shown up in the middle of the night to save the say, only to find to Racoons have some violent sounding sex. That was my brush with nature while I was out in Sooke. Still haven't seen a bear, not even once in my life. But I now know what two racoons having sex sounds like, and it's scary.
As rad as the camp was, I was excited to get back into Victoria and spend the day there before hitting up the ferry home. I wanted to go back to Wheelies and enjoy a sandwich. So we did exactly that. I had a pulled pork sandwich, and it was probably the best damn pulled pork sammy I've ever had. I ended up buying more gear, including a rad zip up 'Wheelies Motorcycles' hoodie that I wear all the time! Just fucking loved that place. I have seriously contemplated moving to the Island a few times since my trip, just to be closer. Who doesn't love rad motorbikes, cool people, and delicious food, not to mention awesome rock concerts and moto-meets. Before leaving I got to experience the Victoria day parade in Victoria, which is kind of cool, and I was able to meet with an old friend at the restaurant he manages. We had drinks, food and great times in Victoria that night before catching the last ferry home.
Best weekend ever :) Can't wait to get back out to Wheelies, and to make the awesome ride out to Tofino for my first time this summer...
(Here are a few pics I took on the island, unfortunately I didn't get many pics of Wheelies while I was there, but you can check it out for yourself if you're ever in Victoria, and you can find them on Facebook, Instagram, and all over the Interwebz. It was worth the ride!)
(Here are a few pics I took on the island, unfortunately I didn't get many pics of Wheelies while I was there, but you can check it out for yourself if you're ever in Victoria, and you can find them on Facebook, Instagram, and all over the Interwebz. It was worth the ride!)
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| Jay, Co-Owner of Wheelies Motorcycles and Myself |
Cory - The Great North ---- Currently listening to: James Blunt - Bonfire Heart
Sunday, 14 December 2014
BMAYZEE
So I'm not really sure who is checking what out on these posts, but I try to link a rad band/music video on every post. Check this one out! I dig it...
Cory - The Great North ---- Currently listening to: BMAYZEE - Im A Rider
Cory - The Great North ---- Currently listening to: BMAYZEE - Im A Rider
The Sunshine Coast (Logging roads and broken shoulders)
Earlier this year I got into my first dual sport, the Kawasaki KLR-650 A model (see 'The Almighty KLR 650' post for my review).
I was living with my pal Ryan, who also rented a spot out in the garage I had, where he took an '81 XL250 engine in shoe boxes, rebuilt it, and got the bike running after some years of it sitting. He paid $600 with registration for the bike, and it even came with a parts bike. It took him a few weeks of working on the carb, straightening the swing arm, and ordering some pieces for the exhaust system. He also went as far as recovering the seat, and the bike ended up being a pretty good little ripper. I was stoked he got it going, being my roommate, I'd obviously have someone to hit the dirt with now. I came home on a Friday to him crashed in his room one afternoon, and literally threw something at him and said "get up, we're going to the Sunshine Coast".
Ryan grew up on the Sunshine Coast, so he was always down for a trip there. We had about two hours to pack, get anything we needed together, stop for fuel, and get to Horseshoe bay where we could catch the ferry. I had been there with him once before, to a cabin on the inlet, accessible by boat only. The only other time I had been was Disasterdaze '13, which was an amazing time, but I think we were both really stoked to get out for a dirt bike trip. I personally had not been out for a camp yet with on a dirt bike, so I couldn't wait to see what kind of spots we could find to set up.
We just barely caught the ferry in time, and we're off to the coast. It was a blast, just packing the bikes, and setting out to the coast was unreal, felt like we we're headed for an epic adventure. We got to Gibsons, rode around a bit, Ryan showed me some cool spots in town where he used to skate, and then we headed to Sechelt where we checked out the house he grew up in, and the skate park beside his old high school. We grabbed a couple last minute items we needed, including some beers, and viewed our maps for a potential camping spot. We found Porpoise Bay Provincial Park on the map, and headed there to scope it out for a somewhere to camp. It was April, so it was still quite cold out. We figured the park would be empty and hoped there would be no park rangers checking out the camping areas, so we went to check it out. When we got to the park there were a fair amount of people there, so we decided to try and figure something else out. We hit up the main highway that Porpoise Bay Park is on, and started heading north when almost immediately we passed a trail that had large stones at the entrance blocking 4x4's etc, from entering the trail. So we rode around the rocks and entered the trail to see what we could find.
It was the perfect camping spot, blocked by a hill on the road side, right beside a river, no access for vehicles, and plenty of space to do some wheelies and burn outs before bed. It was getting late, well after dark, so we set up as quickly as possible. I set my hammock-net up, Ryan set his tent up, we quenched our thirst and fired up our bikes. We did some wheelies and had fun ripping around in the open area beside our camp. I noticed a small path that continued up a hill into the woods, so I headed up, Ryan following behind. We got half way up before the trail turned into pure sand. I didn't have enough momentum to continue, so I stopped. I looked back and noticed Ryan had dumped his bike, and was struggling to turn it around. I was in an awkward spot, but I managed to get the bike turned around. We rode back down the hill and instead of saying "Fuck it, it's too dark", I used my high beams to light the trail, and Ryan came at it from a further approach with more speed. He made it up the hill. I turned around, and came back at the hill with more momentum this time, getting it up it no problem. Once we got to the top of the hill, we we're greeted by what looked like a network of dirt bike trails. We followed the main trail, passing little trail cut offs everywhere on the side of us. It seemed like we rode this trail for a good few kilometers, before we both realized we had made enough turns that we could potentially lose our camp. It was after midnight, and I had the only headlight between the two of us that was working well enough to see where we were going, so we decided to turn around and head back to the camp.
We had a beer and figured we would go to sleep immediately, so we could get up at first light, and explore the trails we discovered. Both of us were super stoked. Earlier I had set my hammock up, but I wasn't very confident in the set up, I just kind of threw it up quick to get it done. So I asked Ryan to get in my hammock and test it for me, better him than me if it falls). He jumped in and it was good to go. Ryan is probably 165lbs wet, and I am pushing 250. I got into my hammock and as Ryan said, he literally watched the tree it was strapped to, uproot, and I hit the ground like a bag of concrete. I was half drunk and grumpy, so I made Ryan let me get into his 1 man tent. I'm 6'2 and his tent is actually a child's one person. Within ten minutes of laying in his tent, he said "If you keep rolling around like that, I'm not going to get any sleep". So I stayed in the position I was in at the moment, for the rest of the night. I woke up in the morning, and I basically couldn't move my arm. I had fucked up my shoulder somehow by sleeping on it all night. Long story short, my shoulder wasn't the same for months. I get a good laugh at it though. Instant karma for making him test out my half-assed hammock set-up.
I was fine to ride, so we cleaned up our camp and hid everything under a green tarp and some brush in the woods, and we took off. We got up the hill again, this time in the day light, and it was unbelievable. After a couple hours of trying to find a camping spot the night before, we managed to camp beside some kind of closed off area that was practically a playground for dirt bikes. The network of trails was amazing. We probably rode for a few hours before we couldn't find anymore trails, though there is a hydro line running through that area, and if we had the balls to bomb our bikes through a massive stretch of thorn bushes, we likely could have found some more trails, but there was plenty of riding where we were at. Around noon, we decided to pack our gear onto our bikes again, and head to the logging roads.
We entered the logging roads just on the edge of Sechelt, passed over and through the mountains, and ended up coming out at Half Moon Bay. When you look at the course we took over the mountain pass on maps, it's pretty cool. We took our time, and checked out every cut off road we could while we were up there. There are some seriously breathtaking views up there, though it's sad to see the amount of logging that goes on. It's like the woods have just been slaughtered. The remains of tree stumps and what were probably animal habitats at one point leave it looking like a battlefield. I snapped as many pics as I could on this one, but I ended up loosing them along with my phone shortly after the trip. Fuck I wish I had all those pics still, but I'll have to just go take them all again, and next time hit up the abandoned bible-camp that I've heard about now. This was my first legit dirt trip, I'll never forget it.
Cory - The Great North ---- Currently listening to: ZZ Top - I Gotsta Get Paid
I was living with my pal Ryan, who also rented a spot out in the garage I had, where he took an '81 XL250 engine in shoe boxes, rebuilt it, and got the bike running after some years of it sitting. He paid $600 with registration for the bike, and it even came with a parts bike. It took him a few weeks of working on the carb, straightening the swing arm, and ordering some pieces for the exhaust system. He also went as far as recovering the seat, and the bike ended up being a pretty good little ripper. I was stoked he got it going, being my roommate, I'd obviously have someone to hit the dirt with now. I came home on a Friday to him crashed in his room one afternoon, and literally threw something at him and said "get up, we're going to the Sunshine Coast".
Ryan grew up on the Sunshine Coast, so he was always down for a trip there. We had about two hours to pack, get anything we needed together, stop for fuel, and get to Horseshoe bay where we could catch the ferry. I had been there with him once before, to a cabin on the inlet, accessible by boat only. The only other time I had been was Disasterdaze '13, which was an amazing time, but I think we were both really stoked to get out for a dirt bike trip. I personally had not been out for a camp yet with on a dirt bike, so I couldn't wait to see what kind of spots we could find to set up.
We just barely caught the ferry in time, and we're off to the coast. It was a blast, just packing the bikes, and setting out to the coast was unreal, felt like we we're headed for an epic adventure. We got to Gibsons, rode around a bit, Ryan showed me some cool spots in town where he used to skate, and then we headed to Sechelt where we checked out the house he grew up in, and the skate park beside his old high school. We grabbed a couple last minute items we needed, including some beers, and viewed our maps for a potential camping spot. We found Porpoise Bay Provincial Park on the map, and headed there to scope it out for a somewhere to camp. It was April, so it was still quite cold out. We figured the park would be empty and hoped there would be no park rangers checking out the camping areas, so we went to check it out. When we got to the park there were a fair amount of people there, so we decided to try and figure something else out. We hit up the main highway that Porpoise Bay Park is on, and started heading north when almost immediately we passed a trail that had large stones at the entrance blocking 4x4's etc, from entering the trail. So we rode around the rocks and entered the trail to see what we could find.
It was the perfect camping spot, blocked by a hill on the road side, right beside a river, no access for vehicles, and plenty of space to do some wheelies and burn outs before bed. It was getting late, well after dark, so we set up as quickly as possible. I set my hammock-net up, Ryan set his tent up, we quenched our thirst and fired up our bikes. We did some wheelies and had fun ripping around in the open area beside our camp. I noticed a small path that continued up a hill into the woods, so I headed up, Ryan following behind. We got half way up before the trail turned into pure sand. I didn't have enough momentum to continue, so I stopped. I looked back and noticed Ryan had dumped his bike, and was struggling to turn it around. I was in an awkward spot, but I managed to get the bike turned around. We rode back down the hill and instead of saying "Fuck it, it's too dark", I used my high beams to light the trail, and Ryan came at it from a further approach with more speed. He made it up the hill. I turned around, and came back at the hill with more momentum this time, getting it up it no problem. Once we got to the top of the hill, we we're greeted by what looked like a network of dirt bike trails. We followed the main trail, passing little trail cut offs everywhere on the side of us. It seemed like we rode this trail for a good few kilometers, before we both realized we had made enough turns that we could potentially lose our camp. It was after midnight, and I had the only headlight between the two of us that was working well enough to see where we were going, so we decided to turn around and head back to the camp.
We had a beer and figured we would go to sleep immediately, so we could get up at first light, and explore the trails we discovered. Both of us were super stoked. Earlier I had set my hammock up, but I wasn't very confident in the set up, I just kind of threw it up quick to get it done. So I asked Ryan to get in my hammock and test it for me, better him than me if it falls). He jumped in and it was good to go. Ryan is probably 165lbs wet, and I am pushing 250. I got into my hammock and as Ryan said, he literally watched the tree it was strapped to, uproot, and I hit the ground like a bag of concrete. I was half drunk and grumpy, so I made Ryan let me get into his 1 man tent. I'm 6'2 and his tent is actually a child's one person. Within ten minutes of laying in his tent, he said "If you keep rolling around like that, I'm not going to get any sleep". So I stayed in the position I was in at the moment, for the rest of the night. I woke up in the morning, and I basically couldn't move my arm. I had fucked up my shoulder somehow by sleeping on it all night. Long story short, my shoulder wasn't the same for months. I get a good laugh at it though. Instant karma for making him test out my half-assed hammock set-up.
I was fine to ride, so we cleaned up our camp and hid everything under a green tarp and some brush in the woods, and we took off. We got up the hill again, this time in the day light, and it was unbelievable. After a couple hours of trying to find a camping spot the night before, we managed to camp beside some kind of closed off area that was practically a playground for dirt bikes. The network of trails was amazing. We probably rode for a few hours before we couldn't find anymore trails, though there is a hydro line running through that area, and if we had the balls to bomb our bikes through a massive stretch of thorn bushes, we likely could have found some more trails, but there was plenty of riding where we were at. Around noon, we decided to pack our gear onto our bikes again, and head to the logging roads.
We entered the logging roads just on the edge of Sechelt, passed over and through the mountains, and ended up coming out at Half Moon Bay. When you look at the course we took over the mountain pass on maps, it's pretty cool. We took our time, and checked out every cut off road we could while we were up there. There are some seriously breathtaking views up there, though it's sad to see the amount of logging that goes on. It's like the woods have just been slaughtered. The remains of tree stumps and what were probably animal habitats at one point leave it looking like a battlefield. I snapped as many pics as I could on this one, but I ended up loosing them along with my phone shortly after the trip. Fuck I wish I had all those pics still, but I'll have to just go take them all again, and next time hit up the abandoned bible-camp that I've heard about now. This was my first legit dirt trip, I'll never forget it.
 |
| The one picture I could find from the trip... |
Saturday, 13 December 2014
Ironheadbang
Work was great today, but I didn't view the blog once, or add anything to it. I just decided to leave it alone for the day. There's not many views yet, but in 4 days I've had reads in the U.S, Italy, Argentina, Lebanon, Netherlands, and New Zealand. Just stokes me. Like someone turned me up to 11 and ripped the fucking knob off!
This blog is nothing but fun :)
Was invited to the Trev Deeley service shop tomorrow to check it out (after I rest from a crazy long day), and there may just be a little something something in the shop for me to snap some pics of. It's going to be a rad weekend.
Keep fit and have fun!
Cory - The Great North ---- Currently listening to: Austrian Death Machine - I need your clothes, your boots, your motorcycle
This blog is nothing but fun :)
Was invited to the Trev Deeley service shop tomorrow to check it out (after I rest from a crazy long day), and there may just be a little something something in the shop for me to snap some pics of. It's going to be a rad weekend.
Keep fit and have fun!
Cory - The Great North ---- Currently listening to: Austrian Death Machine - I need your clothes, your boots, your motorcycle
Thursday, 11 December 2014
Mad Max 2015
I was told to check the Mad Max trailer out tonight, and it's ridiculous. This is going to be one of the greatest films I have seen in a long time... and so many epic motorcycle stunts!
Cory - The Great North ---- Currently listening to: Travesura - Tenor
Cory - The Great North ---- Currently listening to: Travesura - Tenor
The Almighty Kawasaki KLR 650
Everybody that lives in the Vancouver BC (Seattle, Portland) area, knows how wet the winter riding season can be out here. It's really a catch 22. It rarely goes below freezing, and there is almost never snow. You can actually stand riding your motorcycle all year round, but we all know how shitty it is to have to deal with the rain. I am one of those really cool people who doesn't like riding around in modern rain gear, or bright yellow rain suits. I personally prefer to rock my denim and leather, and hope for the best. It sucks to be cool, but hey, somebody has to do it...
I first experienced the joy of riding in the rain on my V-Star 650 Bobber, and it wasn't too bad, a little annoying without a front fender, but you figure it out. As soon as I got my got CB750 Chopper, I quickly realized I didn't want to be riding around in the rain. I have velocity stacks on my carbs, and the bike doesn't run the smoothest in certain rainy conditions, plus no one wants to ride their 40 year old motorcycle in the rain. I had to figure something out quick so I could get to work everyday, so I did some research and came to the conclusion I needed a KLR-650. After doing a little asking around, I found a buddy that was selling a 2004 KLR for a friend, so we worked it out and we're able to get me on the bike right away.
The Kawasaki KLR-650 has been around since '87, and went virtually unchanged for 11 years until 2008. This is probably the first reason I chose to pursue the KLR over other dual-sport models, knowing parts would be affordable and easily accessible. I've had trouble finding the number of units sold between '87 and '07, but with no major changes in design, you can imagine how many parts are out there for this bike. A desirable quality in a motorcycle, when choosing something you're planning to use as a commuter, and an adventure machine. The second reason I chose the KLR-650A model, was because it was still carbureted, so the average joe can still perform general maintenance on the bike, avoiding unwanted shop service fees.
I got the bike with the idea of riding it to work everyday, and hitting some trails up from time to time. As soon as I went for my first ride to the dunes at Triangle Beach in Richmond BC, I was hooked on the dirt biking aspect of riding again. It was 15 minutes from my place and I started riding there every day, but I didn't really fall in love with the dirt again until I discovered the seemingly never ending network of logging/service roads and trails just outside of the city of Vancouver area. It wasn't just the dirt I loved. We would rip around the back alleys of Van, finding random concrete pads and lips to jump. We'd ride around empty parking lots practicing or wheelies all the time, probably the most fun I've ever had in my life. That bike could move me around just great, and I'm a pretty big boy at 6'2'' 240.
The common attitude towards the KLR-650 is that it's heavy and there's not enough power. I disagree. Most specs you can find on this bike will tell you it has 42 horsepower at the rear wheel, but if you do a little research you'll see that the bike actually produces about 35HP at the rear wheel, which is really not that bad. I'm 240lbs and did wheelies on this thing every day I rode it. With a wet weight of 400lbs (fully loaded with fluids) combined with me and a pack, I'd say that's not too bad at all for 35HP. I also never had a problem keeping up with any bike I rode with, ever. Husqvarna, KTM, and XT's included.
When you consider the weight of the KLR-650A (370lbs dry), up against the 2014 KTM 1190 Adventure (Approx 470lbs dry), one of the top selling dual-sport's in today's market with rave reviews for it's off-road capabilities, you see the KLR is really quite light in comparison. Granted there is a considerable difference in horsepower between the two bikes, I still don't agree there is a lack of power in the KLR. There were definitely many times I had been stuck in an awkward position I had to get myself out of with the bike, and I wished I could have just kicked it over and hopped on an XT and rode away, but the weight really wasn't bad once I got used to it.
The only small complaint I had about the KLR, which seems to be a common point riders make about the bike, is that the suspension is fairly weak if you're anything over 200lbs. The problem can be taken care of with progressive fork springs in the front, and an adjustable high performance shock in the rear, and this is about the only modification you need to make to this bike, unless you want to get into a jet kit, which I've read mixed reviews on.
I can honestly say, if you're deciding on an affordable dual-sport to get into, that can be easily maintained, the KLR-650A is a great bike. I ended up selling my KLR to fund a cross country trip I did this summer on my 1973 CB750 Chopper, but after some time spent thinking about the next dual-sport I am going to get on, I keep coming back to the idea of getting another KLR-650, that's how much I loved this bike.
Cory - The Great North ---- Currently listening to: BARONESS - Wanderlust
I first experienced the joy of riding in the rain on my V-Star 650 Bobber, and it wasn't too bad, a little annoying without a front fender, but you figure it out. As soon as I got my got CB750 Chopper, I quickly realized I didn't want to be riding around in the rain. I have velocity stacks on my carbs, and the bike doesn't run the smoothest in certain rainy conditions, plus no one wants to ride their 40 year old motorcycle in the rain. I had to figure something out quick so I could get to work everyday, so I did some research and came to the conclusion I needed a KLR-650. After doing a little asking around, I found a buddy that was selling a 2004 KLR for a friend, so we worked it out and we're able to get me on the bike right away.
The Kawasaki KLR-650 has been around since '87, and went virtually unchanged for 11 years until 2008. This is probably the first reason I chose to pursue the KLR over other dual-sport models, knowing parts would be affordable and easily accessible. I've had trouble finding the number of units sold between '87 and '07, but with no major changes in design, you can imagine how many parts are out there for this bike. A desirable quality in a motorcycle, when choosing something you're planning to use as a commuter, and an adventure machine. The second reason I chose the KLR-650A model, was because it was still carbureted, so the average joe can still perform general maintenance on the bike, avoiding unwanted shop service fees.
I got the bike with the idea of riding it to work everyday, and hitting some trails up from time to time. As soon as I went for my first ride to the dunes at Triangle Beach in Richmond BC, I was hooked on the dirt biking aspect of riding again. It was 15 minutes from my place and I started riding there every day, but I didn't really fall in love with the dirt again until I discovered the seemingly never ending network of logging/service roads and trails just outside of the city of Vancouver area. It wasn't just the dirt I loved. We would rip around the back alleys of Van, finding random concrete pads and lips to jump. We'd ride around empty parking lots practicing or wheelies all the time, probably the most fun I've ever had in my life. That bike could move me around just great, and I'm a pretty big boy at 6'2'' 240.
The common attitude towards the KLR-650 is that it's heavy and there's not enough power. I disagree. Most specs you can find on this bike will tell you it has 42 horsepower at the rear wheel, but if you do a little research you'll see that the bike actually produces about 35HP at the rear wheel, which is really not that bad. I'm 240lbs and did wheelies on this thing every day I rode it. With a wet weight of 400lbs (fully loaded with fluids) combined with me and a pack, I'd say that's not too bad at all for 35HP. I also never had a problem keeping up with any bike I rode with, ever. Husqvarna, KTM, and XT's included.
When you consider the weight of the KLR-650A (370lbs dry), up against the 2014 KTM 1190 Adventure (Approx 470lbs dry), one of the top selling dual-sport's in today's market with rave reviews for it's off-road capabilities, you see the KLR is really quite light in comparison. Granted there is a considerable difference in horsepower between the two bikes, I still don't agree there is a lack of power in the KLR. There were definitely many times I had been stuck in an awkward position I had to get myself out of with the bike, and I wished I could have just kicked it over and hopped on an XT and rode away, but the weight really wasn't bad once I got used to it.
The only small complaint I had about the KLR, which seems to be a common point riders make about the bike, is that the suspension is fairly weak if you're anything over 200lbs. The problem can be taken care of with progressive fork springs in the front, and an adjustable high performance shock in the rear, and this is about the only modification you need to make to this bike, unless you want to get into a jet kit, which I've read mixed reviews on.
I can honestly say, if you're deciding on an affordable dual-sport to get into, that can be easily maintained, the KLR-650A is a great bike. I ended up selling my KLR to fund a cross country trip I did this summer on my 1973 CB750 Chopper, but after some time spent thinking about the next dual-sport I am going to get on, I keep coming back to the idea of getting another KLR-650, that's how much I loved this bike.
Cory - The Great North ---- Currently listening to: BARONESS - Wanderlust
Wednesday, 10 December 2014
Fun shit coming up!
Later on tonight, I will be catching up with my good pal Mitch Kirilo to get the scoop on his current project. He's told me a few times already, I just have the worst memory. Anyways, he's been busy turning his 2012 Royal Enfield Bullet 500 into a 'Brat-Tracker' hybrid. This thing has been shaping up to be quite the little beast. I'm going to grab all the pics I can and fill you in on the details as soon as it's finished, but there's no telling when that will be. They thought they completed the bike the other night, until they ran into some issues with the rear end, but it's something to look forward to!
Here's a sneak peak, nothing you can't already find on his instagram @mitch_kirilo, you'll have to dig through a few pictures of his work as Owner/Tattooer at Gastown Tattoo Parlour, but there's plenty of dirty pics of his Enfield Brat/Tracker project on there. Check it out!
In the meantime, I will be posting a lot of stories over the next week or so, to catch this blog up to where it should be. I have been involved in the Motorcycle community just over a year now, and I have a lot of awesome stories I have always wanted to blog about, so that's exactly what I'm going to do. I will be posting about my dirt bike trip with pal Ryan Moase to the Sunshine Coast, as well as our awesome experience hitting up Wheelies Motorcycles in Victoria, and camping in Sooke. I'm going to post the story of my experience working at The Shop Vancouver, and the rad people I connected with during my short time there, plus a bit about my solo ride this summer to Toronto where I stopped by Town Moto for a visit. I'm not going to spill the whole story, cause it will be too much for my blog, but I am currently taking my time writing a story about my trip, that I plan to make physical copies of when it's finished.
With all that being said, I would really love to try and get the word out about the blog. Anyone that can help out by sharing the link to motorcycle friends who might be interested would be very appreciated! As for a little perk to get some people actually following me on blogger.. earlier this year I hand carved some stamps and hand made screens using drawing fluid and paint brushes. I screened a few different T-Shirts and Hats, and they turned out like a fucking 3 year old did them, but hey, I tried. Actually though, a few turned out like double lined blurry, you'll feel drunk when you look at some of them. Most inconsistent batch of shirts ever. Welp! The first 3 lucky (local) people to follow this blog will get a free hand made T-Shirt or Hat of your choice. I will be selling the rest of these haggard Tees/Hats off at $10/$5. I've got around 100 items left, help me get rid of them so I can get my first batch of real shirts done! (I'm at 12th and Clark in Vancouver, or I can deliver them to you at my earliest availability. I threw some magazines around this stuff to make it look better then my fucking floor and it still looks like shit...)
I've noticed there are a few reads on these posts that actually aren't from me, brings a smile to my face :) Thanks to everyone who has taken interest so far. I'm stoked to see what we can do with this blog!
Cory - The Great North ---- Currently listening to: Red Fang - Wires
Here's a sneak peak, nothing you can't already find on his instagram @mitch_kirilo, you'll have to dig through a few pictures of his work as Owner/Tattooer at Gastown Tattoo Parlour, but there's plenty of dirty pics of his Enfield Brat/Tracker project on there. Check it out!
In the meantime, I will be posting a lot of stories over the next week or so, to catch this blog up to where it should be. I have been involved in the Motorcycle community just over a year now, and I have a lot of awesome stories I have always wanted to blog about, so that's exactly what I'm going to do. I will be posting about my dirt bike trip with pal Ryan Moase to the Sunshine Coast, as well as our awesome experience hitting up Wheelies Motorcycles in Victoria, and camping in Sooke. I'm going to post the story of my experience working at The Shop Vancouver, and the rad people I connected with during my short time there, plus a bit about my solo ride this summer to Toronto where I stopped by Town Moto for a visit. I'm not going to spill the whole story, cause it will be too much for my blog, but I am currently taking my time writing a story about my trip, that I plan to make physical copies of when it's finished.
With all that being said, I would really love to try and get the word out about the blog. Anyone that can help out by sharing the link to motorcycle friends who might be interested would be very appreciated! As for a little perk to get some people actually following me on blogger.. earlier this year I hand carved some stamps and hand made screens using drawing fluid and paint brushes. I screened a few different T-Shirts and Hats, and they turned out like a fucking 3 year old did them, but hey, I tried. Actually though, a few turned out like double lined blurry, you'll feel drunk when you look at some of them. Most inconsistent batch of shirts ever. Welp! The first 3 lucky (local) people to follow this blog will get a free hand made T-Shirt or Hat of your choice. I will be selling the rest of these haggard Tees/Hats off at $10/$5. I've got around 100 items left, help me get rid of them so I can get my first batch of real shirts done! (I'm at 12th and Clark in Vancouver, or I can deliver them to you at my earliest availability. I threw some magazines around this stuff to make it look better then my fucking floor and it still looks like shit...)
I've noticed there are a few reads on these posts that actually aren't from me, brings a smile to my face :) Thanks to everyone who has taken interest so far. I'm stoked to see what we can do with this blog!
Cory - The Great North ---- Currently listening to: Red Fang - Wires
We all have to start somewhere...
Around this time last year, I started renting a very small garage to share with some buddies. I needed a place to keep my bikes, and a place to work on them, and hang out even though I had a perfectly warm apartment to do that in. It ended up being a blast, and a lot of shit actually got done in that garage during the few months I had it... well I didn't get too much done, but my buddies sure did. The garage definitely served it's purpose. Eventually we had to move out because the landlord sold the place.
Check it out! I called it 'Great North Garage' of course...
(From top to bottom: My 1973 CB750 on an 'All Souls' plunger frame while the garage was still pretty empty, Ryan picking up his 1981 Honda XL250 w/parts bike and the engine in shoe boxes, Kayvon picking up his 1986 Yamaha Virago 750, A 1979 Honda CB750 project I picked up earlier that year, the garage started to fill up with friends and bikes, I stripped the CB750 down and ended up selling it to my lovely pal 'Chopper Wilf' for $20, We needed a work bench, so we got one and put it together, the garage filled up some more, I stood around and watched Mitch work on the Enfield, and then I drank beer, the end.)
Thanks to my pals, Kayvon, Ryan, and Mitch for hanging out, helping out, and pitching in. It's my dream to get a bigger garage going in the future, where I can rent some space out to buddies, print shirts, throw parties, start some projects and maybe even build a bike one day. Oh yeah, and build a spray booth so I can teach myself how to fuck paint up. Seems like a good idea.
Cory - The Great North ---- Currently listening to: The Wild - Road House
Check it out! I called it 'Great North Garage' of course...
(From top to bottom: My 1973 CB750 on an 'All Souls' plunger frame while the garage was still pretty empty, Ryan picking up his 1981 Honda XL250 w/parts bike and the engine in shoe boxes, Kayvon picking up his 1986 Yamaha Virago 750, A 1979 Honda CB750 project I picked up earlier that year, the garage started to fill up with friends and bikes, I stripped the CB750 down and ended up selling it to my lovely pal 'Chopper Wilf' for $20, We needed a work bench, so we got one and put it together, the garage filled up some more, I stood around and watched Mitch work on the Enfield, and then I drank beer, the end.)
Thanks to my pals, Kayvon, Ryan, and Mitch for hanging out, helping out, and pitching in. It's my dream to get a bigger garage going in the future, where I can rent some space out to buddies, print shirts, throw parties, start some projects and maybe even build a bike one day. Oh yeah, and build a spray booth so I can teach myself how to fuck paint up. Seems like a good idea.
Cory - The Great North ---- Currently listening to: The Wild - Road House
Tuesday, 9 December 2014
Disasterdaze 2013 (My First Group Ride)
I know it's a bit late, but I had to post this video!
Disasterdaze 2013 was 3 weeks after I got my first bike. The Yamaha V-Star 650 Bobber I talked about in my first post. I had this really shitty blue flake 3/4 helmet that was probably from the 70's. The top center of the foam had been ripped out so the helmet sat real low on my head. Not sure if the guy who originally owned it did that to look better, or if the helmet was just seriously deteriorating. Anyways, it wasn't dot approved, and I wasn't always riding within my restrictions at first (or ever), so I didn't want to draw heat to myself.
I found a matte black bell 500 used on Craigslist, and went to buy it from a guy named Christian. He told about the club he was in called 'The Mansters', and he told me about this motorcycle rally/camping event coming up that weekend called 'Disasterdaze' on the Sunshine Coast. He mentioned there would be a group ride hosted by The Shop Vancouver, a motorcycle cafe I heard about a few times. I had never done anything like this before in my life, and at that time, I had never even camped in wild rugged wilderness of British Columbia yet. I was stoked on the idea of it all. So I headed down to The Shop, asked about the ride, and showed up that Saturday morning to ride with everyone. It was my first group ride, and I was pretty nervous. I also didn't know a single person and was just going solo with the hopes of meeting some cool people.
I got into motorcycles because I wanted a new hobby that I would love and be passionate about, and also because I wanted to gain a new group of friends. I had only been living in BC just over a year, and was working all the time, never doing anything on my off time. I wanted to get out and adventure.
Disasterdaze was it. The atmosphere, the music, the friends I made that are now some of my greatest friends, and especially the bikes. It made me realize that getting a motorcycle was the best choice I had made for myself in a long time, and after a long weekend of staring at unreal vintage bikes, cafe racers, big twins, choppers, bobbers and more rad shit than than I had ever seen in one spot, I couldn't wait to get home and start looking for an older bike. I wanted a CB750 chopper really bad. It felt like a pipe dream at first until I found one...
Anyways, enough with the bullshit sob stories. I'm not trying to put anyone to sleep I promise. Check it out, this is the ride that got me hooked for life...
Cory - The Great North ---- Currently listening to: The Vicious Cycles - I roll The Dice
Disasterdaze 2013 was 3 weeks after I got my first bike. The Yamaha V-Star 650 Bobber I talked about in my first post. I had this really shitty blue flake 3/4 helmet that was probably from the 70's. The top center of the foam had been ripped out so the helmet sat real low on my head. Not sure if the guy who originally owned it did that to look better, or if the helmet was just seriously deteriorating. Anyways, it wasn't dot approved, and I wasn't always riding within my restrictions at first (or ever), so I didn't want to draw heat to myself.
I found a matte black bell 500 used on Craigslist, and went to buy it from a guy named Christian. He told about the club he was in called 'The Mansters', and he told me about this motorcycle rally/camping event coming up that weekend called 'Disasterdaze' on the Sunshine Coast. He mentioned there would be a group ride hosted by The Shop Vancouver, a motorcycle cafe I heard about a few times. I had never done anything like this before in my life, and at that time, I had never even camped in wild rugged wilderness of British Columbia yet. I was stoked on the idea of it all. So I headed down to The Shop, asked about the ride, and showed up that Saturday morning to ride with everyone. It was my first group ride, and I was pretty nervous. I also didn't know a single person and was just going solo with the hopes of meeting some cool people.
I got into motorcycles because I wanted a new hobby that I would love and be passionate about, and also because I wanted to gain a new group of friends. I had only been living in BC just over a year, and was working all the time, never doing anything on my off time. I wanted to get out and adventure.
Disasterdaze was it. The atmosphere, the music, the friends I made that are now some of my greatest friends, and especially the bikes. It made me realize that getting a motorcycle was the best choice I had made for myself in a long time, and after a long weekend of staring at unreal vintage bikes, cafe racers, big twins, choppers, bobbers and more rad shit than than I had ever seen in one spot, I couldn't wait to get home and start looking for an older bike. I wanted a CB750 chopper really bad. It felt like a pipe dream at first until I found one...
Anyways, enough with the bullshit sob stories. I'm not trying to put anyone to sleep I promise. Check it out, this is the ride that got me hooked for life...
Cory - The Great North ---- Currently listening to: The Vicious Cycles - I roll The Dice
My First Ride
For many of us, the dream of riding a motorcycle started early in life. As a child, I used to tape baseball cards to the frame and forks of my bicycle (along with every other kid on the block), to simulate the sound of an engine as the spokes would spin over the cards. We would ride around in huge groups, and I would always try to ride in the middle where it was loudest, putting my feet up on the axle of my front rim, like highway pegs on a chopper. I think I knew what it would feel like to ride a motorcycle then.
My step father did collision work, and used to do side jobs in the booth on his spare time, bartering in exchange for goods. I remember when he brought me home a Chrome Hutch BMX, in the early 90's. He had painted his friends vintage van in exchange for the bike to give to me. I was stoked, but it got stolen like every other bicycle I had as a kid.
Eventually we moved from the city to the country, at the age where I was just old enough to complain about some stuff and get away with it. My parents promised to buy me a dirt bike for making us move away from our friends, and they did. Within the first week of moving out to the boonies, I remember my dad took me to look at a dirt bike he had found in the tri-ads. It was a non-running 1979 Yamaha DT175 that had been bored out to a 200. He haggled the guy way down in price ($125), and I remember the second we sat down in the van, my dad smiled and told me he knew exactly why the bike wasn't kicking over. He said he would have it running the minute we got home. Well, long story short, I learned how to use a clutch that day. After a few hours of riding with supervision my parents let me take off down the road. I had to wear a helmet and be back before dark. Those were my rules. It was my 11th birthday.
I rode the bike down the highway I lived on, to the nearest dirt road, and took it to the first farm. I rolled up on my bike to the front porch of the farm house where a bunch of kids were sitting, and I asked them if I was allowed to ride my dirt bike through their fields. They gave me permission and even lead the way on their 3 wheeler, to a path where I could ride the entire length of their land. It was awesome! I rode around, and around, and around that field, for hours, in 1st gear. Eventually my bike died and wouldn't start again. After pushing it all the way home, and letting my dad rack his brain over it for a few hours, he finally figure out that I had burned a whole through my piston from riding around in first gear, wide open all day. I was too afraid to switch out of first gear. I didn't know I would break the bike if I didn't switch gears. First day, first time on a powered two wheeled vehicle, first lesson, first real heartbreak. We couldn't afford to get the bike fixed till the following year, but eventually it was fixed, and I got a few seasons out of it, with a lot repairs to keep it going. Ultimately my dad gave the bike away when I was 16 without my permission, saying it had sat too long (two seasons), without me saving to get it fixed. I was pissed. I never forgave him for giving that bike away.
Fast forward 10 years. Last spring I was 26 years old, sitting around scratching my nuts as a failed musician, when I decided it was time to sell all the guitars, amps and recording gear, and get onto something I had always wanted... a motorcycle. A real, grown ass man, goes-on-the-highway motorcycle. I had been having wet dreams about bikes for a few years at this point, and was really getting sick of having no wheels. Besides, I had just recently lost out on my biggest musical opportunity in life, and I didn't see an opportunity that big coming along again, possibly ever. It was time to put down the toys and pick up something real.
I decided that a Bobber was the kind of bike I wanted to start on. So I studied Craigslist for weeks on end, found a bike, went to view it, and asked the guy to take a deposit while I came up with the cash as quick as possible. He told me he would hold the bike for 4 weeks, but he didn't want to take a deposit. I went home and listed every last stringed instrument and fancy recording gadget I had on Craigslist, and I came back 3 weeks later, a week before my 27th birthday and bought the bike. It was a 1998 Yamaha V-Star 650 Classic, that had a 'Blue Collar Bobber' fender and solo seat kit, matte black paint, 14" apes, and some nice chrome Vance and Hines pipes. It was a stellar looking bike and it wasn't going to need constant maintenance or repairs.
I brought my best friend Kayvon with me, so he could follow me home. I hadn't ridden a motorcycle or used a clutch in over 10 years, and I had certainly never ridden a grown ass man, goes-on-the-highway bike. This thing looked like Terminator should be riding it. I felt so small beside it, like an ant. I was basically afraid I was going to fall off this thing and get run over, so I wanted someone I knew behind me in a car. Fuck, I'm laughing typing this right now. Can't believe I was such a wimp...
Anyways, I got on that fucking bike and rode that thing home, and it was unreal. The most amazing feeling I have ever had in my life. I used to have dreams as a kid like the one's where you are running upstairs away from someone, but your feet are heavy and you can't seem to run fast enough to get away, only the dreams I had were nightmares about me trying to get on a motorcycle and ride away, but I couldn't get it started, or it would crumble underneath me when I tried to ride away. Well, it was finally like my nightmares were over. It was like breaking away from your worst fear, and becoming free. I truly felt free for the first time in my life when I got on that bike and twisted the throttle. An incredible life altering feeling brought to me by a bike I bought. I didn't have to build a thing. Just had to make a decision, make some sacrifices, and save my ass off, and there is nothing I could regret less in my life.
This was my first ride. One of many to come.
Cory - The Great North ---- Currently listening to: Monster Truck - Love Attack
'The Juice' - My 1998 Yamaha V-Star 650 Classic Bobber
My step father did collision work, and used to do side jobs in the booth on his spare time, bartering in exchange for goods. I remember when he brought me home a Chrome Hutch BMX, in the early 90's. He had painted his friends vintage van in exchange for the bike to give to me. I was stoked, but it got stolen like every other bicycle I had as a kid.
Eventually we moved from the city to the country, at the age where I was just old enough to complain about some stuff and get away with it. My parents promised to buy me a dirt bike for making us move away from our friends, and they did. Within the first week of moving out to the boonies, I remember my dad took me to look at a dirt bike he had found in the tri-ads. It was a non-running 1979 Yamaha DT175 that had been bored out to a 200. He haggled the guy way down in price ($125), and I remember the second we sat down in the van, my dad smiled and told me he knew exactly why the bike wasn't kicking over. He said he would have it running the minute we got home. Well, long story short, I learned how to use a clutch that day. After a few hours of riding with supervision my parents let me take off down the road. I had to wear a helmet and be back before dark. Those were my rules. It was my 11th birthday.
I rode the bike down the highway I lived on, to the nearest dirt road, and took it to the first farm. I rolled up on my bike to the front porch of the farm house where a bunch of kids were sitting, and I asked them if I was allowed to ride my dirt bike through their fields. They gave me permission and even lead the way on their 3 wheeler, to a path where I could ride the entire length of their land. It was awesome! I rode around, and around, and around that field, for hours, in 1st gear. Eventually my bike died and wouldn't start again. After pushing it all the way home, and letting my dad rack his brain over it for a few hours, he finally figure out that I had burned a whole through my piston from riding around in first gear, wide open all day. I was too afraid to switch out of first gear. I didn't know I would break the bike if I didn't switch gears. First day, first time on a powered two wheeled vehicle, first lesson, first real heartbreak. We couldn't afford to get the bike fixed till the following year, but eventually it was fixed, and I got a few seasons out of it, with a lot repairs to keep it going. Ultimately my dad gave the bike away when I was 16 without my permission, saying it had sat too long (two seasons), without me saving to get it fixed. I was pissed. I never forgave him for giving that bike away.
Fast forward 10 years. Last spring I was 26 years old, sitting around scratching my nuts as a failed musician, when I decided it was time to sell all the guitars, amps and recording gear, and get onto something I had always wanted... a motorcycle. A real, grown ass man, goes-on-the-highway motorcycle. I had been having wet dreams about bikes for a few years at this point, and was really getting sick of having no wheels. Besides, I had just recently lost out on my biggest musical opportunity in life, and I didn't see an opportunity that big coming along again, possibly ever. It was time to put down the toys and pick up something real.
I decided that a Bobber was the kind of bike I wanted to start on. So I studied Craigslist for weeks on end, found a bike, went to view it, and asked the guy to take a deposit while I came up with the cash as quick as possible. He told me he would hold the bike for 4 weeks, but he didn't want to take a deposit. I went home and listed every last stringed instrument and fancy recording gadget I had on Craigslist, and I came back 3 weeks later, a week before my 27th birthday and bought the bike. It was a 1998 Yamaha V-Star 650 Classic, that had a 'Blue Collar Bobber' fender and solo seat kit, matte black paint, 14" apes, and some nice chrome Vance and Hines pipes. It was a stellar looking bike and it wasn't going to need constant maintenance or repairs.
I brought my best friend Kayvon with me, so he could follow me home. I hadn't ridden a motorcycle or used a clutch in over 10 years, and I had certainly never ridden a grown ass man, goes-on-the-highway bike. This thing looked like Terminator should be riding it. I felt so small beside it, like an ant. I was basically afraid I was going to fall off this thing and get run over, so I wanted someone I knew behind me in a car. Fuck, I'm laughing typing this right now. Can't believe I was such a wimp...
Anyways, I got on that fucking bike and rode that thing home, and it was unreal. The most amazing feeling I have ever had in my life. I used to have dreams as a kid like the one's where you are running upstairs away from someone, but your feet are heavy and you can't seem to run fast enough to get away, only the dreams I had were nightmares about me trying to get on a motorcycle and ride away, but I couldn't get it started, or it would crumble underneath me when I tried to ride away. Well, it was finally like my nightmares were over. It was like breaking away from your worst fear, and becoming free. I truly felt free for the first time in my life when I got on that bike and twisted the throttle. An incredible life altering feeling brought to me by a bike I bought. I didn't have to build a thing. Just had to make a decision, make some sacrifices, and save my ass off, and there is nothing I could regret less in my life.
This was my first ride. One of many to come.
Cory - The Great North ---- Currently listening to: Monster Truck - Love Attack
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