Have you ever wanted to ride on a deserted, remote stretch of highway, in the middle of the Northernwestern Ontario wilderness? On Sunday June 12, 2011 I took my CBR250R for its first day-trip up a lonely and isolated highway from Thunder Bay, ON to Armstrong, ON. As it turns out, it was also the first trip for my friend Paul who had recently picked up a new Moto Guzzi V7 Classic. Why Armstrong? Locally, when you mention a visit to Armstrong, it is often followed up with “Why? What is there to see?” Interesting that you never get this reaction from motorcyclists. They understand implicitly and immediately consider how they might conjure up an irrational scheme to fake an aneurysm in order to take time off work and come along. Yes – the cognitive dichotomy between rider and cager contrasts about as well as our bikes do in the photo below (O.K. I admit that was a pretty bad segue).

O.K. Really. So why Armstrong? Because neither of us had ever been there. And to be honest, it just popped out of my head as we were sitting in my living room discussing where we would ride that day. And it was 22C and sunny outside. What better excuse does one need to set off on the first long ride of the season? We were also curious about how our bikes would perform on a longer trip and even wondered how they might perform without any fuel at all (there are no gas stations along the entire 260KM stretch). I wasn’t too concerned about the CBR250R, but Paul cautiously estimated the Guzzi’s range at around 300KMs of highway riding. He’d be cutting it close. Being the intrepid, courageous warriors that we are – laughing in the face of adversity, and spitting in the eye of anyone who dare suggest the possibility of being stranded and eaten alive by ravenous blood-sucking mosquitoes – we merely re-framed this as an opportunity to simply live off the land if need be – and forged ahead throwing caution to the wind (while also discretely throwing a 1L Primus fuel container in my tankbag just in case). We also laughed at the idea of insect repellent (though the laughing occurred about half-way through the trip when I realized we’d forgot to take some along). And Paul also called a service station in Armstrong to ensure they were open. Would he have enough range? Would we make it? Do you care yet about the characters in this unfolding drama? Can you feel the tension building?

I also wanted to try out my new Icon Urban Tankbag. I filled the bag with a first-aid kit, two bottles of Powerade, the Primus bottle in a separate compartment, and a camera. It barely made a dent in the bag’s usable capacity. I really like the versatility it offers. It fits well on the CBR250R with ample room and extra pockets for storage, and even converts to a backpack (that includes a helmet holder) for off-bike excursions. I also found that I could simply release the top two magnets and lift the bag to gain access to the fuel cap for re-fuelling.

http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com…-Tank-Bag.aspx

Here is a Google Maps overview of the scope of our day-trip adventure.

This zoomed image helps one appreciate the size of Lake Nipigon. It is the largest lake entirely within the province of Ontario. The lake is also home to woodland caribou. The Nipigon River is famous for yielding large brook trout (speckled trout). The largest brook trout ever on record (at 14.5 lbs) was caught in the Nipigon River in 1915 by Dr. JW Cook.

Would our trek be filled with adventure – rife with story-book action and plot twists? Well we didn’t have to wait long for something to happen. Ten minutes after fuelling, as we were leaving the city and making our way toward the Highway 527 turnoff to Armstrong, a wolf crossed the road in front of us. A few hundred metres past where the wolf re-entered the bush I spotted a woman (who strangely resembled Little Red Riding Hood) walking along the roadside toward us. I slowed down to warn her that a wolf had just passed by a little ways ahead. She stated that she had seen it too and nonchalantly continued on her way with basket in hand (O.K. – just joking about the basket). This experience made me realize that taking along a helmet cam would make it easier to capture and document such unexpected surprises.

The route up to Armstrong was completed in the 1950s as a logging access roadway. It is the second longest secondary highway in all of Ontario. Here is a photo taken along the route that is representative of what we saw over the 3hr ride.

There are an abundance of lakes in this region. However, there are only a handful that are nestled up against the road on the way up. Still these views were very rewarding.

A conspicuous sand dune along the highway provided another opportunity to stop, rest, and take a photo. Aside from exercising your photographic skills, frequent stops provide a good excuse to rest, stretch, and mentally relax. So how comfortable is it to ride the CBR250R on a longer ride? As mentioned, this was my first longer ride of the season. Typically I find my body quickly adjusts to longer riding days and this extends the amount of time I can remain physically comfortable on the bike when touring. But even when touring, I just prefer to stop about every hour to stretch, walk around, fuel-up, and relax. While many might find it unappealing to stop each hour – for me it ensures that I never feel stiff or uncomfortable during the ride and it wards off soreness the next day. It just makes the overall trip more enjoyable – and perhaps safer as well. I never want to be in a hurry to get anywhere anyway when touring on a motorcycle.

How suitable was the CBR250R for riding on this highway? The speed limit was marked as 80km/hr, and with speedometer error in mind, I would estimate that Paul and I were riding between 90-95km/hr which registers a little over 6000 rpm on the tach in 6th gear. The bike handles this speed remarkably well – and is torquey enough to easily climb the hilly sections we encountered in top gear. With that being said – a downshift to 5th at this speed puts the bike closer to the 7000 rpm torque peak and allows for more spirited passing and hill climbing. Even though we essentially had the entire highway to ourselves we did pass one vehicle on the trip – a pickup truck pulling a trailer. The bike accelerated with authority (for a 250cc single) in 5th from 90 km/hr to complete the pass.

The following photo was taken from a bridge crossing over the Kopka River (looking downstream) about 60KMs before Armstrong, ON. The Kopka River is part of Kopka River Provincial Park. If you want a remote, rugged, wilderness canoeing adventure, it would be hard to beat this park.

Many fishing and canoeing resort outfitters line the route as you approach Armstrong. We pulled into town at around 5PM and quickly filled up at a Can-Op service station just off the highway. Paul stated that his low-fuel light had just come on as we were approaching town. Our bikes and our riding gear were caked with insects. Any worse and the locals may have mistaken us for huge larvae cocoons. Yes – the bug population IS really healthy in Northwestern Ontario. With 260 kms on the odometer I filled up with 8.8L of fuel to top the CBR’s 13L tank. That comes out to about 84 mpg (Imperial). Respectable mileage considering the route had its share of hills and we faced a head-wind for much of the ride. Paul filled the Guzzi with 11L of fuel which came out to 67 mpg (Imperial). Great mileage for a bike with 744cc of displacement.

We asked the clerk at the service station for suggestions on where to eat. He suggested a couple of places, including a restaurant and motel conveniently located next door. Just as we were about to enter the restaurant, a CN train slowly approached from the East. The CNR mainline runs through the town.

It turns out the food was good and reasonably priced. I had a hamburger and fries, while Paul scarfed down a Reuben sandwich and we shared an order of poutine. Fully satiated, we were eager to get back on the road for the 3hr trip back home.

Here is another view of what we saw on the way back. Not long after this photo was taken I rode by a young bear just off the shoulder of the road. The bike surprised him and he scurried quickly into the bush. A little further along I spotted a large object on the road way off in the distance. I kept my head up and noticed that it eventually moved left off the road. It was only at our next rest stop that Paul told me that it had been a bear as well – apparently a very well-fed one – that had taken refuge at the edge of the tree line.

This is a view of the sun shimmering over Kopka Lake. One always has to be watchful for wildlife on the road in these areas. After this photo was taken we came around a left hand curve and found a large bull moose slowly crossing the road. We had plenty of time to slow down and allow him to cross (I tapped my brake a few times to warn Paul). It would be wise to avoid riding this highway at night.

Overall, it was a great day ride. We made it back to Thunder Bay at around 9PM with plenty of sunshine and copious amounts of bug splatter as evidence of our journey. I look forward to more touring and camping with the CBR250R. Stay tuned.

Share on Facebook