Finally! A Roadside assistance program for motorcycles that actually makes sense!
MotoRescue is part of North America's largest towing service provider with over 20,000 units in service. This means riders are covered across Canada with coverage in the United States too. When your motorcycle breaks down, you need the confidence to know your motorcycle or scooter will be towed under guarded transport. We can give you that confidence.
TourByTwo.com is looking for new amateur writers to become contributors to the site. Have you ever dreamed of having your motorcycle travel stories published? Now is your chance to enter the world of motorcycle and travel journalism.
TourByTwo's Founder and Chief Editor, will review and judge potential candidates. Submit your 300-word (or 5min video) travel piece by January 31st, 2010 to be one of five new motorcycle travel journalists.
We're looking for inspired riders with a desire to write about their adventures, who can mix multimedia savvy with an engaging writing style. Our emphasis is on riding related stories and adventures. Video documentaries will also be acceptable for online story submissions.
The right candidates will know how to recognize and tell a story, write or record and edit it, clean and get it up on our site fast. You will of course be credited for your contributions and will have an online profile established on the site.
Please send a brief cover letter, clips or writing samples and a resume to info@tourbytwo.com. Links to your stories are acceptable as well as video submissions.
Not too long ago, Stella The Riding Princess and I were visiting BMW Toronto. She was there to place an order for some goodies for her F650GS for an upcoming trip to Montana and I took the opportunity to introduce myself to the Motorcycle Sales Manager, Tim Sarch.
Recently Stella had mentioned to Tim that she had joined the BMW Motorrad exclusively female test ride event and commented on how much she enjoyed the new F800GS. Due to the relationship she has with the dealership, he offered to let her take one for a day. He and I talked for a while and after discussing this website and other associations, he in turn offered a motorcycle for me to take for a day also.
With much anticipation, Stella and I returned a few days later, on a Friday morning, to take out a couple of Ultimate Riding Machines - Stella on the F800GS and me on a R1200GS. I was as giddy as a kid to finally try this bike. Thoughts Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman came to mind since this is the base model of the GS Adventure machines that they rode around the world on for months on end. Of course this ride was only going to be for one day...unfortunately.
To get a really good feel for the bikes, we needed to ride a variety of roads. We began with a stretch of highway that quickly took us well north of the hustle and bustle of the big city to some quiet country roads, which were far more enjoyable to ride on without all the road congestion. At this moment, I wished that I was fully loaded and headed off for several days of blissful riding.
Both bikes were very stable at highway speeds, despite the crosswinds and we found both bikes were very comfortable. Personally I got a sense that huge distances could be chewed up rather easily without experiencing much discomfort to my backside. Stella was of course eager to take the F800GS for a long haul and to compare it to its smaller sibling, the F650GS.
The F650GS has long being known for its go-anywhere capability and although it is fire-road friendly, the single cylinder version isn't quite up to par for high-speed distances. Could the F800GS fill in that gap with it's more nimble twin parallel engine, without loosing the dual-sport aspect? She was immediately impressed with the F800GS' stability, balance and lightweight. The steering is quick and just right and the overall impression was that the bike is quite joyful to plod along at idle speed or react instantly with abundant torque when the throttle is rolled on. Not to mention the doubtful rigid seat that supported well throughout the ride with no discomfort at all.
Once we got a couple hours out of the city, we found some nice twisty back roads and I was very impressed at how sure footed the R1200GS actually was. I thought for sure that it would feel more like some lumbering hippo but instead I found it was very nimble in the corners. Despite being a big, heavy Enduro bike and quite capable of riding on rutted dirt roads, the suspension was rather stiff and linear making it very easy to flick it from one tight corner to the next with total confidence. My smile was ever growing in my helmet as I leaned through corner after corner at a comfortable, yet spirited pace through Mohawk Territory.
After stopping in Bala for lunch, we assessed our route - and the time of day - and realized that we would have to cut our route short in order to get the bikes back to the dealership on time. With that in mind, we headed back and picked up the pace even further. It was during this brisk pace on the highway that I noticed the total lack of wind buffeting of my helmet. The large, adjustable windscreen ploughed nicely through the air resulting in virtually no helmet shake at all. It was also around this time that my fuel light came on and not knowing how far the bike could go at this point, I started thinking about nearby gas stations. I selected the closest station on my GPS, even though it was out of our way - of course the first one we pulled into isn't a gas station anymore. Selecting the next nearest station (even further off the highway), we finally found what we needed. Great...now we are both fuelled up but running very late. It would have been useful had I known to look at the information display options on the bike to find out exactly how far I could of gone before running dry. Live and learn I suppose. Back on the road, we kept to our spirited pace and selected a series of back roads to avoid major rush hour gridlock at known problem points on the highway.
In the end we returned to the dealership 500km later and 30 minutes late with huge grins on our faces. It was an amazing day despite the chilly, damp weather and we both thoroughly enjoyed our loaner bikes and ourselves.
Roundel wearing bikes really are the Ultimate Riding Machines in each of their styles. Though perfectly capable of long dirt road detours, the GS motorcycles also make excellent street bikes. With their upright sitting position, cornering confidence and dual sport suspension, the GS's are ready for the real world and they are sure to bring many great experiences that leave you grinning from ear to ear and yearning for more.
*A special thanks to Tim Sarch at BMW Toronto for loaning us the motorcycles. Of course we are now both thinking of upgrading from our current Beemers to the models we rode on the ride.
March 19, 2009 10:42 PM - About 50 motorcyclists from across the Greater Toronto Area gathered for a rally tonight near the intersection of Hurontario St. and Eglinton Ave. - the scene of an horrific crash - to remind drivers to be cautious when sharing the road with motorcycles.
With their bikes lined between the road and the sidewalk, the bikers waved signs that read: "Look twice! Save a life!" The rally ran from 7:30-9 p.m.
Shaun de Jager, a Toronto motorcyclist who heard about the accident on an online social forum, said many members of the group are outraged by the accident and sorry for the motorcyclist and his passenger, who suffered serious injuries but are expected to live.
"Unfortunately we've all had close calls," said de Jager, who organized the rally. "Riding a motorcycle does have its inherent dangers, but so does everything in life and these are risks that we take as cautiously as we can."
Mississauga resident Majid Hashemi was at the nearby Second Cup when the crash occurred yesterday. He had just ben out on his motorcycle and the incident really hit home.
"It's right by my house and this patch of pavement, I ride on it everyday." said the 27-year-old, pointing to the spot where the crash happened.
Police are looking into the possibility that the driver of the SUV may have illegally entered the busy Mississauga intersection during rush-hour yesterday.
March 19, 2009 12:20 PM - Police are looking into witness accounts that the driver of an SUV illegally entered a busy Mississauga intersection yesterday before crashing into a motorcycle, sending the driver and his passenger to hospital with life-threatening injuries.
Peel Regional Police said today that the motorcyclist, 30, and his female passenger, 22, are expected to live following the rush-hour collision at Hurontario St. and Eglinton Ave.
Motorcyclists from across the GTA are outraged. Several will be at a rally tonight at the intersection because they believe there needs to be increased awareness among drivers of larger vehicles to be cautious sharing the road with motorcyclists. Police will also be at the rally.
"The weather is warming and more and more riders are on the roads. This tragic incident should be a reminder to all that cars share the roads with bikes and that we must all be aware of each other," said Shaun de Jager, an avid motorcyclist who organized the rally. "There is no excuse for paying anything less than 100 per cent attention to the road and our surroundings."
The motorcyclist was airlifted to Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in Toronto after his Suzuki collided with a Honda CRV at about 5 p.m.
Peel Cst. J.P. Valade said the man's condition has improved. He has serious leg injuries, but is expected to survive.
The passenger was initially taken to Credit Valley Hospital. She was also transferred to Sunnybrook. She, too, is expected to live.
The 62-year-old female driver of the SUV was not injured.
Officers with the Major Collision Bureau are investigating whether the woman entered the intersection improperly, believing she had an advanced green light to make a left turn.
The accident brought traffic to a halt, as police closed off a large area surrounding the intersection. Lane closures lasted well into the night.
Sorry about the last minute notice but I only found out this morning.
I have been invited back to join Joey Martin on 94.5FM "The Bull" during their "Get In The Ring" talk radio program this evening. This will be a followup show to the one I did with them back in Dec about Bill 117.
The program will air live on tonight (Monday Feb. 2nd) from 7pm to 9pm, I will be on the program for the last half from 8pm onward following the Amazing Kreskin. You can listen live via their webcast found at www.945thebull.ca
Lonely Rider invited to speak on 94.5FM "The Bull"
Friday, December 19, 2008
posted by The Lonely Rider
It is with great pleasure to announce that I have been invited to discuss Bill 117 as a guest speaker on 94.5FM "The Bull" during their "Get In The Ring" talk radio program. The station covers Midwestern Ontario.
The program will air live on Monday Dec. 22nd starting at 7pm EST. You can listen live via their webcast found at http://www.945thebull.ca
