Canadian Biker - June 2012
The June 2012 issue of Canadian Biker is now on newsstands.
On the cover we feature BMW’s new “maxi-scooter”. There was a time, and to some extent there still is, when scooters were the realm of 50cc bare bones machines with the sole purpose of getting you to your destination slowly and amid a cloud of blue smoke. The upside was these scooter were both inexpensive to buy and inexpensive to run. The world of scooter was limited to urban areas as reaching highway speed was often out of the question - I know, I once tried on the unusually named Yamaha Beluga. Times changed with the introductions of scooters like the Burgman, the Majesty and Silverwing. Suddenly scooters could not only take you across town but across the country. BMW has entered this growing market with two versions of their big bore scooter - one aimed at a sport segment while the other looks to extend the riding distance further by offering a touring slant. There was a time when a diehard motorcyclist wouldn’t look at a scooter - perhaps it was those small wheels - but those days are gone and big scooters with power, comfort and technology are the reason why. Hmmm,....the Yamaha Beluga Supersport 600, it does have a ring to it.
Ever dream of getting that free bike? Sometimes a free bike isn’t exactly free which is what one of our contributors discovered when offer a 1981 Suzuki GN400 by his uncle. His uncle had bought the bike new back in 1983 as a gift to himself when his daughter was born. That in itself is a story. As suspected a bike that had spent much of its life on a Saskatchewan farm wasn’t the free ride anyone expected. The upside is that one may never get to experience the fun of riding a simple bike like the GN400 if you hadn’t been given one free.
Our travel feature in this issue follows four Canadians who decide there is no better way to explore Africa than aboard a gaggle of dual sport singles. There are elephants, shade tree mechanics (literally), occasionally no gas but apparently lots of food. Who would have thought? It was the trip of a lifetime.
We all know too much about the the trials and tribulations of the famous father and son bike building duo. Well that isn’t how they do things in Saskatchewan. It is all cooperation and bonding when a father and son build competing $1000 customs for a showdown at the Rat’s Hole in Sturgis. And yes, both come home with plaques.
What else? How about a nostalgic look at the return of the Corbin Warbird, a recap of 40 years of the Z1, the suggestion not to lick your fingers after working with epoxy, a cooperative motorcycle shop in Vancouver and ten tips about riding in Peru ... just in case you were planning on going.
