You can learn all sorts of things from going to a bike show. But they are especially appealing at this time of year when the ground is frozen and we’re nestled indoors, making plans for a warmer season. We go to see the new bikes. Just looking, right? We go to browse through the new gear. We shop for deals. But there’s one thing that happens at these events that doesn’t happen often enough in other places. We find ourselves connected with all sorts of people from different walks of life who share a common denominator—they ride. We are all there under the same roof, suffering the same cold weather that interferes with our riding. We may not be “one,” but a common interest is shared by all.

This year I went expecting a sea of women at the Toronto Motorcycle Show where Friday was “ladies night” and the organizers had decided to let women in for free. While gender discrimination is rarely a good thing, this was meant to encourage women who might not otherwise come out (and spend $15, plus parking) to join the ranks of those who are already confirmed motorcycle riders. They say women are the fastest growing share of the market. That makes sense because men certainly aren’t. Men have dominated the market for ever. So the fastest growing segment of the market was let in for free on Friday night and I wanted to be there to see what that looked like. Strangely, it looked like any other day or night.

There were plenty of women at the bike show; there always are. It’s just they make up the largest percentage of passengers; they always have. What’s that saying, “plus ca change, plus c’est la meme choses?”

I am seeing increasingly more female riders on the street. It’s just that for every 10 bikes, 10 have male riders.
If you move to a higher number, like 100, then things start to change—unless I pick a very specific place to do my counting, which would certainly skew the statistics.

There are increasingly more women sales people at the bike show. And this wasn’t one of those shows where you see men in full gear and women in string bikinis. The Toronto Motorcycle Show is a proper show where manufacturers display next year’s machines and sales reps sport shirts bearing the company logo. No sleaze here. There was a predictable number of women representing manufacturers given the percentage of women riders—which is to say there were a few, but not many. Women sold all kinds of riding gear. And a number of insurance companies were also present. That’s not surprising.

My experience has been that they’re all way too expensive in Ontario—and we’re a captive market. There were really cute girls in dirt bike outfits who were not only promoting a school, they were the instructors. That was something new. However, that’s not what caught my eye. It was the words “Horseshoe Resort Riding Adventures” that really captivated me. I found myself coming to a sudden full stop in front of a lineup of blue and white Yamaha dirt bikes and having a conversation with a man named John, who identified himself as someone who’s done all kinds of riding, everything from street to motocross to Trials (which I adore).

He told me about the off-road rider training courses his company offers for children and adults. Then he took me out back where they had a small track set up in an indoor parking lot. Amazing. It was free to ride. I got all excited until I learned you had to be between six and 12 and get your parents to sign a liability form. Try as I might, I could not convince them that I was under 12. But if I had been I could have ridden a small dirt bike around a track in the parking lot. How cool is that! And how long could you have left your kids there without any whining at all? Things are changing. But as I watched the little ones going slowly around the track I realized something was wrong. I asked about a limiter and he said, of course there is one. The kids weren’t going any faster than they might have on a bicycle in such a small space. But they sure were having fun! Then I was introduced to the young girls in blue riding outfits with pretty long hair who I learned were instructors. To quote John, I thought, “How cool is that!”

I found myself lusting over a particular KTM. Lust is a big factor in attending a bike show, right? It was orange and black and had a 530cc motor, and tiny turn signals tucked into the fenders so that they would never catch on branches or tree trunks. It looked tall but as I mounted it I found that the narrow seat helped compensate for the luxurious height and extensive ground clearance. A sales rep named Florian told me that KTM is looking at making a bike next year with a lower seat height. I know that if I can manage to get on, the loftier seating position is an advantage. Unfortunately, most of my female friends don’t know that. Many have learned on cruisers and only feel safe with both feet flat on the ground. I left with a brochure in hand and a fantasy in my mind. Surely I need an orange and black bike! Where’s that lottery ticket?

Then I found the green ones. A 250cc street legal Kawasaki dirt bike. What a darling! It too had little turn signals tucked in. Finally, people are figuring that part out. After hearing so many people tell me that I really need a 650 if I want to do “anything” or go “anywhere” I found what used to be commonly available in the Red department. Honda used to make those XLs ... Why does a company stop making a best seller I have to ask. I got on the 250 and it came to me quite quickly. It was not a bike I’d want to ride regularly to the forest, not covering 100 kilometres of high speed highway. It’s a bike I’d like to park at BMW mechanic Al Blanchard’s place, located a few kilometers from the Ganaraska Forest where there’s great dirt biking. I’m sure I could pay to store a little dirt bike among the BMWs. I could ride Casper, my big bike out, trade it for the little one and go! I could ride for hours in the forest, then jump back on Casper and ride home. Surely I need a green and white bike! (Surely I need a lottery ticket.)

But then what if I wanted to ride a little 250 or a 530 around Toronto? People don’t realize what a fabulous choice an enduro is for city riding. Pot holes shrink, speed limiting bumps become ramps, curbs a mere ripple in the road to pop over. Just pushing a cruiser off a sidewalk can cause damage to the underside of a bike. On an enduro the underside is so high you can ride over fallen trees! You’d be surprised at how fun and nimble a dirt bike is for the city. Skip the scooter, which is fast becoming the inner city second bike. Go dirt! Lust is a healthy thing.

Comments (0)

Subscribe to this comment's feed