Issue #229 Finding That Ride | Rally, Riders, Ride, Some, Event

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Issue #229 Finding That Ride

Written by Len Creed
Thursday, 12 April 2007
Last summer as I was on tour my main goal was to visit as many events along the way as possible, and to ride across Newfoundland. I told you about most of them in previous issues but I haven’t said much about visiting Sydney, Nova Scotia and the Harley Owners Group national rally there last July. By the time I got back into the office from my trip I could have filled a whole issue with just my travels, but I wanted to save some thoughts to help you plan your summer ride. No matter what style or make your ride is, there’s a rally out there for you to enjoy with riders who share similar interests. For myself, I enjoy any reason to ride and have been to some very small local get-togethers as well as to some very large national rallies. I’ve enjoyed most of them because I know what it takes to put one on and if the group doing it has a few good volunteers they can make everything that much better. That is the key to having a good event and my hat is always tipped to the volunteers—their work makes it possible for fellow bikers to enjoy the event. Most manufacturers put on some type of yearly enthusiast rally for riders of their product and you can check their web sites to bring you up to date with their plans for 2007. Last year I took in the HOG rally in Sydney as it fit into my plans for riding the province of Newfoundland. The national HOG event is always THE showcase for Harley-Davidson of Canada, however some of the regional versions are getting just as big—Ontario’s last year comes to mind. This year, HOG’s national event is in London, Ontario, the week after the July 13th rally in Port Dover. It seems well-timed for a summer trip, and if I needed an excuse to visit Ontario that would do it for me. Sydney also did it for me, even though I seemed to work there most of the weekend. I rode about enjoying the hospitality of the township—car drivers actually stop to allow motorcycles to go first at traffic lights—and did Cape Breton and the Cabot Trail, which was in itself well worth the ride. But Harley put the icing on the cake with a parade through the city, a first-time display in Canada of its 2007 product line, and a wind-up party at the end that included lobster dinner and a great dance. It all came down to customer appreciation and riders showed their respects by traveling coast-to-coast and from the US as well. Even factory representatives from Milwaukee along with the Canadian CEO and president were in attendance. Hey, they ride too and it’s great to see them on the road doing what we do best: riding, participating and having fun. Regional rallies may not get all the attention so, just to remind you, there’s a HOG rally in Newfoundland this year as well as in Medicine Hat, Alberta where they’re gearing up for a prairie summertime event. Perhaps it’s in your budget to take in one of these events. Triumph and BMW also sponsor enthusiast outings, and as a member of the Riders Association of Triumph, I’ve traveled to a few RAT events. Honda used to host “Wing Dings” for the Gold Wing Riders Association, but I’m not sure if Canada is still in the picture on that front. If you can’t find a manufacturer’s national rally near you, check the local rides or visit a race track, whether it be to take in off-road, road race or drag racing. You’re bound to find riders who share your interests and are willing to swap stories over an open fire somewhere. This summer could be your best yet if it’s planned right. Comments (0) Subscribe to this comment's feed Write comment You must be logged in to a comment. Please register if you do not have an account yet.