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PBDave of Ottawa has triggered some nostalgia by reporting upon his first road trip. It made me laugh to remember my own, which began and ended in Toronto. We sure find a lot of Canucks on this site.
Jimmy Carter was in the White House. I was in the dog house that summer of 1977. Late in August I took a weekend course to earn a motorcycle operator's license and then went shopping for my first bike. I had seen the new Suzukis at the annual spring motorcycle show on the Canadian National Exhibition grounds. The GS caught my fancy and I chose a GS550 in forest green (see Gallery) equiped with a plexiglas faring, Shoei saddle bags, and a cantilevered combination back rest and luggage rack. I, too, asked for a week of holidays... not possible until late September.
Having ridden a motorcycle for a sum total of 300 km, off I went on a trip -clockwise- around the Great Lakes. My fist stop was in Columbus Ohio to visit my widowed mother. At a gas station there the attendant surprised me by asking if I wanted a custom seat for this new bike. His brother was a disabled Vietnam vet who made such things. I parted with $100 for a sculptured leather "king and queen" seat, a type usually found upon larger touring bikes. It was a nice change from the brick that came with the bike.
From Columbus to Chicago it rained and I learned that the faring was little to no help in that situation. I looked with envy upon riders huddled behind the larger farings made by Craig Vetter, then located down in Rantoul IL. I soon experienced my first "drop" by making a sharp turn upon soaking wet leaves. Fortunately this was at walk speed and no harm was done. But one moment I was on the bike, the next beside it. I hit the red button asap. I'd done a BA in the Chicago area a decade earlier and I recalled the 60s there with a mixture of affection and disgust. It is not true that if you can remember the 60s you didn't participate.
The next leg of my trip leg was up to Duluth, MN, to visit a friend who could not remember the 60s... due to brain damage. He took a VW under neath a tractor trailer but managed to survive.
Although I had brought along a warm coat, I had underestimated the temperature range. I had to buy a vest to wear under my coat to make the next leg, up to the city of Thunder Bay... where I had lived 2 years of the 70s while doing an MA degree. The parking spaces on that campus included electrical outlets to plug in block heaters.
I sure wished I had one on the GS550 the next morning. When I went to leave, the bike was covered with frost. My host was appalled at the idea of me driving down to Toronto, we went to a store and I bought a huge down parka to protect me from the snow which had begun falling. My host wisely pointed out the paucity of gas stations on the lakeshore route to Sault Ste. Marie. I bought a red plastic gas can and strapped it to the bike with duct tape.
Toronto or bust. I'd never been so cold in my life, my fingers were numb despite double gloves, the steady snow kept getting deeper and I began to think that I'd never make it the 450 miles down to SSM. But I pressed on regardless, got to a motel, dove into a hot bath, ordered a pizza delivered.
I had one more 500 mile day, via Sudbury, in order to get home to Toronto. Fortunatley this leg was through warmer temps and autumn colours.
By the time I got back to Toronto I felt like a seasoned touring rider.
Now that I am a seasoned touring rider, I realize that I wasn't. I still had much to learn and experience. Anyway, the week away from wife and two children was a big help to all of us.
My next long ride on the GS550 was down to Mobile Alabama, this time in temps of 100 degrees.
Ed Chilton
Jimmy Carter was in the White House. I was in the dog house that summer of 1977. Late in August I took a weekend course to earn a motorcycle operator's license and then went shopping for my first bike. I had seen the new Suzukis at the annual spring motorcycle show on the Canadian National Exhibition grounds. The GS caught my fancy and I chose a GS550 in forest green (see Gallery) equiped with a plexiglas faring, Shoei saddle bags, and a cantilevered combination back rest and luggage rack. I, too, asked for a week of holidays... not possible until late September.
Having ridden a motorcycle for a sum total of 300 km, off I went on a trip -clockwise- around the Great Lakes. My fist stop was in Columbus Ohio to visit my widowed mother. At a gas station there the attendant surprised me by asking if I wanted a custom seat for this new bike. His brother was a disabled Vietnam vet who made such things. I parted with $100 for a sculptured leather "king and queen" seat, a type usually found upon larger touring bikes. It was a nice change from the brick that came with the bike.
From Columbus to Chicago it rained and I learned that the faring was little to no help in that situation. I looked with envy upon riders huddled behind the larger farings made by Craig Vetter, then located down in Rantoul IL. I soon experienced my first "drop" by making a sharp turn upon soaking wet leaves. Fortunately this was at walk speed and no harm was done. But one moment I was on the bike, the next beside it. I hit the red button asap. I'd done a BA in the Chicago area a decade earlier and I recalled the 60s there with a mixture of affection and disgust. It is not true that if you can remember the 60s you didn't participate.
The next leg of my trip leg was up to Duluth, MN, to visit a friend who could not remember the 60s... due to brain damage. He took a VW under neath a tractor trailer but managed to survive.
Although I had brought along a warm coat, I had underestimated the temperature range. I had to buy a vest to wear under my coat to make the next leg, up to the city of Thunder Bay... where I had lived 2 years of the 70s while doing an MA degree. The parking spaces on that campus included electrical outlets to plug in block heaters.
I sure wished I had one on the GS550 the next morning. When I went to leave, the bike was covered with frost. My host was appalled at the idea of me driving down to Toronto, we went to a store and I bought a huge down parka to protect me from the snow which had begun falling. My host wisely pointed out the paucity of gas stations on the lakeshore route to Sault Ste. Marie. I bought a red plastic gas can and strapped it to the bike with duct tape.
Toronto or bust. I'd never been so cold in my life, my fingers were numb despite double gloves, the steady snow kept getting deeper and I began to think that I'd never make it the 450 miles down to SSM. But I pressed on regardless, got to a motel, dove into a hot bath, ordered a pizza delivered.
I had one more 500 mile day, via Sudbury, in order to get home to Toronto. Fortunatley this leg was through warmer temps and autumn colours.
By the time I got back to Toronto I felt like a seasoned touring rider.
Now that I am a seasoned touring rider, I realize that I wasn't. I still had much to learn and experience. Anyway, the week away from wife and two children was a big help to all of us.
My next long ride on the GS550 was down to Mobile Alabama, this time in temps of 100 degrees.
Ed Chilton
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