Having learned far more than I had expected from my first motorcycle, I made a wise choice and bought something far more suited to my novice skills for my second bike. It’s funny, because when an acquaintance told me he was moving to Costa Rica for a year and needed to unload his Kawasaki Ninja, I did not picture the motorbike you see above. I pictured a full-on crotch rocket like my former roommate’s Ninja ZX-6R, which I had the thrill to ride once. Nonetheless, when I was offered the baby Ninja for $3000 in the autumn of 2008, I jumped at it. The time had come to give up adventuring solo in the back-country and begin exploring BC’s beautiful scenery on its smooth, twisty highways.
This four-year-old bike had all of 7000 kms on it and had been well taken care of. I took it for a ride around the block and was impressed with not only how easy it was to ride, but how (relatively) comfortable it was. Also, it was at that point by far the newest and lowest mileage vehicle I had ever owned so I figured at worst, I could re-sell it in the spring for a profit.
A week later I would take it on a quick three-hour road trip to Calgary for a concert. Despite the heavy rain and 5°C weather, the bike did very well, and was a joy on the highway compared to my old dirt bike. Its 50 hp and 400 lb weight made it quick but not overly fast, and most importantly, its more upright seating position made it far more comfortable than a crotch rocket or my too-tall dirt bike. My inflexible 6′ tall frame was pushed to the limits of its bend-ability due to the bike’s smaller size, but I got used to it. It was then that I realized that I wouldn’t be selling this bike in the spring; instead I would take it on a grand solo road trip of BC.
By that time I had lived in BC for two years and had explored most of the southern highways. It was time for me to head north and explore the lesser known areas. I had secured two weeks off from work and the plan was to ride from my home in Invermere, BC to the Haida Gwaii Islands off the northern coast of BC. My very modest budget required that I restrict any paid accommodations to tent camping and keep eating out to a minimum. I had a change of clothes in my backpack, water, some food, a tent, a sleeping bag, a hatchet, a road map, a crappy little stove; that’s all I needed.
My plan was very open; there were no set dates, and anything that caught my eye was explored. Since I covered 5300 kms over two weeks, my pace was quick, and the only two days I didn’t ride were spent taking a 7 hour ferry passage across the treacherous waters to Haida Gwaii. It was July and daylight hours last roughly from 6 am to 11 pm, so I figured I might as well cram as much riding as possible into my trip. The bike got between 50-60 mpg, which meant about 300 kms between fills. Any longer and my hips and knees may have been permanently stuck in the fully folded position.
The scenery was amazing and I highly recommend it to anyone. But I wasn’t doing this trip for the scenery, I was doing it for the ride. There’s nothing like enjoying a beautiful summer day in the open air on a motorcycle. Feeling the temperature cool as you approach a glacier-fed creek, following a river as it widens and eventually reaches the ocean, these are the kinds of things that are best experienced on a bike.
On that note, I would like to nominate the Nisga’a Highway (BC #113) as the best hidden gem of motorcycle highway in North America. I’ve ridden (or driven) many of the highways often listed on “best of” lists, and none of them compare to this highway, chiefly due to a complete lack of traffic. What good is a steep and twisty highway if you’re stuck behind an RV going 30 km/hr? When I was up there the only other traffic was a German family in a rental motorhome. I didn’t see a single police officer over its 158 km length.
I’m not saying it’s great because you can fly around at ridiculous speeds; you might well die. It is the by far the twistiest paved road I’ve ever seen, not just side to side, but up and down as well. All the bridges that cross the many creeks are single lane only and the sight lines aren’t the best. The highway follows the ever-widening Nass River as it reaches the ocean while passing through a bunch of First Nations Reserves full of friendly locals. It also passes through the site of a massive volcanic eruption that happened 300 years ago, truly the strangest natural scenery I’ve ever seen.
The above picture was taken shortly after the one and only time I dropped this bike. Obviously, riding a street bike on the beach is a stupid idea. I was emboldened by the fact that I had reached Mile 0 of the Yellowhead Highway and decided to press on 20 kms down the gravel road to the campground on the coast. Once at the coast I saw tire tracks and figured I may as well continue as far as I could. That turned out to be about 50 feet. Oops.
The trip was a great success; not only had I explored beautiful unknown territory, but I had birthed a love for the motorcycle and the open road. It wouldn’t be complete however without detailing a minor inconvenience that occurred whilst trying to escape the frigid rain one afternoon towards the end of the trip.
I’m not normally a speeder, but if given the opportunity and what I think to be an un-patrolled area, I will exploit it, especially on a bike. After a couple of days of light rain and cool temperatures (I had no rain gear) I was shivering uncontrollably, about 50 kms from the nearest town. Seeing rain clouds on the horizon, I just wanted to get to town and warm up. I hunkered down into a tuck on my bike and decided to crank it up to 130 km/hr, as sight lines were great and I could see cops from any angle.
As I was seamlessly passing cars on the two lane highway, I started noticing that cars in the opposite lane were pulling over on the shoulder to let me pass. Northern folks sure are courteous! Since I didn’t want to leave my (slightly less cold) tuck, I was only using shoulder checks to pass and not my mirrors, and didn’t notice the cop car about 5 feet behind me. My iPod was probably a factor in my not hearing his sirens and horns as well. Once I finally pulled over, the police officer was very angry with me. He exclaimed that he was minutes away from calling for reinforcements and demanded to know where I had stolen the bike. In the end, it cost a good chunk of change, and I never rode with an iPod again.
Once home, I felt the need to share my new-found love of the open road with my girlfriend. As this pic demonstrates, 2 people and their camping gear is a lot of weight to heap on a small bike. This became particularly evident as we approached our destination of Waterton National Park in southern Alberta. The foothills of southern Alberta are notoriously windy and pushed us all over the road. I had to lean hard into a cross wind and was using the entire lane to compensate for wind gusts. While my lovely girlfriend loved the ride and the view, she made me aware that the tiny backseat was not a comfortable place to be.
I put 8000 kms on the bike that summer, but it was becoming clear that I would need something bigger and more comfortable, especially for my favourite passenger. I don’t remember the bike needing any work, other than regular maintenance and tightening up all the nuts and bolts in the fairing once I had returned from my big northern trip. I rode it until the snow hit in December and sold it the following spring for a bit more than I had paid for it. I couldn’t have asked for a better second starter bike. My next motorbike would be a bigger, more comfortable highway cruiser that I still have.
A wonderful writeup, and you’re definitely still a young buck when this happened. Back in my late twenties, I happily toured half of America east of the Mississippi on a ’72 Honda CB350 – cafe racer. With leather bags and bungee cords. Fast forward twenty years later, and the minimum acceptable setup is a ’95 Triumph Trident 900 with a three bag Givi setup (removable luggage hard bags).
Fast forward yet another twenty years, and I and my mechanic are working on an ’83 Yamaha Venture Royale (for those not familiar, Honda Gold Wing or Harley Electra Glide are the equivalents) to do that same kind of traveling. Its amazing what age will do to your expectations. And requirements.
And you also discovered that 500cc is quite a sufficient engine size for just about anything. I’ll never cease to be amazed at the customers walking into my employer who don’t want to look at a 130hp CBR600RR or R6 because “that’s a girl’s bike”. Only the CBR1000RR (Fireblade) or R1 will do to their masculine expectations.
This morning, I rode my ’98 Honda 996 Super Hawk to work. A mere 90-100hp (can’t remember the exact figure. Whacked the throttle on I-95 and was over the ton in seconds, and almost missed my exit I was having such a good time. Definitely more power than I’ll ever need.
Yeah I was 26 at the time and the idea of wasting money on a hotel room was unfathomable. The biggest problem with tenting on my northern trip was stashing food in the bike while in serious bear country. I had a run-in with a black bear while on a quick walk before bed one night, it made for a very un-restful sleep. I always keep bear spray next to my pillow but you never know what will happen.
I’ve since done a few other trips on my bigger bike, tenting as much as possible. There’s something about never truly going “indoors” that I find appealing but I could see it becoming more difficult as I age. I haven’t been able to ride the last couple of summers due my epilepsy, so it will be interesting how my soon to be 33 year old body deals with bike trips this summer. Can’t wait to get back on it!
40+ years ago 500cc was seen as a big bike. My brother and his mate toured Scotland in 1973 on Yamaha 175 trail bikes (setting off from Suffolk and riding up the east coast.)
I used to own a 98 Superhawk. They are fantastic bikes that got me hooked on V twins. Unfortunately mine meant its untimely demise when a woman in her 70s ran a red light and t boned me.
I currently ride a 2002 Aprilia Falco which is hands down the best bike I have ever owned. Plenty fast with brakes and suspension to match.
rip Superhawk
pic the paramedics took after the accident.
I ended up spending 10 days in the hospital.
Nice write up. I had wanted to do some motorcycle touring when I was young, but it never quite happened. My bike was genuinely too small, and I was fixated on getting a BMW, but just couldn’t stay in one place long enough to earn that kind of money. I should have compromised and gotten something mid-sized.
Oh, man what a great countryside you have for enjoying the essence of motorcycling! Your story brought back memories of my cycling years.
Willy and I were roaming the Black Forest, he on his Triumph BDG 250 twingle (10.5 bhp) and myself on a BMW R 26 single (15 bhp). Cold and wet weather were no hindrance to us. Neither were the low specs of our old bikes. They held us back only on the uphill rides. Downhill we put riders of higher spec bikes to shame because we could take the hairpins much faster. Besides, the essence of motorcycle touring can never be expressed in performance numbers. It is the exposure to the elements, wind, sound, light, smells and the balancing act on two wheels that make it a more than a ride. There is a spiritual element to it.
Triumph BDG 250: an ideal starter bike.
I assume that’s one of the German Triumphs (no direct relation to the Coventry/Meriden Triumphs)? Have only ever seen one of them at a vintage show, about fifteen years ago.
Yes, it is! This bike is extremely easy to ride because the center of gravity is so low. The torque curve is very flat, stand-over height is very low, and of course it is slow. It is also loud, giving plenty or warning to pedestrians. The weak spot were the drum brakes.
There is a connection between the two “Triumph” companies. Both were established by the same person:
http://www.triumph-adler.com/C125713A00471CCE/vwWebPagesByID/D461A1DE50B384DFC1257513003B6FD1
Well, I was pleasantly surprised to see this this writeup, as my current bike is a 2000 EX500. I can tell you that 50 HP on a 400 lb. bike is plenty of power; faster than virtually any car you are likely to run across.
I use it mostly for my 30 mile commute, but I have toured on it. It is a great bike- reliable, quick, and comfortable.
I did a 3500 mile roadtrip on my trusty Honda Silverwing GL500 in 1989. Left from Los Angeles…north up the coast to SF, then the Gold Country, Oregon, WA, ID, WY, MT, ND, WI. I arrived at the Harley Davidson plant in Milwuaukee for a tour slightly concerned about being there on a “ricer”, but all the dead bugs on my windshield…and CA plates, earned me a little respect!
Great write up of a great trip. Bikes were my main thing for most of my life and touring was my main activity. I took a great trip up British Columbia on the Yellowhead highway in 1976. I rode my first Harley, a 1970 kickstart Sportster raked out chopper and my buddy rode his 1976 Honda CB750. We rode from the Canadian border in Washington to Prince Rupert B.C. We rode the ferry down the Inland Passage to Vancouver Island then rode down the island the Victoria. We took the ferry over to Post Angeles Wa. to return to the US. I had plenty of problems with my bike but we made it back safely. That night on the deck of the ferry on the way down the inland passage remains as one of the most memorable trips of my life.
Nice, sounds like a great trip. I had planned on taking the Inside Passage as well, but by the time I had paid for a return ferry to Haida Gwaii I had very little money left. Ferry prices are pretty crazy now.
Gorgeous scenery!
You’re killing me with this. I just realized it’s been three seasons with no hard bags on the C10, they’re still up in the garage attic.
Must do a bike trip next year. Great story, when do we find out what the current bike is?
I hear you on the pain of not being able to do some serious riding. I always get real itchy to ride in the spring when I see the first few bikes on the road.
I’ll write up the current bike in a couple of weeks, next week is my current driver. I’ve been keeping the order chronologically correct, which took a bit of work to figure out.
Cool. I’d had a plan to ship my bike up to the oil-sands on one of the trucks heading that way from work, and ride back east.
But after seeing how the site contractor arranged things in the laydown area I decided against it.
I used to torture my body on long rides on uncomfortable bikes. Once upon a time I had a Honda CB350. It would do 104MPH, I don’t care what the magazine test riders said. Once I got a little older and with a little fatter wallet I rode a Sportster…with a lowered suspension and a minimalist seat and small drag-racing handlebars. The most amazing thing about that bike was that it got better gas mileage than any bike with half its engine displacement. Good thing, too, since the gas tank only held 2 gallons.
My last and current bike is a stripped down Superglide with slammed suspension, hotrodded motor, tiny handlebars, and a barebones seat. It gets ridden about 3-4 times a year nowdays and only a few minutes each time but there was a time when I rode it every single day even in below zero degree temps. My body just won’t put up with the abuse anymore. My back gives out riding on rough-riding bikes. I’ve got Raynaud’s syndrome in my hands from years of excessive vibration and cold handlebars.
Reading your write up, Nelson, takes me back. I suggest you do yourself a favor, and quit riding uncomfortable bikes right now. Get something soft and comfortable.
A Sportster has been on my wish list of bikes since I was a teenager. My brother has a beautiful blue metalflake 72, the latest of several Sportsters since the late 70s.
That’s a completely different bike. One of the attractive attributes of the previous generation Sportster, and the others before that, was the narrowness of the frame. After circa 2003, the Sportster was ruined, in my opinion. It stopped being a Sportster and started being a miniature FXD. Well, maybe “ruined” is a little too harsh. It is ruined as a Sportster. Its a very good bike, it just isn’t a Sportster anymore.
It’s a long time since the Sportster was the daddy of bikes, a magneto iron 883 was a hot bike in it’s day. It was also a brute to live with as a daily rider unlike today’s Sportsters.
I like the ironheads but a modern Sportster would be much more practical
Loved this article. The great thing about the Pacific Northwest is that you can ride year round (heated grips are a must for me). I commute 45 miles a day on a Honda CB500F. Can’t wait for summer and the chance to go on long rides with my girlfriend. You captured the great fun and adventure of motorcycle road trips.
Great article. I’ve enjoyed some fine riding in BC (I live in California) in years past, but haven’t been back there on 2 wheels in almost 30 years. One comment about the EX500 … though perceived as a starter bike, I knew many experienced riders who downsized to these when they came out. It was really the best lightweight sport bike on the market (at least in the US) following the demise of the Honda VF500 Interceptor. And simpler as well. I think one of the major failures of the Japanese motorcycle industry has been their disinterest in making high quality small displacement street bikes. All their technology is in the little-bikes. What’s missing is the 2-wheeled equivalent of a Focus RS or WRX. The recent revival of this class, with the new Honda 500’s and Yamaha R3, is encouraging, but these bikes still have pretty poor suspension and other features. Even the smaller street KTM’s and BMW’s cut corners and aren’t really GTI or Focus RS quality.
Ahhrgg … silly iOS auto-correction. I meant to write “all their technology is in their LITRE-bikes”, not “little-bikes”.
Reading writeups like this make me wish I rode. There are many good reasons not to (particular to me, not in general) but it seems like it would make for a lot of memorable experiences.
i had an ex/ninja 500 bought new in 89 and finally sold it in 2003 when i got a suzuki burgman 400 scooter. aside from basic maintenance, the only thing that needed to be replaced was the petcock gasket in about 2002 after trying a little techron. coincedence?
in the 14 yrs i only rode it about 25000 miles, since i always had other smaller scooters i liked riding as well. nice bike, cheap and easy to work on, pretty much bulletproof all around UJM. highly recommended if you cant find a ninja 250 starter bike. great for shorter people- flatfooted it no prob with a 30″ inseam.