My dad rides again (pics)

GS Jenn · July 17, 2006, 09:31:57 PM

Hello all... thought I would share some pics from a great day of motorcycling on the weekend.

The background: my dad was one of those bike guys. Rode since he was a teenager, worked in a bike shop, in his early 20s (in the 70s) won a trip to Japan to tour the original Honda factory for being one of the top 10 salesmen of Honda motorcycles in Canada. When I was little the garage was always full of bikes in various stages of being fixed up and sold after he'd bought them cheap from someone who crashed. Some of my earliest childhood memories are of going for drives on a bike, I was little enough that I was sitting in front of my dad on the tank. When my sister was born my relatives really got on his case about having to be responsible, and my dad sold his last bike about 20 years ago. He's had a quick spin around the block on a friend's bike here and there over the years and occassionally rented a bike while travelling but no serious riding since then.

My folks visited me last week and I promised my dad we'd ride together. So, when Saturday dawned sunny and beautiful, this was the day for my dad to ride again. Dad really liked the GS, but he took my boyfriend's KLR since he's 6'4 and can flat-foot the damn thing. After a little trip around the block for him to get comfortable, off we went... with my boyfriend, my mom and our dog following in the car with a picnic.

We rode from Calgary out past Bragg Creek toward Kananaskis Country... these pics are at our first stop where we had the picnic. (That's my blue Jeep in behind carrying the non-bikers for the day)

Next stop was a scenic spot called Elbow River Falls... one of those shots all bikers take:

This is to show you the scenery we were out chasing... this is me showing excellent helmet-hair (the guy's my boyfriend not my dad!)

Last stop before home is the little shopping area of Bragg Creek... this is a common meeting spot for motorcycles, as you can see by all the bikes in the background... there was a sweet little Ducati there when we arrived but it left before I had the camera out.

This was such a great day all around... my dad was tenative for the first 10 minutes and after that I could barely keep up. Every green light he'd be off like it was a race. He finished 160 kms with a smile on his face and talking about buying a bike again.

Thanks for looking at my little story!

Grainbelt · July 17, 2006, 09:53:14 PM

Congrats!! Good on ya for getting him back in the saddle, and nice pics! I bought a new bike last weekend, I'm planning a trip to the rockies this fall..

I'm still in search of that elusive riding partner. My mom used to ride, but is terrified of traffic now in her volkswagen, let alone on a bike. My bro got his bike 6 months after I moved to canada. My ex-GF was not a fan. Someday...

blue05twin · July 17, 2006, 10:08:04 PM

Great pic's. Looks like a beautiful country where you are. It's great you got your dad to ride with you again. I did the same thing Saturday he hasn't been on a bike in 15 years we had blast in the north ga mtns.

Alphamazing · July 18, 2006, 02:11:13 AM

Hot...

Your bike, that is. Mine looks like it. I like the blue fender.

My dad was a similar way. Rode since he was 14 but sold all his bikes after the kids were born and got into motorcycling some 20 years later. Now he has 5 running bikes, and rolling chassis sitting in the garage. He's the one that got me into riding as well. Good man.

hmmmnz · July 18, 2006, 10:30:01 AM

i like you boyfriends klr nice bikes,
good story too

ps. your a hot little biscuit

GS Jenn · July 18, 2006, 10:45:14 AM

Thanks... the KLR is a cool bike, very different from the GS. I'd like it a lot more if it wasn't so friggin tall. It's nice not to be scared of gravel and to be able to explore unpaved roads... but I can barely get my toes on the ground (and I'm 5'

on it, have dropped it twice for that reason, so I prefer my GS. My dad was tall enough to do fine with it though.

natedawg120 · July 18, 2006, 11:19:41 AM

that is awesome. My dad rode bikes in his younger days but scared himself to much (totalled 2 bikes) and stopped. I for one am really happy to see family out there enjoying the sunshine and using up some tires. Be safe and ride on

Dr. Love · July 18, 2006, 12:51:37 PM

UVic engineering...

groff22 · July 18, 2006, 01:20:45 PM

Cheers. Go Flames!

baco99 · July 18, 2006, 05:19:08 PM

looks like a great trip and a great story!

average · July 18, 2006, 10:49:05 PM

Nice pics. Btw. what yhear is your bike? Just looks like the same paint scheme as Alpha's. You'd think that Suzuki would've just made all the frames alfter '04 "F" ready so that markets that carried the F could ve easily made it so.

average · July 18, 2006, 10:50:11 PM

Nevermind

I just realized that you don't have an oil cooler (too much

)

Alphamazing · July 19, 2006, 06:22:14 AM

Quote from: average on July 18, 2006, 10:49:05 PM
Nice pics. Btw. what yhear is your bike? Just looks like the same paint scheme as Alpha's. You'd think that Suzuki would've just made all the frames alfter '04 "F" ready so that markets that carried the F could ve easily made it so.

Canadians get the naked model straight off the floors.

And you're right, I don't see why Suzuki didn't just make the frame on the naked bikes alteratable to the F models as well. I don't see why they don't have the oil cooler either, except for maybe a price thing.

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My dad rides again (pics)