Lara and Crazy Bob could almost feel the wind in their hair as they tried on the 2012 Harley-Davidson Road Glide this past weekend at the Vancouver Motorcycle Show.

Azzkikr customs debuted the Vancouver Canucks fan bike at the 2012 Vancouver Motorcycle Show. After much ado and buzz, the bike made its debut through the show on Saturday and fans were on hand to cheer on the bike as well as their team.

For the past few years, we have admired the work of Azzkikr Customs when we go to the Vancouver Motorcycle Show. We have recently learned that this year, Azzkikr will once again be present at the show and will be unveiling their latest custom creation. A Vancouver Canucks inspired fan bike! You will have to come to the show to check it out but in the meantime, here is another Azzkikr favourite – the Ezekiel – a V8 dart performance engine, single sided swing arm, pro street frame, all hand formed metal, all hand pounded steel, and 1200 hours in paint alone and over 2000 hours of building.

Kelowna Honda is currently offering a promotion that you just can’t resist. Thinking about getting the little ones into dirt biking? Now is the perfect time to do it.

A new red 50, 70 or 80 will be the perfect start. Throw on a set of training wheels to build the confidence and then add a complimentary set of ride gear and watch that smile grow. Drop by and see Kirsten at Kelowna Honda.

If there is one thing international fashion model Robin Hagen knows, its style and at the 2011 Toronto Motorcycle Show recently the style of the 2012 Harley Davidson V-Rod caught her eye.

“This is another bike that I have a new found affection for its style”, said Hagen. “It has all the classic lines of the what Harley is so famous for, with a updated, and modern twist. I love the look, and the comfort of this one. I think its also well suited to the frame of a smaller female rider. I can imagine that you could comfortably ride this bike for many hours on a road trip.”

“Alex from Harley Davidson, who has extensive product knowledge, and who is a rider herself, and who I can understand and relate to, when she is talking about the bikes, made me feel like I was a part of what was going on, and she was listening to me. She wasn’t condescending at all, like many of the guys tend to be, while talking to women patrons at the show.”

Robin is referring to HD Public Relations Specialist, Alex Carroni.

The motorcycle show is on the move, Calgary January 6-8, 2012, Edmonton January 13-15, 2012, Vancouver January 19 – 22, 2012, Quebec City February 3-5, 2012, Atlantic Canada February 10 – 12, 2012, and finally Montreal February 24-26, 2012.

The Galz will be in attendance at the Vancouver Motorcycle Show and hope to see you there.

Professional photographer Jay Newman took in the Honda 2012 release event yesterday in Toronto. Here is what western viewers have to look forward to come January when the motorcycle show hits Tradex in Abbotsford. Check out Jay’s work at www.jaynewmanphotography.com

At the EICMA in Milan recently, Honda announced the latest model to join their lineup in Europe. The NC700S (sport standard) and the NC700X (adventure style).

The Canadian models will come with manual, 6 speed transmission and will arrive on showroom floors in the summer of 2012.

An all new 670 cc parallel twin engine with the cylinders canted forward about 62 degrees. It has a 270 degree crank that Honda says will give you a v-twin feel and offers low rpm torque.

The two models share a common chassis. Fuel tank is 14.1 litres and is accessed below the rider’s seat giving the rider a low centre of gravity. In the place of the traditional fuel tank space is a cargo space large enough to store a helmet or pack a laptop and other essential business stools for your daily commute.

The official launch will take place in December at the Toronto Motorcycle Show and we will bring you all the details as they come available.

At the EICMA Milan bike show this week Triumph unveiled two new models for their 2012 line-up.

The 2012 Triumph Tiger Explorer adventure model with 1215cc (Marissa loved the TigerXC 800) – and the 2012 Speed Triple R 1050 cc  (Jasmin was all over the Street Triple R 675).

According to Triumph’s new e-zine – the Spirit – the Tiger Explorer boasts an all new 1215cc, three cylinder engine (135 HP and 89 ft. lbs torque) with high-capacity 950W generator designed to run all the accessories (heated hand grips, heated rider and passenger seats, heated clothing when plugged in and fog lamps), switchable ABS (like the Tiger XC), cruise control and traction control.

One new feature is the ‘Ride by Wire’ electronic throttle which is said to offer greater accuracy than the traditional cable-based systems. The electronic system is also being said to aid in fuel economy and offer light throttle feel.

Visit www.triumphadventure.com and enter for a chance to win an adventure ride on the new Explorer from Spain to Morocco and back.

As for the new Speed Triple R, it still  has the legendary 1050 cc three cyclinder engine and boasts high level OHLINS front and rear suspension (“cutting edge in terms of road bikes”).

Details of the new Speed Triple R – a new smoother gearbox, brembo brakes (we love brembo brakes but they usually indicate that the bike can easily kick your ass if you don’t know its potential – F1 race cars use Brembo brakes – keep that in mind), 43mm front forks, five spoked aluminum wheels 1.7 kg lighter than the standard ST, incredible agility, and you can imagine, a whole lot of high speed fun.

Visit www.triumph-motorcycles.ca for complete details.

Marissa: Pulling up along side traffic at the stop lights, the man driving the truck  next to me spent a great deal of time checking out the bike and trying to figure out what manufacturer made it. The amount of chrome on this Honda and the sleek pulled back drag bars and elongated tank give this bike the look of a custom cruiser. Taking off from the lights, you can’t help feel like you are a badass on a custom cruiser. Honda designed this bike with all riders in mind. With a low 26.5 inch seat, the bike is appealing to the smaller riders but the angle of the seat and the forward controls allow the taller rider to stretch out a bit and maintain the same amount of comfort.

For 2012 the bike comes in the blue you see in the model that we rode with a totally chromed out 1312cc V-Twin engine but if you choose the powder black colour, everything is powder coated black with just a hint of chrome, including  your wheels. The low ground clearance paired with a trail of 3.6 inches gives the bike that chopper look yet I didn’t feel any issues when it came to steering. The bike was smooth and my reach was never over extended turning corners.

Jasmin:  Kelowna Honda Powerhouse held their demo days recently with 10 styles of bikes for all the riders to choose from, including this 2010 Honda Fury 1300.

This was my first experience on a chopper style bike and overall I’d say it was pretty fun.  This bike turns head like crazy…not sure if it’s the colour, the style or the fact a girl was riding this Honda Fury 1300.  The first thing I notice on take-off was I couldn’t find the pegs.  Being mainly a sportbike rider, it’s my habit to put my legs back.  Have ridden several advertures lately, I’ve gotten used to putting my legs straight down but on the Fury, it’s a full reach forward.  Thankfully I’ve got long legs.  I did notice right away that my inner knee kept hitting the air box, which made for a bit of an issue for my ride.

This bike is Ultra Blue Metallic really stands out on the road so others seeing you isn’t much of a problem.  They’ll hear you too but not in a way that irritates people.  Of course the 1300 v-twin offers truckloads of power and with the lower seat position at 26.7 inches, you’ll have no problem kicking back for a longer Sunday cruise.  I didn’t have a super long ride but one thing I did notice on getting off was I could feel the pressure in my upper arms from the reach of the steering.  My thought was that this is a guys bike, set up to complement a man’s wider shoulders but as the chick on the highway on the beautiful blue, heavily chromed bike, for a few minutes, I felt kinda cool.

WWWEEEEEEEEEE!

I love this bike!  Completely knocked my socks off and I had a very difficult time giving it back.  The Triumph Street Triple R 675 is a similar riding style to my personal bike, so when I first hopped on I thought, I recognize this…but there’s where most of the comparisons ended.

First off…the seat has a little tilt forward, which is a good thing when you crank the throttle…because if you’re wearing slippery pants…you’re going off the back end.  It’s a standard sport seating, a little more upright, a slightly longer leg stretch but you’ll want to feel like hunkering down over the tank when you’re riding.  This is a very light weight, easy to maneuver standard style sport-bike with no front fairing, so no extra weight when it comes to turning tight corners, changing lanes or avoiding hazards.

There was no front windshield on this particular demo bike but I really didn’t feel much push while I was riding initially.  Perhaps that was because I was taking it easy at first.  I did notice my upper body rattling around a bit more on the second 1/2 of the ride when I picked up the pace.

I know you might think it’s only a 675 but trust me when I say this bike is a rocket ship.  No worries getting power out of this engine.  Perhaps because it feels like such a maneuverable bike, it’s very easy to get to 100k is what seems like the blink of an eye.    The weight under you feels like a simple 250cc but because of the light weight feel of the bike you’ll be gearing up quickly.

One thing I did notice was the dual exhaust under the seat…heats your backside up pretty quickly…which is fine on a cooler spring or fall day but might make you a little warm in the middle of summer.

Oh and the colour – candy apple red – SWEET!  When I got the bike home and parked it next to my candy lime green bike…it looked like Xmas in my driveway.

When I went to Bentley Motorrad to pick up the Triumph Tiger, let’s say I was less than thrilled. You see, I had been down with the flu all week and the last thing I wanted to do was get off the couch. I couldn’t wrap my head (as big as it was feeling) around riding.

When I got to the dealership as they were closing up shop for the weekend, I told them I was taking the bike straight home and resuming my position on said couch. Two blocks from the dealership, my body and brain seemed to forget that I was ailing and I started to chase the sunset right to the mountain peak.

Home? Who wants to go home? This bike is great! The wind in my face and the effortlessness of operation of the bike was a whole lot better than blowing my nose on the couch as I randomly scrolled through the channels every fifteen minutes only to discover that there was still nothing on.

As I wound my way uphill, the Tiger’s agility hugged the hairpins and easily flipped from side to side. Changing terrain from pavement to dirt was only visually noticeable as the handling of the bike didn’t seem to change.

There are two cats in its class – the 2011 Tiger 800 and the Tiger 800XC which is the one I had. The XC is the more rugged of the two models. The 800 is ‘designed to take you’ while the XC is ‘designed to take it’. You can get the idea.

The 799 cc liquid cooled engine is a three cyclinder and does produce some welcomed heat in those Fall temperatures from the sides where your legs hug the tank but I can’t see this being a bonus feature in 30 degree heat. On the plus side, you won’t see a rider on a  Tiger in shorts!

Inverted 45 mm front forks with 220mm of travel give the bike nice handling on those loose gravel roads and smooth sailing on the street. The ABS brakes on the bike can be turned off when you change from city to off-road terrain which is a nice feature to have as the bike will handle more like a dirt bike that way.

The bike is fully adjustable when it comes to seat height and handlebar degree. Instruments in the handlebar include LCD multi-functional display with speedometer, trip, tach, gear indicator, time, fuel gauge and switchable ABS.

It is a tall ride – 33.2 – 34 inches so I was basically standing over a bike but it is so light weighing in at 473 pounds all fluids in, that stability was not at all an issue.

As for power, this bike delivers plenty of torque in lower RPM (58 ft. lbs @ 7850 rpm) and shifting through the 6 gear transmission is so smooth it makes you think you are driving an automatic with tip-tronic like that VFR1000 from Honda.

When you gear down, the Tiger has that sound like a Volkswagen 16 valve GTI, sounds like a ping pong ball in a dryer, the muffler backfires slightly – I like the sound.

Nineteen litre (5 gallon)  fuel tank with fuel efficiency rating at 41 mpg city riding to 63 mpg highway.

I really like the fact that the Tiger has two full headlights. I am not a fan of two headlight bikes where only one is on during normal operation. For visibility to vehicles, if you have two riding lights, have them both on and the Tiger XC does.

MSRP including ABS is $11,999

Jasmin will be riding the Candy Apple Red Triumph Street Triple R and Marissa will be on the Black Triumph Tiger 800. If you see us, come check out these great bikes on loan to us from Bentley Motorrad in West Kelowna.

Riding in the Kootenays today, a woman on a Road King, decked out in pink passes me while I was stopped at the side of the road. First thing that crossed my mind – she’s got a story. An hour or so down the road, I see her bike parked outside a place called Deadwood Junction in the small town of Greenwood so I pulled in. I had to meet this woman and find out who was behind the bike. Meet Flo Fuhr! Her story is extraordinary so stay tuned!

Roger Goldammer is certainly going to try this weekend at the Bonneville Salt Flats. We have been following Roger’s new bike build since the Spring. Now he heads to Utah to put the bike (and himself) through the ultimate test. Roger will have two DRIFT cameras on board so we will be able to experience his runs across the flats for ourselves. Stay tuned! Stay safe Roger.

Marissa: With 150 HP in Sport and Touring modes, cruising up Highway 97C – The Connector – to 1728 M, cars appeared to be standing still. Now I understand why the Multistrada comes in a Pike’s Peak edition. Wow. The power within this bike is fantastic without losing stability. At the summit the temperature dropped to 10 degrees and was a bit chilly but that is where heated hand grips are a nice option. The bike has four rides in one. The remaining Enduro and Urban settings deliver 100 HP making this bike a perfect model to keep for many years and develop your skills on varying terrain.

Riding at night, the beak of the bike offers two halogen headlights and LED lighting within the headlight housing providing a wide range of visibility and distance ahead of you. Between sport and touring – the suspension makes the difference in the ride. Automatic suspension is adjusted between modes making that 4 hour journey over the mountains to Vancouver comfortable. Suspension offers settings for single or dual passenger, no load or fully loaded. Leg length is perfect making sure the body doesn’t cramp up. The on board computer is great to monitor your fuel consumption between cities and to watch the temperature fall as you climb. From the Connector summit to the valley of Merritt a 12 degree temperature difference.

I never really noticed before how big those mountains are until I was riding beneath them – even at the summit of the Coquihalla highway – gotta love nature and there is no better way to see it than from behind the bars of a bike.

Pick up a copy of The Vancouver Sun – Friday, August 19 for a complete review of the Ducati Multistrada in the Driving section.

Jasmin:  There’s just something about Ducati…it has sexiness in the name that continues right in to the ride.  The Ducati Multistrata 1200S Touring has more power than I could even take advantage of during our time with it.  I don’t believe I even had a chance to get it out of 4th gear without great risk of a speeding ticket.  This is a very comfortable ride in standard seating position.  Nice cushy seat, good leg angle and good arm positioning all contribute to this being a perfectly suited long distance ride.  This one even had the side hard cases on it and ready to go.  You’d want to add the back hard case too for a longer trip.  While it’s a taller bike at 850mm seat height, I never felt unbalanced or concerned about being able to control the bike when putting a foot down upon stopping.  One downside that seemed to crop up frequently, and this could be because it’s been a financially tight summer, but the bike loves it’s gas and goes through it at a high rate of expensive consumption.

Jasmin:  At the Vancouver Motorcycle Show this year, we got the opportunity to check out the 2011 Honda lineup and their newest creation – the CBR250.

They say you never forget your first love and for me, I believe the same holds true for your first motorbike.  I started my riding adventure on the Honda CBR 125.  A small cc engine, sportbike style ride, for commuting and just getting used to this whole new thing of being a motorcyclist.  I loved my 125.  I used to spend $5 a week to ride 300km to and from work and over half of my commute was on the highway.  I could keep up with the traffic but I had to be extra vigilant about staying out of trouble because I didn’t have the power to call on to get myself out of a jam.  I also could not go for a ride with any other friends on larger bikes because they’d leave me in the dust.  The great thing for those first 9 months of riding the 125 is that the lightweight and limited power allowed me to reach the maximum of the bikes ability.  I felt like I conquered the 125, sold it and moved on up the power grid to a 650 standard sport.

If I had the time off…I would have just kept going today after I had a chance to get used to the KTM 990 Adventure.  I’ve had a bit of a love hate relationship with this category of bike.  I love the idea of the upright seating, the power and the ability to pack like a real woman.  The reality of riding bikes in this grouping is that I’ve never found them to be that comfortable…until now.  Thanks to Barry at Valley Moto Sport in West Kelowna, I got to do a little touring on my own today.  When I first pulled away from the store, Barry yelled, “don’t fall over”.  ”Ha ha” I yelled back…extremely nervously.  I was almost on my tippy-toes, I could just sense the power in the throttle and I thought, “that would be a bad way to start this trip.”  It didn’t take any time at all for the nervousness to just fall away and I switched in to glide mode.

I really enjoyed my time on the KTM 990 Adventure.  Yes, I’m fairly tall, so the leg position, arm position and straight back were all very comfortable.  But there were some other great details of this bike that made it an awesome ride.  I LOVE the height of the seating position.  You’re observing the road from truck height, which provides excellent visibility over the cars in front and in your peripheral view.  The mirrors provide the most visibility to the side and back of the rider than any other bike I’ve ever ridden.  The windshield – though small – provided a great wind screen from the buffeting.  I did feel a bit of a push sideways when hit with a gust at highway speed, but I felt safe.

The KTM 990 Adventure is a tall bike at 880mm seat height, so the lean has a completely different feel to my sport bike.  The cornering felt like I had cruise control on and the bike just knew what to do.  The initial concern I had about my throttle control being jerky translated in to smooth gearing up and down with an easy clutch and loads of power.

I honestly say the only two things that made me sad about this bike were the red lights and giving it back at the end of the day.

I love Tuesdays!  My daughter is in day camp, hubby is working and I’m free to set off on two wheels.  Did I mention I love Tuesdays!

One of the bikes on the menu today is the 2011 Kawasaki Ninja 400.

We reviewed the Kawasaki Ninja 1000 last week and that beautiful candy lime green bike in the picture on the right is mine, but today was about the 400.  I probably should have done these in reverse order but that’s life.

The 400 is a zippy, light, mobile bike.  It has many similarities to my 650 but obviously not the same power.  When we rode the 1000’s last week, I was laughing about how it’s the Papa Ninja, I’ve got the Momma Ninja and today I rode the Teenage Ninja.  My first bike was a 125 and there wasn’t much in the market in the 250 and 400 range when I was looking for my second bike, so I made the jump to the 650 and I’m very happy with that decision.  I wonder if my first and second bike choices would have been different if I’d started out on this Ninja 400?

The 400 and 650 height, width and weight sizes are very similar if not the same…but the bikes really felt different to me.  I know on acceleration, I could really feel a slow smooth increase in power, nothing sharp and for a beginning that’s best.  You’re so much less likely to crank it and end up on your butt.  I felt like I ran through the gears up to fifth really quickly and was looking for a 6th to get more power out of the bike but that’s not really a surprise when I’ve been 2 years on mine with more power.  A newbie might like the slow and steady.  I prefer the pep of being able to crank it and get by or around what I need to safely.

The 400 comes in the more traditional Kawasaki green and when it comes to conspicuity, it’s almost difficult for drivers to miss you streaking by.

It didn’t take me long as a new rider to reach the maximum of my first bike’s ability and want more.  I think if this 400 is an option for you to start with, you’ll get more years on it because you won’t reach it’s maximum quite as fast.  It’s got enough power to get your heart racing on the highway, excellent on gas for commuting and very reasonably priced at around $7k.

I think if I were to start again, I’d start on the 400 and my next bike would have been a 600 supersport.  I’ll get there someday!  - Jasmin

The Suzuki V-Strom is such a great bike – all Galz agree on this one – and in 2012, it is just getting better. It has been ten years since Suzuki entered the adventure tour category with the V-Strom 1000 so to celebrate a decade, Suzuki is re-introducing the 650 as “The Comfortable Adventure Tourer.”

Honestly, I don’t know how they made this machine more comfortable than it already was. They have put in a brand new 645 cc V-Twin engine to ‘improve performance in the low-to-mid rpm range’ as well as better fuel economy and they have made improvements for wind protection.

It is a six speed transmission and like the name – ABS brakes. However, the best part is that they made one for each Gal!

Jasmin and Kathy doing a drive by riding the Can Am Spyder RT (Roadster Tour – blue) and the Can Am Spyder RS (Roadster Sport – yellow)

After we finished the photos, Kathy and I drove the machines back to Banner Recreation and not only did we get caught in traffic through the city but the clouds opened up and we got a little wet – although, we both noted that while we won’t ride our motorcycles in the rain if we don’t have to, we both agreed that we would ride the Spyder in the rain (despite our situation at the time) because of the stability on wet pavement.

We are actually squeezing the water out of our jeans we were that wet. My leather jacket and gloves were soaked. Then we went into the dealership and were pleasantly surprised by NHL’er Ryan Getzlaf who was there picking up an RS that he just bought. “This is as close to a motorcycle as I can get”

JASMIN:  It’s a dirtbike on street tires!  What a cool and crazy ride.  This was my first time on a KTM and I’d love to try more.  The 990 has huge power and incredible torque.  You can go from zero to flying in the twist of a throttle in first gear and the bike just eats up the road.  I’ve been on a 2-stroke dirtbike before and find the throttle control beyond my current ability, but this Supermoto 2-cylinder, 4 stroke engine has much smoother edges.  Marissa and I had the Kawasaki Ninja 1000 and this KTM out at the same time and while the two rides are radically different, the KTM could easily keep pace with the Ninja sportbike.

You really can run up the rpms on the 990.  Driving around the city, I couldn’t get it out of 2nd and on the highway through the city with tourist traffic, I was lucky if I had a chance to get it in to 3rd gear.  When we finally hit a clear highway stretch, the KTM did great in 4th and it was smooth sailing at 5th.  Well, except for the wind.  We’ve had a particularly windy week in the valley and riding has been a bit of a challenge with the gusts battering me around.  No windshield on the KTM didn’t help.  The bike we rode was bare but I could see it loaded with bags and headed out for a longer trip.

It’s a very comfortable, upright riding position – good for extended kms.  The dirtbike feel on the street tires takes a bit of getting used too.  The steering at city speed for me was much more like riding a dirtbike or a mountain bike, actually turning the wheel compared to counter-balance steering on my street sport bike.  The counter-steering was more apparent on the highway, but nothing like a sport or cruiser.

Next, I’d love to get my hands on the 1190 RC8-R supersport I saw in the showroom.  Now that’s totally my style!

MARISSA: HOLY! Now that is torque. Going down the highway I had a bit of  ‘buck teeth and whiplash’ going on trying to get used to the extremely responsive throttle.

I really like the way this bike handles. If you need a bit of extra power, it is delivered immediately. If you need to make a quick decision in traffic this bike has the agility to react.

The seat height (34.5″ – without rider) is perfect for my height and the seat is surprisingly comfortable considering all the off-road styling this bike has. Being that we had brand new tires and a brand new model with only 3 km on it, I hesitated pushing the bike at all but would like to try this out at a track day with some professional instruction.

KATHY: Didn’t get long enough to really check out this awesome Supermoto to its potential, but got a quick glimpse into its power and versatility, and it definitely left me wanting more. I love the torquey low-end, the transmission shifts like butter, and the top-end isn’t so bad either. It looks like a dirtbike, feels like a dirtbike, and rides like a dirtbike – but you could go across Canada on it, it’s so comfortable!  It’s lightweight and agile, you can turn it on a dime, 360-it if you want, great fun all-round SuperMoto.

Read our column in The Vancouver Sun – July 17 for a more in depth review.

Can-Am Spyder – sport edition:

“A 3-wheel machine – come on!”  I said hesitantly when approached about product testing the Can-Am Spyder. “How can anyone have fun on anything but 2 wheels??” But I gave it a try anyways.  And I was so pleasantly surprised!  This 3-wheeled machine could perform!! At first, it took some getting used to the lean-angles and hanging off like on a snowmobile, but as I got more and more used to it, I found that when I hugged the tank with my knees and treated it more like a sportbike – then I started to enjoy it.  I did attempt to “tip it” up on its side to test out the traction-control feature and it did what I was told it would do… it cut the power instantly so I just couldn’t get it up on its side, no matter how hard I tried.  This would be very confidence-boosting to a new rider. My favourite moment of the riding day was when I pulled in to a liquor store to pick up some beer for our party we were attending that night, and the 5 Harley guys beside me came gawking over, asking all kinds of questions – and then their mouths fell to the ground when I opened the trunk and threw in the case of beer!  They all laughed,  “Now THAT’S useful!”  I must say, having a trunk to stash your stuff when you’re out and about is definitely a plus!  It certainly felt different with a passenger on board, though, and the handling was not as fun. You can still carry a passenger in comfort, but the leaning becomes a different ball-game. All in all, I still like my 2 wheels better, but this Spyder was certainly a blast, and as long as you don’t mind answering tons of questions wherever you go, you’ll have the time of your life on it!

Can-Am Spyder – touring edition:

Wow – talk about comfort! It’s pure luxury from the get-go, and doesn’t even attempt to be like a sportbike. A computerized Winnebago on wheels, I thought. After adjusting my heated seat and my daughter adjusting hers and both of us setting our separate stereo speakers to our likened volume, we set out for a little jaunt around town. The first stop-light we came to, she exclaimed, “Wow, this one is waaaaayyyy better!” And for a passenger, I could see what she meant… full wrap-around-your-butt comfy seat with big backrest, separate controls for stereo and heat, and a huge adjustable windscreen up front, so there is absolutely no wind whatsoever. And I couldn’t even feel her on the back at all, like I could with the Sport Edition. It felt like a short-wheel based luxury car, but with much better visibility and minus one wheel. Still got all the attention wherever it went, and I had to answer the usual ton of questions, and I quite enjoyed demonstrating all the trunk storage places to everybody. I also really enjoyed the thumb-button shifter – if you’re going to go luxury, you might as well go all the way. Yup, could definitely travel across the country on this one. For its purpose, this machine is perfect – I just can’t believe it doesn’t have a fireplace! LOL!

Thank you to Banner Recreation in Kelowna for lending us these fine machines! More reviews to follow…

Why is it the more powerful the bike, the lighter they feel?

I have the Kawasaki Ninja 650, so when Barry from Valley Moto Sport offered to let us take the 1000, you could practically see me drooling.  Marissa was laughing at me at the dealership because of the crazed look in my eye.  ”Yes please”, I said.  So we hooked up the cameras and took off on another beautiful candy lime green machine.  The Ninja 1000 is yet another sweet ride in the series of Ninjas.  I feel like I own the Momma bike with the 650, the 400 is the Youngster and the 1000, the Big Dadio.

The seating position is the same as my bike, upright sport, so there was really nothing to get used to.  The power, well that’s another story.  Crank the throttle on the Ninja 1000 and hang on for dear life.  This is not a beginner bike and if you’re not comfortable with cautious and controlled throttle use, you could easily end up on the ground.  If you have had some experience on a bike and are thinking about moving up, it’s so nice to have the power when you need it – like passing to get away from a bad driver.

The seat on the 1000 is a little more narrow and a little more stiff than the 650, so hopefully you’ve got some cushy padding in your pants or on your body to stay comfy.  I found the Ninja 1000 quieter than my bike and the shifting more smooth, both adding to the pleasure of the ride.  That’s part of the difference between the 4 stroke-parallel twin on the 650 verses the 4-stroke, in-line four on the 1000.

I noticed the slow speed, tight u-turn on the 1000 easier than on the 650.  It felt like it’s got a smaller turning radius.

This bike also has the option of hard side bags that match the colour and style of the bike.  With the more upright body positioning, longer leg stretch and the bags, I wouldn’t hesitate to take this bike on a cruise around province or state.

The Can Am Spyder is a whole new area of motorcycling. Some would argue it is a trike, others may think it isn’t motorcycling at all. The look of the Spyder is definitely unique and we really didn’t know much about them so when Derek Bannister of Banner Recreational Products invited us to conduct a product review on two models, we accepted. As we ride, we will report back on our experience.

Jasmin on the 2011 Kawasaki 1000 and Marissa on the 2011 KTM 990 supermoto.

Reviews to follow!

I tried to get some comments from Kathy about the bike but I can’t get her off it and every time she goes by I don’t understand anything although I believe I heard HOOOOOOOOOLY CRAAAAAAAAP!

Roger Goldammer on location at KMS tools grand opening.

Man to Goldammer: “Those bikes aren’t practical!”

Goldammer: “They were built for a specific purpose. Would you question why you couldn’t haul lumber in a Ferrari?”