Southbound Loopframe – Bruce Baillie’s Trip to South America

Bruce Baillie and his 1969 Moto Guzzi

I had left the bike with Willy for a couple of hours, and had returned to pick it up after lunch. When I arrived at the shop to pick it up, a rough looking biker showed up on an old black Moto Guzzi, and parked beside a shiny newer bike of the same make. Willy looked up from the Ducati he was working on and shouted “Are you dropping off the old one and taking the red one?” The fellow replied, “I think I should take the Harley instead!” At which point, Willy responded, “you had better talk to Bruce about that first!”

Moto Guzzi Exhaust Repair

As Bruce had mentioned, he has just returned from an exiting year long trip from Vancouver Island to South America and back. He traveled as far as Buenos Aires, before returning home. Rider Magazine has published a story about his trip in their June 2013 issue. There is also a thread called “Southbound Loopframe” about Bruce’s trip on the WildGuzzi.com forum that is an interesting read.

The post Southbound Loopframe – South America On A Moto Guzzi appeared first on WestCoastBiker.net.

All New Version 3.0 Screaming Banshee Announced

We just received a newsletter from Screaming Banshee announcing the new Version 3.0 Screaming Banshee. Here is the newsletter.

We’ve listened to your feedback and as a result, we’re proud to introduce the all new Version 3.0 Screaming Banshee® System. The all new system has come a long way since our initial Kickstarter launch. Check out some of the benefits of the new model.

• Delay settings changed to 0.0 seconds (instant) and 0.15 seconds (overall faster response time)
• Pulsing speed quickened to a rapid 0.15 seconds (even more noticeability)
• Works on ALL bikes and ALL cars. No extra wiring harness or relay needed (easy install)
• Reverse polarity proof – won’t cause any damage if you wire it backwards. (rugged, foolproof)

Many of you said that the delay settings of ½ and ¼ seconds were just too long. The version 3.0 system’s delay settings can be set to 0.0 seconds (instantly when you press the horn button). When set to instantly blast, the Screaming Banshee can completely replace your stock horn. The delay settings can also be set to 0.15 seconds (once you hold the horn button). This setting selected, you can blast almost instantly but still retain the “casual” horn beep when it’s more appropriate. We believe this is the best of both worlds.

Another common feedback we got from you is the pulsing speed was too slow. We’ve now changed it to pulse 30% faster. This rapid pulsing of the horn and headlights is clearly signaling an emergency type situation. This pulsing speed is much more attention grabbing and clearly NOT a signal to oncoming drivers that it’s ok to pull out. There is still the option to run the horn and lights in “solid” mode if preferred.
The 3.0 system also has one less wire than our previous version 2.0 unit – this means an easier install. It’s also been designed to be reverse polarity proof – which means (in English) it won’t blow up if you cross wire the positive and negative. This gives it another level of protection for easy installation.

All of our full systems now come as version 3.0. It will work on all bikes and all cars without any additional wiring harnesses or relays. The system is ready to install right out of the box.

If you’d like to upgrade to the 3.0 control unit by itself right here!

Enter Coupon Code “BeSeen” at checkout to receive
15% off at checkout!

The post The All New Version 3.0 Screaming Banshee appeared first on WestCoastBiker.net.

First Annual Slegg Motorcycle Awareness Ride

Slegg Lumber of Victoria, Nanaimo & Courtenay held their First Annual Motorcycle Awareness Ride today, May 25, 2013. Although the weather was not as warm as most would have liked it, the turnout was really good for a first event. This event is put on to promote “May Is Motorcycle Awareness Month”, and “The Westcoast Ride To Live”. The ride, actually dual rides left both Victoria and Courtenay and proceeded to Slegg Lumber Nanaimo for a BBQ lunch. The riders only got a few sprinkles of rain during the ride to Nanaimo. Donations for the Loaves and Fishes food bank were collected, and there were lots of door prizes supplied by Slegg Lumber and various other sponsors. Steve Drane and Murray Anderson of Steve Drane Harley Davidson were in attendance as well as the Mayor of Nanaimo, John Ruttan. Bill Wellbourn of Slegg Lumber and his crew did an excellent job of organizing and hosting the event.

The post Slegg Motorcycle Awareness Ride appeared first on WestCoastBiker.net.

2013 Nanaimo Toy Run Date Cancelled

The 2013 3rd Annual Nanaimo Toy Run, originally scheduled for July 6, 2013 has been postponed until a new venue for the event can be secured. The event has been held at Beban Park for the past two years. I have heard that talks are taking place with another club in Nanaimo, and that there should be an announcement about a new venue in the next couple of weeks. Check back with this site, or at the Nanaimo Toy Run website for information when it becomes available.

The post 2013 Nanaimo Toy Run Date Cancelled appeared first on WestCoastBiker.net.

RCMP Try To Stop Hells Angels

Photo Courtesy Of The Province News

More than 150 motorcyclists — including members of Hells Angels — flouted police authority Saturday when the group refused to stop at a roadside check on Vancouver Island.

According to Sgt. Lindsey Houghton, police had information that the bikers would participate in a group ride Saturday and set out to conduct safety checks. Police officers from the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit of B.C. and other integrated road safety units then gathered near Duncan to monitor and halt the large group of motorcyclists, who had plans to travel from Nanaimo to Victoria on the Island Highway.

“The bikers, many of whom were observed allegedly ignoring red lights at intersections, speeding, and unsafely passing other vehicles on the road after leaving Nanaimo, were stopped on Highway 1 southbound near the North Cowichan Municipal Hall shortly after 2 p.m.,” Houghton said.

However, the bikers refused to pull into the roadside check area that had been set up and instead, blocked the highway, refusing direction from officers. The showdown ended when outnumbered officers were faced with no choice but to let the group pass. Houghton said police “documented the refusals” and would follow up with appropriate enforcement.

What They Didn’t Mention

Although I was not on the ride, I have conversed with some riders that were there. When the media and police mention that several riders were seen running red lights, more likely what happened was that the riders were traveling in formation and the traffic lights changed while the group was riding through. The police also used their helicopter to hover at an extremely low altitude above the riders. This created huge clouds of dust and debris making for even more unsafe conditions.

To say that “May Is Motorcycle Safety Month” and that their intention was to pull the riders over to do “Safety Checks” is completely bogus. It is extremely unlikely that the police were equipped to do any kind of a “Safety Check”. They also said that they wanted to test the bikes for exhaust noise. I can’t see how they could conduct noise tests when there are 150+ motorcycles in the same parking area, and the cars and trucks that would be running down the highway just meters away would cause the test to be very unreliable, and most likely would not stand up in a court of law. In any event, the “May Is Motorcycle Safety Month” campaign is aimed more at the car drivers on the roads. The campaign hopes to make car and truck drivers aware that more motorcycles will be on the road starting in May, not at educating or harassing motorcycle riders.

If you were on this ride, or have your own opinion. Leave your comments below!

Read the original Province News Article

The post Hells Angels Refuse To Submit To “Safety Check” appeared first on WestCoastBiker.net.

Coombs Central Vancouver Island Motorcycle Swap Meet

The 28th Annual Central Vancouver Island Swap Meet will be held on Sunday April 7, 2013. Once again it will be in downtown Coombs, BC at the Arrowsmith Hall on Ford Road (behind the General Store).

Admission – $6.00

Pancake Breakfast

Vendors can reserve space by calling
250-954-3332 or 250-654-5657

Rates for Vendor Tables:

1 – $35.00 | 2 – $60.00 | 3 – $75.00 | 4 – $100.00

Coombs Map

View Larger Map

The post 28th Annual Central Vancouver Island Swap Meet appeared first on WestCoastBiker.net.

Gentlemen…Start Your Engines!

Party with us at the 2nd Annual Trev Deeley Motorcycles Boot Camp

Vancouver, BC Feb. 12, 2013 – Trev Deeley Motorcycles will be hosting a Boot Camp event exclusive to guys who do not yet have their motorcycle licence or who have just recently acquired one. The event takes place right in the dealership at 1875 Boundary Road (near 2nd Ave), Vancouver BC on March 7, 2013 from 6:00pm to 9:00pm.

Boot Camp offers an opportunity for guys to take that first step and learn more about motorcycling activities; as well as provide guidance on how to obtain your motorcycle licence, in a non-intimidating environment. This social event allows you to relax and mingle with like-minded people while discovering Harley-Davidson products and merchandise that is specifically tailored to a new rider’s needs.

Welcoming those to the start of an incredible journey with motorcycles, this event allows participants the chance to ride a real Harley-Davidson motorcycle on a controlled simulator called the “jumpstart”. There will be plenty of hands on product demonstrations to enjoy and participants will even have an opportunity to custom design the bike of their dreams in the “Fit Shop” design centre.

Food and refreshments will be served along with some terrific door prizes.

Guys may register online at www.trevdeeley.com/events

Contact Mike Bellegarde at 604-291-2453 or events@trevdeeley.com for more information.

About Trev Deeley Motorcycles…

Trev Deeley Motorcycles in Vancouver, B.C. is Canada’s oldest Harley-Davidson retailer, in business since 1917. The dealership sells new and pre-owned motorcycles, parts, accessories, apparel, riding gear, collectibles and operates a large service department along with an Authorized Harley-Davidson Motorcycle Rentals division.

Since 1988, the dealership has sponsored the local Harley Owners Group (HOG) Chapter – a riding and social group of motorcycling, community minded enthusiasts.

Please visit www.trevdeeley.com for more information and details on events.

The post 2nd Annual Trev Deeley Motorcycles Boot Camp appeared first on WestCoastBiker.net.

The Noise Snare Sound Test

Motorcycle noise has been an issue for many in BC and elsewhere for many years. Furthermore, there is a growing controversy about “The Noise Snare” versus the “J2825″ Motorcycle Noise Test. The Noise Snare is a new device made by Street Noise Reduction Systems Ltd.. The City of Calgary is using the Noise Snare to catch and ticket vehicles that are louder than City bylaws and Provincial Regulations allow.

The Noise Snare is deployed in a similar way to photo radar. It is installed in the wheel well of an enforcement agency’s vehicle, and then measures the sound levels of vehicles that pass by. Belt Drive Betty spoke with the people behind the development of The Noise Snare. Here is Betty’s comment.

I actually talked to the inventor and he explained that an officer visually goes through the “tickets”. That arms length human overseeing helps to prevent tickets where say 20 bikes are riding together. And let’s remember, a lot of these devices will be set up in noise perimeters – e.g.: they would set one up on a street 2 or three blocks away from hostels, nursing homes, problematic residential areas, business areas like downtown and any place that is currently a hot spot for noise. Will they catch all? Nope, will some get an unfair ticket, it is possible but less likely than what is going on now with the J2825. And it can also be used to determine the volume of house parties! Out of the two tests out there, the Noise Snare is the fairest as all non commercial vehicles are targeted and there is wasting of police officers time. It’s cost effective and will no doubt result in fines sticking a lot more than they are now. I wished Grande Prairie would get one so that inconsiderate human with the white Subaru with the $30K stereo would get nailed, I am tired of him rattling the windows out of my house!

J2825 Motorcycle Noise Testing

The J2825 noise test is motorcycle specific. The J2825 test (when done properly) is performed on a stationary motorcycle with well defined procedures. These procedures have been defined by The Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE), who developed the test. The Motorcycle & Moped Industry Council (MMIC) paid for the development of the J2825 Sound Test. If the testing procedures are not followed correctly for an “accurate” result, the test results are null and void.

A lot of motorcycle riders have found that the prescribed procedures for the J2825 test to be done correctly, are not being followed. Some of the procedures for using the J2825 test are as follows (this is only a basic overview of what must happen during a road side test).

1. Field Calibration of the Sound Level Meter
• Section 8.2.1 c. states clearly the apparatus must be calibrated “whenever the sound level meter has been dropped or transported from one location to another in a vehicle.” It is clear that the EPS must calibrate the apparatus before any test can be administered. It should be noted that the apparatus is also to be calibrated at the beginning of every test session, at the end of every test session and every hour on the hour.
2. The Test Site Conditions Are Important
• Paragraph 5 States – Test Site of the J2825 clearly defines what that site should look like. This includes that the site shall be an open area free of large sound reflecting surfaces such as parked vehicles, signboards, or buildings located within 2.5 m (8 ft) of the motorcycle. The surface ground shall be paved or hard-packed early, level within the typical slope of a paved street or parking lot with no curbs closer than 0.25 m (10 in) of the exhaust outlet being measured.
• Paragraph 6 States – Test Conditions indicates more important information. If you are pulled over and the set up takes a lengthy period of time, your bike may cool off. This will result in high revs when fired until it warms up again. According to the J2825, “the engine of the motorcycle under test shall be at normal operating temperature during the test”.
• Section 6.6 States – “no more than one person other than the rider and the measurer and an assistant (if necessary) to operate the throttle shall be within 2.5 m (8 ft) of the motorcycle under test or the microphone, and that person shall be directly behind the measurer on a line through the microphone and the measurer.”
3. According to both the J2825 and the EPS tracking sheet created to record all information, the wind velocity and ambient noise levels must also be recorded. Just for knowledge, section 6.4 of the J2825 defines that the ambient noise cannot be more than 82 db where section 6.5 defines the wind velocity shall be less than 9 m/s (20 mph).
4. Then there are the procedures themselves. It is clearly stated that a “motorcycle rider shall sit astride the motorcycle in normal riding position with one or both feet on the ground” or the motorcycle must be on a center stand or held upright in a vice. This is mandatory for the above idle test but not for the idle test.
5. The idle test is a simple test where the engine is run for 5 seconds at idle with the microphone placed at a 45 degree angle 20 inches behind the exhaust. For the above idle test, with the microphone in the same position, the bike is slowly brought up to 2000 rpm (engines with less than 3 or more than 4 cylinders) or 5000 rpm (engines with 3 or 4 cylinders) and held for at least 2 seconds than slowly released. This test is to be done 3 times with the lowest of the three readings as the final test result.

Improper Testing Procedures

M.O.D.E.L. (Motorcyclists Opposing Discriminatory Exhaust Legislation) has been documenting and helping to fight cases of improper sound testing of motorcycles in Edmonton Alta. Over the past couple of years, they have been winning in court. The majority of the tickets have been thrown out of court because the J2825 testing procedures were not followed correctly.

Testing Should Be Fair For All Vehicles

In previous articles on this website, I have talked about motorcycle profiling and harassment of motorcycles riders by the RCMP. I am in favor of reducing the sound levels of the noisiest vehicles on the road. What I am not in favor of is the targeting of motorcycles. I believe that my John Deere lawn tractor is louder than my Harley-Davidson, even though it has performance mufflers installed. While I do agree that there are some bikes that do have excessively loud exhaust systems installed, in my opinion they are very much in the minority.

I think that we would all agree that there are lots of other vehicles on the road that are excessively noisy. It seems to me that the Noise Snare may be the most fair way of curtailing excessive noise from vehicles, as it measures the noise level from all vehicles that pass by. It therefore does not target motorcycles specifically. It may need further development to be accurate at all times, and the enforcement officers that use it should have proper training. The J2825 sound test seems to be more accurate if the correct procedures are followed. Unfortunately, the J2825 test being specifically for motorcycles is not used to measure the noise levels of any other kind of vehicle. What ever system ends up being used should be used country wide. I don’t think that sound levels that are legal is some parts of the country should be illegal in other parts of the country

Which sound test would you like to see used? Do you think that the same test should be used in all provinces and cities?

The post The Noise Snare vs J2825 Motorcycle Noise Testing appeared first on WestCoastBiker.net.

Sturgis North To Return To Shuswap

A story about Sturgis North published in the Vernon Morning Star on November 7, 2012 was updated this week by Martha Wickett of the Salmon Arm Observer. The article in the Star announces that the Annual Sturgis North motorcycle rally and music festival is returning to the Shuswap Valley this year.

Sturgis North is returning to the Shuswap in 2013.
A joint news release from Joan Hansen, president of Sturgis North, and Chief Judy Wilson, chief of the Neskonlith Indian Band, was issued Wednesday, Nov. 7, announcing that Sturgis North and the Neskonlith band will be hosting the 2013 Sturgis North Annual All Make Motorcycle Jamboree and Music Festival.

I read the post on Belt Drive Betty’s website about the event, and I have to agree with many of the comments made by her followers.

This event has left a trail of debts to various suppliers and local businesses over the past couple of years. If the same people are running this event once again this year, can we expect more of the same? Here are a few comments that Joan Hansen, the new President of Sturgis North made to the Vernon Star.

When the event was held in Salmon Arm in 2011, it left a bad taste in the mouths of some businesses. Several were not paid for the services they provided.

“We’re going to be getting something together with the people, once we have the property secured… We will sit down with the creditors,” Hansen said, adding that Sturgis North would like to set up an account to pay off debts owed.

Hansen said Sturgis set up a restructuring company that advised them to pay creditors reduced amounts. She said she doesn’t agree with reductions, even though it will take longer to pay people what they’re owed.

“Even if it takes five years, our plan is to pay off all legitimate debt. There was a lot of illegitimate debt,” she added, contending that Sturgis was over-charged for many services.

“The costs were $2.6 million,” she said of 2011. “This year it was only $700,000. That’s a lot of over-billing. With that in mind, I think we’ll do fine.”

This all sounds more like huge over spending by management, rather than over-billing or “illegitimate debt”. I wonder if the organizers even had any real budget when they placed their orders for goods and services? Are they going to leave an even larger pile of debt after the 2013 event?

Ms. Hansen states that former Sturgis North president Ray Sasseville is no longer involved with the organization. From what I have read elsewhere on the internet, Sasseville and Ms. Hansen have had an ongoing involvement is this project and others, and that Sasseville is greatly involved “behind the scenes”.

There a lot of riders that I have spoken with since last years events in BC that won’t be attending because of the police presence at this event(and others). The RCMP have been relentless in hassling riders that attend bike rallies and music festivals in BC. There have been reports that the RCMP stopped all riders in the Poker Runs that were part of last years events. This is not the fault of the event organizers. This is simply more blatant profiling of motorcycle riders by the RCMP. The RCMP seem to think that they are above the law when it comes to stopping motorcycle riders. If the RCMP were to pull over all SUV’s at these events using the excuse that “Gang Members Drive SUV’s”, there would be hell to pay.

Are you planning on attending the 2013 Sturgis North Rally? Share your views on this motorcycle event below!

The post Sturgis North 2013 – Are You Going? appeared first on WestCoastBiker.net.

Nanaimo Toy Run Fundraiser

The Nanaimo Toy Run Society will be holding their first Beer & Burger fundraising event of the year. This fundraising event will be held at The Well Pub on Feb. 9, 2013 at 5:30 pm. The event will feature the Beer & Burger Special (obviously), a silent auction table, 50/50 draws, door prizes and the famous “Toonie-Toss”. Toss your Toonies for a chance to win great “Bottle Prizes”!

2013 Nanaimo Toy Run – July 6, 2013

The 2013 Nanaimo Toy Run will be on July 6, 2013, and will follow the same extended route that the ride followed last year. The organizers are hoping for better weather this year, after a mostly “rained-out” event in 2012. Look forward to some more great live entertainment, lots of vendor displays and the beer gardens at the 2013 Nanaimo Toy Run.

The post Nanaimo Toy Run Beer & Burger Fundraiser appeared first on WestCoastBiker.net.