Urban Riders (of Greater Vancouver)

Last Saturday was a warm looking cool day. It was to be the 2nd attempt at the 1st inaugural ride for the Urban Riders. The Urban Riders (Riding Club) was formed in an attempt to satisfy a need for an inclusive group of people who ride various sizes and makes of bikes and scooters around the urban areas of Greater Vancouver.



It is the brainchild of Robert, the Reverend. You will notice from the above photo that we are a varied mix riding scooters or motorcycles. Lead by Robert, the Reverend most of our rides will be destination rides what will encompass dining or beverages along our route(s).


(Suzuki GSXR, Suzuki V-strom & Piaggio MP3)

As we ride along our intended route I am sure others will wonder if we are riding together as a group or just riding by chance due to the varied styles of our machines. Many riders in our group have full motorcycle endorsements and many have scooters as well as motorcycles. It is more about our mutual interests and the social aspects of group riding which bring us together as well as photography.


(Jeff & Rob, both with Nikon dSLRs)

Jeff is riding his GSXR today, and Rob is on his Piaggio MP3. Rob recently sold his BMW and purchased this MP3 for city commuting. We are all passionate photographers looking for that allusive masterpiece. We are here at WhyteCliffe Park in West Vancouver, high on a cliff overlooking the water and heading back to Horseshoe Bay for a refreshment break


(Horseshoe Bay, West Vancouver, BC)

There is a small marina, a few restaurants and a Terminal for BC Ferries if you should desire to travel to either Nanaimo, on Vancouver Island, or north to the Sunshine Coast (Gibsons and Sechelt)



This day we had 7 riders and it was not intended that we not park together, but for some reason we are clustered in two groups. I think because we split up at our last stop as we wished to take some photos and the rest of the group arrived here first to get a table



No matter where you travel there always seems to be a Starbucks there



Some one noticed that Geoff had a "low" tire and leant him a bicycle pump to put more air in his tire

I usually ride SWEEP so I was the last to leave. Here is my mighty V-strom DL650A alone on the street.



So there you have it. A new riding club for Greater Vancouver, introducing the URBAN RIDERS . . .


(The author on the wrong side of the Camera)

Highlights of our ride took us through Vancouver's Chinatown, through downtown Vancouver, over the causway through Stanley Park, over the Lion's Gate Bridge then along a very scenic and twisty Marine Drive until we reached Horseshoe Bay for a beverage to warm ourselves up

A new season begins

Finally we are out of winter's grasp. There are many signs which signal the end of winter. The sun is shining warm and bright. There are sounds of gas lawnmowers doing their intended purpose. The first cut of the year is very satisfying. It levels out the uneven clumps of grass and sets up the lawn for the next cut.



And so it was time for me to drag out the lawn mower and top the tank with gas. No it was old gas from last year. I did nothing to prepare the engine for it's winter hybernation. No fuel stabilizer, nothing. It was left outside to fend for itself exposed to the elements with a mere cover to keep the rain off. It's last use was around late September and with just a few primes and one pull of the rope cord, it puffed to life spewing a huge cloud of smoke. After a few seconds I went about my business of walking back and forth in a straight line pattern cutting the grass as I listened to the music of the day on my headphones. After a short hour my backyard was properly trimmed and I readied my Wee for a ride to visit my M/C Mechanic


(DJ Paul and Friend)

I always get a guilty feeling when there are chores to do and I decide to go for a ride instead. I still have the front yard to do but that can wait for another day. DJ Paul has been doing my servicing for a couple of years now. He used to have a garage in a residential area and would come over and pick up my bike and when finished would bring it back. It was very convenient for me. The DJ part is for his secondary job as DJ for parties. Paul is the one on the left with the deep sun tan. He told me he has been working on his tan for over 40 years. It was just a time to visit, have a chat and just enjoy the warmth of the sun



Here is Janet (apologies if I have your name wrong) trying out a customer's Huyabusa for size. Her regular ride is a Yamaha FZ1 and she can really tame those twisties. I doubt you would be able to keep up with her.

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For me, another sign which signals the end of winter is removing my snow tires and putting the summers back on. We had one of the worst winters in history LAST YEAR so I thought I would be smart and purchase a good set of snow tires on separate rims to be prepared for the ice and snow which was non existent. There was not even enough snow for the winter olympics and we had to truck it in from Manning Park. I could think of better things to do with the $940. it cost. And today for the first time in 2 years, $940. canadian is worth more than $940. US

With the change to summer tires I declare winter to be officially over.

Good to have Full Power

It all started a couple of weeks ago when BC was bombarded with a few strong wind storms, coupled with torrential rains. They call it the pineapple express with humid air from Hawai'i . There were numerous power outages and downed trees everywhere in the greater Vancouver area. In fact one day when I rode to work I nearly got blown over in the wind gusts of only 50 km/hr. Later in the week when the wind built up to 95 km/hour I thought it safer to just take the car. It is hard to deal with gusts of wind which goes from a standstill to full power without warning. I have experienced strongs gusts of wind down in the Gorge but it is nearly blowing all the time except when you enter an underpass which can catch you off guard.

About the time of the wind we noticed the lights flickering and just assumed that there were power failures in the area, or else our power grid was being challenged. A few days later we were still getting the flickering lights and I was trying to figure out where the problem would be. Then the lights flickered and a second later the heat came out of the register to I made the assumption that our furnace fan motor needed to be replaced. I reasoned that anytime a motor draws more current than normal on startup it would be attributed to a warm armature. I called my friend who services furnaces and he was going to inspect the problem on the weekend and perhaps replace the motor. While I was staring at the Telly (Gary UK talk for the tube) I heard the fridge compressor cycle on (Ice box for UK talk), again the lights flickered. Then someone used the microwave and again the lights flickered and flashed as if there was a power surge. I now reasoned that I had a big problem and was experiencing "brownouts" . My first reaction was that the storms had caused a problem with one of the transformers in the area which was causing low power in our area. My next step was to contact my neighbours to see if they also had problems.

Long story short, here is what I noticed last Saturday when I went outside to inspect our power feed from the power pole



Hard to see in the bright sunshine against a white wall, but one of the wires supplying power is just dangling in mid air. My friend, the plumber electrician said that my 2 phase is working but single phase is only working through the ground. I called BC Hydro and because the dangling wire is less than 9 ft in the air they consider this an emergency repair and would dispatch a truck as soon as possible.

I had to go out and about a couple of hours later I returned home to find this coil of wire on the front lawn



The old wire had already been removed and coiled up ready to be taken away.



A ladder was leaning along the side of the house



and a new replacement wire had already been connected to my meter . I think that the repairman connected the wire to my meter, strung the wire to the pole and made the appropriate connections. As I arrived home I noticed his lift arm was up in the air, but before I could go out to speak to him, he had already lowered his hydraulic lift and was driving away



I received very fast service. The repair truck came in about an hour after my call and it took him 45 minutes to install the new wire. All in all it was all done within 2 hours and I am back to full power again. The first thing I did was put a glass of water into the microwave and set it for 60 sec. NO more dimming lights and I am thankful indeed for having this work done with NO cost to myself.

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Our temperatures are still a little cool in the shadows, but warm in the sun. If this weekend is any indication of things to come then I am going to find myself time challenged. I am already backlogged with projects and postings. I went on a group ride on Saturday afternoon to Horseshoe Bay but I can't post anything until I get the video's edited and that will take another day or so. When the sun is shining I find that I prefer to be outdoors rather than inside typing way on a keyboard.


(Teaser photo: tulips in Horseshoe Bay, BC)

Unless I have something special prearranged I do not plan to ride on Sundays. I call it family day, as Mrs Skoot does not ride we spend our time together and go somewhere different for brunch, perhaps visit friends and in general roam the countryside snapping photos, esp now that the summer weather is near. That being said I broke tradition and met up with another group for breakfast .


(Teaser photo: De Dutch Restaurant, Langley, BC)

There were around a dozen bikes there, and all they do is ride around the country. I have noticed from their forum that they have lots of activities planned and I wanted to go to their Meet & Greet to make my initial contact and see what the members were like and to scope them out. More to say on a future post.

A Bonnie Day

Mother nature can't make up her mind. Spring has sprung, we are on daylight savings time and for a few weeks we had a taste of summer


(flowering bamboo)

Flowers are sprouting everywhere, tulips and other brightly coloured flowers the names of which I do not know as I am name challenged when it comes to names of any growing plant. For the past week we have been drenched with torrential rains and a few wind storms with gusts of up to 95 kms/hr as was this morning as overheard on the radio. Last week during my daily commute we had wind gusts of around 45 kms/hr and I thought it was going to blow me over as I was meandering my way home on the crowded streets of Kingsway. We even got snow dusting the tops of our local mountains


(Fraser River looking East towards New Westminster, BC)

It was a lazy day as I noticed this beautiful Triumph Bonneville parked on the sidewalk



I've noticed this Bonnie here before. It belongs to one of the mechanics



This bike appears as new but isn't as it has over 20K on the odometer, and has a minimalist instrument cluster which does not include a tachometer.



For a brief moment I was imagining being astride the bike in the rider's seat navigating myself through the Keys on the Great Ocean Highway and wondering what gear I was in since the noise of the engine gave no clue as to its actual engine speed.



It was obvious by the cleanliness of this bike that the owner was proud of his possession and was taking great care to ensure its longevity.

I couldn't help but notice this lady standing by the side of the road wearing this very short mini-skirt. I quickly whipped out my trusty camera to snap a pix but she must have had an eye in the back of her head and saw me.


(but I took the photo anyway)

While were were having an early dinner I was fiddling with my camera trying to be creative when I noticed this red Mini



and was wondering how I could make use of the red colour and the lettering on the restaurant window

and came up with this steaming cup of coffee



across the street I noticed this parkade which was a good place to park if you had a miniature VW



Lucky thing I have my camera, 'cause you never know what you're going to stumble across

Easter AYCE Won Tun & Lenmar USB mini-charger

Happy Easter ! Well, it was Easter last weekend and in Canada we have Good Friday as a Statutory Holiday. It is normal practice for us to host the family meal with Turkey and all the trimmings. This year was different. We were invited to our daughter's for WON TUN. For those who do not know, Won Tun is a dumpling and usually filled with some sort of meat and perhaps some vegeables. They are wrapped in a square noodle like paste and usually boiled (Not unlike Ravioli).


(Grand daughter on left with our brother in law)

Of course we have to bring our own ingredients and make them ourselves. Everyone has to chip in and make enough for themselves to eat. Today is a family affair.



Everyone has their own idea as to how to make them, what to put inside but these are the ones I made. They are filled with pork


(These are the ones made by Mrs Skoot)



Even Natassia has her own style, more flat and only contain green onions


(Left: boiling water, Right: homemade chicken soup broth)

It is important not to use the soup broth to boil these Won Tun dumplings as the water will become thick and starchy. It is normal practice to boil them first in the water and they are fully cooked when they float. Because they are pork, we leave them in a little longer. Doesn't affect the doneness.

You scoop them out of the boiling water, after they are fully cooked, put them in a bowl and add some chicken broth. Then time to eat.


(the first of many bowls)

After we were all filled and full we settled down to an assortment of French pastries and cake from a local parisian bakery

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The following photos are for Gary (Mr H-D, from the UK)

I was going to just email Gary the pictures of my small USB moveable pin charger which is capable of charging (nearly) any Li-ion battery . This includes batteries for digital cameras, cell phones and other batteries up to 3.6V . It takes nearly no room at all and I carry it as a spare, just in case . I think the pix will speak for themselves so if you have any questions, then just ask.


(rear view, it's made by Lenmar)


(folded up, looks like a clothes pin)


(same view with USB connector ready for action)


(Loonie and nickel, for scale)



Believe it or not, it is micro-processor controlled, will detect proper polarity without turning battery around and has status LED's to inform when your battery is fully charged. Don't leave home without a spare battery charger, especially if you are on a 15,000 mile ride across the USA riding a H-D

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And finally to include some motorcycle content:



And to Chris, I do have more than one bike. Here is a recent addition to the stable

Decisions for a new season

While the season is not yet underway so many plans are in the thinking stage. What to do, where to go, travel alone or with a riding buddy. A partner will give you security if there is a problem but then there are accommodations and compromises to be made unless you are of the same mind.


(V-strom DL1000 Vee with sidecar)

I like to meet people and prefer company. That being said I have travelled alone down to Oregon, and last year travelled alone to Kelowna for the rally. Alone you are on your own timetable, no one to tell you when to stop, when to eat and sometimes this is bad like last year when I kept riding even though I was getting dizzy. Probably due to lack of nourishment and the heat.



No, this is not my Vee. It belongs to another scooter rider who trailered his scooter to Kelowna (with another driver), and rode his V-strom Hack. I am not sure what is involved with disconnecting the sidecar but "Kozak" told me that he prefers to leave it on all the time and likes to "fly the chair" . He offered me a ride last summer, but I was reluctant.



This Vee with sidecar was very nice and would suit any rider with a lack of mechanical abilities.

There are so many rides being planned by different groups. There is a ride being organized by the SOCNA (Suzuki Owner's Club of NA, BC chapter) to Vancouver Island, Tofino and Port McNeil one week before the Scooter Rally in Victoria during the May long weekend. Today my friend John told me about his trip to Bella Coola on a dual sport leaving early June. It is a strenuous route not suited for heavy bikes such as a V-strom so I could take the main road and meet him at the destination if I wanted. Then there is the BMWMOA rally in Redmond, OR in July. So many bloggers are going that I would feel left out if I didn't join them and also get a chance to head over to the Oregon coast and up Hwy 101 on my return to BC. This would necessitate passing through Corvallis and Albany to see, you know who.


(reflections in a cruiser, Kelowna. Summer, 2009)

While our roads in BC are not suited for Iron Butt riders due to the single lane each direction with lots of curves and motorhomes, with few passing lanes I managed to travel half an ironbutt last year as I got stuck on the other side of the huge forest fire in Kelowna and had to take the northern loop to get back to Vancouver. During the extreme heat of last summer I came up with the idea to stop every couple of hours to stretch my legs and have a beverage to refresh myself. Upon the advice of Sharon, in the future I plan to carry some GORP to keep me going until my next meal, either that or some apples, oranges or bananas.

There is nothing so invigorating such as riding a great motorcycle road with little traffic in tune with nature in the middle of no where. You and your machine as one, flowing though the curves with your engine making sweet music to your ears.


(between Spences Bridge & Merritt, BC)

Little did I realize at that time that this would be the last trip I would take with my Suzuki SV650nK4. I know some of you have SV's (Stacy & Chris come to mind). It's a great bike, very nimble but I found my leg position cramped. A week after this photo was taken my dealer made me an offer I couldn't refuse and I ended up with my current Suzuki V-strom DL650A K9 .


(HooDoos, east of Spences Bridge, BC)

I had a great time in Kelowna meeting and renewing old/new friendships and a ride through the mountains that still bring smiles to my face.

I am not sure if this year will be any different, though locations may change. New friends to meet, new friendships to rekindle. New experiences to exerience. New roads to conquer and I know that Oregon has the bestest roads in the country.

Sometimes things happen that defy explanation


(No comment, you had to be there to understand)

You create a bond with those you meet and take home memories of a lifetime


(Untold stories create a bond with whom were there)