Welcome to the USA

This commercial advertising Canada hockey jerseys has been playing during the Olympic coverage here. And while it’s very funny, it also reminded me of my worst border experience ever, anywhere. On two wheels, of course.

The plan was to avoid the north of Superior route by dropping down into the US at International Falls and then head east, crossing back into Canada at Sault Ste. Marie.
We awoke that morning just south of Kenora to the sound of rain on the tent. But it wasn’t until we opened the flap and looked out into the gray dawn that we realized it was freezing rain. The grass, our motorcycle, the tent - all were covered with a sheet of ice. Certainly unexpected for August, but generally representative of the terrible weather we’d had all summer.
By the time we’d had some breakfast and struck camp, the temperature had risen enough so the ice was no longer a factor, but it was still damned cold.  Nonetheless we loaded up and bundled up and headed south to the border where we were greeted by the most ignorant prick of a customs officer we have ever dealt with before or since.
Picture the scene. By this time it’s noon and we’ve been riding for about 3 hours. The temperature is hovering around 40 degrees and it’s been raining all morning. As we come up to the booth he says two words, “Over there” and directs us to a secondary inspection area. While we’re standing out in the rain and he’s sheltering under the building’s eve, he has us unpack everything, unroll the sleeping bags and tent, open up our luggage and spread it on the ground, open up our toiletries for inspection including squeezing our toothpaste and having my wife unscrew her lipstick to the point where it came out of the tube.
When I had the temerity to ask what the problem was, I got a lecture on the perils of drugs and how it was his duty to ensure no one one was going to pollute America’s youth with illegal substances. Probably the same illegal substances that were crossing by the kilo in the trunks and door panels of the cars being waved through without a second glance, but that he was not going to find on us no matter how hard he looked.
Ordering us to not touch anything (anything being everything we had, laying on the ground in the rain), he then disappeared for about 15 minutes with our passports only to return with a curt, “You’ve got 5 minutes to clean up this mess and get out of here.” He then turned his attention to making someone else’s day miserable, and we got the hell out of there before he thought of anything else.
At least he didn’t have the gall to say “Welcome to the U S of A”.

Free stuff!

… if you’re lucky that is.
Our friends over at Riders Discount are celebrating a milestone – their 10,000th Facebook fan – with a  $500 helmet giveaway.
It costs nothing to enter, so why not take a minute and pop over there to fill out the form. This may just be your lucky day!
http://wildfireapp.com/website/6/contests/22123

Shop Class as Soulcraft

Although most of my professional career was spent being what is euphemistically referred to as a “knowledge worker”, I have long held a great admiration for top-notch trades people, and have always had hands-on hobbies such as vehicle mechanics and cabinet making. And when I say top-notch I’m not talking about the robotic mechanic who simply replaces parts in accordance with the shop manual based on a wild-assed guess of what the problem might be or the readout from a $50,000 diagnostic instrument, but rather the “professional” tradesman who still has the ability to get the feel of a machine, understand what’s happening, and be able to affect repairs in the most timely, effective, and inexpensive manner. In other words, a thinker and problem solver.
I can thank my father for that. As a heavy equipment mechanic in a backwoods lumber operation in the 50s and 60s, he was one of the most creative mechanical problem solvers I have ever known. There was always a way, and given the scarcity and expense of parts and the frequent remoteness of the broken machine, that way more often than not would have made MacGyver proud. His was a hard act to follow, and I consider myself lucky to have picked up maybe as much as 50% of his skill in that arena. So nothing gets me more riled than a so-called mechanic who clearly doesn’t know if he’s been bored, punched, or countersunk. Or makes me happier than dealing with one who clearly knows what he’s about, what I’m about, and most importantly, what my particular piece of machinery is about.
Sadly, the former seem to be quickly outnumbering the latter as any young person today with a good head on his or her shoulders is automatically pushed into the academic stream so they too can become just one more knowledge worker occupying a cubicle somewhere for the next 40 years, contributing lots to the corporation’s bottom line, but precious little to society at large (and I know whereof I speak). Truth is, some of those very sharp minds would be happiest with greasy hands and black fingernails if we only gave them the opportunity and encouragement early enough to foster the joy of working with their hands. To do otherwise is just a waste.
And while I used the example of a mechanic, the same applies to any of the trades. I have an acquaintance who is an extremely accomplished cabinet maker who has given up on trying to grow his business because he can’t find young people who share his passion for creativity and hands-on work. Similarly our house builder was always struggling to find trades people who wanted to build the “best” house as opposed to “a” house. And the list can go on and on.
So all that was a very long, rambling preamble to this book I just picked up. What first caught my eye was the photo of a very cool vintage BMW on the front cover. Then the title, Shop Class as Soulcraft: An inquiry into the value of work, hooked me.
From the overleaf: “Based on his own experience as an electrician and mechanic, Crawford makes a case for the intrinsic satisfactions and cognitive challenges of manual work. The work of builders and mechanics is secure; it cannot be outsourced, and it cannot be made obsolete.”
The author is a motorcycle mechanic specialising in vintage bikes, but he didn’t start as that. He started with a PhD in political philosophy and a senior executive position with a Washington think tank. That lasted all of 5 months before he quit to open his bike shop.
It’s not an easy read (I blame his PhD for the fact the book has a fog index of approximately 14), but Crawford hits right at the core of something that is becoming a huge problem. I found myself repeatedly nodding in agreement or, to my wife’s chagrin, reading out chapter and verse accompanied by a “that’s what I’ve been saying all along” and getting the requisite “Yes dear” in response.
It’s not for everybody, but if you’ve ever considered the relative values of manual work versus brain work, Crawford very effectively challenges the conventional wisdom that working with one’s hands is somehow a lesser calling.

Welcome to the latest addition

I’d been keeping an eye out for a good used bike for the missus as she’d indicated a interest in getting back on two wheels after a rather long hiatus. I started looking for  an older Honda 400 Four, or even 350 Four as they are both great little motorcycles – with “little” referring to the fact that they were built to about 90% scale of a full sized motorcycle of the day, a CB550F for example. That made them the perfect bikes for a smaller sized rider, and with lots of power and zip they were fully capable of any legal road speeds and then some. Since she’d owned and ridden a 400 Four back in the day, there was the nostalgia factor as well.
Little did I know that in the intervening years they had become collector’s items, commanding a ridiculous price if in any kind of decent running condition. So the search continued until this past week when I came across this ad.

The bike was a 3-hour drive from home which normally would have stricken it from the list immediately, but I’d always had a soft spot for the Ascot, and this one was all original except for the exhaust and the mini-fairing. When the seller turned out to be a motorcycle mechanic who was also (and perhaps more importantly) flexible on price I became very interested indeed.
And so it was that after a few days of information sharing and negotiations, the deal was struck, and I am now the proud owner of a classic. Or perhaps I should say Miz Liz is now the proud owner of a classic so she can no longer accuse me of taking up the entire garage with “my” stuff.

Pretty, eh?

A great way to spend a winter Sunday

After a hiatus of several years the Ottawa International Motorcycle Show was back this weekend. Previous attempts to resuscitate what was once a very good show had had limited success, so it was very encouraging to now see it in a larger venue and seemingly well attended.  Friends in the dealer community who I met there were pretty upbeat about the show and the level of interest, so perhaps we’ve turned a corner of sorts and the show will again become a January highlight.
That’s not to say it couldn’t use improving. I was disappointed in the lack of riding gear as most dealers had only bikes on display and very few, if any, jackets or other clothing items. Show “specials” were few and far between, with show prices being, at best, a couple hundred dollars off list – sadly, not a single $10,000 Road King in sight. And aside from  one very good painter, there were no vintage bike displays or custom builders present. So from a glass-half-full perspective, next year’s show has the potential to be even better.
But all the 2010’s were there from the Yamaha V-Max (awesome) to the Honda Ruckus (cute), from the BMW S1000RR (stunning) to the 2010 Road King (drool), from the Triumph 900CC Scrambler (flashback) to a whole bunch of plasticized crotch rockets that all look, sound and feel the same (boring).  








There were a few accessories on display, things like tires and helmets, but the best (in my opinion) were these awesome sports cameras from goprocamera.com. Capable of filming video in full 1080p mode for up to 9 hours, 5MP stills, water resistant to 100’, and with a variety of helmet/handlebar/chassis/wrist mounting options, one of these quickly found its way onto my wish list for when I have a few $$ burning a hole in my jeans.
And although the missus kept a hawkish eye on my wallet I even managed to spend  some money. First I got a ticket on a special edition “Harley for Heroes”. A custom Road King with special paint and loaded with accessories. The proceeds of the lottery are going to the Military Families Fund Programs, so even if I don’t win, the $25 is going to a worthy cause. And if I do win, all I can say is it’s about time!


I also picked up a pair of fingerless riding gloves – the first ones I’ve found that actually feel right. The daughter raised an eyebrow at those and I patiently explained the reason they were so cheap was they had run out of cows’ teats and therefore couldn’t put the fingers in them. Until then, I didn’t know one could roll ones eyes that far back into their sockets.
Finally I got a new insurance quote that should save me about $300 next year. Just about enough to pay for a GoPro Hero camera!
So what with checking out all  the new models, meeting up with friends old and new, and getting to spend a few pleasant hours with the family surrounded by all things biker, it was a great day. Now I just have another 3 months to wait…….