Recently, the opportunity arose to do some volunteer work for the CVMG at the Toronto motorcycle show. This seemed like a good time to step out of the garage and contribute something back to the group.
I confess that over my varying years of membership, I have been relatively silent. I have gone to various events, even setting up a stall at last years (sub zero) spring swap meet.
The fellows in my local chapter are very welcoming and free with their knowledge; I feel a touch guilty when I miss the monthly breakfast meetings, especially as they are held so close to home.
Put simply, there are times that I don't feel like socializing. I spend my workdays talking to people providing various levels of support on a broad variety of issues. On the evenings and weekends my human contact quota has often been maxed.
This is something I am working to change this year, I believe that without fresh blood our beloved hobby will most certainly die. It felt rather good to go out and meet with the public, answer questions and drum up some interest in the organization and old machinery in general.
I was rather blessed to meet some great chaps from other chapters and share booth space with a 1917 Indian, 1928 Scott Flying Squirrel and a 1968 Triumph Bonneville.
We had a variety of other magnificent machines on display as well; My heart melted at the site of the 1958 T100. We had a lovely, original BSA 441 Victor (one of my favourite bikes, complete with OEM Oil drip pan!) and several vintage Japanese machines. This year's theme for the Paris Rally is the Yamaha XS650.
While I did take photos, I didn't visit every stand as some were incredibly busy. Very difficult to get a decent shot with people climbing on and off all of the bikes! I took pictures of things that caught my eye or interested me in some way. Hopefully they are of interest to you as well.
If I was in the market for a new bike, there were a few I would have seriously considered. Namely the 2020 Bonneville (in red), The Kawasaki W800 (also in red) and the chrome tanked Royal Enfield Interceptor and Bullet models. The former was very hard to walk away from, especially for the price.
If we spoke on Saturday, it was a pleasure and I hope to see you at the Paris Rally in June!
Until next time....
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| Stunning. |
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| This Scott was the talk of the stand; Lots of interest in this lovely old machine. |
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| The funky Piaggio 4 wheeler. |
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| Lovely Moto Guzzi Cafe V7 |
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| The lowly Yamaha Bolt |
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| The CanAm Spyder |
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| This looked like a mini Batman Tumbler... |
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| This Yamaha certainly has a mid 1980's feel. |
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| A BMW Scooter! |
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| This one threw me, I thought it was a vintage Katana. |
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| This Sportster looked better in person; I felt badly, when I walked by there were people laughing at it. |
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| This little Bullet looks like a lot of fun, with equal amounts of style. |
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| The picture doesn't do this one justice. The Chrome tank model is an absolute beauty. |
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| Head to toe in Matte black, this one is ready for business! |
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| This Honda CB450 from our stand looked better than new. |
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| A good, honest original machine. |
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| A very interesting historic speedway bike |
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| The massive Indian Chief had loads of character. |
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| Rather plain compared to the chrome tanked model. |
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| The XS650 feature bike. Very rare in this condition, most have been chopped/bobbed! |
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| My companion for the afternoon. |
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| Be still my heart! |
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| Another angle of the Scott. |
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| The Aprilla race bike drew many admiring looks. |
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| The limited edition Vespa 'Crayon box' Model! |
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| One of several customs... |
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| The very modern looking Indian Scout. I spoke to several owners who rave about them. |
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| Lovely, but too modern for my tastes. |
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| This one would look quite mean on the street. |
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| The red Bonneville was the best looking of the lot |
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| This gorgeous W800 is a serious contender in the retro-classic arena. |
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| The Rebel gets a long awaited makeover |
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| Honda engineering on display |
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| This looks like a lot of fun! |
