My First Bike in Canada

Ah, the fun we had. For me, this was where it all began. After a long period without a bike, suddenly I needed one. I'd never owned a sportsbike before but for some reason I wanted one. My research turned this up as the best bike that year and a trip to the local showroom told me it was in demand. I put my money down on the spot with no test ride (not that you can ever get one here). A few days later, I picked up one of the very first Daytona 675s in the country.

Pulling off the lot was a challenge. Too much right wrist, too little experience nearly put me in that hall of fame where people crash brand new bikes into the back of trucks, but I got away with a mere wobble and proceeded to head home.

As a bike, it rewarded fast. There was no slow on it but I at least rode it all over. One of the high points was a vacation to Nova Scotia/PEI. It's a great place to ride, for the three months that the weather is clement. I rode it to Peggys Cove in rain so bad, my fully waterproof GPS leaked and stopped working. The weather cleared up and the rest of the vacation was great. I did maybe 2500km in a week, but the trip around Cape Breton was the worst.. Too many RVs, too hot and too cramped made me decide to by another bike for touring on.

There were good times though. On the same trip, I was trying to make the PEI ferry. I got up late and the clock said I was going to be at least an hour late. Suffice to say, I made it just before they closed the door. At one point, the speedo was off the scale (it was digital and only read 199 - I won't reveal what the GPS said I was doing). I'm not proud of this fact, but boy did it feel good.

We had our fun, but in the last year of her life, she sat in the garage, doing the odd blast here and there and always putting a grin on my face. But as the wife learned to ride, it was too much for her and there was no room in the garage. With great reluctance, she was traded for the Street Triple 675. It's more or less the same bike. More mid-range, less top end but with all the same smiles. It feels smaller but it's still got the same heart.