A gregarious gang
Local motorcycle clubs offer a chance to meet new people and share the love of cruising new routes
Recreational motorcycling has been around almost since the day Edward Butler slapped a motor onto a bicycle back in 1884. Today, it attracts a diverse range of people, all of whom speak the same language: Open road.
“Some of our members have been doing it for 50 years — it’s always fun to get out with a group and ride,” says Bob Roberts, president of the Calgary Motorcycle Club, which dates back to 1926. By day, he’s a drywaller. “I started riding in 1978; I had a ’78 Kawasaki, got out of it for a while, then got back into it again.”
Many older riders are also getting back into the saddle. Craig Gallow of the 540-strong Calgary Motorcycle Riders Meetup Group, a tradesman, says he grew up with motorcycles, but moved away from riding until an old high school buddy reintroduced him to it a few years ago.
“I found it was hard to find people to ride with,” he says. “But then I hooked up with this group and I’ve been to the Yukon, across Canada, planning a trip down to Oregon ... you ride with people, you see all the dynamics of a person. You hit weather and they just buck up; no one complains.”
Simona Bartosh, a mortgage broker, had never ridden before joining the Meetup Group in 2007 — before long, she was its organizer. There weren’t too many women involved at the time, but she’s seen that number growing.
“I just love the people, the variety of different bikes, the stories,” she says.
When asked about his favourite riding destination, Gallow answers, simply: “The next one.”
Both clubs host events and rides for members, often with a fun twist.
CMC, for example, heads to Creston, B.C., each May long weekend, and recently had its No Guts, No Glory challenge where riders placed targets on the front of their bikes, and after a ride the person who had a bug splat closest to the centre won a prize.
The Meetup Group has seen its members travel as far away as Alaska.
“Because we plan longer rides and have little adventures, you enjoy the motorcycle more,” says member Paul Griffiths.
For many, the appeal is the free- dom to explore new places. For others, it’s a family affair.
“I was born into it; I’m fourthgeneration,” says CMC member Janice Whitby, also secretary of the Rocky Mountain Section of the Canadian Vintage Motorcycle Group.
“I’ve been riding by myself since I was 10. I have pictures of my great-grandfather, grandmother, mom and dad, all on bikes.
“It’s really hard to explain (the appeal) to someone who doesn’t ride. You experience things on motorcycles you don’t experience anywhere else.”
CMC touring director Wade Youngman, added: “Pull up at a gas station in a car, you’re just a car. Pull up on a motorcycle and somebody will talk to you.”
For more information on the CMC, visit calgarymotorcycleclub.com; Calgary Motorcycle Riders Meetup Group, meetup. com/Calgary-Motorcycle-Riders; Canadian Vintage Motorcycle Group, cvmg-rms.ca. It hosts a special vintage motorcycle display at Heritage Park on Aug. 3.