Had the idea to meet up with a few buddies and go for a cruise to officially close of the riding season this year. So that is what we did. I planned out a route for us starting from Oshawa and riding up through the Kawartha Lakes and then down to Peterborough. We had marked all the spots of interest and places we were going to stop for food and gas.
Here is a link to the google map where you can find the route that we took.
So we had done the planning, we had checked the weather, and with excitement set off on our journey. The group was formed of the following:
- Honda Shadow Phantom (myself)
- Kawasaki Ninja ZX6-R
- Kawasaki Ninja ZX3-R
- VW Golf GTI Mark VI
We met up at our starting point, GP Bikes in Oshawa, bright and early (9:00AM). If you are ever in the GTA (Greater Toronto Area) make sure to visit GP Bikes as it is the biggest motorcycle store in the area.
We agreed that our first quick stop heading north of the store would be a gas stop to fill up all the bikes and the extra Jerry Can we had with us, and headed out. For the first bit in order to all each of the riders to hear their own bike, and to be able to navigate the route we went with the following riding/driving order.
- VW Golf GTI Mark VI (took the lead of the pack as the navigator)
- Kawasaki Ninja ZX3-R (so that he can hear hi bike)
- Kawasaki Ninja ZX6-R (so that the note of his after market exhaust is not in the face of either of the other bikers)
- Honda Shadow Phantom (at the back of the pack, due to the obnoxiously loud Cobra Exhaust)
All topped up we headed out towards the first major stop, Port Perry.
It wasn't long before all the riders realized the 13° C weather was less then ideal for not having heated gear. Once in Port Perry we all took a quick walk down at the marina and discussed what hand signals we should use should there be a need to pull over. It was quite the funny process as none of us could come up with the non lunatic way of signaling the others they need to pull over. We figured flailing your left arm up and down should be enough to get the others attention. After a quick washroom brake at the finest of establishments that Port Perry had to offer (the marina port-a-potties) we got back on the bikes and headed out towards the next stop. Breakfast!
The plan had been to stop at Buttertarts 'N More just before getting into Lindsay, ON. The reviews for this place had been good, but the men needed a solid sit down meal, as there was a long ride a head of us. It wasn't long before we decided that the delicious baked goods the place could offer were just not going to cut it. (Do check the place out if you are in the area, has lots of goodies.) We jumped back on the bikes and headed down towards Lindsay in search of a breakfast place.
It was 11:30am when we got to St. Dave's Diner. The place was full but was quickly emptying out, so we decided to get some good old country breakfast. If you are hungry ask for the "Kitchen Sink" special. It is a wonderful mix of different meats and potatoes, in a cast iron skillet, covered with cheese, with your order of eggs on the side and toast.
Once fully fed and warmed up, we were ready to head back out on the road, due north. We were headed up to Fenelon Falls, ON. This was our next defrost point. After breakfast the weather had shifted to more cloud coverage and sparse drizzling. So we were in need of a brake and warm up. Once we pulled over we told our friend with the 300 Ninja, that something wasn't right with his bike. Both from the leading car and from the back, we had noticed that the two wheels on the motorcycle were not running in the same track. The front tire seemed to be 2"-3" to the left of the rear, when the bike was going straight. Each of us tried to spot the problem by looking at the bike in its stationary position and nothing made sense that could offset the bike so much, and yet not completely disturb the handling of the machine. It almost seemed as if the bike had a bent steering column. Understanding we were not going to figure it out, just like that, and given the bike ran fine we decided to carry on.
Having missed the turn for Davis Lake Road, due to the supersport getting bored with the straight roads, we actually went further north on HWY 35. Right around Henderson Rd is when the GTI took the lead again and pulled over, to let us know we were off track. After some thought, we took the time to actually do more analysis on what was wrong with the 300cc bike. It had occurred to me that if the rear tire had been crooked it would force the bike to auto balance and crab walk when being ridden. A quick check of the rear axle alignment markers revealed that indeed the axle was not aligned straight. The rider had admitted that they were fiddling with retention and cleaning the chain the previous weekend. That's when we had the dilemma of do we fix the bike then and there and loose daylight, and potentially get stuck with a disassembled motorcycle up north. Or do we soldier on. Given that we didn't have motorcycle stands with us it would have been a bitch to lift the back of the bike up in order to do the job. In retrospective the car jack from the VW probably would have worked just fine.
Long story short, we decided to just carry on. We kept going north on HWY 35 until we hit HWY 121, at which point we turned back south. The road here is indeed long, straight, and boring. Until you get down to the little town of Kinmount, ON. Something that we didn't see coming was a very nice long left hand turn that seemed perfectly fine to lean in and give it some.
What you don't see even in google street view however is that right near the end of the corner there is a big dip in the road. Which for my lowered Phantom proved a bit much. My suspension compressed and the bottom of the bikes frame scraped on the asphalt as i was coming out of he corner, still in a full lean. A bit of a scare, but all was fine. We pulled over soon after to warm up after the northern most part of ride was over, and decide on when we will be stopping next. We all agreed that a hot beverage would do all of us well, as by now it was already 3:00PM, and we had been riding since 9:00AM. (some of us even longer).
We decided to soldier on and stop for coffee in Peterborough, ON. After all the supposed best part of this cruise was coming up, HWY 507, and we were all eager to hit the road. Once on the 507 however we were disappointed by flat terrain nature of southern Ontario. The road had long sweeping bends, with barely any elevation change. Which meant that to really get that adrenaline rush from doing twisties, you had to be going well over 130kph. None of us were willing to risk it and do that.
Once passed the 507 we were cold and exhausted so we cut the route short and went straight south through Buckhorn, ON into Peterborough, ON. On Lakefield Rd, right around the Trent University campus we stopped at Kyoto Coffee.
Probably one of the most welcomed cappuccinos I've ever had. All the rider's hands were bordering on numb and the hot cup of coffee was really bringing back the life. That being said their coffee was actually really good. About 30min later, all warmed up we headed further south to checkout Peterborough's Trent-Severn Waterway Lift Lock. Apparently one of the biggest of its kind in North America. Truly an impressive piece of machinery with simple physics at play.
We wrapped up the tourist visit and started to head back towards our starting point, and complete our trip before it had gotten dark and cold. West on HWY 7 and then onto HWY 115 towards the HWY 401 we went. A stop for gas another 30-40min or so we were back around the Brock St. exit and GB Bikes Area. It was now 7:00PM. We had a customary end of cruise dinner and each went our own way home. For me the GTI driver that meant another hour ride, before a hot shower and some sleep.
Overall the Kawartha's are very picturesque region, but the topography of southern Ontario is what makes it very flat. I know we will return and do the proper route one day, but for sure it will be in the midst of summer and not in 13° C weather.