Some time in Halifax

My Share the Road, Share the Ride Conga 2011 took me into Halifax for Day 26. Black Betty (My motorcycle) needed to have some maintenance done on her. It has been a long time since her oil change back in Smithers BC!
Day 26...I made it to the Irving Big Stop on the outskirts of Halifax and was greeted by Medric and his wife Jocelyn. Medric and Jocelyn had a wedding to go to in the Digby area – Jimi Swinamer and his gal Sally were tying the knot! Jimi owns Riding in Style Leather and hosts a weekly Biker Down Society fundraising BBQ at his store. Medric was to be Jimi’s best man.

So – off to Powertrend Cycle, the plan was that we would get the oil changed on my bike and then get over to Route 1, the Victory Dealer to get a new back tire on my bike.

Like all good road trips, plans change in a heart beat!

When I had trouble with my bike in Revelstoke, I took Roger Goldammer’s advice to have a Power Commander installed on my old war pony and he shipped it to Power Trends for me. My thinking was if Power Trends didn’t have the time, I could get Dan the Man in Winnipeg to do it on my way back. Well, Roger sent the power commander and when I was talking to Sean, I asked if he had time to install it and he asked me why I thought I needed a power commander – so I told him what Roger told me about my bike running too lean and my spark plugs being so white. Sean decided to do a test on my bike and low and behold he discovered I had a cracked intake rubber on top of it all. 

So we discussed the shop’s rate - $65 per hour and the cost of the parts. Medric jumped on his bike to go and get the parts from Privateers Harley-Davidson and Jocelyn, I and Deanna of the Halifax Lady Riders Club hung out. 

Deanna and I at Powertrend

Deanna was supposed to be riding with me to Truro that afternoon with some other gals but had been rear ended by a cabbie the night before – yes on her bike! She was sore and stiff but grateful to be alive!

Sadly, her bike was in no shape to ride so no riding with me for her.

Medric heading to Privateers, Jocelyn would hang with me

Now, I had no idea where Privateers was, but Medric made it back in incredible time and his timing was impeccable as Sean was ready to begin the install of the rubbers. Medric and Jocelyn had to go – my bike’s repair was going to take too long for them to be able to ride me to Route 1 – the best man can not be late for the wedding! 

I bid him a Jocelyn a safe ride – hugs were shared and off they went. Now, Medric had organized the sponsorship by both Power Trends Cycle and Route 1 for me – and then he went above and beyond again by going to the Harley store to grab the parts for me – if it hadn’t been for him and his effort, I would never have met these great people and gotten taken care of the way I did. 

The showroom at Powertrend

The parts & service desk

Power Trends Cycle is run by Garnett and Sean – these two techs have a great reputation in the Halifax area and I got to witness first hand why.

They know their stuff and they go the extra distance for their customer and for the out of town traveller. They have some great pre owned bikes for sale, lots of parts on hand and a roomy shop that allows them to take care of many bikes. They work on everything from sport bikes to VTwins. They have a well equipped shop that allows them to build engines, sell used bikes and they have a good stock of parts on hand not to mention a great selection of riding gear and motorcycle accessories.

Sean working on Black Betty

After Sean got done with the repairs on Black Betty he took it for a test ride – when I asked for my bill for the additional repairs I was told no charge – I damned near cried – what a sponsor! I made sure they were set up with their membership in our Rider Friendly Business Association and thanked them for all of their help – this shop went far above and beyond for me and I also got to hear that same sentiment expressed by other riders who were dropping their bikes off or picking them up. If you are in the Halifax area and find yourself needing an oil change or any other repair done to your machine I highly recommend that you check these guys out!
Powertrend Cycles 5558 Bilby St.
Halifax, Nova Scotia B3K1V3 
PHONE / FAX: (902) 461-8122
Web Site: http://www.powertrendcycles.ca/
Email: sean.mcgowan@powertrendcycles.ca

My next stop was Route 1 – one of Power Trends customers drove me to the exit I needed to take to make sure I got there with no challenges and before long I was being greeted by Dave Martel, the sales man for Route 1 – the areas Victory Dealer! Dave is a member of www.beltdrivebetty.com and a subscriber to the Busted Knuckle Chronicles.

Before I knew it my bike was being wheeled into the shop by John Reilly – the shop’s customer relations specialist …he introduced me to Brian Jackson, the service manager so that I could ask any questions or impart any information I felt I needed to about my bike before they began. I let them know about the sensors for the Doran 360 M Tire Pressure monitoring system I have on my bike and left Black Betty in their capable hands.

 While the guys put the new tire on, I took a Victory Cross Country with a tour pack added to it, for a test ride and went over to see Jimi’s shop – Riding in Style Leather and to have a coffee with Deanna, one of the Halifax area Lady Riders. Now I was supposed to be riding with Deanna and some of the other gals in the Monday Night Lady Riders Group later in the day, but the night before Deanna had been rear ended while on her bike by a taxi so there was to be no riding for her. She was mostly fine (stiff and sore) but her bike was not in such good shape. When she and I met at Powertrend Cycle earlier in the day, we made a plan to hook up at Jimi’s place.

John Reilly bringing out my demo ride

 The Victory Cross Country is some sweet to ride. I was impressed with how light on the kick stand this big beast was – it took me totally off guard. The responsiveness of the throttle and the fact that it has many, many sweet standard features also had me feeling very impressed, so much so that I would like to really take one of these out again and put it through its paces!

I know a lot of people have a hard time wrapping their heads around the space age look of the Victory, but truly – once you give yourself permission to try one, I think you too will be impressed. The saddlebags on this thing are enormous and vastly improved in quality from when the brand first appeared. Victory has come a long way in both accessories and clothing since they first entered the market and they can offer the rider pretty much anything they need.

When I showed up at Riding in Style Leather, Deanna was already there…she and I spent some time buying stickers along with ogling the various offerings of the store and then went next door for a coffee.  Deanna and I made a plan to meet a little later for the Riders Down BBQ and she had rearranged for a few gals to ride with me as far as Elmsdale…those gals would meet me at the Tim Horton’s on Cobequid Rd Sackville and take me via back highways…I was looking very forward to that.

Back to Route 1 I went where I was greeted by Scott Cahill the owner. Scott showed me an article on how the American Police Services in the Deep South are converting to the Victory Cross Country for their new police department motorcycles. They find the Harley just can’t take the heat of the south the way the Victory can. The Cross Country makes an impressive looking law enforcement bike.

After thanking Scott for letting me take their bike out, Dave Martel took me around the shop for a tour and showed me the various clothing and footwear, the accessories that are available for the Victory rider and their machine. It wasn’t long before a washed and cleaned up Black Betty was wheeled out front for me by John and that was when I discovered I had left my rain gear over at Powertrend Cycle. No fear, after a quick phone call, one of the parts guys was sent in the Polaris car to go grab it for me.
 

Dave Martel

It was another excellent example of eastern hospitality and fantastic customer service! I had a great experience at Route 1 and I am sure yours will be equally as rewarding!

Route 1 Motor Sports
Unit 101, 115 Sackville Dr.
Lower Sackville NS B4C 2R3
Phone: 902.252.3184 
Parts & Service:902.252.3253   

Fax: 902.252.3188

Web Site: http://www.route1ms.com 

After saying my thank you’s and hugs and hand shakes all around, I headed back over to Riding in Style Leather and the Biker Down BBQ.
Riding In Style Leather & Becca's Boutique
528 Sackville Drive
Lower Sackville, NS B4C 2R8
Phone: (902) 252-3377
Web Site: http://www.ridinginstyleleather.ca

It was great being able to support this group even in a small way by buying a helmet sticker and a burger – the Bikers Down Society does great work in Nova Scotia helping out riders in the advent of a crash. Visit their web site to learn more: http://bikersdown.com/

The Biker Down Society BBQ

Inside Riding in Style

I met and spoke with many of the area riders and then soon it was time to head off and meet with the ladies. I showed up at the Tim Horton’s in Falls River pretty much on time, I grabbed an iced coffee and chatted with Brenda and a number of other riders. We made our plans and off we went to take back roads to Truro and that is when the road trip got a wee bit scary.

We headed out on this lovely, twisty back road and before I knew it we were in Elmsdale,  and it was time to part ways...I headed to Truro and the Super 8 where I was going to stay for the night.

The gal that checked me in told me about breakfast, pool times etc and handed me keys to my 2nd floor room. Black Betty was parked under the canopy in front of the hotel where the front desk clerk could keep an eye out on her. I fell into bed exhausted.


riding clubs canada | canadian riding clubs | busted knuckle | busted knuckle chronicles