Destination: Ontario. An Underrated Riding Experience

It’s been a while since I walked out of work into a dark winter evening and scraped frost off of my motorcycle seat before hopping on to brave the elements. Longer still, that I did it every night during college in the Midwest where my enthusiasm and devil-may-care attitude outweighed the fear of potential black ice lurking in the shadows. Not long after that time, I moved to California with its promise of year-round riding in the sunshine with mountains I could visit within a day to get my fix of snow if/when needed. It’s been great. I do miss the seasonality though. The moist smell of dirt and decay that you only get a few times a year on unseasonably warm fall days as the leaves begin to change color and litter the forest floor before drying to a crisp in the winter wind. I miss the silent mornings when an overnight snow storm left the landscape blanketed in a sound dampening layer of ice. I miss change.

It’s easy to look back at those times through rose-colored glasses as I sit at my desk in sunny Southern California, the uncontrollable shivering and numb hands on the controls a distant memory. Still, I can’t help but pine for the romantic idea of fall. In an effort to satiate my autumnal appetite, I reached out to our friends at Destination Ontario to stir up a plot to get me to The North – and I’d be dragging Troy along with me. You see, despite Motorcycle.com being owned by Toronto-based tech company, VerticalScope Inc., neither Troy nor I had ever put the rubber to the road north of the border.

With October and the season’s peak colors quickly approaching, we feverishly worked to secure three very different touring motorcycles, saddled by three very different riders, as well as a top-notch film crew to capture it all. Naturally, we needed a third pilot and looked no further than Ontario local and friend of MO, Neil Graham. Neil’s exploits as a racer, writer, editor, and filmmaker can be found across numerous outlets and we were happy to have him along for the ride. We even picked up a fourth member to our motley crew who proved invaluable in delivering the Canadian experience I had longed for.

The Plan

The loose plan was for Troy and I to fly up to Toronto, grab a couple of motorcycles, meet our Canada-based correspondent, Neil, and ride north to Killarney, ON before heading back east to North Bay, ON, to then take day rides out of and around Lake Nipissing before scooting back south and jetting back to SoCal. We were to be joined by local motorcyclist, Stephane Bellemare who would serve as our guide to all things Northern during our time in the province.

The scene was set, we just had to procure our rides.

The Bikes

After some discussion – and some logistical wizardry – our friends at Yamaha, Harley-Davidson, and Honda managed to secure us three different ways to tour Ontario.

First up, we have the long-legged sport tourer from Japan in the Yamaha Tracer 9 GT+ ( the one that was just updated for Europe). An Inline-Three, the Yamaha displaces 890cc, weighs in at just under 500 pounds, and costs $16,500. Of course, it wouldn’t be a tour with Americans if we didn’t put our influence on it! The Harley-Davidson Street Glide brings the one-two punch with its 1980cc V-Twin engine propelling 838 pounds and ringing up for $26,000. Last, but certainly not least, is another stalwart of the touring community, the Honda Gold Wing, specifically the Honda Gold Wing Tour Airbag Automatic DCT, the only bike here to make the Yamaha Tracer 9 GT+ moniker sound concise. The Wing was first unveiled to the public 50 years ago in a much different fashion than the current 1833cc horizontally-opposed Six cylinder scooting the 843-pound tourer with its automatic seven-speed transmission (in our iteration) – and it will only cost $33,000 for all of that tech.

Three very different ways to skin a cat that would prove to deliver on their touring capabilities with very different approaches. Our new keeper, Stephane, rucked up on BMW’s ultra-luxe K 1600 Grand America to round out the crew.

On the road

Blasting out of Toronto, Troy and I aimed our wheels north and set the cruise. Following Troy on the Yamaha was easy enough given its adaptive variety, which maintained the gap nicely (if not a bit far) as we crunched miles on our way to meet up with the rest of the crew. Eventually, Neil and Stephane joined the convoy and we ended up in Killarney after 300 or so miles, ready to rest and relax at the Sportsman’s Inn, a waterfront hotel situated directly on the Killarney Channel.

The town of Killarney is located on the west side of Killarney Provincial Park, which means you have to ride through the park for quite a ways to get into town. It’s a fairly straight shot for over 40 miles, but the fall colors were on full display as we rumbled along in our newly formed quartet – at least, I think they were. You see, we found ourselves rolling into Killarney near dusk, so the sun was directly in our eyes, and the very real threat of a rogue moose wandering into our path was at the forefront of our minds.

As motorcyclists are wont to do, we naturally started discussing our steeds.

As our guest, we’ll let Neil kick things off –

“The Honda – this may surprise those unfamiliar with Honda’s big sled – is a surprisingly tactile machine. It has footpegs vs. the H-D’s floorboards, the seating position is properly upright, and the handlebar feels directly connected to the front end. However, don’t expect the Wing’s girder-style front end to give you the tongue-on-the-pavement feedback of a well set up telescopic. In this the Wing’s front-end rivals that of BMW’s telelever for vagueness. With the latest-generation Wing I’m usually a little tentative when I first throw a leg over the saddle, but as soon as I overcook a corner and the front-end sticks, I get over my fears and just get on with it.”

Please, go on:

“With a sonorous flat six no less charming than the car that’s known for its flat six (its three-digit nameplate the numbers you dial in an emergency) the Gold Wing is an astounding feat of engineering. And one that could only have come from Honda. Crusty Wing aficionados grouse about the slightly reduced fuel and luggage capacity compared to old-gen versions of the bike, but if you come – as I do – from sporty bikes where the carrying capacity is whatever you can jam in a pocket, the Wing’s panniers and top case are cavernous.”

Perched on the Yamaha, I wasn’t envious of Troy on the Street Glide with three inches of rear suspension travel as we skirted tight backroads whose bumps seemed to be maliciously placed in every bend.

“The biggest problem I have with the Street Glide is the rear suspension,” explained Trizzle. “Three inches of travel is not nearly enough. It’s actually not that much better than having a hardtail (I don’t understand how people ride actual hardtails). Even the smallest bumps sent jolts through my spine, and the big bumps were downright horrendous. I stayed in the back of the group for a reason – mostly to watch the guys in front and pay attention to any big bumps coming up to prepare.”

I giggled to myself at Troy’s pained expressions through the Cardos at first, but it nearly had me feeling bad for the guy by the end of the day… nearly.

After spending the first day on the Yamaha, I was contemplating whether I had been riding the best bike for the job. As Neil said while we discussed the roads of Ontario, “They’re not nice, but they sure are scenic.” The Yamaha soaked up every imperfection with its five-plus inches of suspension travel and electronic damping allowing me to focus on the sights. To wit, the Triple sounds and performs smoothly, the quickshifter was near flawless (though better on other -09 variants we’ve tested), and the ergos are all day comfy. What’s not to like?

“Initially I was wondering where we were going when we turned off towards Killarney, recalled Triz, “It’s like we turned off the highway and kept riding for what seemed like forever. And since these towns get less and less populated the further north you go, we hadn’t seen anybody else in quite some time. But then when Stephane turned into town and led us to the Sportsman’s Inn, it all made sense. Being right there on the calm, quiet water was so serene. The people were warm and welcoming – and even liked our motorcycles! Hearing Stephane describe where the waters led in either direction had me wishing we could explore the waters more, but we had enough asphalt to explore already.”

After tucking into dinner and then bed, we rose early and were greeted to a picturesque sunrise made all that more spectacular as it was mirrored in the still water of the Killarney Channel. Our newly appointed “guide” Stephane had all sorts of plans for us to be sure our experience was quintessential northern Ontario. Alas, we’d only scratch the surface, but we were going to take in as much as we could while we were there. It was time to hit the road. Temps were unseasonably warm during our trip and got to the point where I was cooking in my waterproof kit at times. Neil was sure to remind us, what we were experiencing was a rarity.

On the docket for the day was a ride back through Killarney Provincial Park toward the town of Sturgeon falls to get a taste of the pinnacle of Canadian cuisine – poutine. That’s POO-ten, according to the Ontarians, for my fellow Americans who may not be in the know. We stopped at the Riv Chip Stand to sample this canuck delicacy.

Troy was about to get what he asked for:

“My three pillars for this trip were the roads, the food, and the friends. Sturgeon Falls had the food. Stopping at Riv’s to sample the poutine was something I really wanted to do – and they didn’t disappoint. I love to eat, and a mountain of fries, gravy, cheese curds, bacon, peameal, mushrooms, onions, and a bunch of other stuff I can’t remember was a helluva good time. Obviously I regretted stuffing myself silly later, but present me wasn’t thinking about future me’s problems. Apparently, a few of my friends pointed out that Quebec makes the better poutine, so it seems like we’ll have to come back to get to the bottom of this.”

Perhaps tellingly, Neil wisely opted for something far lighter for his lunch.

While waiting out one of the few spits of rain we had during our trip, the conversation, as they typically do around here, swung back to the ride.

“Aside from the visual and the aural, touchpoints are how we experience motorcycles,” Neil waxed, “And the Gold Wing and the Street Glide approach touchpoints from distinctly different vantage points. Gorilla-sized hands are right at home on the H-D. A one-inch diameter handlebar, barrel-sized handgrips, and broad clutch and brake levers let you know – lest you ever forget – you’re on a big bike. Now rubber-mount that handlebar and float the footboards on another layer of rubber and the H-D’s over-riding intentions are clear: this is a machine that’s intent on isolating you from the ills of narrow-angle V-Twin vibration. And it works. The H-D suffuses the rider with the not-unpleasant sensation of riding a gently-vibrating hot tub. Clothing, as always, is optional. (Unless you’re in Daytona or the Black Hills of South Dakota.)”

It’s easy to find the love for the H-D:

“You gotta love the V-Twin torque from the Harley, and the rumble from the exhaust, too," mentioned Troy. “I kinda get the appeal of Harleys for doing the kind of riding we were doing. Touring, soaking in the sights, slowing down the pace just a little…the Street Glide was great for that.

“Easily the best infotainment/gauge cluster of the three bikes. The display is huge, the screen is clear, and the information is super easy to read. We barely tapped into the capabilities of the screen, too.”

Truly, the Street Glide is an excellent touring machine for pounding out miles. We also universally agreed that it was the best looking of the bunch. Maybe it was the Whiskey Fire orange and black color combo playing into our fall color palette, but really, who doesn’t love that classic H-D silhouette? It even garnered the most attention from the locals, too.

Within our crew of mismatched misfits, there was something redeeming about each one. Troy lauded praise toward the Yamaha’s highlights within the group:

“We purposely brought three different bikes for this touring trip, but this one was the most unlike the others. Mainly because it’s light and sporty. While I enjoyed riding the Honda and Harley, the lightness of the Yamaha was a breath of fresh air.

“I’ve always loved the CP3 engine, and this one is no different. It has good punch off the bottom with a nice hit of power up top to keep things exciting. It also helps that the three-cylinder song from the engine is music to the ears.

“You take for granted having two saddlebags that are the same size, but it really is nice. Having a top case would have been icing on the cake, but Yamaha says you can only use a top case without the saddlebags – which is ridiculous.”

The rain meant our afternoon at Leisure Farms would have to be pushed back a day after our following morning at one of the most picturesque spots of the journey. We rode out early and directly into fog so thick we could barely see the first bike in the group. It added to the ambience of the season nicely though, and since we were all outfitted with proper touring kits, the weather wasn’t an issue. Eventually, the hanging moisture burned off and gave way to a beautifully sunny fall day as we made our way north to Temagami.

The absolutely stunning landscape in and around the city is dappled with lakes and various kinds of trees which were all at peak leaf-peeping colors – and there’s no better place to truly take in the views than the Temagami fire tower.

Situated on the edge of town, the 100-foot steel structure is located on Caribou Mountain 300 feet above town and 1300 feet above sea level. This vantage point awards those who aren’t wary of heights (and those without aching knees) with views that stretch for miles into the distance on clear days and it also offers an excellent chance to even attempt to get a grasp on the Temagami water system, a popular place for kayaking as well as fishing, especially once the lakes are all frozen over. 

“By now, it goes without saying that the scenery was beautiful,” recounts Troy, “but as we made our way to the Temagami Fire tower, we’d get to experience that beauty in an entirely different way – from the sky. The view down below on this crystal clear day was absolutely breathtaking. Trees and water for as long as we could see, it was like a picture from a postcard.”

Climbing up and down all of those stairs will work up an appetite, so off we went toward Leisure Farms for some fresh pumpkin pie. Back on the road. It didn’t take long to realize just how different the machines we chose handled their tasks, but some difference were bigger than others:

“After two days riding the Gold Wing and a third day on the Street Glide, the Yamaha is more than a revelation – it’s a shock to the system,” noted Neil. “Weighing considerably less than the 800-plus pounds of the H-D and the Honda, the Yamaha feels like a scooter. Not a Vespa-ish scooter, more like a kick-and-go scooter kids ride to middle school. After the outhouse-sized façades of the H-D, and particularly that of the Gold Wing, the regular-sized Yamaha feels oddly insubstantial, like a little black dress. (Not that I’ll confess to ever having worn a little black dress…)”

The Honda’s automatic transmission also made for a drastically different experience. Noted by our own T.Siahaan:

“DCT was made for the Gold Wing. It just makes so much sense here. I’m sure we all played around with the paddle shifters at first (at least I did), but for me anyway, it didn’t take long for me to just let the DCT handle the shifts. Most of the time I was fine with the shift points. If I was riding normally in Touring mode, it would jump to the highest appropriate gear quickly. But if I was at a stop and launched hard, it would let the engine rev in each gear before shifting up. My only complaint about the DCT is the sluggishness of downshifts if I was trying to overtake. This is one of the few times I’d downshift manually.”

“Leisure Farms was another gem on our trip, says Troy. “This family-owned farm is still run by two (of four) brothers, and though they grow all kinds of stuff, when we arrived they were harvesting pumpkins. LOTS of pumpkins. There were so many pumpkins that they didn’t know what to do with all of them. So naturally, Mitch, the owner, suggested we fire some out of a cannon. How could we say no?!

“There really is no rhyme or reason to shooting a pumpkin out of an air cannon. The goal is to hit the (already smashed up) car sitting atop some hay bales, but the fluid dynamics of a pumpkin are not something we studied beforehand. Basically, we found the biggest pumpkin that could fit in the barrel, stuffed it in, and launched it. Getting the distance was easy, but after that all you could do was hope the pumpkin wouldn’t suddenly veer the wrong direction and miss the car. Which is exactly what it did for all of us. Still, it was oddly addicting!”

I grew up shooting a potato gun out at my grandparent’s lake house. That contraption was made from various sizes of PVC fitted together, complete with an electric igniter. Simply open the rear chamber, fill it full of some good ol’ Aquanet hairspray, screw the chamber closed as quickly as possible, and fire away! It was exhilarating as a kid, and I know the adults got a kick out of it too. Mitch’s pumpkin cannon was on an entirely different level.

Over some fresh pumpkin pie, the bike banter continued:

“Before this summer I hadn’t ridden an H-D in a dozen or so years,” confessed Neil. “And the improvements are astounding. Shifting to first from a standstill still rewards with a clank worthy of a prison door slamming behind you (relax, you’ll be out on probation in two years less a day) but once on the move the deft use of the throttle allows clutchless upshifts. Clutchless! What lets the bike down for me is the riding position. In H-D nomenclature the Street Glide has mid-mounted controls, but for me the footboards were too far forward, which compelled me to hang the meat of my foot off the rear of the footboards. But by far the greatest hindrance for my enjoyment of the bike is H-D’s pursuit of an ultra-low seat, which comes – surprise, surprise – at the cost of rear suspension travel and compliance. Potholes come at your peril. Allied with a fork on the soft side (flaccid it’s not, but neither is it firm) the bike tends to want to hinge up and down on the oh-so-firm tail end. Is it just me or does Harley-Davidson think all motorcycle riders are 5’6” tall?

“Here’s what I want – and I’m serious. Or at least semi-serious: the Harley engine in the Gold Wing’s chassis. Why not? A better riding position (for me, at least), much better suspension compliance, more luggage capacity, brakes with better feedback, and more cornering clearance. I’d hack some of the plastic off the ‘Wing to better show off the big twin, but I think it could work. I’d also keep the Honda’s slick-shifting transmission. The Harley transmission, though much better (as noted) than in the past, still has a Freightliner-feel that cured me of my big-rig fantasies. For now.”

Troy noted another godsend on the Gold Wing:

“With a bike this big and heavy, it’s a godsend that it has reverse. It’s not the most intuitive feature to use, but we figured it out thanks to Youtube, and once we learned how to use it, we used it wherever we could.”

And the glaring absence on the H-D:

“After riding the Gold Wing, it seems like it would make sense for the Street Glide to have reverse also. These things are massive. Being able to back up easier would be nice.”

It was nearly time to wrap our week spent traversing the Ontarian North, and what better way to do it than on the water. Off we went back to North Bay to meet up with Chief Commanda II and its captain, Rich. Rich’s family has owned and operated the massive touring yacht since 1975, and during peak season, it’s out on the water from sunup to sundown showcasing Lake Nipissing in all its splendor.

In addition to finally getting to satiate my appetite for fall and everything that comes with it, chatting with the fellas onboard the Chief Commanda II truly brought home what was so spectacular about touring the province, the people, the landscape, and for us, the memories of an excellent first ride north of the border.

“As we ended our trip aboard the Chief Commanda II, the experience of it all came over me,” expressed Triz. “Hearing Captain Mitch tell us about his love for the seas, his love for the area, and what makes Ontario so great really made me appreciate the small town feel. It’s as though everyone’s in this together, and when ‘this’ is filled with the scenery that we saw, it’s easy to see why Mitch loves it all. Of course, once the weather turns and things get frigid cold, that small town camaraderie also helps to survive.

“Neil was right. Ryan and I are lucky to live where we do and be able to ride almost every day. Even still, I appreciated the time we had in Ontario because we all understood that days and weeks like the one we had are very rare and should be cherished.”

It’s true, but I liken the sentiment with my longing for fall, and the reason this trip and Ontario’s scenery was so breathtaking for me. I truly miss this time of year when the leaves change and the temperatures drop. Robert Frost reminded many of us back in middle school or high school that “nothing gold can stay,” and why should it? Without the fleeting memory of cherished moments, would they really ever be cherished at all?

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