While digging through a box of old motorcycle parts, I found this leather tank bag, which I had used on my 1977 Montesa Cota 247 Trail in 1978 or thereabouts. This is definitely old skool!  It’s all leather; there’s not one millimetre of manmade textile like tank bags today. When […]

Our 1977 Montesa Cota 247 Trail’s refurbishment is now complete! Last fall, I contacted old friend Harry Pytel, who I’ve long known through the vintage motorcycle community.  Pytel, now the principal of D&L Motorcycle Parts Corp., has immersed himself in countless ‘vintage’ motorcycle projects.  At one time, he had a […]

  Wednesday, April 18, 2018.  1:30 pm, MDT. After a late Spring snowfall a few days ago, we’d lost all hope that Spring would arrive any time soon. But today, the sun is shining, and it’s a relatively balmy 8 degrees Celsius. I fired up our old, 1983 Mercedes-Benz 300D, […]

Oh, man, has it been a long winter! Today, Wednesday, April 18, 2018 the snow has finally melted from our cul-de-sac. The Optimate battery charger has been hooked up to the RT all winter, and it’s time to roll the bike out, check the tire pressures an prepare for the […]

Here in Canada’s western Prairies, motorcyclists often feel we’re stuck in motorcycle hell. Surrounded by flat terrain, any rider with a hankering for bending a series of turns has got a long way to ride before anything resembling a set of twisties is reached. While we may moan and groan […]

Some time ago I was in the accessory department of a local powersports dealership, looking at new helmets.  I asked the clerk if the cheekpads were replaceable with a thinner ones to accommodate my fat face. She whipped out a black, oval shaped rubber ‘donut’, placed the helmet upside down […]

The 2018 motorcycle season has arrived! Kicking off the year is Calgary’s 2018 Motorcycle Show, which starts today (Friday, doors open at 12:00 noon) and runs Saturday 10:00 AM – 8″00 PM, Sunday 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM) at the Stampede Park. Edmonton’s Motorcycle Show starts Friday, Jan 12th and runs […]

Happy New Year! The 2018 riding season starts off with a big bang this year. Edmonton Triumph dealer Echo Cycle is hosting another big unveiling event, and is slated to show the entire 2018 Triumph motorcycle line up at their big ‘Back in Black’ party, Wednesday, January 10th, 2018. The […]

Long story short:  I bought this 1977 Montesa Cota 247T Trail bike new off the showroom floor of European Motorcycles in Calgary, AB. in 1978. I rode it a few years and damaged it moderately off road riding, bending the handlebars, breaking the headlight lens and pranging the front alloy […]