2009 Kawasaki Ninja 250R black – sold
Parallel twin; sounded a bit like an angry sewing machine.
My first bike; body was a little too small for me as we started making longer trips. I regret selling it; I wish we had kept it and made it into a track bike.
2009 Yamaha FZ6R black – stolen; never recovered
In-line four.
Paul’s first bike that I took after I sold the Ninja. Very soft suspension. Much better handling once the tires were replaced (Pilot Road 2s). Decent on the track (Mission in the rain). A little top-heavy; particularly with a full tank of gas. Acted like a sail in cross winds.
2011 Yamaha FZ8 black – stolen (crashed by the thief); written off
In-line four. Sounded amazing when revved up to 10,000+ RPM.
My favourite bike to date. Perfect riding position; handled beautifully, especially with Pilot Road 3s. Super fun to ride on the track and long days on the road. I really miss this bike.
2013 Yamaha FZ9 orange – sold
Triple. Didn’t sound quite as cool as the Triumphs, but still pretty great.
Had crazy acceleration; the throttle was very snappy in normal mode. B mode was softer, but a little too soft. A mode was for suicidal maniacs. We didn’t have a chance to ride it on a track; we barely put any kilometers on it. The seat was like a plank. Suspension was hard. Gas tank was tiny. It really wanted to do bad things. After we decided to ride off-road and learn enduro riding we didn’t have room for it anymore.
2007 BMW F650GS black – sold
Single; twin-spark.
I bought this used to learn how to ride enduro. It was an okay bike; it handled great on and off road. The looks were uninspiring. Very little on it was adjustable for off-road riding. Not enough leg room for me; I even bought the Dakar seat for a little bit more legroom.
2015 BMW F800GS Adventure white – crashed; written off
Parallel twin.
Paul bought this new. It had all the electronic things and accessories. Went forever on a tank of gas. I could ride it fine on-road but off-road it was too tall and too heavy for me. We were debating changing up the seat the week that we went on the enduro ride where I broke my leg and wrote off the bike.
? Honda CRF230 red – sold
Single.
Our first dirt bike. It’s a little small for both of us but for me coming back to off-road riding after my injuries it will do just fine. Easy to ride; light.
2016 BMW R1200GS triple black – (Paul’s)
Boxer twin. Sounds cool!
After Paul borrowed Kramer’s 1200 it was inevitable that one found its way home to us. Vancouver BMW had the triple-black with all the electronic goodies just waiting for Paul. He loves this bike and I doubt I’ll be inheriting it any time soon…
2012 BMW G650GS Sertao
Single.
It’s light and handles well off-road. It does vibrate at high speed being a single but not nearly as much as a KLR. It’s pretty much the perfect bike for me to get back into riding off-road after my accident. It has a lot more legroom than the F650GS.