In the past, we spent 2 weeks in three different locations in Ontario

>so we could meet up with friends in each place. We saw Ottawa,
>Peterborough, Kingston.

Sounds like you've had some fun touring Canada. My sister lives just
outside of Peterborough. I suppose you might have found some more
variety in other provinces but Ontario is a big place with lots to see.

As I've mentioned, in the past I've spent as long as 6 months at a time
in the USA, the longer visits to Florida since my parents owned a Condo
there for years for winter use.

I also traveled around a lot for brief stays in other states when I was
working with a motorcycle racing team who were competing in various states.

The most memorable was probably Churchill Downs in Kentucky. Most people probably think that's just for horse races but we were running in Flat
Track races there hitting 130 mph on Harleys in the longer straights..
(That THAT Horses!) B)

---
* SLMR Rob * The Ranger isn't gonna like it, Yogi...
* Origin: capitolcityonline.net * Telnet/SSH:2022/HTTP (954:895/54)

On 3/26/2025 1:07 AM, Rob Mccart wrote to Mike Dippel:

In the past, we spent 2 weeks in three different locations in Ontario

>so we could meet up with friends in each place. We saw Ottawa,
>Peterborough, Kingston.

Sounds like you've had some fun touring Canada. My sister lives just
outside of Peterborough. I suppose you might have found some more
variety in other provinces but Ontario is a big place with lots to see.

As I've mentioned, in the past I've spent as long as 6 months at a time
in the USA, the longer visits to Florida since my parents owned a Condo there for years for winter use.

I also traveled around a lot for brief stays in other states when I was working with a motorcycle racing team who were competing in various states.

The most memorable was probably Churchill Downs in Kentucky. Most people probably think that's just for horse races but we were running in Flat
Track races there hitting 130 mph on Harleys in the longer straights..
(That THAT Horses!) B)

130 MPH. That is a lot of horse power :)

---
* SLMR Rob * The Ranger isn't gonna like it, Yogi...
* Origin: capitolcityonline.net * Telnet/SSH:2022/HTTP (954:895/54)

--- Platinum Xpress/Win/WINServer v7.0
* Origin: The Hobby Line! BBS - hobbylinebbs.com (954:895/1)

I also traveled around a lot for brief stays in other states when I was

>-> working with a motorcycle racing team who were competing in various states
>->
>-> The most memorable was probably Churchill Downs in Kentucky. Most people
>-> probably think that's just for horse races but we were running in Flat
>-> Track races there hitting 130 mph on Harleys in the longer straights..
>-> (That THAT Horses!) B)

130 MPH. That is a lot of horse power :)

Most people think of other makes when talking about really fast bikes
but that type of racing takes torque more than horsepower so Harleys
do well in that sport. We also had some 500cc Yamaha single cylinder
bikes for those races for other riders. One tiny young lady did fairly
well riding one of those with us. Women riders were unusual back in the 80's.

I didn't race, I was more pit crew when on the road and I custom painted
the racing bikes for the group. It was fun for me and it got me parts
for my own Harley at wholesale prices and labour for things I couldn't
do myself. Also, unexpectedly, I ended up winning a first place in the
Canadian International Motorcycle show (near Toronto) the largest bike
show in Canada three years in a row.. It was nice to find out that others appreciated my paint work as well.. B)

---
* SLMR Rob * It is bad luck to be superstitious...
* Origin: capitolcityonline.net * Telnet/SSH:2022/HTTP (954:895/54)

On 3/28/2025 12:56 AM, Rob Mccart wrote to Mike Dippel:

Most people think of other makes when talking about really fast bikes
but that type of racing takes torque more than horsepower so Harleys
do well in that sport. We also had some 500cc Yamaha single cylinder
bikes for those races for other riders. One tiny young lady did fairly
well riding one of those with us. Women riders were unusual back in the 80's.

My only bike was a Honda 350 cc that I purchased new in 1974. The bike that seemed
the fastest back then was the Kawasaki 500 I always wanted one, but after seeing what
can happen on a bike, I no longer want one.

I didn't race, I was more pit crew when on the road and I custom painted
the racing bikes for the group. It was fun for me and it got me parts
for my own Harley at wholesale prices and labour for things I couldn't
do myself. Also, unexpectedly, I ended up winning a first place in the Canadian International Motorcycle show (near Toronto) the largest bike
show in Canada three years in a row.. It was nice to find out that others appreciated my paint work as well.. B)

Congrats!

Mike Dippel

--- Platinum Xpress/Win/WINServer v7.0
* Origin: The Hobby Line! BBS - hobbylinebbs.com (954:895/1)

My only bike was a Honda 350 cc that I purchased new in 1974.

>The bike that seemed the fastest back then was the Kawasaki 500
> I always wanted one, but after seeing what can happen on a bike,
>I no longer want one.

I can understand that. That was the claim for the Kawasaki 500 but
I had a Triumph which would do 135 mph, near as I could tell.
The speedometer actually said I was doing near 160 mph, but I wasn't
buying that so I went with engine RPM's at lower speeds vs RPM at
the maximum speed I could get out of it to work out the speed.

I rode bikes for about 16 years and had 3 accidents in that time.
Very early on (age 16) I was doing 70 mph down a road I didn't know
which topped a hill and suddenly turned to loose gravel and I dumped
it with minor injuries to myself and the bike. A few years later I
got racing (again on a road I didn't know) and I came over the top
of a hill at 105 mph, wondering why my competition behind me was
suddenly slowing dowm, and discovered at the bottom of the hill a
gravel road (darned gravel roads!) crossed the road and there was
gravel all over the pavement. I managed to get it down to about
60 mph before I hit the gravel and went off the road into the trees..
More damage to the bike that time but a big rock probably saved
my life as it propelled me (and the bike) UP into a tree about
10 or 12 feet which ate up all that momentum. I came down no worse
than falling out of a tree and just had some bruises on my back.

My slowest (worst) accident happened in a city at 40 mph when
someone cut off the car in front of me which I was no doubt
following a bit too closely. Unable to stop I ended up sliding
the bike on its side to wedge under the back bumper of the car.
I ended up with the weight on my bike on my leg and a lot of the
car's weight on top of that. I tore most of the skin off the palm
of my hand on the way down and I shattered my kneecap, which still
bugs me in some weather 50 years later..

Ironically I was a lot more into hot cars than bikes but never had
a collision driving a car.. Well, once a low speed accident in my
mothers car on black ice when I was 16 when some idiot abandoned
their car totally blocking the road.. But I spent a lot of time
driving a car at well over 130 mph on 'sideroads'.. B)

---
* SLMR Rob * Study art & logic - learn to draw your own conclusions
* Origin: capitolcityonline.net * Telnet/SSH:2022/HTTP (954:895/54)

On 3/30/2025 1:49 AM, Rob Mccart wrote to Mike Dippel:

I rode bikes for about 16 years and had 3 accidents in that time.
Very early on (age 16) I was doing 70 mph down a road I didn't know
which topped a hill and suddenly turned to loose gravel and I dumped
it with minor injuries to myself and the bike.

I admit that I was deinking prior to riding, but once I got to a section of roadway that
had a slight curve to the left. I didn't see it in time and I continued straight until I ran
over the curb and managed to avoid a pole and guy wire. The bike went down and I slid
along the ground causing major road rash.

A few years later I

got racing (again on a road I didn't know) and I came over the top
of a hill at 105 mph, wondering why my competition behind me was
suddenly slowing down, and discovered at the bottom of the hill a
gravel road (darned gravel roads!) crossed the road and there was
gravel all over the pavement. I managed to get it down to about
60 mph before I hit the gravel and went off the road into the trees..
More damage to the bike that time but a big rock probably saved
my life as it propelled me (and the bike) UP into a tree about
10 or 12 feet which ate up all that momentum. I came down no worse
than falling out of a tree and just had some bruises on my back.

As a police officer, i witnessed a police chase where a motorcyclist being pursued hit the
RR tracks at the wrong angle. The bike stopped suddenly when it got wedged in the
tracks. The bad guy got launched onto a roof a ways away and he died.

My slowest (worst) accident happened in a city at 40 mph when
someone cut off the car in front of me which I was no doubt
following a bit too closely. Unable to stop I ended up sliding
the bike on its side to wedge under the back bumper of the car.
I ended up with the weight on my bike on my leg and a lot of the
car's weight on top of that. I tore most of the skin off the palm
of my hand on the way down and I shattered my kneecap, which still
bugs me in some weather 50 years later..

I had an incident where the kickstand slowly came down while I was travelling. It wasn't
a problem until the cove of the road caused it to ground. It made the bike push to the
right. I was able to stop the bike just before I would hit the curb.

I finally decided to stop riding altogether when I approached an intersection early in the
morning. slowed to make a right turn, applied both brakes and the rear slid clockwise
causing it to go down in the wet dew covering all of the oil that accumulates when cars
stop at the traffic light. An off duty officer coming the other way saw me go down and
thought I had to be dead. He saw me pick the bike up while I was cussing a blue streak.
I was able to drive it home and take the car to work. That was the last time I drove it.

Later that day I had an encounter with a mentally ill man where we had to cuff him. He
kicked me in the ankle that had suffered an injury from the accident and I went down.
Luckily, my partner was able to cuff him without my help.

I have good memories, but the bad ones made me quit.

Mike Dippel



--- Platinum Xpress/Win/WINServer v10.0gr17
* Origin: The Hobby Line! BBS - hobbylinebbs.com (954:895/1)