cee

MOTORCYCLE POLO was a popular pastime for young men and their
machines in the early days. If was usually the Indians against the Harleys.
They played wherever they could find a patch of open ground. Pictured
here, from left, are George Wellburn, Jim Haggart, Bran Carmichael and

Continued from Page 2

others give it up when marriage
“@nd children come along. Many
of those who have given up
motorcycling in favor of family
go back to it after their children

® have grown up. These so called

“greybeards’ are making up an
inereasing percentage of the
biking population. They tend to
favor the larger touring bikes
such as Honda Goldwings which
are comfortable to ride over long
distances. E
For many people, such as
Mark- Miller of Sidney, motor-
cycle riding has always been a
family affair. He got started
riding at three years old when
his father Bill, an avid com-
®ctitor and past president of the
Victoria Motorcycle Club, put
him on a machine.
Mark Miller and his friends

@ -who ride don’t need sociologists

to tell them why they ride motor-
cycles. To them, it’s just plain
fun. Most weekends, the group
can be found at the Victoria
Motorcycle Club’s 177-acre
facility in the Happy Valley
area. The club’s land, now
valued at more than half a mil-
lion dollars, was purchased for a
fraction of that price years ago
and stands as a tribute to the
foresight of the club's member-
ship.

ig Miller said the VMC is

stronger that it ever has been.
There are 160 members at

present and the club sponsors a .

fullrange of events including tri-
als, enduro, hillclimbs and road

rallies where riding skills are _

tested. Many of the events —
such as the hillclimb (next one
at the end of September) — are
extremely popular with spec-
tators.

Miller said the emphasis is on
safety at the Victoria Motorcycle
‘Club grounds although the club
has had its share of members

@ who have done well in national

and international competition.

New members are welcome
but must be sponsored by a club
member and voted in by the
general membership.

While the popularity of motor-
cycling appears to be expanding,
there is a dip in the road for
those who deal in Japanese
motorcycles. While the sale of
Japanese machines was going
gangbusters five years ago, it
has since slipped by as much as

30 per cent.

Bruce Parker, proprietor of
Victoria Honda, said the supply
of first-time buyers appears to
have dried in the past year.
Those buying the bikes now are
mainly the “greybeards”’ who

bike remaining — has meant
good times at the Pembroke
Street shop.

Drane, who quickly sold out of
all 1990 stock, has already pre-
sold three quarters of his 1991

allocation of motorcycles. He ex-

proximately 85 per cent of the
new purchase price — makes
buying one an attractive
proposition.

Drane said Harley Davidson
has also been careful not to flood
the market as the Japanese

POP SHANKS, founder of Victoria’s first motorcycle dealership, Brooklands Motorcycle Sales
and Service, is pictured in this 1962 photo at age 85 on a Harley Davidson. He was a
dedicated motorcyclist who helped establish the Victoria Motorcycle Club.

have enough disposable income
to be able to afford the bikes.
Parker also blames the

_Japanese for flooding the

market and for granting too
many dealer franchises.

A lack of profitability in the
Japanese bike market has
caused as many as 60 per cent of
the North American dealers to
go out of business during the
past three years, said Parker.

At approximately $15,000 for
a 1990 Honda Goldwing, the
Japanese machines are just too
expensive for most first-time
buyers.

But only a few blocks away
from Parker’s shop, at Steve
Drane Harley Davidson, things
are looking rosy. A remarkable
resurgence in the popularity of
Harley Davidson machines —
the only North American-made

pects the 10 remaining cycles
that aren’t spoken for will be
gone long before he takes pos-
session of the first 1991s, this
fall.

Several factors have con-
tributed to the brisk sales of
Harleys. While the quality con-
trol of Harley Davidsons was
once questionable, things have
changed. The employees of the
company bought back the busi-
ness from the AMF company
and instituted rigid quality con-
trol standards.

“They have been making ex-
cellent bikes during the last
couple of years. These machines
will stand up to anything on the
road. It’s really quite remark-
able,’said Drane.

The Victoria Harley dealer
said a traditionally high resale
value for Harleys — ap-

have done. Nostalgia may also
be a factor in the increased
popularity of the bikes, said
Drane.

“This company has been
around since 1903 - it’s a sur-
vivor. Everybody's dad had a
Harley Davidson.”

A break at the border because
of the Free Trade Agreement,
combined with the improved
value of the Canadian dollar,
knocked approximately $2,500
off the retail price of Harleys two
years ago and this made a lot of
difference to sales of the bikes in
Canada. :

Drane said he’s hoping the
removal of the 13.5 per cent
federal tax at the border and its
replacement with the seven per
cent GST tax will mean the 1991
models remain close to the 1990
price.

Reg Shanks. Carmichael, riding the Indian, was killed Overseas during the
Second World War. Motorcycle stunt riding was also a popular attraction in
those days. Shanks and his friends could always be counted on to put on a
good show.

Whatever happens, that price
won't exactly be cheap —a 1990
Heritage Softail Classic retailed
for $15,300 earlier this year. An
Ultraglide Classic with a sidecar
went for $25,200.

Honda Canada blames its slip
in sales on several factors, most
important among them being
the increased value of the
Japanese yen. Japanese bikes
doubled in price during a five
year period. Other leisure items
such as boats and windsurfing
equipment have also cut into the
market. In addition, banks have
become more reluctant to
finance motorcycles, especially
for younger buyers, and in-
surance premiums have shot up
dramatically.

While third party liability

_ coverage for motorcycles is

reasonable, fire and theft is
high. The cost of liability
coverage increases with the size
of a bike’s.engine.

Serious motorcyclists are
alarmed by the premiums some
of them are paying to keep their
bikes on the road and there is a
concerted effort in B.C. to lobby
the provincial government to do
something for bikers.

Groups such as the Bikers
Rights Organization, the B.C.
Motorcycle Federation and the
B.C. Coalition of Motorcyclists
are taking an active role in lob-
bying government for respon-
sible motorcycle legislation as
well as promoting motorcycle
safety and awareness.

Other groups and clubs —
such as the 100,000-strong Har-
ley Owners Group (HOG) — are
beginning to flex political
muscles for better motorcycle
laws. Sheer numbers of bikers
alone — 400,000 people on
250,000 motorcycles are ex-
pected to attend the Sturgis
(South Dakota) Blackhills Clas-
sie this week — must surely
serve to point out that motor-
cycles and motorcyclists are in-
deed coming of age.

Whether it’s a 250cc Japanese
commuter or a full-blown Har-
ley Davidson, there's a common
denominator shared by all
motorcycle riders - the joy of
riding just never seems to
diminish.

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