I have to take the blame for being in Toronto in the first place; I really wanted us to be there for my grandmother’s surprise 75th birthday party. It was well worth the four hour journey when she opened the door to our smiling and unexpected faces and exclaimed, “How come?!”

That the motorcycle show was happening on the same weekend was just an added bonus. Andrew liked the idea of attending even if we would arrive back home later than originally anticipated because, as he put it, we hadn’t really been thinking about bikes for a long time. I got excited about it when I saw an ad promising the likes of Charley Boorman and Darren James.

The only other bike show I have been to in recent memory was the Montreal show in February 2006. This year’s Toronto show did deliver variety in comparison, as well as more interesting vendors. At first it seemed that the Montreal show had a larger discount clothing vendor (and Andrew still insists that it did), but I believe the two were equal in that department. The Toronto show had many more products and bikes, as well as a rider’s nation section showcasing clubs and organizations of interest; all of this, for me at least, made it superior.

One of my two major highlights was meeting Charley and Russ. Most of this encounter has been described by my dad, but I must add that I seemed to make Russ’s day when I told him that both he and Charley were rather interesting to listen to, and that Charley was not the only star between them.

The second highlight was seeing Darren James. Buell’s following seems mostly cultish in nature, so perhaps not too many people at the show were as excited about meeting Canada’s top Thunderbike racer as we were. No matter, because that meant that after his and Steve Crevier’s interview we were able to chat with them for five or ten minutes.

Darren told us how reliable the Buells have been for him, and how Andrew should get the Pro Pipe for his Lightning. He recounted how he got into racing; after growing up with Harleys all around him, he fell in love with Buell and even worked on the cross-country demo tour. He even knew our favourite Ottawa HD hooligan and salesman, Keith J. We told him about our failed attempt to see him race in Shannonville (yes, the rain really did stop us – what wimps!). He said we should come to the pit when (if?) we finally made it. “Of course we will – if they actually let us!”

Steve was just as good natured as Darren. From him we learned what he really thought of Buell’s Firebolt: he wishes it could be raced stock! No doubt coming with preconceived notions about the company and its motorcycles, Steve decided after giving them a try that Buells are just so much fun to ride on the street.

My new pink Buell hat now has the signatures of both men and will be worn proudly if we ever are able to watch them in action as we hope to do. What better souvenir could I have asked for from this great adventure to Toronto’s pre-Christmas motorcycle show?