Buell Demo Day in Ottawa, 2004

A post by Jon from the Buell demo team on BuellDemoTour.com

Part I - July 3 2004

The guys at the dealership yesterday told us that the demo day in Ottawa has been rained out for the past 5-6 years, so we were really looking forward to a good turnout because the weather forecast was calling for sunny skies and a high of 28 C. The skies were clear when we rolled up and started to unload the trailer, and Dave from the service department had the bikes fuelled and ready to go before 9:30 AM. Keith had run the route on his way into work this morning and said everything was a-ok and clear ... nothing to worry about.

The indoor regi table setup (Andrew, Gail's boyfriend, happened to be in the shot as he longingly checked out the Firebolt).

The demo day turned out to be really slow, mainly due to the long weekend and the fact that everyone had taken off to the cottage. The retailer support was really good and we had a bunch of volunteers including Dan Thompson, a Buell racer in the Canadian Thunder series.

We shut her down at 4 PM as per usual, and Keith had mentioned heading out for a ride after everything was packed up, so we quickly loaded up the trailer, grabbed a couple Firebolt 12's, and refuelled them in anticipation for the ride.

Keith had also talked one of his Buell customers, Steve, into coming out for the ride and the plan was to head over the river into Quebec and hit the roads inside the Gatineau Park. Steve mentioned that riding in the park was like playing Russian roulette with the cops because the Quebec police are hard asses and like to really throw the book at motorcyclists .... especially ones with Ontario plates. But the roads were supposed to be worth it, so off we went.

I really didn't know what to expect of the ride, but I was given a pretty good idea as soon as we pulled out of the gas station. Steve and Keith took the lead and immediately dropped the hammer .... GAME ON!!

The first part of the ride was on the city streets of Ottawa and the pace was FAST. It didn't help that there were other bikes out on the road, so Steve and Keith made sure to represent for the Buell brand by stuffing and passing Hondas and Kawasakis at every bend. Looking back, this part of the ride through the city was like an urban assault ride through the crowded streets of Tokyo ... something you would see in a video game. It was NUTS!!

With the urban street racing over, we headed over the river to the Gatineau Park in Quebec. The roads in the park are posted between 40 Km/h and 60 Km/h but we were going through there at over a 100 Km/h. The roads were sweet!! Excellent pavement conditions with lots of fast, blind sweepers that crept up the hill towards a lookout. Steve and Keith really knew their way around the curves, so it was pretty safe to follow as long as they were up front. We made it to the lookout and chilled for a bit before heading back in for more fun.

Chillin at the lookout - (L to R) Ged, Keith, Steve, Aaron

A few more passes and it was time to stop for some food, so we headed down to a nice patio just on the edge of the park. The sun was going down and it was starting to get a little dark (and I had my tinted faceshield on), so we paid up and headed out for a few more laps ... we were all having a blast and couldn't get enough of these awesome roads. By the time we were done, the light had really faded, so we headed back into the city. Steve stopped at a Tim Horton's on the Quebec side to which Keith protested and wanted to go back to Ottawa. Steve obliged and raced us back into downtown Ottawa where we stopped at a happenin' sidewalk cafe with the bikes parked in front. We sat around and bench raced for a while before finally calling it a night around midnight.

Thanks again to Keith, Steve, and Ged for an incredible evening of riding on some super sweet roads. Who woulda thought that a bunch of guys from a Harley dealership would be into riding sportbikes the way they were meant to be ridden ;) I think we're gonna have to rearrange our schedule so we can roll through Ottawa again before the tour's over ... this area is just too good to only race the Gatineau Park GP once :)

Part II - July 20 2004

The continuation of the Gatineau Park GP begins today with the return to the Ottawa region and another hook-up with the guys from H-D of Ottawa. And, just to make everything fair, the West Coast crew had some additional representation on the ride with the addition of my buddy Gord who was out visiting for the week.

After spending the day driving to and from Montreal to pick up Gord at the Dorval airport, the evening was to begin with a rip over the Ottawa River and into the Gatineau area of Quebec. For the past couple days the weather has been mixed with overcast skies and thundershowers, and the dark clouds were overhead as soon as Keith pulled into the hotel parking lot. We decided to make a break for the border as the skies looked a little clearer to the North, but as soon as we put on our helmets, the rain started to fall. With Keith in the lead, we jumped onto the highway and ran away from the rain, and as soon as we entered the Park, the roads were dry and the skies had cleared a bit.

Maybe it was the rain, or maybe the Quebec drivers are more forgiving, but as soon as we turned into the Park, I spotted about a dozen groundhogs spread out along the side of the road in the short grass. So if anyone was worried about my last post regarding the amount of roadkill in Ontario, there actually are some furry critters remaining ;)

Aaron and I were well aware of what was in store for this ride, even if we were missing both Steve and Ged this time around, and Keith didn't disappoint by leading us around the "track" at a fast pace. Lap one was soon over and we pulled into the parking lot at the lookout only to be joined by Ged about 5 minutes later. It turns out that he just missed us at the hotel and had a good idea of where we would be, so he ripped it to the lookout and found us cooling off.

We were soon underway again and completed a few more laps of the course, with a few variations thrown in to keep it interesting, before the light died and we found ourselves rippin it back down the hill in the dark. We made it back across the river and into Ottawa without any unwanted attention, but the fun wasn't quite over just yet ... now it was time for the nighttime urban assault.

Keith led us around the streets of Ottawa, but half the time he was doin it on only the back wheel!! What better way to promote the brand (outside of the demo days of course ... lol) than to hooligan it up on a true streetfighter machine. The shenanigans were rubbing off on Aaron and I as we attempted wheelies and stoppies on a couple of the new '05 Lightning 12's ... these bikes really are perfect for goofin off.

Midnight burnout courtesy of Keith.

After stopping downtown for a quick beverage, we finally made it back to the hotel around midnight and that's where Keith decided to leave his mark with a big stinky burnout next to the Buell trailer. A perfect end to another excellent ride with the boys in Ottawa and mad props go out to Keith as the first true Buelligan that we've met on this tour. Representin' for Buell and for Ottawa.

This article originally appeared online at BuellDemoTour.com.