Rode the Vulcan to Vulcan

[roox]

Paid homage to Vulcan yesterday. Left Calgary at 8:30 and 2degrees C. Nice and sunny in Calgary but 1/2 hour into the ride hit thick fog which made the ride colder and wet. Had to stop for a warm up break (and bacon and eggs) an hour into the ride. After the break the fog lifted and the rest of the ride was great. ~400 km round trip. Given our sh*tty weather this year anytime the sun shines I'll take a chance on going for a ride. Wife thinks I'm nuts though.

[elvis]

Originally Posted by roox

Paid homage to Vulcan yesterday. Left Calgary at 8:30 and 2degrees C. Nice and sunny in Calgary but 1/2 hour into the ride hit thick fog which made the ride colder and wet. Had to stop for a warm up break (and bacon and eggs) an hour into the ride. After the break the fog lifted and the rest of the ride was great. ~400 km round trip. Given our sh*tty weather this year anytime the sun shines I'll take a chance on going for a ride. Wife thinks I'm nuts though.

You can't go wrong with bacon and eggs and 400 km round trip sounds good too.

I've been away from home all week this week but will try to make it up with a ride to Anacortes this Sunday.

Yes, winter is around the corner but I don't want to think about it...

[rewindgy]

You need to do the Official "Vulcan's to Vulcan: ride in July! There is a Car / Bike/ Tractor Show - Demo derby - free camping and camp fire activities! All put on by Precision Cycle in Red Deer ( that is the bike part) and the rest by the Vulcan county Cruiser Car Club. Has been going on for about 10 years now. I try to go every year - have to pick which Vulcan I am taking, but it's always a good time. Won "Peoples Choice" this year with my 99 800 Drifter. If you need I could post the Flyer when it comes out for next year?

[roox]

Originally Posted by rewindgy

You need to do the Official "Vulcan's to Vulcan: ride in July! There is a Car / Bike/ Tractor Show - Demo derby - free camping and camp fire activities! All put on by Precision Cycle in Red Deer ( that is the bike part) and the rest by the Vulcan county Cruiser Car Club. Has been going on for about 10 years now. I try to go every year - have to pick which Vulcan I am taking, but it's always a good time. Won "Peoples Choice" this year with my 99 800 Drifter. If you need I could post the Flyer when it comes out for next year?

Sounds like a blast. I'd definitely want to go.

[leadbelly]

Posting a flyer before the event would be great! It seems I always find out about these things after the fact.

Vulcan was actually my first destination this year.
PM me if anyone local is interested in meeting up for a day scoot someplace. I'm in McKenzie Lk area, Calgary. Usually free weekends.

[cyclecat]

Not worth the cost of gas to go the Vulcans to Vulcan anymore. The last 5 years has seen it get worse by the year. Precision no longer has anything to do with the organization of the day, the local car club runs everything and it's turned into a joke. Harleys pretty much win the couple of prizes for motorcycles, or any bike that the general public thinks is a Harley since 95% of the public do not even know there are other types of bikes.

[rewindgy]

Now I have to disagree! So, last year only one Harley won and a Buell won Sport Bike ( since it was the only sport bike there)! Since my Drifter is not a Harley - and one the Big one? There was around 35 bikes there last year with the majority being Kawi's. AS far as the Show part, no Precicion isn't involved however the Car Club still hands out prizes to the bikes! Now, the part Precison does do is the Camping portion which is held just outside of town - there is free camping c/w Out Houses, there is a fire Saturday night with a fireside Social and Glen hands out prizes and give aways! There were 2 - 3 Helmets / lots of gloves / hats / Chain oil / etc. A couple of years ago there was a very sweet Leather jacket and a Kawi Jean jacket!

[cyclecat]

Ok so 3 prizes for motorcycles. One was won by a harley, one was won by a buell (a little, tiny, baby Harley), and the third by a Drifter. Have you actually looked at your Drifter lately? The general public will think it is either an Indan or a Harley because it does not looked like what people think a metric looks like. If the majority of motorcycles were Kawi's, why did a Harley win anything at all at an event call Vulcans to Vulcan?

[Bdog]

Where is Vulcan? What's it all about?

[Loafer]

Originally Posted by Bdog

Where is Vulcan? What's it all about?

Never been there, but I think that is where Spock was from. :)

[rewindgy]

Actually the Harely was a very nice bike! And a last year the 2 top bikes were a Honda and a 1971 Suzuki. The year before that a 1999 Kawasaki 800 Classic won top honors. Also, since you have to write down what the bike is with your number, if people are voting it's kinda hard not to know what the bike manufacture is! I know that for a while only Harley's were winning - however that's because they also were from vulcan so they got prefercial treatment. And what the heck, it's ten bucks and its a good time! I don't really care if Harley guys win, after all they are the one's who paid way too much and spend way too much time beating their own chests about how cool they are! Us other guys usually just stand back and enjoy the show, I mean, honestly, you can't buy that kind of entertainment! That's why I love going to Sturgis - I tell you the sight seening ( watching them parade around) is well worth the time - plus I like traveling.

[leadbelly]

Vulcan, is a little town in Alberta. There is a "Trekkie" museum (that white thing behind the Nad) and a Star Ship Enterprize mounted on a piller. Nice little golf course also, along with all the other nice little things rual towns have to offer. Good little scoot from Calgary if you like the wide open prairie and quiet 2 lane blacktop.
Looking forward to checking out this "Car Show" next year. :)

[cyclecat]

I don't have a clue which Vulcan to Vulcan rewindgy is referring to since the 2 'top prizes' last year were won by a local riding a harley - best custom and best in show. The best original was won by an 800 Vulcan and I can't remember what one the fourth prize. We were at the car show, and really that's what it is, a car show, for 7 years in a row and never saw a Kawi win the 'top prize'.

Before we left last year, we had quite a few people come up to us and tell us we were robbed since our Nomads are what the Vulcans to Vulcans show and shine should be about, customized Vulcans that are unique not harleys that are customized to look like every other customized harley on the road.

The first year we went there was over 100 motorcycles showed up and last year (we opted not to stand for 7 hours in the blazing sun this year for nothing) there were only about 12 motorcycles that stayed the day until the prizes were handed out. Others rode in and rode out but the final count entered in the show were 12 I think. Every year it is a Harley that winds up with either the 'top prize' or at least 2 of the four prizes handed out.

I talked to the car guy that organizes the show and shine 2 years ago and asked why there are not separate classes for the Vulcans and other makes of motorcycles and was told if your not riding a Harley, why even bother to show up. If any local, on any kind of bike or motorcycle shows up, they will automatically win since the car club guy told me he counts the votes. I asked him what he was riding, he snorted and said it sure as hell wouldn't be any Jap crap like I was on, it would be a good old American made harley if anything. Nice attitude for someone organizing a show and shine called Vulcans to Vulcans.

Between 2 and 3 in the afternoon is the best time to go for a look since everyone is standing around waiting for the prizes to be handed out, and the most motorcycles are there at that time.

[blackdogbrian]

Where is the info for the vulcan's to vulcan ralley?
I stumbled into there two years ago on the way home from another multi day trip. I was on a shadow at the time, but seemed like a good group of folks.
I can't comment on how it is not vs before, but there don't seem to be many metric ralley's anywhere in the western cdn provinces - so if I can' happen to make this one next year - why not?

[cyclecat]

There is usually info on the Vulcan tourism website.