Riding Across Eastern Canada – 12 Days on 2 Wheels

[peterbaron]

Day 3, Wednesday - Riviere du Loup, QC - Grand Falls, NB - Gaspe Peninsula and Chandler, QC, 580 kms

https://www.google.ca/maps/dir/Rivi%C3%A...FQAw%3D%3D

After a quick breakfast, we rode to Grand Falls, where we stopped to enjoy the beautiful scenery.









...
When I walked up to my CB, I noticed a wire sticking out of the rear Metzeler tire... and naturally, I wasn't thrilled about it.
Django hit the nail on the head right away... a tire with a tread pattern that doesn't cover the entire surface might perform well today, but tomorrow the situation could look completely different, and that’s exactly what happened, even though I’d checked it twice before setting off. I’ll never buy a tire like that again... and certainly not a Metzeler for the CB1100, becouse is too soft.



We still have about 3500 planned km or more to go, and now there’s a tire problem, and on top of that where to buy one and where to get it fitted??
...
Finally, after a couple of coffee breaks and meal, we arrived at the beautiful Gaspé Peninsula...












....

As we rode on, we noticed that the weather forecast for tomorrow didn't look promising!
We eventually stopped at the Chandler Motel QC and asked about a motorcycle shop, where a kind older lady helped us find a motorcycle mechanic to replace a damaged rear tire.
Without her help, I don’t know how we would have made it home.

Day 4, Thursday - Chandler, QC to Matane, QC, about 500 km

https://www.google.ca/maps/dir/Chandler,...FQAw%3D%3D

After a tasty breakfast at a motel restaurant....



....I rode my bike to a nearby motorcycle shop to get a tire, but they didn't have one in stock.
I was told to go a bit further to a Kawasaki dealer; I found a new tire there, though by the look of it, I estimated it was 20 years old (it had been sitting in the dark basement and was in perfect condition), but they refused to mount it because they didn't have the time....I ran my hand and fingernail over the tire, hand and fingernail clean, and I took it without even checking the date of manufacture, I had no choice.
I sent the tire back to the first shop, where they mounted it for me within an hour and a half. I also had a nice chat with their mechanic who mounted my tire.
Only then did I check the date of manufacture: 1704...  
The total cost came to around 400 Canadian dollars.




Sourcing and mounting the tire took us nearly five hours.
We checked the weather forecast again, the outlook for the late afternoon and the next two days was poor, with fog, rain, and temperatures around +9°C moving in.

Riding with Django is pleasure, until the winding roads begin... he is simply a master at tackling hairpin bends, curves, and U-turns on narrow routes; I just can't keep up with him, I was always left behind! 

We had already toured most of the picturesque Gaspé Peninsula when rain and fog suddenly set in, turning the remaining couple of hundred km into an unpleasant ride.
We eventually found a comfortable motel in Matane, QC; there, over pizza for dinner, we decided to alter our Gaspé trip plans and head straight home, a journey of about 1,300 km that would take two days to complete.
The next day will be even worse....

[pdedse]

Very cool to see the routes on the maps / photos of places that I had imagined riging this time last year.

[Cormanus]

Day 2, Tuesday - Brampton, ON to Riviere du Loup, QC

There is not really much to report about 1050 km hwy sprint to Riviere du Lup, Que.

That's a helluva day's ride. Well done.

The Gaspé Peninsula looks beautiful.

[peterbaron]

Day 2, Tuesday - Brampton, ON to Riviere du Loup, QC

There is not really much to report about 1050 km hwy sprint to Riviere du Lup, Que.

That's a helluva day's ride. Well done.

.......

On Sunday, Django flew nearly 7,000 air kilometers from Frankfurt to Toronto; on Monday, a short "around the block" test ride turned into 200 kilometers... and so, to avoid a sudden drop from air kilometers to ground kilometers, and purely for health reasons, we had to cover those 1,000+ kilometers on the first day of our journey 

[Nachodaddy]

Great story and pictures, PB. Thank you!

[Gone in 60]

Love it! You guys are having a great time!

[peterbaron]

Day 5, Friday - Matane, QC to Riviere du Loup, QC, 220 km

https://www.google.ca/maps/dir/Matane,+Q...FQAw%3D%3D

What a terrible day and ride—only 220 km, with rain, fog, and cold.
I had to turn on my hazard lights to remain visible while Django was leading.
On a two-lane road, a driver decided to overtake both motorcycles at once, despite the poor visibility... and nearly collided head-on with a police cruiser; the cops activated all their emergency lights but did not pursue the oblivious driver, bad decision!

We had an excellent dinner at a nearby restaurant.

Day 6, Saturday - Riviere du Loup, QC to Brampton, ON - 1025 km

https://www.google.ca/maps/dir/Rivi%C3%A...FQAw%3D%3D

It has been cold and rainy since early morning. A tasty breakfast at a nearby restaurant gave us the strength and energy for the final leg of the journey home. As we move away from the St. Lawrence River, it gets warmer, though the rain continues.
Near Montreal, we skirt the edge of a thunderstorm but press on. I can feel the raindrops hitting my gloves like sharp needles.
After a few stops for fuel, coffee, and a snack, we have just 200 km left to go. The rain has stopped, it is warm, and we no longer need our rain gear.
Finally, around 8:30 PM, we arrived home.

Every day after riding, we used moto chain lube by Repsol, its an excellent product, especially when it's raining.



The long journay has come to an end.

We also went on a few day trips, stay tuned for more updates.

[Cormanus]

Final couple of days don't sound much like fun.

[Gone in 60]

Wow, that last part doesn’t seem too fun. Bet you’re glad you had more tread out back, even 22 year-old tread.

The total cost of the installed ancient tire reminds me of the tire scene in Vacation. “How much do I owe you?” “How much you got?”

Glad you both made it back safely in the rain.

[peterbaron]

Day 7, Sunday

Sunday was our day of rest, but Django invited my wife and me to an all-you-can-eat Chinese restaurant called Mandarin.
The Mandarin restaurant chain operates exclusively in Ontario.

The food was delicious – everyone can always find something to their liking.