Alan - Introduction

When I started this introduction, I didn’t plan on it turning into a dissertation so I apologize if it’s rather long.

My first introduction to motorcycles was through John Moffat, who I’m sure many of the older members will recall. John was my father’s life insurance agent and I first met him when he came out to our house in Waverley back in the mid ‘60’s. It wasn’t really John that impressed me so much as the 500 Norton that came roaring up the driveway. Classis black and gold and the sound was, well ….. My father wondered what the noise was all about and my mother thought it sounded quite nice. Tells you what the attitude towards motorcycles was in our household. Regardless, at age 15 or so, that thing was gorgeous.

I rode a few bikes over the years, a Bultaco, Honda 50’s and trail 90’s, scooters in Bermuda and a Triumph Cub (250) but I didn’t really get serious about getting a bike myself until hooking up with John again in my mid 20’s. John was an evil influence and got both my wife and myself into riding. We both took the motorcycle-training course offered by the Canada Safety Council in the mid ‘70s and then bought a pair of bikes from John, a Honda XL125 for my wife and a Honda XT125 for me. John was into Trials riding at that time so the three of us would trailer the bikes to the back of the fledgling Burnside Industrial Park and John would give us pointers on bike control and handling various obstacles as we rode around the trails. I actually rode off road for about three years before taking the XL125 on the main road. We were living in Lawrencetown at the time, so that seemed like a good area to start.

Then, we met Lowell Perry in about 1980. In 1981 Lowell purchased a new R100RT so, being able to ride only one bike at a time, he sold me his late ’73 R75/5, after a bit of pushing from his wife Glady. I tend to be a bit on the conservative side and really wasn’t going to buy the bike as I felt Lowell wanted too much for it (which he did) but my wife Jo-Ann insisted on buying it. I think there was a plot going on there between Jo-Ann and Glady. On relating this story to others, I’ve often been asked if she has a sister so, to clear that up, no she doesn’t. Lowell’s sole proviso was that I had to join the BMWONS because, as Lowell put it, why wouldn’t you want to.

I was in grad school at TUNS at the time and rode the bike back and forth every day, rain or shine. I used to park the bike on the sidewalk in front of the metallurgy building and no one ever complained. Try doing that today. I don’t think I actually got into a car from about late April until mid-November that year.

My wife and I went on a couple of extended trips, though it always seemed to start raining around Truro and continued for a number of days, usually ending when we were about half an hour from our destination. I’ve often thought about renting out my services to drought stricken areas, though they would have to provide the bike.

We moved to Toronto in 1984 and while there, I did a lot of upgrades on the bike as used parts were far more available up there as well as a good dealership. The nice thing was that many things on the BMW’s from 1973 to about the mid ‘80s would retrofit on the older bike. The tech that worked on the bike, Bob Whittleton, told me it was one of the smoothest running 750’s he had heard so that convinced me that I had a good starting point to build on. That and the fact that I was in grad school at UofT and didn’t have any money for a newer bike. I rode the bike into university every day during the summer for the first few years and used to park it in a tiny slot behind the metallurgy building. The owner of the parking space next to it could have complained, but being German, he had a bit of a soft spot for the Beemer, though he did rightfully complain when one of my classmates parked his Ducati there one day.

We moved back here in May of 1999 and I probably saw more bikes in one week passing my mothers place in Waverley than I had seen in an entire summer in Toronto. I have since renewed my membership in BMWONS but through a combination of health issues and bike repair issues I haven’t participated in any club activities or group rides. Not sure though if they would want the “Rainman” along anyway.

Alan, Thanks for putting together your intro. John Moffatt was a very good friend of mine and was a mentor and neighbor. Together we made many memorable trips, which I will cherish dearly. He was an influence on a lot of people he met and a character to boot. He let me ride a 1938 BSA he restored one time, a thrill to say the least.
i liked reading your connection to John.