Hot Time in Port Dover It was an early wakeup call for the oVc crew as they prepared for the trek down to the latest Friday the 13th celebration at Port Dover. With the auspicious day falling on a summer month, it was a certainty that well over 100,000 bikers would be making the pilgrimage. As it turned out, this initial estimate fell a bit short as officials have placed the number of attendees at over 150,000. |
|
|
Billed as the world’s largest single day motorcycle rally, the event has continued to build since a small group of friends first met up in the little town of Port Dover on the shores of Lake Erie back in 1981. The attendees had such a great time, and since it just happened to be a Friday the 13th, one attendee, in what would be described later as a slightly inebriated stroke of brilliance, suggested that the group meet again the next Friday the 13th and the tradition has continued to grow ever since. One of the reasons that the celebration has endured is the fact that the town of Port Dover has fully embraced the gathering and the local business community is very much on board. An army of volunteers works with local residents and town officials to plan each Friday the 13th, and the town benefits from the infusion of riders who now come from far and wide to personally take in the spectacle. |
|
|
Fueling up for the ride to Port Dover For this Friday the 13th, as we have done several times in the past, oVc organized a ride departing from oVc headquarters for an early-morning ride to Port Dover. As departure time neared, we had a rather impressive group of riders assembled including a gaggle of Ural sidecars, a couple of cruisers, and even a smartly adorned Vespa! The Vespa rider was decked out in his mod finery and while he represented a distinct minority in the sea of chrome and leather that typically shows up at these gatherings, everyone is welcome in this biking community! |
|
|
Almost there! The two-hour route took us through some lovely back roads and we rolled in to Port Dover just after 8am. Thanks to our early start, we managed to avoid the long lines of bikes coming into town later in the day, but even so, thousands of bikes were already lining the town’s main street and we had to travel about a kilometer from the downtown core in order to find parking. Once parked, we shed our heavy riding gear but even at this early time, it was already getting warm. The sun was beating down mercilessly and soon had riders scrambling for the sun screen. |
|
|
All parked and ready to explore! For those who’ve not been to Friday the 13th before, or at least not one in the middle of the summer, the crowds are epic. This year, the little town of Port Dover which has about 6,000 year-round residents played host to over 150,000 riders and despite this sea of humanity, everyone is respectful and very chill. I’ve yet to see, in all the events that I’ve attended over the years, any conflict or serious confrontations. |
|
|
The crowds starting to form downtown |
|
|
When you can't decide to play golf or ride to Dover |
|
|
After making the rounds and taking in the sights, some members of our little entourage decided to head for home just after lunch. By this time, the heat was oppressive but this did not stop the number of bikes still streaming into town and for several miles on our way back to Acton, we encountered bike after bike headed south. All told, it was a highly entertaining day with some good company. Thanks to everyone who joined us for the ride and while the next Friday the 13th is more than a year away, we look forward to doing it all again then! |
|
|
2017 Terra Cotta Gear-Up Ural Are you looking for a great price on an almost new Ural Patrol? Then look no further than this very lightly-used 2017 Patrol. The fact that it sports the incredibly beautiful Metallic Terra Cotta paint makes it all the more attractive. With on-demand 2 wheel drive, the Patrol is the off-roader of choice in the Ural lineup. With less than 2,300 kilometers on the clock, this Ural represents a great bargain at just $17,775 plus HST. This is a savings of over $3,100 on the original selling price. Extras include: • Driver’s side fairing • Passenger windscreen • Front bumper |
|
|
New Tent Trailers Have Arrived! For those looking for the ultimate in light-weight camping trailers, look no further than Lees-ure Lite. oVc is happy to announce that we've just received a new shipment of Lees-ure Lite's top-selling model. For more information on these incredible light-weight camping trailers, see our Lees-ure Lite Trailers website. |
|
|
Another happy camping couple thanks to oVc and Lees-ure Lite Trailers! |
|
|
Yan takes a spin on his new Ural Retro! |
|
|
|
|
