Rode to Whitby today to take advantage of the no HST sale at a well known bike supplies store. When I got there (about 10:45AM), there were only a few bikes in the parking lot.

When I got out of the store at 11:30AM (found myself a Frogg Toggs rainsuit), there were lots of bikes out there by then. I walked to my Bird, and lo and behold, another Bird is parked right next to mine! A black one, looked pretty stock, with a tank bra, analog dashboard.

It was my first live sighting of another Bird around here, as Birds seem to be fairly rare here.

I wonder if it belongs to a fellow cbrxx.com member?

Well, it wasn't me, obviously. I will be at GP Bikes this Friday to pick up some stuff I ordered, but I'll be in the cage. How do you like their new store?

Well, why didn't you hang about to chat to the guy?

Originally Posted by elvetost

Well, why didn't you hang about to chat to the guy?

Unfortunately, I was on a schedule and had no time to wait for him to come out...

Originally Posted by The Dread Pirate Roberts

Well, it wasn't me, obviously. I will be at GP Bikes this Friday to pick up some stuff I ordered, but I'll be in the cage. How do you like their new store?

Actually, I was next door at Royal Distributing. That store was quite impressive indeed. Just passed in front of GP Bikes and that looked quite impressive as well. I think I need another trip there to truly explore both stores. I didn't have enough time on this trip

Make some time then man!

you guys go over 100km for a simple shop???

Yeah... But there just isn't anything else comparable closer to home. This store is huge, much like a supermarket of bike stuff. It is precisely 102km from home, but it's highway riding all the way, boring but quick riding...

The Greater Toronto Area is roughly 150km long east to west along Lake Ontario (from Oshawa to Hamilton). We think nothing of traveling for an hour to get anywhere. Kind of sad in a way...

Originally Posted by fearlessbob

Actually, I was next door at Royal Distributing. That store was quite impressive indeed. Just passed in front of GP Bikes and that looked quite impressive as well. I think I need another trip there to truly explore both stores. I didn't have enough time on this trip

I just found out last week that Royal had a store there! I had no idea. If time permits I will try to get in there on Friday as well. Still in the cage though, as I HATE riding the 401.

401 is not like deutsche autobahn?

Originally Posted by heisti

401 is not like deutsche autobahn?

Actually, the highway itself is similar. It was built in the 60's for 100mph travel. It's a beautiful, multi-lane highway with nice, wide, well-marked lanes and is heavily populated with stupid, blind, brain-dead drivers who have no business operating a lawn tractor, let alone a thousand kilograms of steel moving at 140kph.

Originally Posted by heisti

401 is not like deutsche autobahn?

Not at all: 401 is up to 5 lanes in each direction (depending on where in Toronto) and the average Ontarian (the bulk of the population, really) is mysteriously attracted to the leftmost lane but not going any faster there than in the other lanes (even slower). It seems the left lane is just another lane, not a passing lane. It is not uncommon to see people backed up in the left lane and have the rightmost lane all clear. And nothing will make them move to other lanes to the right. Also known as "left lane bandits", which has been the bane of my short existence in this province. They even have signs that say, "Slower traffic keep right", but these don't faze anyone. Having driven on the German autobahns, I surmise that the life expectancy of the "average Ontarian" on a German autobahn would be about 8 minutes. Come to think of it, maybe we should offer trips to Germany

I have always wondered where this driving habit originates from? This state of affair forces the faster vehicles to pass on the right, which is legal here, but safety-wise is a debatable practice...

Gee Bob, we should form some kind of club.

in austria it´s called "süd-ost-tangente" europes most frequented highway.
Suedosttangente_ist_die_meistbefahrene_Autobahn_2010-53_Millionen_Pkws-Story-236762_476x250px_1_.jpg
"i´m driving the left lane at 90km/h - therefor i am"
is very popular here too

and according to my german friends the few left "open parts" of their autobahn is open only in theory because of the traffic.

what leads to wonderfull accidents when a 110km/h car is crossing the lanes "blind" and the following car is comming from behind with 270km/h. nice pics. just google it but do not eat before.

Originally Posted by The Dread Pirate Roberts

Gee Bob, we should form some kind of club.

Isn't cbrxx.com some kind of club?