August 18, 2018
By: John Lewis
Everyone has a different reason for riding a motorcycle. For some their bike seems more like a fashion accessory, for others, a statement of what clan they belong to—often brand dependent: think Harley. When you ride a Suzuki V-Strom, especially the 650, you’re not making much of a statement.
What a V-Strom is really great at is Strommin’ along. That’s what I like to do with mine—climb on and ride and ride and ride.
Last Saturday I left Toronto about 7:30AM and arrived home about eleven hours later. The day was fun, and relaxing. The bike was comfortable, and I felt free of the tethers that lash me to my schedule during the week. I was free and my mind was at peace. That’s what Strommin’ along is all about.
I had breakfast at Renee’s Diner in Sutton, a casual comfortable spot where the draw isn’t their great food (it isn’t always all that great) but rather their down-home atmosphere where you can chat with Marcie, the owner, or any of the locals that stop in. From there I rode through Orillia, missed my turn on to 45 (because it probably had a city street name in the heart of the town) and ended up on 11N where I had to get off at Washago and make my way back to 45. But no worries, all is OK when you’re Strommin’ along. Getting lost is half the fun and one of the great benefits of a GPS is if you miss a turn or see a road you want to Strom along you just make the turn and GPS it back to your original route later—or not. It’s all part of Strommin’ along.
Having looped back on 169 at Washago and down to 45 I took 45 through Norland (where I stopped for a Kawartha Dairy ice cream—YUM!) and across to Kinmount. Although there aren’t any tight twisties along that section, the scenery is pretty and there are many arcing curves that have you leaning your bike back and forth. Its fun and relaxing. Kinmount is actually a nice destination, but I had more places to explore so I kept going on to Gooderham via 503. Even on Saturday I saw very little traffic and few other bikers.
At Gooderham you enter the top of 507. This is a very nice motorcycle road. It’d be really nice if the speed limit was higher but enjoyable nonetheless. The top of it has been freshly redone so it’s tempting to ratchet up the speed but that’s not really my thing. I just like to Strom along. 507 twists and turns for about 46 kilometres south to Buckhorn. I actually wanted to go over to Bobcaygeon which would have had me leaving 507 early but I didn’t want to do that so I rode itall the way down to Buckhorn then back-tracked to head over to Bobcaygeon.
During the day I rode through some of my favourite places like Kinmount, Bobcaygeon, and Fenelon Falls. Depending on the day’s ride I will often stop at one or more of them to chill a bit. Bobcaygeon has a public beach so makes a great place to stop and go for a swim.
Leaving the world behind and giving me a day with nary a worry is what my V-Strom is really good at—letting me get out there just Strommin’ along—without a care in the world, except maybe what I’m going to find around the next bend.
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