Opinions
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Gearing up for riding season |
by Dale Burgos
For as long as I can remember, I have always preferred to be riding on two wheels, be it bicycle, scooter or motorcycle. As a young lad growing up in the Maples, I would be on my BMX from morning until night, with quick pit stops at home for lunch and dinner.
Before getting a driver’s license, this was my main mode of transportation – riding streets from home on Simkin Drive to Mandalay, Inkster and beyond was pretty normal. As I sit here reminiscing of my childhood, I am reminded of a large dirt hill next to the Shell station (where the car wash now sits) on the corner of Jefferson and Adsum where my friends and I would hit some pretty rad jumps. I got decent air back then. I also fell quite a bit and I have the scars to prove it. Those were the days – sun on my face and wind flowing through my hair. That last part is impossible these days as I am follicly challenged. Nothing will ever beat the long summer days hanging with my friends all while riding my trusted bike.
This past summer, the Burgos Bunch drove back to Winnipeg for a short visit. Each time we do this I usually take a tour of the old neighbourhood to see what’s new. Gone is the large dirt hill by the Shell station along with local favourites like Candy Castle and Buns Master Bakery. Them were the days…
After getting my driver’s license at 16, my bike didn’t see much action and started to gather dust. But as much I loved my cars, my passion for two wheels never subsided. It wouldn’t be until 2012 when I cured my insatiable desire to get on two wheels once again – this time, a motorized kind. In May and June of that year, I chronicled in the Pilipino Express News Magazine my time taking the motorcycle safety course with the Manitoba Safety Council. This was an important step in getting closer to my goal of riding a motorcycle. Sadly, I had to put a pause on any frivolous purchases as feeding five kids took priority.
In 2014, I finally saved enough to purchase a Yamaha scooter. I was grinning ear to ear every time I hopped on that bad boy. This proved to be a big benefit when parking in downtown Winnipeg as I didn’t need to pay for parking when at work; I simply rolled up to any bike stand. That fun didn’t last and only kept it for a few months.
Fast forward to this time last year when I had a mini mid-life crisis and felt like I had to recapture some of my fond memories as a youth. The itch to get back on two wheels became too much to ignore. Naturally, I bought a motorcycle, I mean, I needed to scratch the itch, right?
Dale manages the communications department for a school district in B.C.