The ULTIMATE AB Motorcycle Vacation Press Release

                                             

Canadian Motorcycle Tourism Association

10908-102 St.

Grande Prairie AB T8V 2X3

Phone: (780) 933-0182

Email: exec.director@motorcycletourism.ca

Websites: veteransmemorialgardens.com

motorcycletourism.ca

For Immediate Release:

The Canadian Motorcycle Tourism Association is proud to announce the addition of major prizes being added to the “Ultimate Alberta Motorcycle Vacation” Package  that we will be giving away to one lucky CMTA member on December 24th, 2019.

On top of all of the other amazing prizes that we already have lined up for one lucky member to win, we are proud to announce another big addition:

2 Day Motorcycle Rental from Rent a Harley-Davidson® Motorcycle - Calgary
2 Nights accommodations at Betty’s B & B in Calgary.
25,000 Choice Hotel Points from Choice Hotels Canada!

About the “Ultimate Alberta Motorcycle Vacation” Prize:
The Ultimate Alberta Motorcycle Vacation prize package is filled with all sorts of admission passes to attractions like the Philip J Currie Dinosaur Museum, a free weekend at the Place to Pause Wilderness Retreat in Smith Alberta. Free tickets to the Rock Ride in Bluffton, the Run to the Hills Memorial Rally in Two Hills, the AIrdrie Bikes & Bulls event and so much more!

About the Rider Friendly Business Association:
The Rider Friendly Business Association is a collective of small businesses that understand that riders are valuable customers and they want to entice them to come to their business.
Many of the businesses in the association are rider owned too!

About the Canadian Motorcycle Tourism Association:
The Canadian Motorcycle Tourism Association believes that our heritage, history and tourism are natural partners in growing better communities. Our relationship with our communities, motorcycle & veterans motorcycle organizations and the tourism industry allow us to promote heritage and historical education that encourages motorcycle and military tourism developments.  We give away monthly gift cards in random drawings for our members, and other than answering a skill testing question, there is no catch, it’s just a thank you for being a member!  We have many perks like BOGO for the Airdrie Bikes & Bulls Event and up to 20% Discount at any Choice Hotel Worldwide.


Renee Charbonneau - Dame OStG
Executive Director
Canadian Motorcycle Tourism Association
Project Lead - Veterans Memorial Gardens
Email:exec.director@motorcycletourism.ca
Phone:  (780) 933-0182

A Look Back at 2018 at the Calgary Motorcyle Show Season 6 Episode 1 Segment 3

Season 6 Episode 1 Segment 3

Ill-Fated Kustoms - Motorcycle Parts & Lifestyle Goods

Kenny Kwan, the owner of Ill-Fated Kustoms, fell in love with riding after taking a motorcycle riding course with his friend.  Since then, he has turned his passion into a career,

After a bad motorcycle accident, all that was left of his bike was the motor.  He decided to rebuild.  When trying to source out parts for his mission, he found that most parts were only available in the United States.  He then partnered with a friend to start an online business aptly named Ill-Fated which imported custom parts.

In 2015 Kwan decided to make Ill-Fated his full time business and opened to the general public in Calgary AB.  Since then he has three custom bike builds under his belt.  He sells everything from parts and gear, to accessories and apparel.  He also has a journeyman mechanic for services and repairs.

Visit him today at:  500-321 50 AVE SE
CALGARY, AB, CANADA

If you are blessed enough to live where you can be riding today, please remember to ride like everyone around you is blind and can not see you.

Belt Drive Betty
Editor & Rider

A Look Back at 2018 at the Calgary Motorcycle Show Season 6 Episode 1 Segment 2

 Season 6 Episode 1 Segment 2

Women in the Wind

Ride Like a Local sat down with Terry Southwood and Crystal McConnell at the Calgary Motorcycle Show to speak about their group Women in the Wind the Chinook Chapter.

Terry, the treasurer of Women in the Wind has been riding since before having children and steady for the last 8 years.  She credits her brother for influencing her to ride.

Crystal, an avid rider, has been riding since 2013 and bought herself a new bike in 2015.  She credits her son for influencing her love of motorcycles.

The number of female riders has definitely increased in the last 10 years!

Women in the Wind is a group of female motorcycle enthusiasts!  They come for all walks of life, are all ages, and love motorcycles.  The Chinook chapter is the Calgary chapter of Women in the Wind.  There are also over 100 chapters throughout Canada, The United States and Europe.

There are a number of membership benefits such as parties, rallys, social gatherings, meetings held by different chapters, and unlimited friendships made.  But remember, this membership is for women only!

To apply for a membership of to learn more about Women in the Wind, go to https://www.witw-chinookoutriders.com.


Season 6 Episode 1 Segment 2
Badlands Harley Davidson

Ride Like a Local ran into our Rider Friendly Business Association Partner, Ivan Karsten from Badlands Harley-Davidson at the Calgary Motorcycle Show.

Badlands Harley-Davidson has been a family run business since 1996.  Ivan and his wife Wendy moved the store from Medicine Hat to 3 Km east of Medicine Hat on the Trans Canada Highway in 2002.

Badlands Harley-Davidson is an award winning dealership with their prime focus being on customer service.  With over 90 years combined experience, they will help you out with all your riding needs.

Badlands Harley-Davidson is very community minded.  Aside from showing their customers all the great places to ride, they are also involved with sponsoring charities such as the annual Santa Claus Toy Run, the food bank, and HALO Rescue.

To get yourself into a new Harley, or to find out more about Badlands Harley-Davidson, please go to https://www.badlandshd.com/.
If you are blessed enough to live where you can be riding today, please remember to ride like everyone around you is blind and can not see you.

Belt Drive Betty
Editor & Rider

A Look Back at 2018 at the Calgary Motorcycle Show Season 6 Episode 1 Segment 1

Season 6 Episode 1 Segment 1

Airdrie Oilmens Association

Ride Like A Local was onsite at the Calgary Motorcycle Show to interview Adrian & Frank of the Airdrie Oilmens Association.

The Airdrie Oilmen's Association, started in 2003, is a group of people in the gas and oil industry that are raising money for local charities in Airdrie.  They promote a positive community image of the Airdrie Oilmen's Association in and around Airdrie by directing funds raised back into the Airdrie community’s local charities.  Three of the charities that benefit are North Rocky Community Links ,Airdrie Food Bank , and Airdrie and District Victims Assistance Society .

Thanks to some key sponsors and three main events held each year, the Airdrie Oilmen's Association have raised nearly $200K for the charities in their community.

The Airdrie Oilmen's Association is always in need of sponsors and volunteers for the following events:

The Annual Golf Tournament

The White Collar Boxing Event:  Corporate professionals and services employees will be facing off in the squared circle for a fully sanctioned Alberta Ameteur Boxing march all in the name of charity.

Bikes and Bulls:  People from all over Canada and the US join together for Bikes and Bulls.  A weekend of drag racing, show & shine (cars, trucks & bikes), motorcycle and car rally, and professional bull riding.  A full party weekend with live music and free camping!

The Airdrie Oilmen's Association.  Building stronger communities by giving back to the community.

To learn more or to donate, please visit www.aoaalberta.com.

If you are blessed enough to live where you can be riding today, please remember to ride like everyone around you is blind and can not see you.

Belt Drive Betty

Editor & Rider

Amazon to launch Motorcycle Installation Services at "Amazon Approved" dealerships???

Amazon to launch Motorcycle Installation Services at "Amazon Approved" dealerships.

Now that's a creative "breaking news" piece from YouMotorcycle.com 
Hmmmmm, something smells funny to me, does this smell to you, kind of like burning rubber?


Let me know what your spider senses tell you!

Belt Drive Betty,
Editor & Rider

The Women Riders World Relay + International Women's Day

As I sit here at 58 years old, I can look back at the life I have lead to this point and see the hundreds and thousands of tiny steps that I and countless of other women before me took to get where we are today. 

One personal journey became a collective journey that started at the beginning of time.

There have always been strong, independent women, all throughout the ages.

Catherine the Great, Joan of Arc, Cleopatra, Madame Curie, Eleanor of Aquitaine, Sacagawea, Nellie Bly, Bessie Coleman, Indra Gandhi and so, so many more. 

When I read about many of these women in high school, it was from the context of history in war, or science or computing, but never was it from the context of HOW or WHY did these women manage to be accepted in a work world of predominantly males and become so revered for their skills and knowledge? 

HOW and WHY were they able to do what other women seemingly felt unable to do?

They were all trailblazers with two things in common; 

They didn't think or act like other women of their day.

I learned something in high school, reading their stories, and that something was reinforced by my father.  

He always told me that if I wanted something bad enough I would find a way to go over, around or under any obstacle to make it happen.  "All you have to do is have a fire in your belly and a determined heart and mind. There may be some things that are physically impossible for you to do that a male counterpart can, but there are in many cases tools that will aide you, you just need to be smart enough to use them."

And truth be told, as I look back now, the only person who has EVER truly held me back in anything was me.

Whenever I have wanted something bad enough, put my imagination, skills, heart and soul to work, I have succeeded at anything I truly wanted to do.

Did I face discrimination? Yes. 

Did men rape and bully me? Yes.

Did women bully me? Yes. 

Did women act petty and catty and try to rip me down? Yes.

Did men threaten me that if I didn't sleep with them I'd lose my job? Yes.

Did any of those things change me? 

YES - they strengthened my resolve, they helped me find my self worth, find my backbone and learn to defend myself and stand up for myself.

I lived in a family, that like many, was very dysfunctional but the dysfunction was hidden behind closed doors, always whispered about, but never brought out in the open.  My life became a series of contradictions, my father telling me I could be or do anything I set my mind to and my alcoholic mother beating me unmercifully.  There were girls and boys in my school that were such bullies, that between them and the crap with my mother and father that I was constantly being involved in, I was on nerve pills and tranquilizers by the time I was 16. 

When I first left home at 18 I was partying a lot, I finally settled down a lot by 19 and by 23 was living in the US, and sadly in a really dysfunctional marriage.

When I left my ex husband I was very ill, in fact, I spent 9 months in hospital with doctors working to save my life. During that time my daughter was kidnapped by her father from my mother's home where alcohol was still a big problem and I was helpless to protect her or stop any of it.  When two and a half years later she finally came home to live with me at not quite four years old, we started counselling. 

It was there, trying to help her, to give her better tools and skills than I had been given, that I learned how to help myself. Since those days as a young 28 year old women, I have learned about the universal laws which govern everything in our lives and this includes the Law of Attraction.

What you give your focus, attention and energy to, is what you will attract to you. 

Learning to live by these laws has become my mission in life!

If there was one thing I would wish for young girls on their journey to womanhood, it would be for them to learn meditation at a young age.  

To learn how to turn that negative chatter in our heads off and find relief.  I would also love for them to learn early on that they are only responsible for their reactions to how others treat them.

If we as parents, as influencers in children's lives could simply give them the skills to believe in their own dreams and the tools to reach for those dreams, image, how much faster than us, that our girls can become the strong, loving, capable, joyous, balanced, happy people they deserve to be.

For those of you ladies who ride, there is a world wide Women's Motorcycle Relay Ride happening now.  

If you want to see joyous, empowered, strong and loving women in motion, join them on Facebook: 

WRWR - Women Riders World Relay.  

AND IF YOU CAN -  support this amazing world wide statement by riding in the relay, sponsoring it or simply cheering them on! 

If you are blessed enough to live where you can be riding today, PLEASE remember to ride like everyone around you is blind and cannot see you.

Belt Drive Betty,

Editor & Rider

44th Annual Three Flags Classic

The Southern California Motorcycling Association has been serving the long distance riding community since 1968. That's what it says on their website, and when you look at the rides they host, its very obvious that this association is made up of hard core riders!

This year, their 44th annual Three Flags Classic brings them to beautiful Vernon BC. For those who have never ridden in the Okanagan region of BC, you really don't know what you are missing! The lakes, the orchards, wineries and curvy roads make it truly lovely.

The Southern California Motorcycling Association is also the proud host of the USA Four Corners Tour which covers 7,000 miles in 21 days and the USA Four Corners TRUE X Tour.
The True X sounds like an interesting tour. The geographical center of the USA is Lebanon Kansas. So the idea is to ride in from one corner of the US to Lebanon, then to another corner and back to Lebanon and so on until you have ridden in an X shape across the US. You are given 26 days to do that tour!

All of the tours the the SCMA have created are designed to get you on your motorcycle and seeing things you might not otherwise see and challenging yourself to get out of your comfort zone.

Not unlike the Iron Butt challenges, if you register to do these rides you get swag bags at the beginning and a finishers kit that must be filled out and sent in. After you have verified doing the trip in the prescribed amount of time you get recognition for having ridden that tour.

If long distance riding is your thing, then check out the Southern California Motorcycle Association! And if you have never been to the beautiful Okanagan of British Columbia, I encourage you to put it on your bucket list! If you do decide to head up this way, check out the gang at the Okanagan Motorcycle Riders Association, they are great hosts and love showing off their region!

If you are blessed enough to live where you can be riding today, please remember to ride like everyone around you is blind and can not see you.

Belt Drive Betty
Editor & Rider

Event Poster