What a really good pair of riding boots should be

Kimpex has a brand new online ordering system and since their business is a member of the Rider Friendly Business Association, I decided to give their new online ordering system a try.

Theirs is pretty unique you see. You get to choose which Kimpex Dealer you want to support with your purchase, so it allows you to shop local even when your local dealer doesn't have your boots in their size!  How sweet is that?

A wholesaler that sells to the public and rewards the local dealer for the sale.

https://www.kimpex.com/en-ca/home

What a great concept!

It works based on your postal code - a list of local Kimpex dealers come up and you choose the one you want the sale to be attributed to.

The ordering process was simple, I got my boots, the Milwaukee Clothing Company's Trooper Boot quickly and the shipping was free because my order was over $99!

That experience made me feel really good, I gotta tell you!

And the boots? Well, for me that was the icing on the cake.

I LOVE my Troopers!  Right out of the box, even though stiff, I could tell these were going to be wonderful boots.  I was dreading the break in period. I shouldn't have worried.

I wore them for the first time to Two Hills AB, Canada's MOST Rider Friendly Community of the 2015 riding season, and I wore them all weekend at the Run to the Hills Memorial Rally and only one really tiny blister!
















The are study and comfortable!


The side zippers and front laces allow me to wear my ankle braces with these boots and that is very welcome for when I ride without my ankle braces, I sometimes don't feel very sure of myself, especially on gravel. I don't like walking on it much less riding on it.

The chances of my ankles rolling, causing me to land on my face and hands and knees scares me.
I have had it happen too many times.  And there is always the concern that one could break a bone as a result. Not going there!

I love the fact that I can walk at all and so I guard that freedom with all of my being!

The eyelets at the top of the boot hold the laces in place and make it far easier for me to get my brace starts tightened and not worry that they have gotten caught up in the brace straps! For me, that's a handle little feature that might not mean much to others.

I also like the zipper pulls which are reasonably long, (with out being over long) and and how well the zippers work. That can be challenging with side zippered boots,  I have had some boots that the zippers are so hard to pull I have broken the pull tab!

These are what riding boots should be!

I am glad that Milwaukee Clothing Company makes side zippered boots as not many companies do.
I am grateful that Kimpex wholesales them!

So, thank you to Kimpex for allowing me to shop local, get the boots I need and do it quickly and painlessly!

What a great experience over all!

If you are blessed to be riding today, please remember to ride like everyone around you is blind and cannot see you!

And remember folks, next week we kick off the hunt for Canada's MOST Rider Friendly Community of the 2016 riding season!  Which community are you going to nominate?

Belt Drive Betty
Editor & Rider.

Winter Driving & The Calgary Motorcycle Show

Last week I headed out from Grande Prairie AB to Calgary and the 2016 Motorcycle Show.

The weather was less than ideal with freezing fog, freezing rain, driving snow in various places.

As I was driving along I thought about the interview I had done a few days previous with Bill Gardiner a long time mechanic and recognized automotive expert who had some sage advice for winter driving.

Bill Gardiner

His first piece of advice, which my husband is adamant about is to use proper winter tires.
All season tires become too hard in the cold and that makes stopping as well as maneuvering very difficult.  All season tires are rendered all but useless after 7 C.

Engine care is another important aspect of winter driving.  Using proper lubricants/motor oil is also important.  Bill recommends Quaker State oil, because it contains a higher volume of low volatility zinc content than other oils.  The low volatility zinc does not take part in the combustion process thereby reducing how much ash builds up in the catalytic converter and oxygen sensors yet, keeps the engine lubricated better.

One other thing we discussed was washing your vehicle to get rid of salt, sand and debris.  Bill highly recommends that you wash your vehicle on a day when it is sunny and the vehicle can sit to dry all day. Otherwise you are better off leaving the vehicle dirty for a bit. That was something I had not known. So on this trip I took his advice.

Washing your vehicle keeps brake rotors cleaner making your braking system last longer as well as removing the debris and salt that causes corrosion of the body.

Bill has lots of tips on keeping your vehicle running at its peak. You can visit Motoring TV for more of Bill's tips.

Of course along with these tips Bill also recommended driving to the conditions and really knowing the limitations of your vehicle. A tip that more drivers here in Alberta would be wise to follow.

Driving too fast for road conditions will potentially land you in the ditch as was the case for many south central drivers last Thursday.  I really resent people who tail gate or are so impatient that they put you and everyone else around them in jeopardy.

I was grateful to arrive in Calgary in one piece, I can tell you that!

Paul Rawlins

The 2016 version of the Calgary Motorcycle Show hosted by Power Sport Services was reasonably successful in spite of the colder than usual weather.  Friday was slower than normal but Saturday was bustling busy.  There were a number of new vendors on hand and a lot of old staples that weren't on hand.

As always it was good to see Paul Rawlins from Celtic Rider Motorcycle Rentals & Tours.  His plane had been delayed from London due to high winds, and although he was tired, he was a happy guy when he got to the show to see how many people were looking forward to seeing him!

Bill from GPRC

The manufacturers didn't have a whole ton new on the floor this year, but many of the parts companies did.  Kimpex has a number of new products that I am looking forward to reviewing.

All in all the show was enjoyable, however many vendors I spoke with announced that sales were down by as much as 50%.  Obviously the economy has a lot to do with that.

Donations to my head shave that will take place on the stage in Edmonton on Sunday the 17th at 3:30 pm went rather well all things considered with the IOMC Snow City and Stampede Crews donating a combined $450.00!

Artist Jenny Luc German

I am looking very forward to the Edmonton Motorcycle Show this weekend and hope you come prepared to donate as I intend to be bald on Sunday.  I want this hair gone now so that it will have grown out enough that by the time riding season hits I will have enough regrowth that my scalp won't burn in my helmet!

Have you entered our "Beat the PMS Blues" Online Show 'n' Shine?  If not you really should. We have fabulous prizes from the Sports Camera Store, Prospector Central Inc., Nashville Bike Week and author Chris Holshek who wrote "Travels with Harley".

Check it out - as always, because of our sponsors, this is a free to enter event!

Another freebie we have for you is a Jacket Giveaway from our sponsor Viking Cycles...totally free to enter and who knows, you could be sporting an amazing jacket for FREE!

Have a safe and enjoyable day everyone!

Belt Drive Betty
Editor & Rider

A tough year almost behind me…

Ever since I arrived home from Ireland last October, life has thrown me curve ball after curve ball that I had not anticipated.

I had to let go of the person laying out the paper and doing the books for the company. That was a tough thing to do with so much work on my plate after having been on the road for so long, not to mention the fact that we had an 8-year history.

Had I known the full ramifications of riding across Canada in support of our veterans, had I known it was going to cost me so much personally, or exactly what I was going to face, I sure would have done things differently – but, hindsight is always 20/20!

Then Ray Sasseville, Joan Hansen and Sturgis North sued me along with 6 other people.

They claimed slander, libel and defamation.

I was angry, incredulous and determined.

The ensuing 4 months, from December 21st/22nd when I was served until March 30th or there about, were filled with; myself, a research assistant and a friend going through hundreds and thousands of emails, creating timelines, organizing all data and letters in a chronological time frame.  To say it was exhausting is putting it mildly.

Add to that sales of ads for the Rider Friendly Phone Book, dealing with advertisers who broke their contract and held the book up for 5-6 weeks, and then a motorcycle crash, getting to know the IOMC and the ruckus that caused with folks in the US 1% circle and I feel like I have been under siege all year long.

The phone book being held up was costly in more ways than one as I had to air freight the books in.  It also upset riders who bought books and has caused me to return to going to layout in December and January and to print in February – that means changing marketing materials and book keeping but it also means that the book will go out to purchasers in a timely fashion and that the app and download version will also be up in a timely fashion.

My trip this summer was a muted one. I spent many nights on the couches, airbeds and in spare rooms of good friends and family in Alberta and BC. Without my friends and family, I could not have continued to do my job. You are too numerous to mention, but I hope you know how deeply I thank you for your support, friendship and love.

This whole Sturgis North lawsuit is a fiasco. NOTHING about this lawsuit is typical; first they issue a shotgun lawsuit where in they sue the City of Sicamous, the Sicamous Chamber of Commerce and the Mayor of Sicamous, Steve Hammer of Summer Stomp, Bernie Aubin of the Headpins, Vince Lewis and myself.

In late March, an offer to settle is given to the first 6 defendants, basically the offer said; “if you don’t charge for costs and we’ll go away”.  I too got an offer to settle but the offer to settle with me was much different. They wanted me to remove all reference to their names, in the newspaper and web sites, promise to never utter their names and post a $250K bond – oh and monitor social media to ensure no one in my circle said anything bad about them.

My attorney and I drafted a counter offer to settle that clearly laid out that all of the complaints – A- K, that were filed against me were non slanderous/libelous nor were they defaming.  We wanted to wait to send it until the other 6 cases were rubber stamped through the courts as dealt with.

Then Gerhard Pyper, the lawyer for Sturgis North, Ray Sasseville and Joan Hansen is suspended.  We waited and waited to see where the other 6 cases were in the court system.

While we were in this holding pattern, I got a second offer to settle via Ray’s new lawyer, Gregg Alfonso which stated that:

Dear Renee’,

                I would like to settle this dispute amicably with you and move forward, withdraw the lawsuit  and concentrate on the Motorcycling Community as a whole. Your past postings have been criticizing me for leaving a wave of destruction re creditors from past events. Even though it puzzles me why you went to such great extents to involve my family I have heard and understood the message. I take full responsibility on behalf of Sturgis North as its CEO re the past debts that are outstanding and will try my hardest to satisfy those debts albeit a little at a time. I apologize to all debtors and ask that they give me a chance to satisfy the debts which has been my intention all along. My only intention ever has been to put on an event for the Motorcycling community to be able to meet, share experience and enjoy great music and each others company. I chose to continue to put on the best festival possible in order to maintain our goal for the Motorcycling Community and pay down past debts on a timely basis as opposed to walking away and not attempting to take care of our obligations. I truly you believe you have the best interests of the creditors and Motorcycling community at heart and would like to see the creditors paid back therefore I am willing to offer the following.

1. The letter of apology to the creditors for you to post if you wish not mentioning any blame on your part re your articles
2. I have set up a trust fund with my Lawyer Gregg Alfonso with Alfonso Law Corp to collect and pay to the creditors on a prorated basis at the end of the festival a percentage of our online ticket sales annually. This will ensure that monies are distributed each year regardless of what the festival makes because this is not based on profits. Your lawyer will be informed of the details 
3. Obviously since this whole thing was about your interpretation of my character and the fact that you want the creditors paid I will need help to market my festival so the creditors will get paid back annually until paid upon agreed invoicing amounts. Thus you will achieve the main goal which was making me accointable and getting the creditors paid. 
4. I am willing to pay you $1000 for advertisig on your weekly editions up to the festival
5. I am willing to give you 30 4 day all event passes for you to sell to some of your 75,000 readers who will purchase them from you once they see this has been setllrd and you can keep the monies $310 per 4 day event pass ticket which totals a tad over $9000 which when added with the advertising money will get you out of debt with your lawyer.

                Ray Sasseville

I had some tough questions to ask myself. Clearly Ray blames me for why the riding community was not embracing his event. Clearly we had all heard before that a fund would be set up to pay vendors etc., but nothing seemed to materialize. Clearly Ray wants to hold me accountable for why people won’t get paid if I don’t take his deal. BUT - Could I promote someone who was suing me? Could I possibly want to tie my name to their event anymore than I already had with sponsorship in 2011 and 12? 

In all good conscience, I could not and so, I chose to pass on this offer to settle and my lawyer sent in my first counter offer, albeit redrafted to the new attorney and geared towards the second offer to settle as opposed to the first.

To date I have not heard from the good folks at Sturgis North/Canada, Ray Sasseville and Joan Hansen regarding my counter offer.

I attended Sturgis Canada; I experienced the small attendance, the disorganization and some of the politics of the 2014 version of the event first hand.  I reported on the event in as professional and level headed manner as is possible and have left it to the attendees who were unhappy, the booking agent, Keith Sharp, the band manager Ted VanBoort, the hotelier who said he hadn’t been paid and the Royal Canadian Legion who say they don’t think they will get paid, to say their piece on Facebook, in the Merritt Herald and in my blog through screen captures.

Now I get a letter from my lawyer that states that the 6 other cases have NOT gone through the court the way they were supposed to and that only one of the consent to dismiss orders were ever filed. So in effect, the Sicamous Chamber of Commerce, Steve Hammer, Bernie Aubin and Vince Lewis along with myself, are all right back to where we were.

He has also advised me that we are pushing on to a change of venue application to get the case moved to Salmon Arm. This is going to be an expensive undertaking, getting the case moved.  It means my lawyer going to the courthouse in Surrey and meeting with a judge.

I am advised I will need to prepare for a $7-10K bill for that alone, not to mention the $2,100 I owe him at the moment.

I have been getting a lot of comments from people about countersuing the group, it may come to that, although I am advised there isn’t anything of any substance to attach to and that it could get costlier than the $50K it is slated to cost to see this thing through. 

Besides, I am one in a long list of people who would be going after assets. Michael Smith has a $70,000 judgment and then there is the BC Securities hearing in October and the Arizona Lawsuit that has been going on for ages that will go to trial in 2015.  There really is nothing to gain in trying to counter sue – I would get a piece of paper saying I am owed and that paper would be worthless.

Folks, I need your help if I am going to succeed.  The time and focus this court case has taken away from the business side of what I do has been telling and has hurt me financially and reputation wise – people don’t like it when you miss deadlines.

So far this community, has helped me pay my lawyers bill and I am asking you to keep that support coming.  I have hired two sales people and with their help and perhaps the help of a few more, the business end of things will get righted shortly.

I need to keep my attention, as much as possible on the business; I need to get rid of some of the worry about paying the lawyer… I have to swallow my pride and ask…

Please consider donating to my Defense Fund or buying a tee shirt for my Offence Fund, which is what I now prefer to call it.

On top of all of those challenges I have had 6 friends pass away, and that was/is hard to deal with. My hubby going through an MS attack was another toughie I have had to endure.

But as in all things life, a ray of sunshine always presents itself…

I became a great aunty twice in the space of 10 days, I have a new great niece and a great nephew!

Those two wonderful occasions have brought new life to this very tired spirit, as did the friends and family who helped me to accomplish my sales and reporting trip.

To those who propped me up while I was struggling to deal with death after death, and frustration after frustration, there are no words to express my gratitude.

I am not sure what these various trials and tribulations are preparing me for, but man I am ready for the tides to turn. 

Our Canada’s Most Rider Friendly Community Contest is shaping up nicely, our Spot the Gear Fail contest has just kicked off and is offering great prizes from Kimpex and Draggin Jeans and we are getting ready to launch our newest Rider Survey!

Our 2015 Beat the PMS Blues Online Show N Shine is also beginning to take shape with Big Blue coming on board as a major sponsor and I have about a dozen advertising proposals to build.

I know that with the help of this community we are going to go on to bigger and better things and I promise you all this much, I will continue to pay forward every kindness and helping hand I get to all of the charities and the riding clubs who support them through free promotion and marketing…

To donate to my Defence Fund: CLICK HERE

To Buy an Offence Fund Tee Shirt: CLICK HERE

If you are blessed enough to be riding today, please remember to ride like everyone around you is blind and cannot see you and please consider wearing good gear.

Belt Drive Betty

Editor & Rider