Motorcycling in Canada - A Ride through Our History Part 6

Motorcycling in Canada - A Ride through Our History Part 6

Borne in St. Ulric, QC on December 10th 1879, Jacob DeRosier would move to Massachusetts at the age of four and went on to be one of the winningest motorcycle racers in history.

The wiry DeRosier started his racing career riding bicycles. In 1898m he got the opportunity to ride on one of the new French pace bikes owned by Henri Fournier.

They were large-engined two-wheelers that were used for pacing bicycles in an effort to help the riders achieve faster speeds.  Fournier agreed to let DeRosier try one and he demonstrated so much skill that he was hired to ride the machines at bicycle races in Paris.

In 1901, Jake who was considered one of the top cycle pacers in the US, met the co owner of Indian Motorcycles, Oscar Hedstrom. He was offered a job and a motorcycle to race.

DeRosier worked for Indian for a short time, but ended up becoming a factory sponsored board track racer.

DeRosier had not only won the National Federation of Americas Motorcycles Championship in 1908, but held every FAM speed record there was to hold in 1911.

It is rumoured that his departure from riding Indian Motorcycles was as a result of George Hendee being disappointed in DeRosier's showing at the Isle of Man TT in early 1911.  As a result, Jake DeRosier ended up riding for Excelsior.

Excelsior's V-twin, pocket-valve motor was nearly unbeatable.  At Chicago's Riverview motordrome, in August of 1911 an Excelsior set a record for the mile, burning up the boards at an average speed of 88.9 mph.

By September, the former Indian rider was in the saddle and not only did he win the feature event at Riverview, he set an unofficial world record for the kilometer, at a speed of 94 mph. With DeRosier riding, Ignaz Schwinn's motorcycle company, Excelsior quickly became a serious race contender. Excelsior was being hailed as the fastest bike on the boards! DeRosier's tenure at Excelsior proved brief.
Jacob DeRosier's career, which saw him ride in over 900 races, came to an end on March 12, 1912, he suffered severe injuries to his left leg and thigh at Los Angeles.

Enduring three surgeries, as doctors attempted to repair the damage to his left leg, he succumbed to complications of the last operation on Feb. 25,1913.  Jacob DeRosier was laid to rest in Springfield Massachusetts, the home of Indian Motorcycles. As his funeral procession passed the factory, it was to the flags of the Indian Motorcycle Co., being flown at half mast and all production at the plant was ceased. DeRosier was 33 years old.

Quebec has had it's share of talented riders!

Suzuki, Honda, Yamaha and Kawasaki have many things in common.

They all got their start in Japan.  Of the four, Kawasaki was the late entry to Canadian manufacturing. Honda came to Canada in 1969, both Suzuki and Yamaha entered the market in 1973; Kawasaki did not arrive until 1982.

They all proved one thing, very quickly!

They could dominate on the racetracks of the world and one Canadian racer, Michel Mercier, rode all of them, winning many championships on each brand, covering 4 disciplines!

 

Michel Mercier - Pierre Nadeau, LA Tribune

Born in Thetford Mines Quebec in 1953, Michel, like many a young man began his racing career in motocross.  He won many a motocross championship and held the prestigious #1 Canadian National Ice Racing plate 5 times!

During his 18-year career as a rider, he road raced for 10 years, dirt tracked for 3 years, Ice raced for 7 years and motocross raced for 4 years and all of those years and races netted him:

25 Canadian National Titles

5 Canadian National #1 plates in Ice Racing

3 Canadian National #1 plates in Road Racing

People like Fred Deeley and Raymond Greff helped this great Canadian racer when he road dirt track. He was given a Harley-Davidson XR750 to ride in 1978 and he did not disappoint H-D either!

In fact this man, Michel Mercier was one of the first Bombardier team riders – in other words, he rode everything two wheels and did it like a champion!

Today Michel is the owner of Fast Riding School.  He teaches at Shannonville Motorsports Park.

No article on Quebec motorcycling would be complete without talking about the Gref family.
The Gref family is another of those families that has motorsports in their blood.

Charles Gref Sr. was born in 1912. His love affair with the motorcycle began in 1937 and by 1947 he was the Canadian Champion in the expert class of the Canadian Trials. He went on to be a director of the CMA and the president of the Montreal Motorcycle Club.

Raymond Gref - Moto Internationale

His son Raymond, a founding member and the first president of the Club Moto Saguenay spent over 50 years in the motorcycle industry. As a competitor whose racing career spanned 8 years, Raymond was only defeated once.

He went on to be a driving force in Quebec motorcycling. Not only did he found Moto International and Harley-Davidson of Montreal, but he was responsible for organizing many a race and could always be found promoting the sport.

Normand Gref, Raymond's brother won 153 trophies during his racing career. Today, Normand is the used motorcycle sales manager at Moto Internationale.

Like his grandfather before him, Charles Gref Jr., the president of Moto International and Harley-Davidson Montreal had the motorcycling bug, only it found Charles Jr. much earlier in life.

At the age of 13 he had already won a number of trophies. He won the Miller Trophy, which in trials riding is the top honour in Eastern Canada, in both 1976 and 1977. His first win of the Miller Trophy came exactly 26 years AFTER his grandfather had won it!

Charles Jr. excelled in motocross, enduro, acceleration competitions and snowmobiling and the experiences he gained from being a competitor has helped him continue the tradition of Moto Internationale and Harley-Davidson Montreal being consistently top dealerships in Canada.

Quebec has produced so many inspiring motorcyclists, Yvon Duhamel, Duc du Four, Marc St Laurent, Pierre Corbeil, Paul Noiseux and many, many others.  It is no wonder that Quebec has one of the highest concentration of riders in Canada.


I hope you enjoyed our little ride through Quebec's impressive history of motorcycling.

Next time we begin exploring Atlantic Canada!


Interesting Historical Tidbits:

1901 - The Montreal Canadians are founded

1912 - Louis Cyr, born in Saint-Cyprien-de-Napierville QC the world's strongest man dies of Bright's Disease (Kidney Disease)

1922 - The first prototype snow machine called the Snowdog was engineered by Joseph-Armand Bombardier

1928 - Women became recognized as legal "persons" by the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council

1929 - Montreal QC becomes home to the third oldest motorcycle club in Canadian history, The Sports Motor Cycle Club (SMCC).

1931 – Canada's first television station, VE9EC, begins broadcasting in Montréal

1936 – Air Canada founded on August 11 as Trans-Canada Airlines.

1940 - Quebec is the last province (of the time period) to grant the vote to women.

1940 - Canadian, Fred Moffatt of General Electric invents the electric tea kettle

1941 - Legislation is changed to allow women to enlist in the Canadian Forces.

           45,000 + women volunteer for full-time military service other than nursing. All three services              establish women's divisions. 

1941 - Elizabeth "Betty" MacRae, Canada's first female neurosurgeon is born as is activist and folk                singer Buffy Sainte-Marie.

1942 - Montreal celebrates it's 300th birthday

1942 - The Women's Royal Canadian Navel Service (WRENS) is established.

1942 - Genevieve Bujold, a Canadian actress best known for her portrayal of Anne Boleyn in the                    1969 film Anne of the Thousand Days is born in Montreal

1947 - General Electric invents the electric washing machine

1948 - Barbara Ann Scott becomes the first Canadian woman to win the World Figure Skating                         championships.

Research for this article
Canadian Motorcycle Hall of Fame
Charles Gref Jr.
1909, The Great Motorcycle Invasion by Mark Dill
American Motorcycle Hall of Fame
FirstSuperSpeedway.com
Findagrave.com
Indian Motorcycle Classics
Chronologie de l'histoire du Québec Canadian Encyclopedia - Women in the Military

Fastridingschool.com

LA Tribune



Disclaimer:

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Score a win for Quebec Riders

CTV Montreal has an interesting article today on the fact that the SAAQ - The Quebec Licence Bureau - will be slashing motorcycle registration fees.

Many of you might remember Operation Escargot, where in Quebec motorcyclists took to the streets slowing traffic to a snails pace to make their point - they were fed up with being raped.

Because of Operation Escargot, the SAAQ went to the round table with Eric Lessard of the Common Front of Motorcyclists and negotiated with the main motorcycle groups in the province.

Lessard went to the discussions armed with statistics that proved that crashes and claims had gone down 350% in spite of the number of motorcycles in that province doubling. While not everyone is happy with the reduction, saying it isn't enough - it sure is a move in the right direction!

You see what can happen people when we put our focus and effort on uniting behind one issue at a time?

This reduction would NEVER have happened if motorcyclists had not united behind this one cause with a common voice. I want to applaud the efforts of people like Lessard - we need more just like him in every province in this country!

New Brunswick is one province that really needs some serious reforms in the way they do things.
The department of Public Safety in New Brunswick is filled with all sorts of little quirks.

For example - if your neighbour does not like your motorcycle, he/she can sign a written complaint where in they feel your motorcycle has been modified. True or not, if they are willing to put their name to it, your motorcycle's registration will be stayed. In other words, when it comes for renewal you will have to produce an engineer's report at the cost of $1,000 on average in order to either prove it has not been modified or that the modifications are safe. Stunning huh!

And if you have a rigid framed motorcycle be warned. If Mr Hoar happens to be the engineer that you call from the list of qualified NB Engineers, you will PROBABLY NOT be successful in having your registration be renewed. This man reportedly hates rigids and believes they are unsafe, at least every article I have read regarding this topic that he has been mentioned in leans that way, so make sure you get an engineer who has no bias and only deals with the structural integrity.

Interestingly enough, New Brunswick is in the process of changing a whole ton about motorcycling. Some of it is very positive too. Last year a female lawyer who was jogging was struck and killed by an inexperienced motorcyclist riding his new to him motorcycle that had under inflated tires. That sparked demands from the deceased lawyer's family to see motorcycles have to be inspected for safety.

The coroner who investigated the death of Caroline Higgins had these recommendations to make:
* Introduce a motor vehicle inspection program for motorcycles
* Introduce a graduated driver's licence for new motorcycle drivers
* Include on-road testing for motorcycle licences
* Introduce mandatory driver education for motorcycle drivers

It is sad that someone had to die for these items to be discussed. It seems to be an epidemic in this country - we know that these things need to be addressed but we will wait for a high profile death or situation to happen before we will do anything - seems to be the mentality in our governments.

Sadly, the number of deaths of motorcyclists that are caused by left turning vehicles are not being addressed in any kind of real and meaningful manner. Neither is the fact that road repairs are being done in a manner so unsafe to motorcyclists as to be extremely scary and NO warning signs are placed.

This past weekend I went to Whitecourt AB for their 8th Annual Toy Run. On my way out, coming into Valleyview, there was a small construction zone. I geared down into first for the gravel section that was evident and was horrified by the drop from the pavement to the gravel - a good three inches - and ZERO warning that there was an uneven surface. Had I hit that section any harder than the 10KPH that I did, I might not have been able to manoeuvre through it.

I have put forth sign designs to our department of transportation representative here in Grande Prairie, Becky Oxton, however, she is no longer returning my emails or calls. She was supposed to investigate if the sign wording and colours were right and acceptable under the highway traffic act but as of this date, almost one full year later - NOTHING.

I guess this fall will see me going to the province because this is unacceptable in my humble opinion. The signs were to identify High Impact collision intersections - where left hand turns have been known to injure and kill riders of motorcycles and bicycles.  I will continue to push to see these signs go up in a pilot project - and hope that one day soon, signs like these will go up all over Canada in every city and community that has High Risk intersections for riders.

As riders, our insurance goes up because of the failure to observe the rules of the road - both on our part, but more often than not, on the part of the drivers of cars, pick-ups etc.  Perhaps we can get someone from the Insurance Institute of Canada to push this initiative.  I also want to start seeing far more signs in construction zones that inform riders of dangers like uneven roads, of pavement grooving and other construction zone dangers.

There is a TON of news from the weekend for you to catch up on...

In Japan, Yamaha is discontinuing the development of large cc motorcycles for it's domestic market.

In the US, Harley-Davidson is keeping a tight rein on motorcycle production.

Triumph is recalling some models from 2011 and 2012 for a potential stalling problem.

Also in the US, the man who killed 4 motorcyclists while reportedly hopped up on meth will be retried after a jury could not reach a decision.

In New Brunswick, the Shediac Lobster Rally was a HUGE success.

In BC, a lawyer who used to work for the cops has been taken off of a case involving the Hells Angels.

In Alberta, Dirty Bert's Bike Run was also a success!

In Ontario, the CMC's Cruise for Critters saw 55 riders sign up, which is more than there were last year when they raised $5,100.

In the Rider Down section of our site there are sadly a ton of crashes, injuries and deaths to report.

For all of the news that might affect your life as a rider, check out www.beltdrivebetty.com to get brought up to speed!

Have you gotten your photo in for our $25 RevZilla Gift Certificate? If not, you only have until Wednesday night to get in on this give away. For the details visit our Contest Page.

Well folks, I have to see if I can finish my video from the Whitecourt Toy Run today - I HATE WINDOWS and one day soon hope to be able to afford a MAC and good video editing software. I spent 15 hours trying to get my project to complete with no success so back to the drawing board with it today.

Please, if you are riding today, ride like everyone around you is blind, make sure your tires are properly inflated, and please, use respect with that right hand...

Belt Drive Betty

Editor of Canada's ONLY weekly Newspaper for the Riding Community -

The Busted Knuckle Chronicles.

The American Icon - H-D sees green and is going for it and NO we are not talking environmental protection

The American Dream, apple pie, gold streets and toys - lots of expensive toys....
As the American economy flounders and fails to re start I have to ask myself why the US government isn't DEMANDING some loyalty, some pay back, out of Harley-Davidson.

Back when the importation of foreign motorcycles saw heavy tariffs and duties applied to slow the retail sales of the foreign products and protect the "Iconic" brand Harley-Davidson, H-D was grateful, humbled even. Back in the late 40's early 50's the US government protected H-D...It happened again in 83 when Ronald Reagan imposed a 45% tariff on imported bikes and bikes over 700 cc engine capacity...

It appears however that H-D's Colors are not red, white and blue the way they claim in all of their patriotic, chest pounding commercials but GREEN and they are a running to the green as fast as they can. (See the article on the new CKD plant in India being built)

It saddens me to realize that something the American Consumer has held so dear - gave up their hard earned dollars to defend and protect (remember - taxpayers protected it) to see that brand live to be over 100 years old and then slap the American rider, the American Consumer, the American Employee - the American government (State Govt too) right upside the head and say thanks for protecting us so we could make money.

Now that you need jobs here in the US though - well too bad - we can make or build stuff cheaper elsewhere so too bad America...employees - you will do with far less, cities and states - we WILL pull our plants out of here if you don't bend to our will...I wonder if the next time this ICON needs a bail out because of their decision making - will the American Government, the taxpayer - the employee/consumer actually look back in history and go - yah - NO....

Sorry folks - I  understand this is commerce and business and I get it that it is their right to seek those greener pastures and yet I can't help but ask myself...why...why are the the governments of the various cities and states not protecting the American job?
The bail out and stimulus needs to be revisited and should have a lot more to do with jobs in the US... (Mind you the work ethic and the wage expectation needs to be revisited as does the price of things like cars and trucks etc...) with out our biggest trading partner being healthy, our economy is going to falter farther too.

Harley-Davidson Motor Corp is about as loyal and patriotic as the man in the moon - no scratch that unfair comparison - at least the man in the moon hasn't run off to greener pastures...

It's commerce, I get that.

India...the American dream of nice cars and homes, and toys - lots of toys - has moved to a country called India where sacrifice is a way of life.
India - where generation after generation live together under one roof, learning and sharing - these people know short term pain for long term gain. Their work ethic today is what the work ethic in North America used to be. Their sense of family values and protectionism very much the same as it used to be here.

But something tells me that if H-D were to ask for protection - a bail out the way they did so many years ago here in North America - they probably wouldn't get it from the Indian government - the Indian government would look at the history books, see what H-D did to the US of A in it's time of need and say - yah, no - Hero Honda is offering us a better deal...

The American Icon - H-D sees green and is going for it, the American consumer will go on feeling loyal to the brand, the American Employee will grudgingly stay at their job at the plants that H-D threatened to move out of Milwaukee and the state and municipal governments will go on letting H-D push them around. Nothing much will change and yet...

Any company that touts itself as a patriotic one, that builds its image the way H-D has done....by being seen as this patriotic retailer, well I think they have set themselves up to get kicked around just a bit....and that's my humble opinion.
(And yes, I ride a Harley...)

As always - I welcome your thoughts and opinions - please jump in to the discussion here in my blog, on Face Book or in the Forums on www.beltdrivebetty.com - I would LOVE to hear your thoughts on this topic.

Check out the days news over on www.beltdrivebetty.com...The Surete Quebec has
caught someone they have been looking for since 2009.

If you are riding today you luck dog...PLEASE ride safe.

Belt Drive Betty
Rider & Editor
The Busted Knuckle Chronicles
www.bustedknucklenews.com
www.beltdrivebetty.com

Mother Nature is CRUEL and COLD HEARTED!!!!

I get flack because sometimes my blog posts are viewed by people as being negative when in fact what I am trying to do is create dialogue.

I hear a lot of complaining about events or non profit groups that aren't being "run right".

So I am gonna warn you all - if you are not in the mood for an arse chewing - leave NOW.

Today it is about as negative as it gets - I am travelling by bike, it is cold, raining - trying to snow and there are heavy snowfall warnings all around me. I am pissed - and helpless as there is NOTHING I can do about what that evil creature is doing to our riding season and our charitable events. I need to stay put - because safe is good...alive is good. I know it, but that doesn't mean I have to like it.

I love riding, I love my community but I HATE snow in May, June, July...., I dislike the noise bylaws that are springing up everywhere and I intensely dislike when people whine and snivel but never get involved to affect change.

If you don't like something and it is in your power to do something about it or you have knowledge that could make a volunteer organization, a forum, a group or an event better - get off your butt and do something and if you don't then have the good grace to acknowledge those who are at least trying because sincere appreciation will go a long way to getting better results from those who are trying. There is offering constructive criticism and then there is destructive.

Too often people start their own group - their own event - because they don't like what's happening in an existing one - but they never got involved with the existing one to see if they could offer any thing of value.

A divided effort really gets no one anywhere - had these people who started their new gig gotten involved with what is existing they may have been able to truly help grow what existed into something phenomenal but because they did not, no one will ever know how good things could have been.

People who get involved - who do stuff are gonna make mistakes, mis steps - the reason that is...THEY ARE DOING SOMETHING!

The people who never make mistakes, who set themselves up as perfect - they aren't doing anything except pointing fingers.

Here is a Poem that kind of fits the situation...

Do you just belong?

Are you an active member, the kind that would be missed,

Or are you just content that your name is on the list?

Do you attend the meetings and mingle with the flock,

Or do you meet in private and criticize and knock?

Do you take an active part to help the work along,

Or are you satisfied to be the kind who just belongs?

Do you work on committees - to this there is a trick

Or leave the work to just a few and talk about the clique?

So come to meetings often and help with hand and heart,

Don't be just a member but take an active part.

Think this over members, you know what's right from wrong.

Are you and active member of do you JUST belong?

Author Unknown

So folks, the next time you find yourself critisizing, condemning, complaining or bashing others and their efforts ask yourself this...have I done anything to affect change?

If not - you have three choices - complain and condemn - Get involved and if you can't - offer some praise to those who try.

In the news:

A volunteer and incredible man's life is being celebrated - John Coutts funeral is at 2:00 PM on Saturday May 29 at Leyden’s Funeral Home in Claresholm.  The luncheon is right after the service at the Prairie Winds Club House located at 4621 2^nd St N in Claresholm. John was an active and contributing member of the motorcycle community and his loss will be felt for a long, long time to come.

Edmonton has a new noise bylaw! Get ready to pay big if you don't conform...

The helmet Law in BC has passed third reading.

In the US an insurance company survey exposed the fact that about 38 million Americans who are driving should not be behind the wheel!

There are a ton of events coming up all across the country - some are in the latest news feeds and a ton are in our events calendars - become a member on www.beltdrivebetty.com - it is free to belong and has a ton of perks!

If you are in Ontario or Quebec where you are sitting in a heat wave and riding - quit emailing me to rub it in! AND Please people, ride safe, ride like everyone is blind and can not see you - IS out to get you and remember to ride proud NOT loud.

Belt Drive Betty
www.beltdrivebetty.com
A MAX Award Winning Web Site
National VP F.I.R.R.E.
www.firre.ca
Western Canadian MotoRescue Representative
www.motorescue.ca
YOU, make it a great day!
Lord, please keep Your arm around my shoulders
and your hand over my mouth! Amen

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A protest by Canadian Riders

In Quebec a protest - actually a series of rolling protests have been underway in an effort to get the attention of the Quebec Government regarding license and insurance fees for motorcycles. http://operationescargot.com/

These determined riders are making a difference as tomorrow they will be sitting down with transport minister Julie Boulet and the CEO of the Quebec auto insurance board, Nathalie Tremblay.

Operation Escargot has significant meaning as these riders protest by literally riding together in large packs at a snails pace.

 I wished there was an English translation their web site - or that my really rusty French was better - I think if more English speaking riders understood what was going on they'd be showing support for their Quebec brothers and sisters by holding similar protest rides across Canada. It really is time for the governments in this country - provincially and federally to figure out just how many people ride in Canada - maybe then we'd be taken more seriously.

In other News:
The West Kootenay Toy Run has an update for us

A female passenger in Ontario is dead after her husband failed to stop, rear ending a mini van

So far it is a pretty quiet Victoria Day Weekend - let's keep it that way folks!

If you are lucky enough to be riding today, please ride like everyone around you is BLIND and OUT TO GET YOU and please, ride PROUD not LOUD.

Belt Drive Betty
www.beltdrivebetty.com
A MAX Award winning web site!
National VP of Marketing
Foundation for Injured Riders, Rights & Education
www.firre.ca
www.bustedknucklenews.com
www.canadianriders.ca
www.riderfriendly.ca
www.bikerfriendly.ca
www.motorcycletourism.ca
www.greatcanadiandayrides.com

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