Amanda Vaughn
Northern News Services
Published Wednesday, September 5, 2007

YELLOWKNIFE - Sometimes getting a sweet ride is all about being in the right place at the right time.

Last Sunday, Yellowknifer happened to notice an unusual motorcycle pulling into the Petro-Can station on 48th Street.

A two-wheeled parade leads a Sunday ride loosely organized by the NWT Riders Association. - Amanda Vaughan/NNSL photo

Upon further inspection, the bike turned out to have an extra wheel in use, and was being driven by the lovely Robin Weber, a born and raised Yellowknifer with the only side-car in town.

"We're meeting up at Javaroma if you want to see a whole bunch of bikes," Weber said after being approached for a photograph.

And indeed, there were several motorcycles parked in front of the coffee shop, their owners standing foiled on the sidewalk after discovering that Javaroma has been closing Sundays due to shortages of staff. It was only a minor concern, however, as this was not a lengthy coffee date, merely a quick stop before the real purpose of the gathering - a nice Sunday ride.

"We haven't gotten out much this year," said Rory Styan, president of the NWT Riders Association, who had loosely organized the event. Styan later said that the association was undergoing some "restructuring" which was why 2007 had been a slow year for events.

Also present on Franklin that afternoon was Nancy Jacobs-Young, who has been riding since she was a kid, and riding in Yellowknife for nearly 15 years now.

"I came on a five-year plan, and I haven't gone home," she laughed.

Jacobs-Young is a regular presence at the association's group events, and said that Yellowknife has a very large population of bikes, making for a robust motorcycle community in a town this size.

"I wouldn't be surprised if we had the most bikes per capita in the country," she said.

Many of the people in the crowd weren't members of the association, either, a testament to the open and welcoming nature of the organization, which became even more evident when it was time to leave.

As the leather clad crew were starting engines and donning helmets, it was pointed out that Weber's unoccupied side-car was the perfect spot for an adventurous reporter who might need her hands to take pictures.

The offer of a spare helmet sealed the deal, and away they went, "the media" in tow. The ride consisted of a cruise through Old Town, a jaunt out to the Yellowknife River, and a detour to the golf course on the way back to town.

The sidecar made for interesting photography conditions, but the weather, which had started out foggy that morning, was more than obliging with sunshine lighting up the fluffy white and patchy clouds.

Through Old Town, the folks that the bikers passed by smiled and waved, and small children shouted greetings to the group. Weber said that her bike always gets looks from people.

"I usually put my dog in the side-car. I have little goggles for him and everything," she said, "People do a double take."