In June, I raffled off my 2021 Yamaha Tenere 700 for the MS charity I support. The motorcycle was my 4th since starting my million mile journey for Multiple Sclerosis. Curechaser IV had an amazing 211,000 miles on the odometer and lived a very tough life on the road. The fundraiser raised $15,000 and I delivered the bike to the lucky winner, Fred Swanson in Houston. The final ride from New Hampshire to Texas reminded me of why I enjoyed the bike so much. First of all, it was reliable as a hammer. Traveling as I do, I don’t have time to waste. Since getting the bike in 2020, it ran every day without complaint. It never left me stranded. It was dependable and despite still running great, it deserved some time off!
Yamaha Motor USA had provided me with a brand new updated 2025 model to replace it. After spending a month or two setting up the new bike, I took it on it’s first cross country ride, from New Hampshire to Seattle by way of Canada. Although taking a 7000 mile ride on a bike with only 200 miles on it might seem like a risky trip, I was very familiar with the bike and all of the accessories I had added because they were similar to the bike I had just raffled off.
Products & Services
What I wasn’t sure of was how Canadians would treat an American traveller given the recent political tensions.
One of the things I decided to keep from the first Tenere 700 were the aftermarket tubeless wheels I had ordered from Italy. They were well used, but because I ride so much on the road, I was not a fan of the stock wheels that require tubes. Tubes are great for fixing damage on the trails off road, but not so practical for getting a flat on the freeway where I can plug a tire in 5 minutes and be on my way. Before putting the wheels on the new bike, I cleaned them thoroughly and replaced all the wheel bearings with new ones. Between the bearings is a metal spacer about 6” long that guides the axle through the center of the wheel. The spacer seemed very tight and put pressure on the bearings, so I decided to trim it down a very small amount. The day before I left, I finished up very late and took the bike for a test ride where I heard some noises from the rear wheel. I made some adjustments and it seemed to fix the issue.
The first day traveling on the new bike was an uneventful 900 miles to Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. On day two however, I started to hear some clicking from the rear wheel as I slowed down to get gas. I was headed for a hotel in Brandon Ontario and thought I would check it out that evening.
I didn’t make it. About 80 miles west of Thunder Bay, the bike’s rear wheel bearing blew apart and I wobbled over to a small country store which also happened to be the Upsala Post Office. I needed to fix this wheel with new parts or get a new wheel. My best option and only hope of reaching the rally in Washington on time was to have my wife Elin ship me the brand new wheel I had sitting at home. It was all set up and even had a tire mounted on it. It would be a quick swap and I would be back on the road. I knew it would be very expensive, but what other choice did I have?
The very helpful woman in the Post Office explained there was no chance of getting the wheel anywhere near Upsala in the next few days, regardless of whet UPS claimed. She explained they only get mail a couple times a week and if I needed to get something faster, I needed to get to a bigger city like Thunder Bay. Stuck on the side of the road with my brand new motorcycle, I began looking for the best solution. The woman in the Post Office said she would be more than happy to give me a lift into town the following day.
Products & Services
“Sure, we can just throw your bike into the back of my truck and I’ll take you into town.”
I was completely surprised, and grateful that a stranger would go out of her way to help someone, specifically someone from a country who’s government had just insulted their entire country.
When I asked about a hotel I had seen a few miles back, she said, “Nonsense. I have a house in the back where you can spend the night. It has electricity and wifi and I’ll get some clean linens for you. I hope you don’t mind chickens!” I was surprised again, at this kindness from a complete stranger!
I had my wife ship the new wheel from the UPS Store in our town to the UPS Store in Thunder Bay where I figured I could easily pick it up. Overnight shipping cost nearly $900, and after she paid they let her know it may not make it on time because of customs. That wasn’t reassuring, and I began to worry.
My lift into town wasn’t going to be until late afternoon, and I wasn’t even sure the wheel would arrive or that I would be able to get on the road fast enough to make my destination. My wife suggested posting on social media that I was stranded and need a lift into Thunder Bay.
I carefully crafted a post explaining I had broken down but the new bike was NOT the problem, it was the aftermarket wheels that had 200,000 miles on them. Within a half hour, I had been contacted by Greg Symons who had seen my post asking for help. He lived in Thunder Bay and was willing to hitch up his trailer and come get me. Not only did Greg drive 80 miles each way to fetch me from Ursala, he picked me up from my hotel the next morning and drove me to the local Yamaha Dealer who he thought might be able to help.
Asking a bike shop for immediate service during the busy riding season doesn’t usually go well. Most shops are booking weeks or months out. Showing up a half hour before they even open and entering through the back door is a real bad idea, but I was desperate to get my bike fixed and so I followed Greg through the back of the shop.
“Hey Erik, how’s it going? I have someone here I’d like you to meet. This is Paul.”
The door swung completely open and I watched the owner of the shop’s face light up.
Products & Services
“LONGHAULPAUL!”
I started to feel a little better about my predicament.
He stood up from his desk and shook my hand.
After he exclaimed he watched all my videos and even bought a Tenere 700 because of me, I knew my day was about to get a lot better.
“What can we do to help you?”
I explained my issue with the wheels and the need to be be back on the road soon. Still minutes before Excalibur Motorsports officially opened for business, they were rolling my bike into their shop.
As my wheels were not from Yamaha, the shop did not have access to the correct parts needed and for most of the day, the entire shop was helping me out. Custom spacers had to be machined at a different location to replace the one I shortened and bearings had to be sourced and installed. At one point, three techs were working on my bike to get me back on the road. The owner, Erik Floen introduced me to one of their techs who also was living with Multiple Sclerosis. He explained how he understood how the disease affects people. The tech had been part of their family for 20 years and they made sure he was taken care of with good health insurance and time off if needed. He said he followed my story online and was a big fan because of his close connection to MS.
I kept thanking Erik and expressing my gratitude. “We try to take care of everybody this way. Don’t all shops do this for their customers?”
While waiting for my bike, I witnessed the staff helping other customers and a news story being recorded about one of their young customers who had just won a big motocross race. The entire staff was enthusiastic, helpful and supportive.
“No, sadly. Most shops are not like this at all”, was my reply.
Erik refused to let me pay and after a round of hugs and goodbyes, I left overwhelmed with gratitude, a fixed wheel, and a new Excalibur tee-shirt!
By the afternoon, I was back on the road, heading west, all because of the help and support of strangers. I made it to the rally just hours before it started and my trip home was uneventful.
No offense to Cleveland or Chicago, but when I need to travel coast to coast I will continue to go through Canada as often as possible because I really enjoy the peaceful roads, the good food and the people are amazing!
If the kindness of its people has a dollar value, Canada is absolutely unaffordable!
