The August 2017 issue of Canadian Biker is available on newsstands and has been mailed to our subscribers.

The 2017 Suzuki V-Strom graces the cover – specifically the midsized version – although until the V-Strom 250 shows up in Canada, we should be calling the 650 the “little” one. It may not be the V-Strom 1000 but the 650 is the big bike in Suzuki’s line-up and a perennial best seller for the company in Canada. Suzuki learned in the early 2000’s that building an excellent machine at an excellent price overcomes the need for excess horsepower as the middle-weight Strom has proven to be a preferred size for many ADV aficionados. For all the V-Strom 650’s success there have been a few hiccups along the way – but fortunately hiccups that could be easily remedied – like style. We are pleased to say that the big and little Stroms now look like a family again as the new 2017 model features the same profile as the 1000 which is more purposeful and aggressive than the blander one present on the 2016 bike. But as we all know, looks aren’t everything and the 2017 V-Strom 650 comes with several new upgrades that make the bike even more user friendly than before. We take it out on the road to see and feel the difference.

Else where in the issue we consider the Ack Attack as the streamliner and its crew head all the way to Bolivia to see if the Hayabusa (x2!) powered streamliner can break the 400mph barrier and become the first “motorcycle” to do so. Beyond a question of speed, the Ack Attack’s attempt brings to focus the problem of going for a new ultimate Land Speed Record. There are surprising few places on the globe that fit the bill for 400mph and above. It use to be that the Bonneville Salt Flats was one of the go to places but that has changed over the past few years and teams now look for other locations that are big and flat and accessible with good and reliable surface conditions.

 

What do you have to trade? That was the question and the answer was a ‘67 Camaro. What is up for trade? A Harley-Davidson Dyna. Purpose? Transformation into a nice gold custom. For you Camaro fellows out there – and we know there are a few – you can decide if the trade was a good one because from the looks of it we are pretty sure that the Dyna guys will be okay with it.

 

Get together almost a 1000 ADV riders from across North America and send them on hundreds of miles of offroad trails, give them a few seminars, a few demonstrations of putting big bikes in the wrong places and then get them back out again. What’s that all about. It’s the Touratech western rally and it happened in Plain, WA – which might just make the best thing about it the proximity to Leavenworth’s beer and German sausage. That is a travel story worth coming around to if only for the gastronomical possibilities that lay not so far away.

What else? A young lady well on her way to becoming a flat track legend, a museum in the par reaches of New Zealand with a surprisingly large and comprehensive collection, tips on using your brakes, a great action shot and more.