The September 2016 issue of Canadian Biker is now available to our subscribers, on newsstands and through single copy sales.

On the cover of the new issue is the Triumph Thruxton 1200R, the hotrodder of the new liquid-cooled Bonneville family. The original Thruxton was a sporting take on the classic British cafe racer but while it had the looks it lacked the performance upgrades. The new Thruxton 1200R backs up the sporting profile with suspension improvements, a larger engine and, as the company promised, plenty of torque. Our intrepid contributor Bertrand Gahel travels to Portugal to sample both the Thruxtion and the beefed up version of the Bonneville, the T120. Both make quite an impression.

The BMW R1200GS and the R1200GSA are by far the most popular models in the BMW stable outselling the next most prolific model by a sizable margin. As proven by the GS Challenge and by many a world traveler the bikes have both the ability and durability to take a beating and – to borrow an old tagline line from Timex – keep on ticking. However, the percentage of riders who own the big adventure bike and venture far off the gravel road is small. BMW plans to change that in Canada with the introduction of an off-road riding school that will teach owners – or potential owners – that they can take their GS or other BMW adventure model a long way down that single track to nowhere – and get it back. We take the course and learn a few things from Canadian off-road instructor Clinton Smout. Yes you can drop your GS and pick it up again. The question might be whether you want to.

Do you no longer have an old bike that you wish you hadn’t let go? Maybe it sat around the garage while other machines received all the attention. Maybe it was a little old in the gear tooth and didn’t match up to the modern experience. Maybe you had to sell it because you needed the money. One of our regular contributors had such a bike – an old Honda CB 750 that started life as a touring rig and was slowly chopped and changed into a matte black cruiser. He gets a little teary eyed when he thinks about what could have been.

Our travel story in this issue follows a group of mature gentleman with a surprisingly comprehensive background in all kinds of motorcycles and motorcycle pursuits over the hill and down into Bella Coola. The road is legendary and so are the riders.

Speaking of legendary, Vintage Hall contributor Robert Smith heads off to the 2016 International Norton Owners Association Rally in California where he revels in a embarrassment of riches when it comes to the British brand but he also runs into a few old friends of Canadian Biker along the way. As one Vintage show just wasn’t enough for this issue editor John Campbell visits Andy’s Classic and Vintage Motorcycle Show right here in our backyard and reaffirms what he already knew – it isn’t the size of the show that counts.

What else? A couple of custom bikes – a beach bum’s delight and an Indian bobber,  men in suits, the Z1 and more.

Enjoy.