Bikes n Coffee – Vancouver – Dashed Yellow Line

I’m starting to learn the moto scene here in Vancouver – we’ve long known about The Moto Social, where we found about Bikes n Coffee, a WhatsApp group here in the area. Bikes n Coffee paired up with Ducati of Richmond to put on a pretty kick ass bike party. With a much tighter riding season here in the Pacific Northwest, you got to get every moment of the seasons out.

R and I met the team of Lonewolf Motorcycle Towing right as we walked into the event. I’m not kidding when I say these people were hella cool. Maybe British Columbia has all the kick ass towies as they were as cool Cooper’s Towing when the Bluetooth chip died in the Rivian.

What makes Lonewolf special? Aside from being great people, it’s their lifts. They can fix the motorcycle to their flatbed the right way (wheel chock, straps on the right parts of the bike, and no stress on the suspension of the motorcycle. I’d considered the Neo-Dyne for the Rivian, but not yet ready to commit the $3500 to that purchase. Seeing their commercial grade system now makes the purchase decision a bit more enticing. And their entire fleet is mid 90s Ford F-250s, one of the most beautiful trucks made.

As I walked into the event, something about seeing these three motorcycles with their rider’s helmet all lined up gave me the photographers pause – especially the two yellow helmets stacked on top of each other. My camera just found it cute, lol.

As I was walking around, my eyes instantly snapped to this person’s hoodie. On the back, it read:

Dear person behind me, the world is a better place with you in it.

love,
the person in front of you

On the front, it simply read, “You are enough.” I ran into him while we were ordering lunch and mentioned that I respected the message on his hoodie and asked where he got it. He laughed and said it was a purchase off Instagram. My mind instantly shot back to the national map I bought off late-night TV, where you could place each of the 50 state quarters into the folding map. We’ve all been victims of the perfect ad at the perfect time (from the marketer’s perspective—not ours). He further explained that he bought the hoodie as a way to remind himself that he was enough and that others were going through similar struggles. He opened up about going through his own mental health challenges and needing the reminder. All I can say is: mad props to him.

While not perfect, I’ve come to appreciate Canada’s more proactive approach to men’s mental health. The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (the CBC, as locals refer to it) reports that suicide is the fourth leading cause of premature death in men, after cancer, coronary heart disease, and accidents. Also, three out of four deaths by suicide in Canada are men.

If you are reading this blog, know that its author is a strong proponent of mental health care—including therapy. Each of us has seasons where life gets rough, and it’s more than okay to reach out and ask for help. I left that conversation feeling loved, empowered, and in many ways, profoundly human. We all have our stuff, and it’s okay to be human and ask for help. The ones that matter will think more—not less—of you.

As we were making our way around the exhibit, we could hear two motorcycle engines wailing off out on the street. I walked over to see the two riders stunting their bikes on the side street. R and I chatted and we agreed that while not perfect, it certainly better to stunt on a side street then out in major traffic. It was cool to see the KTMs outfitted in supermoto tires and gear.

I was instantly enamored with this Ducati clear clutch cover. As I was taking a couple of photographs of his bike, the owner came up behind me and said, “You know, I had that idea first.” At first, I was confused, but he further explained that I was photographing his buddy’s bike and that his bike was the one behind, with the exact same clutch cover. All of us laughed, and I joked, “Move your bike out so I can photograph it!”

I really wished I had my polarizer to filter out my own reflection. Doh!

What could be more Canadian than attaching your hockey stick to the back of your motorcycle flying the maple leaf, lol.

R and I both caught the motorcycle leaving the parking lot with the dog in a backpack. We both loved capturing their photograph. The dog especially was so expressive riding his owner’s bike.