Summer Solstice 2025
- Thread starter shanekingsley
- Start date
Have a safe and fun ride, guys!
Looking forward to the pics and writeup!
Looking forward to the pics and writeup!
Thx again Shane for the awesome ride and route! Just dropped my bike off at the dealership. Been chasing this electrical issue but it wouldn’t come up every time the bike’s on their bench. Finally got it there while the issues is actually occurring for them to see it.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Good ride, great people and a hair under 1400km for me.
Will post some pics later - I need a shower and some sleep!
Will post some pics later - I need a shower and some sleep!
Great to hear! I'll join for 2026!
relict
Active member
It was my first Solstice ride with Shane. It was a challenge, but I’ve enjoyed it very much.
Today my arms and legs heart a bit after leaning and holding the tank ^_^
Nice roads and great comradery. We were lucky with the weather without rain and not too heavy traffic I believe.
Thank you very much, Shane, for making a route, for setting up the pace, for your support during the stops.
I learned some, practiced some, enjoyed the company and the scenery. Great ride. Enthusiastically look forward to the next one!
Thanks everybody for your participation and contribution to the team!
Today my arms and legs heart a bit after leaning and holding the tank ^_^
Nice roads and great comradery. We were lucky with the weather without rain and not too heavy traffic I believe.
Thank you very much, Shane, for making a route, for setting up the pace, for your support during the stops.
I learned some, practiced some, enjoyed the company and the scenery. Great ride. Enthusiastically look forward to the next one!
Thanks everybody for your participation and contribution to the team!
jdmsteR
Well-known member
Thanks for leading the route yesterday Shane
It was a good ride for me up until it wasn't
Thankfully no major injuries and I'll take some time to assess what the bike needs
Thanks to everyone for the help, I truly appreciate it
Glad you were all able to enjoy the rest of the ride
It was a good ride for me up until it wasn't
Thankfully no major injuries and I'll take some time to assess what the bike needs
Thanks to everyone for the help, I truly appreciate it
Glad you were all able to enjoy the rest of the ride
Started this ride at 5am with the dawn light just starting to come up. Looks how clean my bike is - I washed it just for this moment.
A couple days ago I put on a set of freshly serviced aftermarket rear shock and forks. I only had the chance to commute to work once on the new suspension, and it felt pretty damn good, so I was really looking forward to this ride. I also just replaced my worn out and squared off tires for a fresh set of Road 6's. I always love how a fresh set of rubber makes the bike feel like it's going to fall over compared to tires that are fully done.
Just after 5am, my buddy on a GSX1000S shows up at my place and we head off to meet the others in Bowmanville for 6:15am and then meet one more in Campbellford for 7:30am. For the first time ever one one of these Solstice rides, we are actually almost on time!
These kinds of rides are about being very strategic with timing for stops and how long we stop for. I normally don't like to just do stops at gas stations, but for a ride like this, it's hard to make extra scenic stops in between, because in one gas stop it's possible to hit up fuel, food and a washroom all at once. We fuel up in Westport and fingers crossed that we'll get some pics of something other than gas stations on this trip
And then there were 5. One bike was feeling sleepy from all the excitement and had to go home
, so off the rest of us head to Calabogie. If I haven't said it before, the roads in the Frontenac region have a perfect mix of wide open sweepers with very tight technical twisties. Go check it out if you have never been before. Finally a nice break at the rest stop just west of Calabogie. No washroom here though.
And now there were 3. Shortly after Calabogie, 2 more bikes have to leave - one to visit the shop to get rid of a gremlin and another because home was calling. Up and over to Barry's Bay the 3 remaining bikes go and stop at one of my favourite rest stops - Crooked Slide Park on Old Barry's Bay Rd. Plus there's a washroom here!
We ride through Algonquin Park and it looks like an SUV might have hit a moose - no blood, but the front end of the vehicle was crushed. No Solstice ride is complete without a stop in a Screaming Heads.
I must say - the 518 was in really bad shape. It was clean and had next to no sand, but it was so bumpy and had a lot of potholes throughout the twistiest section - this winter was very hard on it! There is a nice boat launch stop at Bear Lake that I always stop at and it has a washroom
By now it's getting pretty late and we've been riding for about 14hrs each. Since there's no clouds, the sky stays lit longer, but that also means we are riding into the setting sun on some twisty roads - making it extra dangerous for not being able to see the upcoming curves or deer or wildlife. We make an decision to skip out on a couple roads that might had unnecessary risk to them because of this and take a quicker route home. It was a good call, because by the time we get to the Service Centre in Cookstown, it's getting pretty dark out!
All in all, it was around 1400km over the day and it's my second time finishing it in 5 attempts - 1 nap and 2x skipping a lot of roads. There were so many bugs out, especially in the Muskoka area! We stopped at the Wahta native gas station on Muskoka Rd 38 and I had to keep my helmet on cuz they were buggin me so much. I just love new tires and riding with a comfy seat, a tall windscreen and the fancy suspension. I didn't feel sore or tired and on the way home I felt that I could have easily rode a few more hours. And then I got home and had all my gear off, and once again I said I'm never doing this crazy ride again, but once we're out there, it's always great to share this kind of a ride with others. And there's something extra unique about hitting up Calabogie and Screaming Heads so on the same ride.
A couple days ago I put on a set of freshly serviced aftermarket rear shock and forks. I only had the chance to commute to work once on the new suspension, and it felt pretty damn good, so I was really looking forward to this ride. I also just replaced my worn out and squared off tires for a fresh set of Road 6's. I always love how a fresh set of rubber makes the bike feel like it's going to fall over compared to tires that are fully done.
Just after 5am, my buddy on a GSX1000S shows up at my place and we head off to meet the others in Bowmanville for 6:15am and then meet one more in Campbellford for 7:30am. For the first time ever one one of these Solstice rides, we are actually almost on time!
These kinds of rides are about being very strategic with timing for stops and how long we stop for. I normally don't like to just do stops at gas stations, but for a ride like this, it's hard to make extra scenic stops in between, because in one gas stop it's possible to hit up fuel, food and a washroom all at once. We fuel up in Westport and fingers crossed that we'll get some pics of something other than gas stations on this trip
And then there were 5. One bike was feeling sleepy from all the excitement and had to go home
, so off the rest of us head to Calabogie. If I haven't said it before, the roads in the Frontenac region have a perfect mix of wide open sweepers with very tight technical twisties. Go check it out if you have never been before. Finally a nice break at the rest stop just west of Calabogie. No washroom here though.
And now there were 3. Shortly after Calabogie, 2 more bikes have to leave - one to visit the shop to get rid of a gremlin and another because home was calling. Up and over to Barry's Bay the 3 remaining bikes go and stop at one of my favourite rest stops - Crooked Slide Park on Old Barry's Bay Rd. Plus there's a washroom here!
We ride through Algonquin Park and it looks like an SUV might have hit a moose - no blood, but the front end of the vehicle was crushed. No Solstice ride is complete without a stop in a Screaming Heads.
I must say - the 518 was in really bad shape. It was clean and had next to no sand, but it was so bumpy and had a lot of potholes throughout the twistiest section - this winter was very hard on it! There is a nice boat launch stop at Bear Lake that I always stop at and it has a washroom
By now it's getting pretty late and we've been riding for about 14hrs each. Since there's no clouds, the sky stays lit longer, but that also means we are riding into the setting sun on some twisty roads - making it extra dangerous for not being able to see the upcoming curves or deer or wildlife. We make an decision to skip out on a couple roads that might had unnecessary risk to them because of this and take a quicker route home. It was a good call, because by the time we get to the Service Centre in Cookstown, it's getting pretty dark out!
All in all, it was around 1400km over the day and it's my second time finishing it in 5 attempts - 1 nap and 2x skipping a lot of roads. There were so many bugs out, especially in the Muskoka area! We stopped at the Wahta native gas station on Muskoka Rd 38 and I had to keep my helmet on cuz they were buggin me so much. I just love new tires and riding with a comfy seat, a tall windscreen and the fancy suspension. I didn't feel sore or tired and on the way home I felt that I could have easily rode a few more hours. And then I got home and had all my gear off, and once again I said I'm never doing this crazy ride again, but once we're out there, it's always great to share this kind of a ride with others. And there's something extra unique about hitting up Calabogie and Screaming Heads so on the same ride.
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Awesome ride! Glad all got home safe!
Glad everyone made it home safe and sound, although it sounds some issues were experienced during the ride.
But if all are safe and home...is all that matters!
But if all are safe and home...is all that matters!
Glad you all had fun. Front tire issue on my bike (new tire arrived yesterday) so I couldn't have made it even if I'd have wanted to unfortunately.
