Yes the language on this pic is French - but the message is Universal - Parents who spend time teaching their children how to ride and enjoy the great outdoors on Motorcycles - have memories that will last a lifetime.
Obviously kids grow up and only a small percentage go on to ride competition and stay in the sport for the rest of their life. - but the message I think is clear.
In my case, and a newcomer to Canada back in the late 60’s - I simply loved the Outdoors and camping. - soon I was involved again in Motorcycling and with a couple of youngsters, what better way to spend weekends, usually with other families and competition riders at Trials or Cross Country races. - Babsy and myself have a million memories of these times spent mostly in Alberta, but also some in BC when we later moved to the Okanagan.
Our daughter Helen learned to ride on a TY 175 and was really quite good - Steven our son started off on a Yamaha Canada Special GT 80 -Steve Baker Replica - built by Bob Work - Sadly I let that go to another of his buddies when I bought him a YZ 80 - - I think the beautiful little Stevie Replica likely ended up in the junk yard.
I still recall that our Steve wanted that YZ 80 - even though I knew that it was not the bike for him riding out in the bush where we spent most of our weekends. - Anyway I relented and bought it for him - and we went through the crying matches when he would get in all kinds of trouble in the muskeg humps, while his big sister would do just fine on the TY 175 . - At this time - Steve was quite small - but it wasn’t long before he was able to ride his big sister’s TY 175 - He would run alongside it after starting - then jump on. boy I wish I had films of those days.
Later Helen discovered boys - and that was the end of both her coming out camping with Mom & Dad but also the TY was now up for sale. - This was around 1981 and we had moved to Vernon BC in the Okanagan Valley. - I was still working for Yamaha Canada, but with no Trials activity in the Valley - I was in limbo a bit - still riding a Cross Country bike - but I think still trying to figure out how I could help the sport. - The next step was to
get Steve into Cross Country - first on a much modified Yamaha XT 200 4T - which was good for him because it had a low seat height. - we put a cam in it and a trick rear shock plus other goodies - everything was looking good - I remember we were going to his second ever race - North of Kamloops - At that time we lived up on the hill above Vernon Airport and had access to a large hillside next to our home where we used to ride - that is where I taught Steve a few things. -
Anyway on this Saturday - afternoon before leaving for the race - I fitted some new trick handlebars to the XT 200Â plus a few other things and told Steve to take the bike down the field to see how everything felt.
When he didn’t come back I went looking for him and found that he had hit another kid head on, fortunately Steve was not hurt but the other kid ended with a broken Jaw..
It’s hard to explain how you deal with this stuff as a parent - - but after fitting another set of handlebars and checking the bike over - We decided that we would go ahead and do the race - I should mention that Steve had a dislocated thumb.
Although I can’t remember too many details about this event - I know that our Steve finished 4th Junior which everything considering was pretty much like winning.
By this time I had decided that it was time to move him up to a better bike as he had grown a bit ( but still only 15years old) - The obvious choice was an IT 200 - and with this new bike - he was doing great in our practices in the OK Valley -
At a Kelowna Cross Country race in 1982 - Steve got the holeshot in the Junior class and was soon catching the seniors up ahead - ( I have a pic of this someplace) after going through a muddy part of the course - his goggles were plugged so he pulled them down -
However, not long after on a rocky part of the course while closing on another rider he was hit in the eye by a rock. - You know what this kid said to me when they brought him in - ” Sorry Dad”
We took Steve to Vancouver to the best eye Doctor but they said there was nothing they could do -
That was the end of our our lads competition career and sorry to say any motorcycling - working in the Industry it was a very hard time for me to deal with this. Babsy hated Motorcycles for a very long time.
Our son is now in his 50’s and never rides a motorcycle - although I did take him out a couple years ago  to Summerland and would you believe it - one eye - years off the bike and he did just fine. .
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Over in Europe there are a few Trials events happening - this one I think in France “The Two Days of Camprodon”
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This is a pic from back in 2013 - When we brought in a few Beta Enduro bikes for Mountain Motorcycles -      ( Before they sold the Franchise to Beta Canada - It had been a few years since I rode/raced Cross Country - & while the new breed of bikes are awesome - they are so tall that short guys like me need a step-ladder to get on one. - Must say I loved this bike plus of course it had e start. -
Would have been nice to have - back in the day !! ( God I remember the Yam 400’s and the XT & TT 500’s - how the hell I managed to start them I don’t know - of course when you are younger and fitter you can do a lot of things)
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We cover a lot of Motorcycle Sport in our daily ramblings - but it’s nice to see this report by Don Galloway about the Flat track they held at Drumheller AB  recently. - Don worked for Yamaha Canada for a short time and I took him around to visit dealers in Alberta.
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