Bikers invade Abbotsford
Posted January 17, 2013 9:05 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
ABBOTSFORD (NEWS1130) – How’s that commute? Could you use a little more open road? Maybe a little more leather? Perhaps some chaps? You might want to head to the Vancouver Motorcycle Show, which starts today, where you’ll find Jordan Szoke. The man is fast. Very fast.
At eight wins, the 34-year-old holds the Canadian record for Superbike Championships and he’ll be sharing his experiences and expertise today through Sunday.
But it’s not all about speed (not many of us will ever reach 200 miles per hour on a track full of harrowing hairpins and straight-aways). Szoke also competes in motorcycle trials, a non-speed event where the goal is balance and control while negotiating obstacles.
“I’ll be doing demos. The motorcycle is extremely light; I actually weigh more than the bike. It’s all about balance and, in competition, every time you put your foot down you get penalized,” Szoke tells News1130.
“We’ll have different things on the course, cement things, maybe even a car. We’ll see what crazy stuff you can ride over with one of these motorcycles. It’s pretty exciting to see. Everyone always loves it when you go up the side of a car. A lot of people would love to do that in traffic,” he laughs.
Valuable commuting skills, but Szoke says you really can learn from watching and competing in trails.
“I love the road racing, that’s my gig, but trials are something I will do my whole life. It’s what I do to get away from my other job. I love watching the top guys. Believe it or not, even though trials are really slow, it teaches you how to go fast because it teaches patience and control. Whether you ride a cruiser or a sport bike or a dirt bike, trials teaches you the basics and helps anybody at any level improve their skills.”
The Vancouver Motorcycle is January 17-20 at the Tradex in Abbotsford.
