Saskatchewan motorcycles back on the road as summer nears

“It’s a little scary at first but once you get the wheels underneath you, it flows pretty easy.”

Fifteen years ago, Spencer Remezoff was looking for a summertime alternative to snowmobiles to get his blood pumping. That’s where his love of motorcycles began.

“A bike brings out the youth in you, a little bit more than just driving a car to work,” Remezoff said. “It’s as fun as peddling your bike when you’re eight years old, only you don’t have to pedal anymore, you can just squeeze it and go.”

For Remezoff, his passion slowly became his career. Twelve years ago he opened Platinum Recreation, which sells snowmobile, motorcycle and ATV parts.

“Everybody has their own reason to ride,” he said, resting against his bike. “Some people like it for the camaraderie. Some people like it just to get out by themselves — I know a lot of guys that’ll ride solo.”

But with a smaller frame and exposed to the elements, Remezoff is at times hesitant to get out and ride due to how vehicles share the road.

“We’re enjoying the summer the best way that we can, and we want to go home to our families as well,” he said.

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SGI’s Tyler McMurchy is reminding the public that the road is a shared space, whether your ride is motorized or not.

“Cyclists, motorcyclists and an e-scooter have the legal right to be there,” McMurchy said. “Having a little bit of patience even if they might be moving a lit bit slower, passing when it’s safe to do so, giving them a bit more room and understanding that they can come to a stop a lot more suddenly than you can.

“When a collision involves a vehicle and any other type of road user, the vehicle usually wins that encounter.”

Those on a motorcycle, however, still have to do their part to keep themselves safe, McMurchy said.

“They should act like a motor vehicle if they are on the road,” he said. “So following all the traffic laws, including not going between vehicles. You never know what’s going to happen.

“If a vehicle makes a sudden movement in that lane, all of a sudden that space disappears and you’re going to come out on the short end of the stick of that.”