Bikes bring out enthusiasts

Taylor Lambert
Moose Jaw Times-Herald
A lot of leather-clad guys and gals showed up on two wheels at the Western Development Museum on Saturday for two co-ordinated motorcycle-focused events.
The museum held a show and shine to tie in with its history of transportation display. At the same time, charity group Ride For Sight put on a fundraising barbecue and beer garden, along with a bike race course.
People from Moose Jaw and area brought their motorcycles to show off - and enter them to be judged for prizes - while others simply came to check out the bikes and talk to the riders.
"I bought my first bike in '78, here in Moose Jaw, from the Kawasaki dealer here," said Scott Singleton of Regina.
Singleton's 1997 Harley-Davidson Heritage Springer got more than a few looks from the enthusiasts on hand, and he said there's nothing quite like a Harley.
"I just always liked the look, the sound, the history of them," he said. "A lot of bike manufacturers are trying to copy them now, but they're still the original."
Moose Jaw's Brad Ruston, however, touted Victory as the new American brand to beat.
"It's the new American bike," he said, standing next to his 2008 Victory Jackpot. "Harley-Davidson was for so many years the icon of American bikes, so Victory is trying to catch up."
The two events attracted a solid crowd despite the strong winds, and the bikes seemed to be popular with young children.
"We wanted to attract a new audience, as well as correspond to what we have in the museum," said Jackie Hall, the museum's program/education officer.
"It's not something people often think about in the museum."
Ride For Sight, meanwhile, turned up a bigger crop of riders for its motorcycle activities than the previous year, a good sign for a charity organization trying to raise its visibility.
"Every year we've gotten bigger and raised more money," said chairperson Kim Anderson Cobb, whose son suffers from retinitis pigmentosa.
"We raise money for the Foundation Fighting Blindness, which does eye research for finding a cure for genetic and eye diseases."
The bikes were clearly the attraction on Saturday. So what gives motorcycles their iconic appeal?
"Freedom," states Ruston. "Just you and the wind in your face. Ask a dog why he hangs his head out of the window of a truck, he'll tell you the same thing."

Taylor Lambert can be reached at 691-1260