Royal Enfield's Twins 8-City Tour Rolls Through Acton Ontario
This past week, the quaint and compact town of Acton, Ontario – roughly 55 miles west of Toronto – was turned into a mini moto mecca as the Royal Enfield Twins Tour rolled into town. The only Canadian stop on the tour as it now makes its way to Denver, San Jose, Brea, and finally San Diego, and one that was specifically campaigned for by the town’s Royal Enfield dealer, Old Vintage Cranks. Knowing the size and reach of Toronto’s booming motorcycle scene, among other things being the base of the growing Moto Social groups around the world, the OVC team knew the event could draw a crowd, and they weren’t wrong.
From kick-off at 10am, Royal Enfield’s team had eager riders lined and waiting for a first spin on the new Interceptor 650 and Continental GTs, and even at my 4pm departure from the event these rides were still going strong. Being far enough from the city, the brief 15-minute loop provided enough open, winding road to get a good feel for either model. All tallied, the event drew 358 registered riders taking part in over 500 rides (most wanted to ride both bikes, with good reason. These stats easily surpassed the results from Miami, Summit Point, and Milwaukee, further reaffirming the position taken by Scott Strachan from Old Vintage Cranks, who played a pivotal role in getting the event to head north in the first place. “We’ve got a big fan base here in Ontario, and when I heard of the tour I knew we needed to be a stop. Though we don’t ride year-round up this way, we’re definitely an enthusiastic and engaged community of riders, so I knew we’d see a healthy turnout.”
Tucked in the back corner of the site, the Royal Enfield team also set up an off-road course, allowing riders to hit a bit of dirt and hop some logs on the Himalayan as well. Although a passing comment was made about possibly having to pay for a fence when the event was over, it seemed several riders were happy to bang around the course on the lightweight adventure bike. Alongside the rides, a local food truck, ice cream shop, tattoo shop, and others were on site in support, and several retailers around town were offering special discounts as part of festivities to visitors who mentioned “Pick Your Play” – the event series slogan.
West Coast riders are in luck, as the tour is heading that way now through the end of the month (see dates below). The demos are free, however, the number of places are limited. People interested are invited to register to their preferred event online on the tour’s official Website.
- June 15: Denver, Colorado – META Headquarters
- June 22: Monterey, California – Laguna Seca Raceway
- June 29: Brea, California – SoCal Motorcycles
- June 30: San Diego, California – Royal Enfield of San Diego
More by Justin Mastine-Frost
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Royal Enfield seems to be doing their damndest to avoid the Florida market. The only dealer with stock on hand is a 4-wheeler store in Ft. Pierce, which is effectively BFE. I've never even seen RE at any of the events, let alone demo rides. Moto Guzzi has a bigger presence here...
My local Italian bike shop is selling REs now, and Brea also isn't that far away, really, so no shortage of dealer support, but the questions linger: Are these practical bikes with enough performance to be safe on today's Porsche Cayenne - strewn freeways? Are they fun in the curves? Will they leave you stranded in the dessert on the hottest day of the year on the one ride you forgot to bring along water?
Maybe this tour is the place to get the answers. What was the buzz from the participants? Those Canadians are friendly, and if R Stonepebble isn't an exception, more than willing to share their opinions.