Sportbike West, the largest sportbike gathering of its kind in the Pacific Northwest, took over the sleepy town of Oliver, British Columbia. High forecast temperatures were held at bay by a wafting cloud of haze and soot from the 111,000-acre fire in neighboring Winthrop, Washington. Apart from ash covered sportbikes greeting their hung-over owners in the morning, the event went off without a hitch (more or less). Some complaints of price gouging by the host venue, The Southwind Inn, have begun to surface online, along with reports of complaints by the locals about speeding and stunting riders. Whether the complaints are valid or not, Oliver is such a small town that if a pin dropped, it would be headline news. Blown out of proportion or valid complaints? It's far too soon to tell. So far it seems as though the event will take place in Oliver, BC again next year, but as feedback continues to come in, that could change.
The relatively lack luster stunt show failed to eclipse previous years' light-it on fire burn it down treats for spectators. All told, Sportbike West was fantastic and all of the staff at Bikeland enjoyed meeting so many of our members in person!
Steady attendance and support from the riding community including riders from across the western seaboard of both Canada and the USA help ensure the Sportbike West will continue to grow and remain as the premier sportbike rally in the Pacific Northwest. We'll see you all next year, wherever the rally will take place!
Source: Bikeland.org