Rider Profile - Barbara Wynd
Imagine yourself a newly licensed rider, taking your first ride on your first motorcycle – a 450 Honda - being 700 km on the German Autobahn. That was Barbara Wynd's experience and at the end of it she was “totally mentally and physically exhausted - and proud as could be!"
Barbara's introduction to motorcycling started as a teenager with a rider named Anton. She was 16 and too young for a license in Germany but even as a passenger, she developed a fascination for riding. Her brother, best girlfriend and other friends all rode but at 18 when she was old enough, she deferred to her parent's wishes and obtained only her car license.
In 1988, when she met her husband to be and his 550 Honda her interest in riding was rekindled. It wasn't surprising then that their wedding present was a used, red metallic Kawasaki Concours. They enjoyed many happy miles touring Germany , through Europe, all the way down to the Turkish-Iranian border, up to northern Norway , 500 km. north of the Arctic Circle .
Barbara was destined to be a rider and with her husband's support at age 29, she enrolled in the motorcycle training program and got her license. Her 1 st bike was purchased from a girlfriend living 700 km away. She rode there as a passenger and being the independent spirit that she is, calmed her nerves and rode the 450 Honda all the way back by herself – on the Autobahn.
Electrical problems on the Concours after nearly 80.000 km sent Barbara and her husband on a methodical search for a replacement which eventually led them to a HD retailer. “I remembered them (HD's) only from ‘Easy Rider' and wondered why he wanted to look at them.” It was Barbara who immediately fell for a black and chrome Electra Glide and “20 minutes later it was ours”. They loved it! “After a year of following the big black Harley on my little red Honda I decided it was time to get my very own Harley and on March the 12 th 1992 I rolled up in front of our home on a brand new black and chrome Harley-Davidson 883 Sportster Hugger dubbed “Diva”.
Barbara and Diva were together for 13 years and many happy experiences including her move to Norway and in 2003, the trip of a lifetime – a 2 month stint traversing Canada and the US , timed to coincide with Harley-Davidson's 100 th anniversary in Milwaukee . It was here that she met Dave, her current husband. Unfortunately, because of import laws, she had to leave Diva behind when she moved to Canada . Now she rides the 1995 Harley-Davidson Sportster 1200 Dave rode to Milwaukee – and has affectionately named her Venus. “We are still in the process of changing her looks from ‘his' to ‘mine'.
“The fascination of motorcycling cannot be explained to people who do not like it, there is nothing in between – you love it or not! What I like best about riding is the ‘last sense of freedom' in this civilized world. You can smell the air, feel the temperature difference between a high mountain pass and a sheltered spring valley, you feel the warmth of the sun on your back and the cold draft from still frozen lakes. It brings you in a way back to nature, even if you are using a machine. I even like riding in freezing temperatures; for me it belongs to the experience. This is why I do not have a windshield mounted on the bike.”
“The start of a mc-holiday is the best time, the open road lies ahead and mostly I don't know where I am going to end up in the evening, I prefer riding ‘into the blue' and see how long I make it that day depending on the weather and my physical condition. There's nothing better than aching hands and butt after the first days of a long ride! And a holiday without the bike is not really a holiday. Riding is my perfect relaxation – you have to be focused on the road and all your problems just stay behind you. Every spring, on the first ride of the season you will see me riding with this ‘stupid grin' on my face, enjoying the ride once again!”
Barbara and Dave operate the fabulous Taylor-Made B&B in Lion's Head on the Bruce Peninsua – a favourite stop on our tours.