Renter Success Story: Q&A with Nolan V.

Tell us about your riding experience. How long have you been riding, and how many bikes have you owned? How did you first become interested in riding?

I started riding at just 10 years old when my father purchased a CRF 230 for my brother and I. The bike was a bit big for us at the time but it struck an interest in me that I have not been able to shake ever since. I rode dirt bikes through my teens and into my twenties. Moving from the CRF 230 onto a CRF 250R then onto a 450R and then finishing with a KTM 530 EXC which I also set up for Supermoto. The KTM 530 was the first street legal bike I ever owned and the first bike that I ever took out of province on motorcycle trips (2011).

My first trip to North Carolina—including the Tail Of The Dragon and surrounding roads—was the start of my real addiction, and our annual North Carolina trip. Since then I have ridden North Carolina almost ever year (spare a few, this year included). I have done two California trips, one where I drove down with my KTM in the back (2015) and another where I went and rented from Twisted Road (recently, March 2020). I have ridden through Vietnam on a Triumph Street Twin and Bali Indonesia on a CRF 250F Baja. I have also owned an Aprilia Shiver 750 (2015 - 2017), Tuono 1000 (2017 - 2018), Tuono 1100 Factory (2018 - current), and a Triumph Scrambler 1200Xe (2020 - Current). I have also ridden trips all over Quebec, Ontario, Michigan, and New York. My further trips this year (if travel is permitted) will be California again, Morocco, Spain, and hopefully Thailand and Vietnam again.

Have you taken any long moto trips? Tell us about them - where did you go, where did you stay, who did you ride with?

The longest motorcycle trip would be one I did with three friends last fall. It totaled three and a half weeks and consisted of a week in Vietnam and two and a half weeks riding in Bali. We stayed at small hotels through the countryside, poolside villas at some popular beaches, and all sorts of other neat accommodations. We had the opportunity to ride some amazing terrain—from deserts, rain forests and mountainous regions in Vietnam to the sandy, luscious forests and mountains of Bali. The riding, scenery, culture, and photos of this trip were truly outstanding. It's a trip I'll never forget, yet hope to improve upon my next visit to the region.

Tell us some more about you - where do you live? What kind of work do you do?

I am a young owner of a seasonal campground, I'm only 31 years old which is odd for my industry. With that said I have a great understanding of the hospitality industry and have leveraged that knowledge to turn my business into one of the leading campgrounds in Canada. With the seasonal nature of my business I have approximately 6 months of the year to travel. I tend to enjoy doing adventure-based travel (3 trips to Costa Rica doing some overlanding, renting vehicles off Nomad America). I currently live in a little town called Belwood in Ontario Canada where I have some acreage with off-road trails for ATVs and dirt bikes, as well as access to a lake.

What are your hobbies - what do you enjoy doing when you're not riding?

Hahaha, well riding…or driving. I own a Porsche GT4 (2016) that I track almost every week. I was involved in downhill ski racing for just over 16 years and I am still a very avid skier, making at least one trip out west every year as well as skiing locally. I restore classic cars and trucks as a hobby and still own some of the ones I have restored (1978 Bronco, 1963 Toyota FJ40). I have an ATV (Can-Am 800 Outlander) as well as a side-by-side (Can-Am Maverick 1000 Turbo) that I use very frequently on our trails. I also am an avid jet skier in the summer (the old standup ones, not those big heavy couches you can buy nowadays!)

Tell us about your experiences with Twisted Road - as either an owner, as a rider, or both. What do you enjoy most about being part of our community?

It was amazing honestly. I was surprised to see a Ducati 1299 listed; I have always wanted to ride one (as a good comparison to the Tuono 1100 factory I own). The whole process was streamlined and easy. I knew exactly what I was paying and what I was getting for it. At first I was slightly skeptical; I figured that I would show up and the bike would be in a state of disrepair or some other nonsense. To my pleasant surprise the person I rented it from was very very nice, the bike was in great condition, and it was unbelievably simple to get going. The return of the bike was the same—very easy, no nonsense, etc. I actually developed a friendship with the renter, Rigoberto, and we still talk to this day. A mutual love of this sport is a great thing that brings all sorts of people together.

What are your favorite rides near your hometown?

There are a few good roads. The Forks of the Credit are wonderful and beautiful at the same time, as well as some county roads that are quite nice. To be honest, southern Ontario has a lack of turns and good roads, hence why I love to travel to find new places to ride.

Last question - where do you hope to ride one day?

Well I'm planning to do the Baja 500 as an amateur next year on my Triumph Scrambler—which will be quite a feat if I can complete it. I am also planning on doing a cross continental trip of Africa next winter which would be amazing. It's a lot to plan and put together though, so the timeline may change. Europe is one the list as well. In the next 5 years I really hope to hit some big rides on every continent.