Parked at Peak Performance Motorsports Ltd., in Cranbrook, B.C., on July 5, 2014, was Yamaha’s red and white demo tour truck. On board were about 10 of the company’s latest and greatest 2014 motorcycles.

It was Yamaha’s Annual Motorcycle Power Tour, which travels across Canada. It’s been a while, though, since the tour made its way to Cranbrook.

RidersWest mechanic and motorcycle enthusiast Phil Budiselich was on location for the event, and he test rode four bikes. The Super Ténéré ES was one of them.

“It’s a fun bike and easy to ride,” he said. “And it doesn’t feel as big as it looks.”

Budiselich was pleasantly surprised with the FZ-09 as well, but his all-time favourite was the FJR1300ES. Loaded with electronic rider aids and powered by a 1,298 cc DOHC, 16-valve liquid-cooled inline-four engine, the FJR1300ES is considered Yamaha’s ultimate sport touring machine.

“It’s fast, powerful, easy to ride and there’s lots of room,” said Budiselich.

Although most of the bikes were 2014s, the tour truck did bring with it the beginner-friendly 2015 FZ-07. For more information about this bike, you can see our full write-up.

Demo rides are great opportunities for riders to get some seat time before they buy a bike. And Yamaha reps can usually answer any and all questions riders might have before and after they demo a bike.

The Western Canada portion of Yamaha’s Annual Motorcycle Power Tour is over but there are still some dates in Ontario and Newfoundland and Labrador. To see the schedule, visit the Yamaha Canada website.