An Heirloom Diesel ‘Benz And A Buncha Bikes: Members’ Rides

It would seem you lot thoroughly enjoyed the crazy custom Frankenfire last week, I did too! That thing is awesome! Today, we’re going to look at another great classic, though this one is a bit less modified. It’s getting to the end of the riding season, so we’re also going to look at some fantastic motorcycles, one of which has been to the Arctic Circle!

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Meet Rob (Rob_from_Ottawa). Rob is an adventurer, runner, and to pay for all that, he’s a civil servant living up in Ottawa, Canada. He’s got a couple of invincible cars, as well as a trio of great bikes that would look right at home in one of our own Mercedes Streeter’s storage units.

How did you get into cars?

As a four-year-old, seeing a neighbour drive up in a new white Citroën DS hooked me for good. Since then, I’ve had a long list of garbage cars and motorcycles that I have used and abused to my heart’s content.

What’s currently in the garage?

• 1985 Mercedes 300 Turbodiesel sedan
• 2013 Toyota 4Runner
• 2018 Yamaha WR250R
• 2025 CFMOTO Ibex 450
• 2006 Yamaha MT-01

What’s the story behind the Benz?

This car has an excellent origin story. My wife’s father moved from Argentina to small-town Ontario, Canada, to pursue his career as an architect. After a few years, he stretched his finances to buy his boss’s firm. Then came hard times in the early 80s. Government cuts cancelled projects, he was forced to re-mortgage his home to meet payroll, and things were looking bleak. Later, he liked to boom out what happened next: “You know what I did? I bought a fucking Mercedes!”

Having spent, or rather, borrowed, the equivalent to $80,000 in today’s money, he became known for the car. He drove it 16 hours a day to deliver sales pitches, brushing his teeth in it in the morning and managing sweat with Polo Ralph Lauren in the afternoons. His business expanded in town, then boomed across the region. He passed away more than ten years ago, but +VG Architects is still one of the country’s top firms for heritage buildings.

Friends and old clients still call up the family when they see this car in its old hometown of Port Dover, Ontario. It’s now my wife’s, and I keep it up. This one isn’t really ours. The way I see it, my father-in-law passed it to us in trust. As long as his car is on the road, business is good.

What’s it like?

At city speeds, it’s almost dangerously slow. From a green light, you take a foot-to-the-floor approach and, out the back window, you often see a billow of black, half-burned fuel. But this was the first passenger-car diesel to have a turbocharger. On the highway, that turbo spins non-stop, and that’s a good thing. The acceleration is almost adequate that way. At 130kph, the car feels fairly lively – at least in comparison. It’s an urban ugly duckling that grows into an autobahn car. You see an expensive white elephant? Ha! I see an elegant white swan.

But it’s boring to just say that you have an old car that’s slow. It’s everything else about the car that makes this one a real Autopian:

• The recirculating-ball steering is about as precise as an outboard-motor tiller
• But the anti-dive suspension geometry and firm big pedal make braking totally serene
• And the long-travel suspension ignores speed bumps
• But the cornering is so uncontrolled that the MB Text seat fabric has a tear on the driver’s side from having to brace yourself with your hand. That stuff is usually indestructible.

And then there’s the vacuum lines. I’m pretty sure that electricity had been invented when the W123 model came out in the mid-1970s. But this Mercedes operates most of its comfort features and even some of its core mechanicals with air-filled vacuum lines. I guess that made some sense. I mean, four-stroke engines are continuously generating vacuum pressure, right? Well, a turbodiesel engine’s intake doesn’t make a vacuum. The intake valves remain open during the compression phase because the ignition pressure is achieved just by the force of the fuel injection system. So, to operate all the vacuum lines, Mercedes had to design and add a vacuum pump. I hear that engineers like the word “elegant.” What’s the word for this?

These days, those vacuum pumps are hard to source. So, for years, I’ve been living with vacuum lines that only half work.

What issues does that cause?

Well, the cabin air vents respond to the dashboard controls pretty randomly. Or maybe not randomly: In cold weather, you tend to get air conditioning. In hot weather, you get full heat. And you keep a roll of paper towels for days when the windscreen gets misty.

The 4-speed automatic downshifts with a heavy clunk. According to the transmission guy, the air line it uses to smooth the shifts does nothing at the moment.

You have to show off your gymnastic skills to open the doors for your passengers. Central locking is kinda decentralized now, you could say.

And the engine dieseling. Wow. What does it mean when a diesel diesels? It means that, if there’s a leak in just the right vacuum line, the ignition key won’t shut off the engine. I love doing this to valets. So this car doesn’t have push-button start: It has push-button stop. The stop-engine button is under the hood; I guess the Germans wanted to hide their pessimism about their vacuum-line system.

Is it as invincible as the reputation suggests?

I love picking on the car for its quirks, but there’s just no denying that the important stuff is just lasting and lasting. Any engine and transmission that lasts well over 400,000 km is just darn well made. And, although it has never been driven in a Canadian winter, I think it’s admirable that 1970-era body construction has never had significant rust; we have only had to respray the hood for rock pings.

How much work has it needed to stay roadworthy over the years?

Not a whole lot:

• The turbo was rebuilt while my father-in-law owned it.
• The half-shafts were done by my father-in-law as well, with two right-side axles. Even the dealership couldn’t find a left-hand one, so they installed its fraternal twin backward.
• This year, we got the automatic transmission rebuilt because it was hanging a bit, but that was a bit of an indulgence; it worked pretty well.
• The engine is original. It uses no oil between oil changes. Maybe that’s because it gets nine fresh liters each time.
• The AC needs work every five years or so. It’s due now, but we prioritized the transmission this year.

My father-in-law maintained it meticulously so there were probably other costs over the decades. He replaced it with a matching white 2006 E-series but quickly abandoned that one in favour of a Lexus GS; routine maintenance costs on the newer Mercedes were just too much for him.

How often does this get driven?

The Mercedes has over 460,000 km on it, and we still drive it regularly. Granted, we use public transit to commute, but we’re moving our kids around and running errands three or four times a week. I like its performance on the way to the cottage. I just leave the Toyota in the driveway.

What’s the best thing about it?

Feeling like you’re taking care of something important for someone who isn’t around anymore. It’s in our will for my teen son to continue the family tradition. Poor guy. He’d probably rather have his education paid for.

Anything you don’t like about it?

Call them quirks. The biggest issue is that it doesn’t like cold. By the time November rolls into Canada, everything about the car is so stiff, including the fuel, that the car won’t move readily for the first 10  minutes, the heater flaps stay closed, and the ghost of my father-in-law appears to remind me that he never winter drove this car.

Anything it needs currently?

I’d like to get the window and sunroof seals replaced before they start to leak, but can’t find a body shop willing to tackle trim this old.

Are you aiming for a million kms?

Before my father-in-law passed away, he transferred his pride and joy to his daughter, my wife, because he knew I love cars and would take care of it. I don’t know how to get his permission to ever give it up.

How’s the 4Runner?

I love having the world’s two most long-lasting passenger vehicles. And I think I’m using it for what it does best, serving as a station wagon for dads who age faster than they mature. No, you don’t need to take your kids down snowmobile trails in the summer. But with the suspension travel of this thing, how could you not? In the winter, with this, you don’t have to shovel your own driveway, even in Ottawa, even when your sister-in-law arrives in heels. And yes, I *need* to tow stuff, even though I would probably tow nothing if I didn’t have a truck.

It’s quite the Hail Mary effort to get bicycles on the roof, though. And I’m experiencing a lot of carbon guilt. I wish they still made the 4-cylinder. Even the new 4Runner hybrid doesn’t save gas.

But I’ve made this one mine. Some turn them into overlanders; I made improvements that match my use-case: Firmer springs and damping to improve its ability to carry heavy loads on the roof and pass the moose test. And air helper springs for the days I carry a motorcycle on the trailer hitch or pull a heavy trailer. That’s it.

What are the long-term plans for it?

My kids start driving next year: If they total it, I’d like to replace it with an actual station wagon. But nobody makes those anymore. And if someone did, it wouldn’t come with a widdle wadder. So I’ll just keep driving this until the sun explodes.

What do you think of the license plate? 4RUNNNERS. Our family does running races together: Get it? Get it? What’s a dad car without a dad joke?

What is the WR250R?

Out of production now, it was like a sequel to Rain Man. An overlooked misfit who turns out to be brilliant in his own way. It’s light and tall, just what you want off-road. Its small, 250cc engine is race-bike-like. I bought it in 2021 to ride trails more confidently after finding a Honda 450L too hard to control in the woods.

What do you use this for?

Yamaha pictured this engine sending rooster tails down motocross tracks, but that’s not how I use it. I prefer to lay down GPS tracks. With a Garmin Montana on the handlebars, GPS files let you go everywhere you’ve never been, usually without pavement, often without roads, sometimes without trails.

Rally Connex is a Canadian business that creates day-long events out of its own off-road routes. Some events are social, some are named after stages at Romaniacs. I’m proud to have finished some of the latter, once with a broken toe bone sticking out of my sock. You need aggressive tires, engine, and hand guards, body armour, lots of drinking water, and a wildly optimistic faith in your own skills. The other riders are better than me in the woods. But not necessarily better than this bike. It’s really good as an enduro.

But what I love are big, long-distance adventure rides. Sure, on bigger bikes, I’ve done pavement tours of Atlantic Canada, Newfoundland, Quebec, Ontario, and New England. I much prefer exploring the gravel routes of Canada’s far North on a properly equipped trail bike.

What does it take to do a ride like that?

Logistics are important. You need multiple Rotopax jugs for fuel and drinking water, side and top racks, waterproof bags for the water crossings, dried food, spare parts, tools, and, absolutely, a satellite emergency beacon. I also hang bear spray beside my brake lever. A windscreen is nice, but you’ve got to be ready for a death-wobble because it’s not made for this; I put a steering damper on my Suzuki DRZ400 because of a series of 100 km/hr tankslappers. The Yamaha hasn’t needed that, even with all these other accessories in place.

Where are some places you’ve ridden this?

My little bikes have brought me to an abandoned fur trade post on Hudson’s Bay. To the remote generating stations that power the southern cities. Chased iron-ore trains in Labrador. Met Cree, Nishnabe, Attikamek, Dene, and Inuit. Things don’t always go smoothly, so I prefer a bike that’s manageable and unstoppable rather than impressive.

What was your favorite ride?

In 2022, I loaded this little 290-pound Yamaha with all the gear I needed for a 2-week, 5,000 km ride across the Yukon, Northwest Territories, and Alaska. From the top of Keno Hill to the Mackenzie River to the Pacific Ocean, to Denali, and up to the Arctic Ocean for muktuk at Grandma’s Kitchen in Tuktoyaktuk.

Yukon’s Dempster Highway is a true bucket-list ride. It’s hard riding, though. My friend’s BMW GS-Adventure blew a strut. By contrast, my overloaded little 250 just danced across the permafrost. I didn’t remind my friend that my Yamaha’s load capacity is within 50 pounds of his bike. In fact, nothing has ever failed except battteries. Its only problem is that it’s too small to wear all the souvenir stickers, sadly.

Since then, I have been using it to complete other sections of TransCanada Adventure Trail. I plan to finish it someday. Prepared GPS routes are like having a sommelier for trails. I’m addicted. Everyone says I’m using the wrong bike. That just makes me love this fiery little Yamaha even more.

North Americans talk as if a motorcycle needs triple-digit horsepower. The WR250R has less than 30. Friends say that’s too small. I say their roads are too big.

What made you pick up the CFMOTO?

This is a new purchase as of March. I admit, I’m intimidated by true enduro riding in the woods, and I kinda like the nine of my toes that still work. I’m admitting that what I like best is the long-distance adventure touring with friends. Continuously misusing a 250 dirt bike may not make sense.

I had never considered a Chinese bike before, and certainly not in its first year of release. But this new 450 is so well thought-through that I had to buy it!

What is so great about it?

The wheels fit all dirt-bike tires, and it has a centre-stand to deal with flats. The tubeless tires are easy to repair and, if you need to take the rear wheel off, there’s even a little spot to hold the chain. It has a smooth two-cylinder engine, which is less tiring. And when the gravel ends, the windshield retracts and the traction control switches off with the push of a button; now you’re ready to tackle that steep trail you just came across. There are even attachments for all the luggage, tents, beer, and firewood that every adventure rider needs for their self-care program. So far, the machine is delightfully flickable in-town and has performed well on rough two-track. But those were just day ride,s adding up to only a few thousand kilometers. The real test will be a 2,000km expedition across northern Quebec next month.

Do you think it will hold up well?

All riding is a gamble. I’m gambling that, when it comes to bikes, China is the next Japan. The combination of low price and high features won me over. I want it to be the bike that completes all 18,000 km of the TransCanada Adventure Trail with me. So far, it’s a blast. I’d love to meet the engineers and buy them a round. But next month, if I have to walk out of the woods to reach Chibougamau, I’ll have a few choice words for them. I hate deer flies.

Now, what is a Yamaha MT-01?

I only just bought this bike, have ridden it only a few times, and yet it has imprinted itself on my brain forever. A 1,700cc V-twin pushrod motor, sport-bike chassis, no bodywork, no electronic controls. This thing is insane. No modifications. Heavens no. It modifies you.

It weighs eleven suns. The steering weighs more. At a stoplight, it shakes and bangs like Kali’s vibrator. I have no idea what gear I’m starting in because it makes absolutely no difference. If I were towing a Cummins diesel with three flat tires, I wouldn’t know. Some other dimension hauls all the weight forward with an invisible magnet. You crouch on it like the guy in Dr. Strangelove, hollering ludicrously as you wait for the world to end. Explosions go off behind you, and you surf the shock waves. Lesser vehicles part, the sky warps, and then it’s time for second gear. It doesn’t change lanes; it relocates them. At speed, you machine gun the enemy with the sounds, clamp the throttle shut just to time the backfires, and twist back to wide-open throttle until it pulls your feet off the footpegs.

No one is qualified for this. It’s a primordial animal. It’s the ancient red-hot rock core of the earth, and all lesser bikes have been carved from its pebbles. You think I’m exaggerating? I’m not. Every rider has to die one day and every rider needs to experience this first. Hopefully, there will be a reasonable interval between those two events. But, regardless, on an MT-01, you’ll die with a smile.

Sounds amazing, what are your plans for it?

It’s a collector’s item, but don’t plan to keep it. My friends only ride on gravel and on trails, and this thing rides only on the grace of God. I got a good price that I can pass alon,g and I really want others to appreciate it.

First on the list of prospective new owners: Mercedes Streeter, please buy this machine and write about it! You have an unfiltered joy for trying everything life has to offer. That demands that you add this notch to your belt. It’s a Russian doll of all the layers of pleasure that motorcycle riding brings. And it wasn’t sold in the US; some Americans can’t be trusted with power. So it’s up to you to come to Canada and tell the world what this LSD-dream of a bike is all about.

Thanks Rob!

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