In 1946, Glenn Turple and his brother, Rex, discovered motorbikes. They went halvers on a Harley. “We were going to take turns riding it,” said Turple. “Then we found out that one wasn’t enough.” Glenn sold his share of the bike to Rex, and Glenn got himself an Ariel. This triggered a fascination with English bikes. Before long, the brothers were selling motorbikes out of the house—and Turple Brothers Motorcycles was born. Back then, motorcycles were basic and utilitarian. “If you wanted a windshield you added it, if you wanted saddlebags you added those, if you wanted a passenger seat you added that,” said Turple.
A passion that endures
Turple is now 81 and has been in business for more than 60 years. He and his brother remained business partners until cancer took Rex’s life in 1990. Turple still works at Turple Brothers, located at Gasoline Alley in Red Deer, Alberta, for four days each week. His passion for bikes is key to the business. “I’ve always had bikes,” said Turple. He now owns two Gold Wings. One is converted to a trike, which he likes to ride in winter. “I tell people that I’m back to my second childhood, riding a tricycle,” said Turple. “We sell trikes, so I thought I should do it, and with trikes I can ride on ice and snow.
This winter, I’ve put on three or four thousand kilometres on the trike.” Turple is not afraid of the elements. “I dress very well,” he said. Last summer, when Turple went to a Ski-Doo industry meeting in the U.S., he called ahead to demo the new Can-Am Spyder. “I rode from Nashville, down through Alabama to Tampa, Florida, then over to Orlando, Florida,” said Turple. “I just spent a couple of afternoons and a day. It was down Interstate 65 and I came up back 75 for a ways.”
Turple enjoyed riding the lively Spyder on the interstate highways. “They run along at 70, 75 miles an hour,” said Turple.
The open road
Turple said that although he likes the rush of riding a motorcycle, he has always been a cautious and aware rider. In fact, Turple sold the first motorcycle safety helmet in Alberta.
“I never was reckless,” said Turple. Turple regularly rides his motorcycles instead of taking his car or truck. “I just enjoy doing it,” said Turple. “It’s just something I like to do. There is a bit of a freedom—you are out in the open. I grew up on a farm, out on the open tractor, out in the field. I like getting out into the countryside. I don’t go as quick as I used to, but I’m still doing what I enjoy. Being active is an important part of good health. I’ve done over 920,000 miles,” he said, doing a quick calculation. “That’s nearly 1,475,000 kilometres—not including my snowmobiling.”
When asked if he was regionally famous, Turple laughed. “I don’t know if it’s famous or notorious,” said Turple. “I get lots of looks, and people wonder what that crazy guy is doing. If they’ve never been there, they would never really understand.”
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