Get to Know: Marc Perreault
"Being Métis, I really like to embrace my culture while enjoying and respecting the nature around me."
WINNIPEG, MANITOBA
Marc Perreault of Prairie Moto
As an active community builder in Winnipeg, Marc invests his boundless passion and energy into building an inclusive motorcycle culture within his hometown. Without giving too much away, let’s dive right in.
Tell us a little bit about yourself.
I’m a cyber security consultant and manager for a national IT consulting firm. While I’m passionate about my career, motorcycles has become a social and somewhat obsessive outlet for me to focus my spare time.
When I say obsessive, I immerse myself in all areas of motorcycles… repair and projects, riding both road and dirt, chilling with all the people at the local motorcycle hangouts, I’m co-host of a motorcycle podcast called Once Upon a Motorcycle and finally being the lead Winnipeg host for The Motosocial.
Oh right, I'm also involved in several motorcycle and road safety advocacy groups and projects…
How did you first get into riding?
I never owned a dirt bike as a child as my parents thought they were too dangerous *eye roll* but I owned an off-road Go-Kart that I was forever repairing, modifying and re-painting. I’m pretty sure it lived it’s life in 5 different colour schemes!
Tell us about your rides!
My first motorcycle was my 1981 Honda CB400T. I bought this bike actually just to turn it into a cafe racer/scrambler and had no motorcycle license or intent to actually ride it. When I got closer to finishing the project, my friends persuaded me to go for my license and the rest is history.
I’ve also owned: 1977 Yamaha DT100 enduro, 1978 Kawasaki KE175 enduro, 1981 Honda CB650C and a 1974 Honda Z50. My current motorcycles and projects are: 1986 Honda XL600R (this is my trail bike but also is amazing anywhere I want to go), my daily rider is my 1978 Suzuki GS750 and I have a 1966 Suzuki S32 which is somewhat running but likely going to blow the engine any day.
My two youngest sons also have mini bikes that I occasionally rip, a 1984 Honda XL80S and a metallic purple 1974 Yamaha JT1 that I rebuilt for my youngest son. I love that bike. It’s a 2-stroke and the most fun ever.
What’s the most memorable adventure you’ve ever been on?
I haven’t gone on many trips per se, but this past summer I spent a lot of time dirt bike trail riding with two of my best pals. Part of the allure of it is that the riding was out in the Sandilands in south eastern Manitoba. This area is a beautiful mix of pine trees, cedars, sandy and dirt terrain and speaks loads of history. There were several forest fires that have taken the area, but in turn have left beautiful rolling meadows of native prairie grasses, white sage, wild berries and so much more. Being Métis, I really like to embrace my culture while enjoying and respecting the nature around me.
What interesting projects are you working on right now?
The biggest “project” I’m working on right now is developing more content for the podcast and working on more content for my IGTV series on Moto Specialists. It’s meant to highlight the small businesses out there trying to evolve the motorcycling world, either by manufacturing parts and accessories, but also to build a better motorcycle community in general.
You can learn more about everything he’s working on here (snag some Prairie Moto swag while you’re there!) and follow along on his moto adventures on Instagram. Up next: Marc’s guide to Winnipeg.
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