British Columbia

Mystery of Biker Bob's bottled ashes solved as widow tells his story

The widow of Biker Bob — real name Hugh Robert Nisbet — says those are indeed his ashes that a couple found in a bottle on Vancouver Island's China Beach. She also says she's thrilled Bob is still travelling.

Biker Bob — real name Hugh Robert Nisbet — died when he was hit by a car while riding his motorcycle

Bethany James holds the bottle that contains the ashes of Biker Bob (Caleb Harding/Facebook)

It looks like the mystery of Biker Bob has been solved.

Chek News managed to track down a woman named Maudine Pervil who says she is the widow of a man who went by the moniker of Biker Bob, and, yes, those are his ashes in the bottle found on the weekend by Caleb Harding and Bethany James.

Pervil told On The Coast guest host Chris Brown she was pretty excited to hear that Bob — whose real name was Hugh Robert Nisbet — was still travelling.

"Bob is travelling as far as he can, and he doesn't have to pay for the gas," she said. "So he's happy."

"He's on the water, which is where he wants to be, and he's happy. I hope he keeps going."

Pervil says Bob was always a big-time traveller, going across Canada twice on his bike, and down to Sturgis, South Dakota for bike rallies eight times. He also hunted and fished all over B.C.

Died while riding his motorcycle

Biker Bob died on Vancouver Island. He was on his bike when a driver turned left on a red light and struck him.

Bethany James (left) and Caleb Harding visited CBC Vancouver Island and brought Biker Bob with them. (Keith Vass/CBC)

His original request for his remains was to have his ashes sprinkled on his canoe, then have the canoe set loose on a lake — and then for Pervil to take his rifle and blow a hole in that canoe.

When Pervil got the ashes, however, it was too snowy to do that. So she did the next best thing.

"I set him free on all of the waterways that he once paddled," she said. "He paddled all the waterways around [Vancouver Island]. He used to race around Protection Island. He even did a race in a war canoe … that was his first love, canoes. Well, after motorcycles."

On All Points West, Caleb Harding and Bethany James, who found the bottle of Bob's ashes, said they would toss it into the sea at Tofino after taking Bob for a final drink. Pervil says that's a great idea.

"I think it's awesome that someone would take that much energy and put it into someone they don't even know," she said. "It's wonderful."

A photo of Biker Bob in life with Maudine Pervil on his bike. (Chek News)

To hear the full story, click the audio labelled: Mystery solved: Biker Bob's widow says, yes, those are his ashes in a bottle