Hi everybody,

I'm thinking of doing a doing a coast to coast of Canada this year and am wondering about just buying a cheap bike while I'm there. My vague plan is to fly to Halifax and head West, although a quick look at autotrader tells me that there ain't many bikes available in Halifax compared with Toronto.... I'm not overly fussed what I get so long as its decent enough to do the job - something like a DL650 would do, or I could even go a Bonneville or the like just to fly the flag (I'm British). Can anyone offer any advise on any legal requirements, insurance, best place to be looking etc? I've a UK license but also Canadian citizenship so I don't know if its worth trying to get hold of a Canadian driving license while I'm there or if that's a waste of time.

I'm also after some route recommendations so I don't just slavishly stick to the trans-Canada highway. I want to see the country and time isn't really that big a factor. I'll be dropping into the US at some points to see relatives in North Dakota and Oregon.

Thanks

Alex

No advice on how to buy a bike in Canada for someone with a foreign licence, but I have run into people who have done it.

The Trans Canada Highway is, for the most part, best avoided unless you absolutely have to be somewhere fast ..er.

Saskatchewan and most of Alberta are pretty flat, so you may want to drop into the Q'uapelle Valley in Saskatchewan and cruise through the Badlands near Drumheller in Alberta to break up the monotony.

In BC, I recommend the Crowsnest Highway (Hwy 3) in the south with as many detours as possible. It's prime motorcycle country. It's pretty hard to go wrong in BC but the TCH can be very busy with speeding weekenders, locals and trucks.

If you find yourself a bit further north, one of my favourite rides is from Cache Creek to Lillooet and Whistler via Hwy 99.

Have fun.

Awesome, thanks for the advice. I'm starting to get some ideas for a route together.

Appreciated.

Come to think of it. Depending on where you're coming from (these routes take you into different directions) you could check out Kananaskis country via highway 40 and 742, as well as the Icefields Parkway between Lake Louise and Jasper. Way too many spectacular roads and not enough time

Vancouver Island has some great rides as well. Tofino, Gold River, Cowichan Valley wineries, etc, etc. ... OK I'm partial to Vancouver Island since I live there

Any advice on camping? I know insects are a massive issue at certain times of year, as well as being eaten or flattened by various types of fauna. I'm probably looking to come over mid-late August and spend a month - 6 weeks riding around. I have a lot of gear in the UK but I'm sure things will be cheaper if I need to buy them in Canada. Not sure what bike I'll end up with but it will only be me and I'll try to travel light.

Welcome to Canada where folks have been carried off into the hills by swarms of mosquitos, black flies, noseeums and horseflies, never to be heard from again. The latter literally take a chunk out of you if you let them. An endless source of amusement for us kids growing up in Quebec.

Flying and biting nuisances are generally at their peak in early to mid summer but can be encountered at any time, especially if it's been a wet summer. Good old smelly Deet 30% and sitting near a smoky fire may mitigate the problem a bit. Make sure you never leave your tent open for longer than necessary. Them little boogers will make themselves right at home.

Camping in most of rural Canada is extremely varied and can range from almost European style RV Parks (Caravan camping) to lovely provincial parks to free rugged "forestry" sites mostly along unpaved roads (but the occasional one along a paved road) to basic municipal campgrounds. Stealth or free Camping in public forests is also an option and many people do this in BC along our endless logging roads.

Your biggest concern, aside from insects, will be wild animals. You're in very little danger of being attacked but they love munching your food. So all food needs to be locked up in your solid paniers or better yet, strung high up in a tree well away from the trunk and high enough so a bear can't stand on its' hind legs and start swatting at your stash ...a fed bear is a dead bear, and we wouldn't want that Of course there are also all kinds of rodents with nothing better to do than chew through your carelessly stored food bags. My personal nemesis is the tricky and bold little crow.

Beware of the Moosequito

1) I don't know the requirements for Nova Scotia or Ontario, but in British Columbia someone visiting the province for less than 90 days can use a U.K. driver's licence during that period.

2) As well, a visitor can purchase and insure a vehicle as long as they can provide a temporary B.C. address. The transfer (between owners), registration, plating and insuring of vehicles are all handled together by the government insurer, Insurance Corporation of British Columbia (ICBC). The insurance coverage is good for the entire country. ICBC has storefront retail agents (called Autoplan Agents) all over the place who do this stuff including issuing licence plates on the spot.

Much of the above info is found at www.icbc.com.

Hi Alex,
There is a larger selection of bikes in Kijiji than Autotrader. It seems to me that the bikes are cheaper in Quebec than Ontario, if you can't find something in Halifax.

Looks like I'll be checking out Kijiji and loading up on DEET. Thanks for the info everyone!

Hi Alex:

Buying the bike and registering (getting a licence plate for) the bike will be quite easy - to the best of my knowledge, there are no requirements that state that the registered owner of a vehicle must be a resident of Canada, or have a driver licence in Canada.

What might be tough for you is getting insurance for the moto. In all Canadian provinces & territories, it is obligatory to have insurance on a vehicle. The penalties for operating a vehicle without insurance are very severe (jail time, $5,000 fines, vehicle confiscation).

The insurance companies might be reluctant to insure you if you are not a resident of Canada and/or do not have a driver licence issued by a Canadian province or territory. "Might be reluctant" means they might just say "no thanks" and that's the end of the conversation.

I suggest you investigate availability of insurance first. If you find an insurance company willing to insure you, then you will have no problems buying and registering (plating) the moto.

Some provinces have government-operated insurance programs (B.C. & Saskatchewan come to mind, there may be others). My guess - strictly a guess - is that you would have better luck with insurance in these provinces. Don't even bother trying to plate and insure it in Ontario. I have 40 years riding experience, no accidents, no tickets, and there are only two insurance companies in the province who will sell me insurance.

Michael

Alex:

If you apply for a Canadian (provincial) driver licence on the strength of possessing a UK one, you will be given one, but the province you get the licence from will communicate with the UK for the purpose of cancelling your UK licence.

You could 'get a licence from scratch', the same way 16 year old kids do, but that is an expensive and time-consuming process.

Your UK licence is valid in Canada for whatever vehicles it is endorsed for, this because both Canada and the UK are signatories to the 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Traffic. I do suggest you get an IDP (International Driver Permit), not for language translation reasons but because the IDP will clearly indicate that your UK licence is valid for motorcycles. You can get the IDP from the Auto Association in your home country.

Michael

Thanks for that Michael. I was thinking of flying to Toronto and sorting out a bike there while staying with a friend but may have to rethink that based on what you say. I was under the impression that I could keep my UK license and apply for a Canadian one. I understand that Ontario and other provinces will do a straight swap without the need for anything more than an eye test, that's why I was thinking of getting a Canadian license of some sort to maybe ease the insurance issue, but if it means I lose my UK one then it's not worth it (unless someone offers me a job or I fall in love while I'm out there and decide to stay....) I know there are tourist insurance schemes where you can insure a vehicle for a 1 - 3 months but it's damned expensive for what you get.

I met HUBB member Gavin Wilson at a HU meeting in Canada and he had done just that. Flown to the Maritimes and bought a Canadian bike to ride west.

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Easiest solution is to find a canadian resident somehow who would provide a bike under his/his name and add your name as a regular driver with his/her insurance. Transfer the person the full amount of the bike value, licensing fees and insurance with full coverage, add a fair amount in deposit refundable on bike return in good conditions and agree in advance on terms.


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Oups, accidentally pressed the send button...

So to end, agree in advance on a cost per km to cover for bike usage, let’s say 0.15 /km

The only issue could be crossing the border to the USA for which a formal autorisation would be needed.

then it would be a matter of finding the bike, the more expensive and sophisticated the higher the premium and deposit value. By the way Hertz is getting into the business of bike rental.

This prompts the question: Why not get a bike in the UK and put it on a roll-on roll-off to Halifax. Much more simpler in the end!


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