New rules in our neck of the woods

[Bert2006]

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/motorcyclists-face-new-graduated-licence-system-1.2651725

 

[Marcarl]

Nothing wrong with that,,, Ontario has had that kind of ruling for a while now,, It's about time..... don't know if it will help much though.

[Flyinfool]

That sure sounds better than what I saw on the way home from work yesterday.

 

There was a bike on the side of the road with obvious issues.

I stopped to see if I could help.

He had run out of gas.

He just bought the bike a couple of hours earlier, his first bike ever, a Buell.

He had shorts, sandals, no shirt, and no helmet and no MC license.

His issue that attracted my attention, he was rocking the bike back and forth trying to duck walk it to a safe place but did not know how to find neutral.

 

I did give him a ride to a gas station but in the process he had to listen to me splaining things on him.

He mentioned that he will never get a license because he would be required to wear a helmet as a new rider and the hot chicks do not like guys with helmets.

I asked how well the hot chicks like guys in a wheel chair drooling out of the corner of their mouth after they smacked their melon while trying to be cool and learning how to ride at the same time. Or how well the hot chicks like major scarring from road rash. I am not sure if I got thru or not, but by the time we got back to the bike with the gas he was quiet and appeared to be deep in thought.

[XV1100SE]

Jeff - hope what you told him sunk in but somehow I doubt it. If it was one thing about the guy...but with the list you gave....might be a lost cause.

 

The new laws in New Brunswick are pretty much the same in Ontario. Not sure if there is a law in Ontario for wearing "internationally certified" helmets - we do have a helmet law. There is probably an overall law for unsafe tires on any vehicle but doubt there is one specific to bikes.

 

As for graduated licenses... I think they need to go a step further. My first bike was a KZ305 LTD (cruiser), second was a Virago 1100...then the RSV. I think learning to ride on a smaller bike and moving up to bigger or faster bikes in a gradual progression is best. How many times do we hear or see youtube videos of an inexperienced/new rider getting on a new or new to them bike and crashing it within the first mile?

 

My son has been asking about bikes. He is 27 and as soon as he starts mentioning getting a crotch rocket I tell him what I think. Start with the motorcycle course, get a cruiser (VStar 650 for example)... and learn to ride. Like most young people he thinks about the GP races he's watched on tv and thought that it would be cool to ride like that and that he could just jump on a bike and be able to ride like that. I think too many young guys (under 40) think this way - why is it most women don't?

[Stache]

Damn straight. Course should be mandatory in NL too, with graduated license linked to bike size.

 

Standing rule in my family, enforced on older 2 of my 4 kids so far, is they MUST do professional driving school course before their car license and have that for 2 years before they are allowed to take the motorcycle safety course. MUST have that course before motorcycle license.

 

the 2 yr with car license is to learn rules of the road, and how to watch for idiots with at least some solid protection before getting out in traffic on a 2 wheeler.

[Bert2006]

Dont take me wrong, I actually support the changes here in NB for all of the reasons you are brigning up.

 

[djh3]

They let us into Canada last year with DOT helmets. We entered over by Syracuse Ny and went out by Niagara Falls. Never got hassled. Maybe because they new we were from the colonies.

[suds]

DOT or Snell are what's required in Ontario.

 

I'm going through the graduated licencing here in Ontario and support it fully. Although I'm riding my VR I think a graduated system of displacements would also be a good thing based on some of the stuff I saw riders doing in my course.

[djh3]

WOW I just looked at the article. Those are the same rules that a 15yr old restricted motorcycle licence had when I first started. How do they know if you have been riding 6 month or 6 yr and have a passenger? Here in Fla under 21 I think it is has a different color plate. I think it makes more sense to me to have a different licence for size of bike. I mean you could just get your licence and go buy a hyabusa or something? That dont make much sense in my book.

[Grandpagak]

 

i believe that only fool ride without helmet!!

[5 Buck Kanuck]

Got to agree with grad licence . Been there done it. The safety course is well worth the money. Its only 2 days. You get licenced teachers who have passed a provincial tests riding, written. I looked at how much is your life worth. I know mine is worth a lot more than a couple hundred $$$$$$. If this will program saves 1 life its a good thing. Hay us old guys need all the help we can get. Remember exercise your brain go for a ride.