New rider from France

[isisfromparis]

Hi everybody !

I just moved to Toronto from France with my husband, and with my BMW cafe racer bike from 1976.

Although i haven't figured out yet how to ride it in Canada (it's the the beauty of moving to a completely different country, my motorbike license is not valid anymore, whereas the french licence is one of the hardest to get... And insurance companies here ignore my previous riding history and don't want to insure me)...
But i'm really looking forward to meeting you on the road or at some motorbike-related events, and hope to share with you some tips on french roads to drive and french restaurants to try, so don't hesitate to contact me if you are planning a trip to old Europe !
I'm into vintage bikes and old-timer events, and could also help you out if you are wondering where to find good deals on vintage parts and vintage motorcycles auctions / garage sales in Europe.

So, hope to hear from you, and good evening !

[stipl]

And insurance companies here ignore my previous riding history and don't want to insure me)...

Hi ! Im also from Europe
Hehhehe same here 11 years of riding experience (scooters & motorcycles) and no discounts on insurance whatsoever.

Ride safe Good luck in Canada

[zeromod]

Bon jour, welcome to Canada and the forum. My wife and I visited Paris last summer and I've seen how French riders navigate through traffic and how skilled riders they are. They are everywhere and all cagers respect riders and share the road. It's pretty much total the opposite of what you might encounter here. Riding here is seasonal and a lot of incompetent and distracted car drivers don't know or bother to share the road.
As far as licensing goes, you can take a riding course which includes a road test to get your permit or go straight to driver's licensing test centers (MTO) for your exam.
You will find lots of info on this forum. Hope to see you out there someday. Ride safe

[Dahulk]

Hi everybody !

I just moved to Toronto from France with my husband, and with my BMW cafe racer bike from 1976.

Although i haven't figured out yet how to ride it in Canada (it's the the beauty of moving to a completely different country, my motorbike license is not valid anymore, whereas the french licence is one of the hardest to get... And insurance companies here ignore my previous riding history and don't want to insure me)...
But i'm really looking forward to meeting you on the road or at some motorbike-related events, and hope to share with you some tips on french roads to drive and french restaurants to try, so don't hesitate to contact me if you are planning a trip to old Europe !
I'm into vintage bikes and old-timer events, and could also help you out if you are wondering where to find good deals on vintage parts and vintage motorcycles auctions / garage sales in Europe.

So, hope to hear from you, and good evening !

Check with the MTO as if you are able to provide an extract of your driving experience from France you might be able to bypass the graduated license system not sure if the insurance company will accept the abstract as experience but it is worth a shot.

[isisfromparis]

Good evening to all, and thanks for your comments,

> stipl : where are you from, if i may ask ?

> zeromod : yes, there are a lot of motorbikes and scooters in Paris (too much scooters if you ask me, in France they give you the scooter's license for free after 3 years of car driving, so scooter drivers don't know how to ride...), but it is not as good as it appears. The City hall is fighting motorbikes and scooters, you can't park anywhere, and if you do, they have special tow trucks for motorcycles which come in 15 minutes, and it costs you approx. 200 euros to get it out of impound... Also, i think there are around 2 accidents each day in Paris with injured or killed motorcyclists... But the good thing is that there are a lot of great roads to drive within 60kms of Paris in many directions.

> dahulk : yes, actually i haven't swapped my french driving license yet, will take a trip to Drivetest next week, i can incur from their website that i "might" be able to swap my motorbike license too... Would be great ! After all the hassle and cost to bring my bike here, i would hate not being able to ride it !

[Dahulk]

Good evening to all, and thanks for your comments,

> stipl : where are you from, if i may ask ?

> zeromod : yes, there are a lot of motorbikes and scooters in Paris (too much scooters if you ask me, in France they give you the scooter's license for free after 3 years of car driving, so scooter drivers don't know how to ride...), but it is not as good as it appears. The City hall is fighting motorbikes and scooters, you can't park anywhere, and if you do, they have special tow trucks for motorcycles which come in 15 minutes, and it costs you approx. 200 euros to get it out of impound... Also, i think there are around 2 accidents each day in Paris with injured or killed motorcyclists... But the good thing is that there are a lot of great roads to drive within 60kms of Paris in many directions.

> dahulk : yes, actually i haven't swapped my french driving license yet, will take a trip to Drivetest next week, i can incur from their website that i "might" be able to swap my motorbike license too... Would be great ! After all the hassle and cost to bring my bike here, i would hate not being able to ride it !

Well good luck and lets hope you are riding this summer. I was out today need to put some KM on my bike it now has 2.5k due my hetic travel schedule.

[chr1s]

Bonsoir! Welcome, i've just joined myself. I'm guessing by the name you're from Paris?!...i'm from the UK and just immigrated as well so also need to do my test again. Bit of a pain buy hey ho...also need to spend a fortune on insurance again...it's like being 17 again but without my hair or good lucks!!
Anyways, i lived in France for 4 years in a little village called St Maximin La Ste Baume, down in the south near Aix en Provence...beautiful country and i loved the French attitude (Well, most of the time!) Bon courage et Salut, Chris

[Chungd]

Welcome to the site. Would love to see a pic of your BMW racer, my favorite brand as well...I was in Paris last summer and stayed in a great little hotel -secret de paris- saw lots of bikes and even more scooters on the road, had a great time, hope you enjoy your new surroundings!

[stipl]

> stipl : where are you from, if i may ask ?

about 1,500 km from France Cracow Poland
Cheers

[chr1s]

Good evening to all, and thanks for your comments,

> dahulk : yes, actually i haven't swapped my french driving license yet, will take a trip to Drivetest next week, i can incur from their website that i "might" be able to swap my motorbike license too... Would be great ! After all the hassle and cost to bring my bike here, i would hate not being able to ride it !

I pretty sure France is excluded from exchanging the moto part of the licence, only for autos.

--->>> ''Note: These conditions also apply to licensed motorcycle riders from other Canadian provinces, from the United States, Australia, Northern Ireland, Switzerland and Canadian Forces Europe. However there is currently no exchange agreement for motorcycle riders from the remaining jurisdictions.''


http://www.drivetest.ca/en/license/E...eciprocal.aspx

[BlackBeast]

Welcome to this great land and hope you are able to get on the road soon.

[isisfromparis]

Thanks everyone !

Here's a tiny picture (the bike is not finished yet, but it looks nice already) :

Before


After

[Chungd]

Thanks everyone !

Here's a tiny picture (the bike is not finished yet, but it looks nice already) :

Before


After

great looking project, congratulations!

[ROQET]

Welcome!!

[Mozz]

I brought my bike over with me from the UK last year. When you swap your drivers licence over (Nb. you have 60 days to do this), make sure you point out you are entitled to ride a motorcycle. This allows you to short circuit the system. You have to do the M1 theory test to get an M1 licence but don't have to do the bike control test around the cones etc. Then trailer your bike to a garage (or get temp insurance) and get a safety, after which you can go register your bike and get your plates. Then you can arrange your insurance, I obtained a statement from my UK insurer of my driving experience and some companies do accept this, such as Farmers Mutual. So once you've got your insurance, you can go on the road and apply for your M2 exit test, no need to wait the usual 22mth period. You can do this at a Drivers Test Centre or do as I did and take a weekend course which includes the test. Nb tests don't start till Mid April. Sounds like a lot, but it isn't really.

Anyway, good luck and take care out there.

[Nyx13]

Great bike! Hope you get things sorted out and on the road soon Sadly, drivers here may prove to be lacking as compared to drivers in France. Keep your wits about you! LOL!

There's lots of people (riders) for you to meet as well as bike builders with a penchant for cafe racers, rat bikes and more.

We're a sad and sarcastic bunch most days...but overall, there's a lot of good people on here

Welcome

[ZX600]

Great bike! Hope you get things sorted out and on the road soon Sadly, drivers here may prove to be lacking as compared to drivers in France. Keep your wits about you! LOL!

There's lots of people (riders) for you to meet as well as bike builders with a penchant for cafe racers, rat bikes and more.

We're a sad and sarcastic bunch most days...but overall, there's a lot of good people on here

Welcome

oh stop it,I'm blushing

Welcome Isis from Paris

[Nyx13]

Pffftttt..... There's one to watch out for right there!

[isisfromparis]

Thanks everyone ! Can't wait to meet you, don't worry, riders are the same pretty much everywhere...

We have a quite famous comics in France called "Joe Bar Team". In the first story, a Honda rider walks into a bar and says : "i piss on wheezy twins and stinky oilheads"... You can find out for yourself the end of the story here : http://porelpiano.blogspot.ca/2010/06/joe-bar-team.html