Riding US motorcycle in Ontario?

[n416]

A friend of mine is coming from US for a visit on his bike.
Can i ride (with ON M dr license) a motorcycle with US plates in Ontario?

What would opp say if i get pulled over? What about in the case of the accident?
Is there any rule for case like this?
Thanks

[Dahulk]

You will definitely get pulled over as I did when I moved back from California especially if it is a super sport. Have your friend check that his insurance will cover him in Canada,when I brought mine back Progressive sent a new insurance slip with a Canadian address as if you have an accident he can be SOL.
The issue is that the being stopped with a US registered bike with a canadian license rider is an issue as the cop will think you are pulling a fast one trying to save on insurance you will have a hell of time explaining it Unless you have switched bikes and are riding together I would advise against it speaking from experience.

Interestingly I rode with Ontario plates in California and did not get pulled over once.

[n416]

Thanks for reply.

I don't understand one thing: to explain WHAT -if dr license is OK, ownership with insurance papers present (I could probably have a written consent that owner is OK for me to ride a bike...).
Police is there to maintain and apply the law only. Is there any actual law that would prohibit a person from riding it for few weeks?

[jeffjones]

Thanks for reply.

I don't understand one thing: to explain WHAT -if dr license is OK, ownership with insurance papers present (I could probably have a written consent that owner is OK for me to ride a bike...).
Police is there to maintain and apply the law only. Is there any actual law that would prohibit a person from riding it for few weeks?

If the insurance coverage doesn't cover the bike in Canada then technically I would assume you are riding with no insurance

[n416]

If the insurance coverage doesn't cover the bike in Canada then technically I would assume you are riding with no insurance

Of course. I asked all of the above as I wanted to stay on "this side" of the law. That makes coverage in Canada -a prerequisite. Knowing him I would doubt that he would start the trip and ride that far without a coverage in the first place...

[Dahulk]

Your friend's insurance may cover him as a visitor but not you. As the cop told me when he pulled me over, the California plate caught his attention and was the reason he pulled me over when he found out I had a CDN license even though the bike was registered to me in California and it was valid registration with coverage in Ontario. He told me that I either need to get a US liscense or convert the bike to CDN plates. You can take a chance but it will draw attention of the cops. One way to meet their quotas.

[nobbie48]

The legal part is probably due to the potential of people abusing systems by buying and registering a bike in the USA where it is cheaper when they intend to primarily ride in Canada.

Cheap USA insurance may not have medical benefits that are mandatory here and liability levels may be lower. The cop pulling you over isn't a lawyer and won't fully undersatnd the details even if you carried the whole policy with you. He writes up the tickets and the court sorts them out.

While the insurance may be valid in Canada it may not meet Ontario standards. If a US citizen gets crippled in a crash he gets shipped home to be a burden on their society. If it's a Canadian we get stuck with the welfare tab for a paraplegic.

Also HST hasn't been paid on the bike. Someone has to pay for our political follies.

It's going to be tricky getting a US insurer to issue a clarifying letter for a one off situation. Getting short term Canadian insurance has been discussed here before and it just doesn't work out.