What's better in Ontario? | Page 2 | GTAMotorcycle.com

What's better in Ontario?

So in Ontario is it better to:

Get into cars or Get into motorcycles?

You know, after riding in other parts of the world, you realize what a crappy place Ontario is to ride a motorcycle. Straight roads, boring scenery, soul-crushing urban congestion, restrictive speed laws, lane filtering, parking laws and harsh punishments, sky-high insurance rates.

My friend used to live out west. She doesn't ski in Ontario when we invite her out. She turned into a ski snob.

That said, having a motorcycle here is better than not having one. But if you're on the cusp financially, I'd be hard-pressed to find a good reason to own a motorcycle over a performance car.
 
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Performance cars Plus city obstacles.... https://youtu.be/L4F8wKx13lk

My sister had a lowered BMW sportscar in London (UK) it took us forever to go anywhere in town as she had to go diagonally slowly over speed humps otherwise she’d have a pretty expensive see saw.
 
Ontario ;)
Happiness is a little 4x4 pickup truck with a dirt bike in back that can run studded tires in the winter.
... now if you can just figure out how to make it amphibious you totally have it made!
 
My friend used to live out west. She doesn't ski in Ontario when we invite her out. She turned into a ski snob.

It's not a ski snob really, its being a ski realist.

Icy conditions, rides that last under 1 minute.

Line ups that are ridiculous.

After driving 1.5-2h to get there.

You drive 2-3 hrs south of the border and get much better conditions at a better price.

Or just save your money for one good trip in quebec or montreal at a cottage with some friends, good times.
 
There are always competing interests and thrills and road blocks.

Within Motorcycles, you have ADV to scooters. SS and cruisers. Bar hoppers to cross country touring and so much more. You’ve got the track and dirt to play around with if the street doesn’t turn your crank.

Riding is engaging and the view from the saddle is something most cars cannot provide.

And riding can suck. It can be hot. It can be cold. It can rain or snow.

It really isn’t a choice of what is better. It’s what is better for the person.

Winter for bikes or cages limits things. There are options for both but, it requires a little more dedication.

I made the change from two to four wheels for personal reasons. And there are some benefits based on the choice I made. First, I was coming from a cruiser. And many riders don’t find them fun to begin with. I could have replaced it with something else. But I decided on a “classic” two seat drop top.

It’s about as fast the the bike. It provides wind in my face without the need for a helmet. It’s engaging as it’s a manual. It’s a little more convenient as I don’t have to gear up for a ride. And Don’t have to give as much thought for storage when out on the road and picking up groceries or a case of beer.

I former coworker of mine passed away recently. I didn’t know him well. But I knew him.

Cars crash too. But riding is inherently higher risk.

I don’t know many friends or family that have perished in an automobile. However, I know many friends that have paid the price on two wheels and they were excellent riders with skills and were not at fault.

Maybe I’ll ride again. But the car is doing just fine for the time being and The community for the vehicle I’m driving is large and passionate as motorcyclist. Many also ride motorcycles or have formally ridden and gone to a cage.

But I don’t think there is any clear winner as to which one is better.

I think if you ride and find it boring, you can find ways to make it better and still be on two wheels. Street riding on a SS and tired of long and boring straight aways? Try track or trails.

One last thought on cages. Particularly with classics, it appears the market place it favouring buyers. Younger people are looking for modern performance. Old vehicles seem to be admired for looking at but, not as much for wrenching, resorting or enjoying.

I won’t be driving mine in the winter but, I do look forward to the fall colours and sweater or jacket and taking the car for a drive with less concern about wet leaves and mindless cagers turning in front of me.





Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
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You know, after riding in other parts of the world, you realize what a crappy place Ontario is to ride a motorcycle. Straight roads, boring scenery, soul-crushing urban congestion, restrictive speed laws, lane filtering, parking laws and harsh punishments, sky-high insurance rates.

My friend used to live out west. She doesn't ski in Ontario when we invite her out. She turned into a ski snob.

That said, having a motorcycle here is better than not having one. But if you're on the cusp financially, I'd be hard-pressed to find a good reason to own a motorcycle over a performance car.

Indeed, it's like if you got the cash burning a hole in your pocket or if you're still willing to put up with all those reasons you stated.
Motorcycling around the GTA just doesn't come close to other parts of the world.
 
Ontario ;)
Happiness is a little 4x4 pickup truck with a dirt bike in back that can run studded tires in the winter.
... now if you can just figure out how to make it amphibious you totally have it made!

Interesting, many have said it's the better option in Ontario but even then it will take some time to get out to some nice offroad areas right?
 
Interesting, many have said it's the better option in Ontario but even then it will take some time to get out to some nice offroad areas right?
Nice thing about a dirt bike in the back of your pickup truck is, when you do happen on a place to ride you can actually make it happen right then.
Has been along time since I carried a dirt bike in the back of a small pickup truck and lived in Toronto but when I did, it afforded me lots of opportunities to ride.
 
I'm a gearhead as well. I like both. Cars can be fun in your commute and are not just from point A to B. Sometimes I'd rather drive my zippy fast cars than take the moto to work . I have a couple hatchback Fords (ST,RS) and they are an absolute hoot to drive and handle like on rails, bonus that they only come in manual. It is also a close knit community with waving as you drive past, similar to subies and jeep crowd. I honestly don't miss the bike when I'm in those cars. They put a smile on my face everytime.
Having said that, when I hop in the family car (camry), I feel like shooting myself lol. No steering feel, no brake feel, no handling, no anything. It's a very muted experience.
The other poster Blackfin, with a Tuono and a subie just "gets it" ,good job lol. There are many cars that have their performance variants which are way more engaging than their base model equivalents ie impreza to wrx sti, focus to RS ST , civic to SI or R, Fiesta to ST, golf to gti R , to name a few.
These are cars that you can afford. Then there are the German luxury brands too.
Don't get me wrong, the motorcycle is a hoot, but we are limited here by crappy roads and crappy weather. I'm in the camp that if you want the creature comforts of a cage, at least get a cage that performs well, is engaging, and puts a smile on your face, that is within your means.

When it comes time to replace the family car (camry) , I'm not going to be looking at an SUV or CUV or a mundane 4 door. It will be along the lines of mazda6, fusion sport, stinger, g70. Something that is more engaging than your average family sedan but still somewhat affordable. I could never see myself in an SUV/CUV and neither the wifey can. Unless of course I could afford an Fpace, Stelvio, M or AMG SUV, but I can't lol
 
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If a road is crapy for a bike its equally crapy for a car. Flatario.
 
If a road is crapy for a bike its equally crapy for a car. Flatario.
Exactomundo
My 4x4 is old, slow, poor on gas, but reliable transport. Feels like a magic carpet on my daily commute compared to my former sedan or any sports car. So happy with that switch.
My vfr is not exactly sporty, but I ride that to "see Ontario" and explore on weekend mornings to clear the mind for 3-4 hours before the wife wakes up. It's actually not bad when you stand on the pegs to soak up the bumps, but to REALLY justify a bike, you have to be on the west coast or live near the mountains on the east coast/mid-eastern states once you account for insurance that costs 80-100% of your daily driver.
 
... says the guys who bought property surrounded by farm fields.

I live in the land o' lakes region we have something that is very unique to Ontario, -> Fresh Water!
1000 lakes in 1000 square miles, only thing flat around here is the lakes.
 
The best bike for Ontario is a decent touring rig..... to get OUT of Ontario. I can also see an argument for riding small displacement bikes or scooters as commuters in the city if you dont care about breaking the no filtering law's.
 
Cars are more forgiving. You can take what you learn when pushing on a motorcycle into a car without any problem. The inverse is not true due to the fact that you lose two wheels.

To put in classical music terms, classical string instrument players can switch to a guitar without any problem; vice versa is impossible. One is clearly harder than the other.

If you care for learning something harder and less forgiving, go with 2 wheels. If you don't PUSSY!!!!!!!!!!!!;) go for 4.

My friend used to live out west. She doesn't ski in Ontario when we invite her out. She turned into a ski snob.


My fiancee laughed at me when I brought her to Blue "Mountain." I took great offense to her mocking laugh.

She then took me to her home (Vancouver), and subsequently to Whistler. Blue Mountain is a ****ing ant hill.
 

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