Moving to BC | GTAMotorcycle.com

Moving to BC

Nikola Tesla

Well-known member
I’m moving to BC in April, Coquitlam/Port Moody area. Gf already listed her cbr300r for sale, and will buy something there, now I’m considering selling my current bike (fz09) or shipping it, don’t know how much it would be though or if it’s even worth it, could just sell here then get something there…. What do you guys think? Also how’s riding there I know a lot of you’ve been, speed cameras? Police? How does it compare to Ontario?
 
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Riding in BC is heaven. HWY 99 to Lilloet one of the best rides ever. We flew the bikes to Vancouver and Calgary and rode for a few weeks. Lucky bugger going to live there.
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I’m moving to BC in April, Coquitlam/Port Moody area. Gf already listed her cbr300r for sale, and will buy something there, now I’m considering selling my current bike (fz09) or shipping it, don’t know how much it would be though or if it’s even worth it, could just sell here then get something there…. What do you guys think? Also how’s riding there I know a lot of you’ve been, speed cameras? Police? How does it compare to Ontario?
Friends moved near victoria recently and shipped a vehicle. Not a great choice. Their vehicle had 80K km and everything else similar on the island has <30K km. They like to change vehicles every few years but due to the "high" miles on their current one, they would take a bath on it. In Ontario, it would command a premium due to low mileage. They shipped via rail for <$1000.

FWIW, I was out there for three days and got stopped once (someone else driving, road that flip flopped from 50-60-50 multiple times, vehicle speed ~70). It was clearly setup as a fishing hole.
 
Friends moved near victoria recently and shipped a vehicle. Not a great choice. Their vehicle had 80K km and everything else similar on the island has <30K km. They like to change vehicles every few years but due to the "high" miles on their current one, they would take a bath on it. In Ontario, it would command a premium due to low mileage. They shipped via rail for <$1000.

FWIW, I was out there for three days and got stopped once (someone else driving, road that flip flopped from 50-60-50 multiple times, vehicle speed ~70). It was clearly setup as a fishing hole.
Hmm wow I thought shipping a car would be way more than that!
 
I moved back from BC a few years ago, so may be able to add a few items. All I can say re selling vs shipping is to have a look at what people are asking there vs here for what you want to sell and buy. Anecdotally, I think used bikes are cheaper there, but I haven't paid much attention for a long time. I will say that Craigslist is much more prevalent out there for used/private sales vs Kijiji here. (Personally, I much prefer the simplicity of CL, but some inexplicably like Kijiji better.) If you want to ship a bike, choose carefully, as some cheaper carriers don't have the skills or equipment to properly protect a bike from damage, especially if it gets wedged into the back of a trailer with a bunch of other random stuff. I ended up trailering mine on the reverse trip a couple years ago because anybody decent who specialized in bikes wanted about $1500, and I didn't trust the cheap guys. I was driving anyway, so I spent $1500 on the trailer instead and got to keep it.

Other notes:

- Insurance is heavily dependent on individual situation. Both my wife and I paid a good bit less for more out there (at least if I only rode for 6 months), but others find Ontario cheaper. You have to get liability through ICBC, but can get comprehensive through private insurers, usually for between $4-600/yr. If you have a good record here, make sure you bring all that data with you, as ICBC uses a reduction rating system that offers a percentage discount off the base rate based in years of claim-free driving. When I moved there, I didn't bring the right info, and so started at zero, similar to a new driver (that was over 15 years ago, so I don't know what has changed). You can also insure for less than a year, all the way down to just a single day. I used to get 6 months, which would take me from May to October, but some hardy souls ride year-round. It's pretty wet in the winter, so not for me.

- Roads are mostly in better shape (less freeze/thaw) but there's a lot fewer options out of the Lower Mainland than north or northeast of Toronto. Basically, if you exclude longer trips to the US, you can go north (Sea-to-Sky, Whistler, up to Lillooet), east (there's a few decent stretches between Maple Ridge and Harrison), or hop on a ferry to either the Sunshine Coast or Vancouver Island. My personal favourite for a sporty day ride is the northern half of Sunshine Coast, but if you're willing to go further, getting into the interior opens up some incredible routes in the mountains. For longer trips into the US, Washington State mostly has awful paving, but Oregon is absolutely incredible. Eastern Oregon is mostly empty, surprisingly hot and dry, and has impeccable asphalt with amazing twisty roads. You can also get into California in a day or two, and some of the routes between I-5 and the coast are spectacular.

While the mountains are spectacular and create some of the curves, it makes BC a functionally much smaller place than Ontario, so really limits the number of roads.

One big difference I didn't expect coming back to Ontario is just how much busier the roads are here on a typical summer weekend. In BC there's still weekend traffic, but it's nowhere near as heavy within three hours of the Lower Mainland.

- Policing is less widespread, but the penalties are similar. The impound speed is 40 km/h over, and they have similar road-side rules around conviction. Some routes are very heavily enforced, specifically the Sea-to-Sky on weekends. Since the Olympics changes, the speeds needed to get a lean on there are so high that it's best to just coast until you get past Pemberton, then attack the bits up to Lillooet. Otherwise, sit back and enjoy the stunning scenery. Lastly, as @GreyGhost notes, they love to sit at limit changes, at the bottom of steep hills, or at the end of passing zones in the mountains where all the frustrated cars desperately try to get around the RV's and trucks lumbering up the slopes.

- Dealerships are hit and miss like anywhere else. Burnaby Kawasaki is incredible, almost worth buying a Kawi just to get to deal with them. For Italian bikes, Moto Meccanica is by far the best for service, but like most good but small shops you have to be willing to wait (the owner is a friend, but even that aside, he's a wizard with Ducati, Aprilia, and MV). International is growing, but unless they have made some changes, I'd avoid them. Typical shady stuff, and no good mechanics. The High Road chain caters to the monied and charge accordingly, though if you want branded BMW or Ducati gear, they've got you covered. Holeshot is good but huge, so you get the big box shopping and service experience. Lastly, Imperial Motorcycles is used bikes only but they have some great mechanics and fair prices.

- For tracks, it's terrible. Mission is the only spot nearby, and it's a bumpy go-kart track. Beyond that, you're looking at weekend trips to places like the Ridge (similar to Calabogie: fast and not much run-off), Area 27 (expensive, far, some corners with little run-off), and then further to places like Portland International, OMP, and down into California.
 
Calling @Lightcycle if they are not too busy faceplanting, should be able to help you out!

I think @Priller above has more relevant experience, coming from the lower mainland. I'm in the interior, much different roads, climate and economy.

I ived in North Van for a summer. From what I saw, the only good riding road is Sea-2-Sky. Most people in the city have to ride an hour+ to hit the really good roads. Same as in Toronto.

But once you get out there, the quality of the curves and pavements kills anything you can find in Ontario!
 
I'm just chiming in to say I'm jealous. Lucky! Enjoy!

And personally if you like the bikes, I'd just take them with me. Get a trailer and strap them to the back of whatever you're driving out there in.
 
- Roads are mostly in better shape (less freeze/thaw) but there's a lot fewer options out of the Lower Mainland than north or northeast of Toronto. Basically, if you exclude longer trips to the US, you can go north (Sea-to-Sky, Whistler, up to Lillooet), east (there's a few decent stretches between Maple Ridge and Harrison), or hop on a ferry to either the Sunshine Coast or Vancouver Island. My personal favourite for a sporty day ride is the northern half of Sunshine Coast, but if you're willing to go further, getting into the interior opens up some incredible routes in the mountains. For longer trips into the US, Washington State mostly has awful paving, but Oregon is absolutely incredible. Eastern Oregon is mostly empty, surprisingly hot and dry, and has impeccable asphalt with amazing twisty roads. You can also get into California in a day or two, and some of the routes between I-5 and the coast are spectacular.

While the mountains are spectacular and create some of the curves, it makes BC a functionally much smaller place than Ontario, so really limits the number of roads.

Ya that’s what I’m noticing, looking at the maps hmm, how’s dual sporting out there? Might make more sense then I could explore forest and logging roads too?
 
I have thought about moving out there, but I have friends that live there and say that they get a lot more rain than here. I need to spend a summer out there.
 
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I’m moving to BC in April, Coquitlam/Port Moody area. Gf already listed her cbr300r for sale, and will buy something there, now I’m considering selling my current bike (fz09) or shipping it, don’t know how much it would be though or if it’s even worth it, could just sell here then get something there…. What do you guys think? Also how’s riding there I know a lot of you’ve been, speed cameras? Police? How does it compare to Ontario?
I moved to Victoria last year, the movers will put your bike on the truck. They only charge by weight, that is the cheapest way to get the bike out here. I believe my bike was around $300 extra door to door. I used Allied and they took great care of the bike, wrapping it in heavy duty blankets.
The insurance situation has changed recently and gets complicated. They will only grant you a maximum of 15 years experience, there is also a 3 year surcharge as an "unfamiliar rider".
 
I hope Mother Nature is in a better mood for you going forward. Monsoon rain, floods, fires, smoke everywhere, BC has been hit pretty hard over the last couple of years by climate change related issues. We have friends who have retired to the Castlegar area and have been affected by smoke so bad they've had to spend weeks inside their house as the outside air is so foul.

Above said, BC is spectacular, in particular if you're a skier or rider, enjoy.
 
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Priller provided a good overview.

I rode throughout BC many times from Calgary / Edmonton to Vancouver back in the '80s. The scenery was phenominal but the weather even in the mid summer can get dicey. Those mountain roads are fantastic but not in overcast conditions. It reminded me of driving thru a tunnel. Even in Calgary, the summer months can bring lots of rain. Temps vary with higher elevation of course. I enjoyed the foothills areas and Okanagan country.

Here in Ontario it can get too humid to ride mid day but the our rainfall events seem more consistent to work around for long trips.

Lots of two lane roads so your have to watch for aggressive drivers that pass a lot.

Also, Priller touched on the insurance matter. If you have multiple bikes to ensure, similar to Ont there are no deals to be had with ICBC.
 

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