New to Toronto

[heyadamhey]

Hey guys and girls,
I'm Adam and I'm about to immigrate to Toronto from South Africa. I've been riding dirt bikes for about 8 years now. All hard enduro kind of stuff.

I've attached some photos of the terrain we usually ride here. There are some really cool places to ride here in-and-around Johannesburg. We also take a trip down to Lesotho and ride there once or twice a year. I'll be heading down next month to watch the Roof of Africa. I was hoping to enter a few years back, but torn my ACL and MCL in a "warm up" race in Lesotho. I'm not sure what kind of riding terrain there is available in GTA, but it's gonna be hard to beat Lesotho What kind of terrain is available there?

Being new to Canada and Toronto, I have no idea about where to ride or where to find a bike to buy. I've checked auto trader and craigslist etc, but I only seem to see SX bikes. I have a 2011 KTM 300 XCW, so I'd like find something similar. My budget is a bit of an unknown at the moment (might need to save up for a while actually).
Where is a good place to look for an enduro spec KTM?

Is there anything I need to know about riding in GTA? We don't really have any restrictions whatsoever here ...actually none, come to think of it!

I'd love to hear from you about where good riding spots are and how to hook up with people to ride with.

 

[ScorpionT16]

Hey Adam,

welcome! Some nice roads in SA, definitely enduro/dual sport country. Would love to go ride there someday.

I'm from Kenya, and moved to Toronto a few years back, East Africa's got some rough roads for sure! I just got a bike in Canada recently, and there are plenty of rough roads around Canada, It is such a large country with so many different views, places, people and seasons to explore it's never a dull moment if you go out and explore. Not to mention the US is just below with even more places/parks to explore, and if your up for serious adventure head down to South America, maybe check out the Dakar Rally too!

I recommend checking Kijiji for used bikes, and searching for Dual sports if that's your thing, also broaden your search to Ontario rather than just the GTA - Greater Toronto Area, some adventure bikes may be outside the city, and you'll get more choice. In terms of bikes here, you get everything and I can say even more than what Africa has, especially in the gear/aftermarket department.

In terms of restrictions, I can say alot compared to SA, or at least Kenya . We used to just take a ATV/Bikes wherever we wanted there, ride around and end the day, started riding at 6-7 and didn't even know what insurance was let alone wearing gear lol. Terrain is different, Africa was dry, sandy, dusty and suspension busting, you get some of that here, more muddy, forestry, single-track though.

First things first, see if you can get your SA license transferred over, if not start from scratch and take a safety course. Then look at bikes and insurance quotes at the same time, insurance is per rider here, Kenya was per bike. Insurance as a new comer on a bike, maybe the first put-off. If you just want the rough/trails exp, you can get a dirt bike and haul it around to designated places and trails, which are abundant.

You may enjoy a place like this to start http://trailtours.ca or http://www.smartadventures.ca/, if you want some more crazy http://www.bmwhorseshoe.com/. GP Bikes is a store around the GTA that has a few KTMs on hand. I'd love to pick-up an enduro someday, for now I'm sitting on a Naked Suzuki SV650 and tarmacs her favorite food, though Ive giving her some gravel for desert, just take it easy.

My dad grew up around enduros and just came back from a trip in Kenya, after seeing Places like Banff in Calgary, Dual-sport schools and roads here, we don't look back. We do miss the weather though, get used to checking the forecast here every few hours, In Kenya it was Sunny or rainy, and we never needed a weather channel :lmao:

 

[heyadamhey]

Thanks for all the info ScorpionT16. DualSport isn't my thing, really. Just enduro - trails, rocky climbs etc. Do you need a licence for that? I don't plan on riding on riding on the road if possible and I don't have to. do you need insurance if you only ride trails?

some pics of the terrain/places I enjoy riding:

Unnamed climb in a place called Ramabanta in Lesotho

a climb called "wet dream" in a place called "De wildt" (just north of Johanesburg)

my riding crew:

Moselamane Pass in Lesotho

 

[ScorpionT16]

Some crazy stuff there! Makes me wanna go Africa real bad now.

If you want to ride the bike to trails, you'll need insurance and a plated bike. If you plan to tow/truck/trailer the bike to the trails, I believe you need some form of basic insurance, it'ts dirt cheap though last I checked, nothing like road insurance. There's probably more info on the forums here.

You will get some varied terrain in Ontario, nothing like SA. The websites I mentioned above provide you with a bike, gear, and insurance and places to ride just north of Toronto, and you'll meet a bunch of like-minded people face to face with experience and the low down on off roads in Ontario. Its a great place to get started, and with your experience you'll get thrown in the pro-section no doubt

 

[PrivatePilot]

Quite the adventure, and welcome to the GTA when you arrive.


Unfortunately if you will be living in the core area of Toronto you are realistically looking at trailering your bike for an hour to get to any kind of decent Offroad terrain - Toronto itself is an asphalt jungle. This is why you will see many people suggesting a bike that is at least street legal...so that you can ride the bike to the trails, instead of loading it onto a trailer and driving there. The downside is that street motorcycle insurance is quite costly in this province, however Dualsport or street-legal dirt bike insurance is typically amongst the more affordable options.

The Ganaraska forest out near where I live is a common destination for dirtbike guys but I'm not sure it's still going to be exactly what you are looking for at that. As mentioned it would make sense to hook up with like-minded people once you arrive as they will be able to show you many other places that many here might not be familiar with

As mentioned, even for off-road use you will need the bike plated and basic insurance – both are mandatory and pretty much universally required across Canada. Only exception would be if you were riding on private property, and even then the jury is out on whether you are still technically legal without plates and insurance. It's best to opt for both either way.

 

[abkdt41]

Welcome to Toronto

Awesome pictures

As mentioned above, GP bikes should be your first stop

Ready powersports should also be on your list

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[Goku]

Hey guys and girls,
I'm Adam and I'm about to immigrate to Toronto from South Africa. I've been riding dirt bikes for about 8 years now. All hard enduro kind of stuff.

Hey Adam,
Welcome to Canada! I immigrated from India and I must say that your pictures are amazing! Reminds me of riding in India and the trails there...
Like @ScorpionT16 suggested you can look at kijiji for used bikes. Especially now during end of fall, the prices tend to get somewhat cheaper (but again its relative based on the insurance you pay).

For accessories and other stuff, I did some research over the past month and I have the following vendors depending on where you are living in the GTA:
- GP bikes
- Royal Distributing
- Brampton power sports
- Daytona motorsport canada
- Dreamcycles canada
- Altimate performance
- Cycleworld superstore
- Motoretta
- Competition cycle
- Fortnine.ca
- Leatherup.ca
- Motor canada
- Motostarz
- Kapscomoto
Some of these stores are online and do provide home delivery (free of cost ). Also, one thing to note is that all these stores are in GTA/Canada. I've avoided US based stores from this list since I didn't think you'd want to get into the issue of paying customs above an already mind boggling US$ exchange rate.

Lastly, on a seperate topic about your licenses (both car and motorbike) - See if you can get a "Letter of driving/riding experience" or "Abstract of your driving/riding license". It is very helpful in going for a direct G/M license here in Ontario. To be clear - A new rider/driver gives 1st G1/M1 (Knowledge written test). After passing this, within 60-90 days they give G2/M2 (basic city driving/riding test). After passing this, AFTER MINIMUM 22 months they give G/M (highway road riding/driving test). Again, the 22 months is relative based on whether you went to a instructors course or not.
Now, for immigrants, if you have such a document from your country of origin (RSA), you can directly go for the G/M test after giving the knowledge test (within 1 month) - At least that's what I did the past month.

Hope this info helps! Also, adding a pic while riding in the Himalayas

Cheers,
Goku

 

[heyadamhey]

Thanks for the warm welcome and valuable info, guys. regarding towing / riding on the street: my plan was to do what I do here, which is get a pickup and drive the bike to a trail. Here in Johannesburg, it's pretty much the same scenario - 40+ min drive to the trails. I have no issue with that. Street legal aint gonna cut it though - tyres nobbly tyres or nothing

Yeah, we're pretty spoiled with awesome riding terrain here. As long as it's fun to ride, but also challenging, I'll be happy. The main thing is getting on a bike and having some fun...

What do most people on the forum ride? Or is it a mix of all types of bikes?

I read some posts on the dirtrider forum stating that plates are not necessary. Would this be true if I was not going to ride the bike on the road? Or are the necessary regardless?

Again - thanks for the all info and warm welcome. Cool pics Goku!

 

[Iceman]

To legally ride off road in Ontario you need a "green plate" one time purchase with no annual fees, and liability insurance. Offroad Ontario is a racing organization that holds enduros and hare scrambles. Also look into the OFTR (ontario federation of trail riders).

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[superseven]

Most of the trails still having access to dirt riders is considered crown land. To ride on This type of land you will require a "Green Plate" and liability insurance.

The green plate is a plate you get for a fee when registering the bike in your name and it has no renewal cost.

The insurance is typically around 200-400 if I recall but many personal factors go into the pricing.

I highly recommend Trail Tours as it uses some of the best known to me riding trails in Ontario and will get you on a bike for the day with minimal financial commitment.


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[Ash]

It is worth considering buying a street-legal ( "blue plated" ) dirt bike due to the fragmented nature of most of the riding areas near the GTA. Many of the offroad riding areas are rather small and require traveling short distances on real roads to get to the next riding area. Legal enforcement varies depending on where you are, but the penalties for riding an off road vehicle on the road can be extremely severe.

Due to the way they are imported, KTM and Husqvarna seem to be the only new bikes that can be easily blue plated these days. Prior to 2007(?), you could convert any dirt bike into a blue plated bike without too much trouble, but that is no longer allowed. Any bike that was converted to blue plate before that date is still street legal, however, so it is worth closely examining Kijjiji listings that mention "blue plated" if you are interested in getting an older, cheaper Japanese bike.

I am most familiar with Ganaraska forest, which is around an hour east of the GTA. Ganaraska's main riding area has a few hundred kilometers of tightly packed single-track bike trails and very sandy double-track ATV trails. Riding here requires a membership or day pass.

Simcoe County Forest is up near Barrie and offers similar terrain to Ganaraska. These riding areas seem a bit smaller and more fragmented, so a blue plate may be desirable. Riding here requires a SCORRA membership or participation in an open SCORRA event.

Somewhat further away, there is a network of trails mostly on public land ( "crown land" ) around Gooderham. Terrain is a mix of big smooth rock ledges, loose round rock and deep mud puddles. But without a guide it can be difficult to know what trails are on public land and which are on private land