Options for testing bike on the street?

RicoChet

RicoChet

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Hey Folks,

Im at the last stages of rebuilding my 1982 CB900F and its totally running fine, but I need to test it out on the street. I dont live in a neighborhood, the only street I am next to is a main street with traffic. I am wanting to take it on the road to make sure my brakes are working properly. Last month I took it up and down the street just for a moment and discovered a huge braking problem with my rear so I've been fixing that for a while now.

Now I want to go back out on the street and ride it for a few kilometers and see if its all working properly. The bike is insured but not for liability/damage until I know for sure its running well and roadworthy.

What options do I have for getting the bike out on the street legally but still not have a plate/full insurance on it? Once I know its running as expected I'll get it safetied/certified and plated..I just dont want to waste $100 a month on full insurance on a bike that isn't road worthy.

Thanks :)
 
Trailer it to a commercial parking lot or such .. one that no one is there on the weekends or such.

Better idea is to get permission from the owner, in case the police pull in.
 
infernobuster said:
Trailer it to a commercial parking lot or such .. one that no one is there on the weekends or such.

Better idea is to get permission from the owner, in case the police pull in.
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Private property mitigates the risk but does not eliminate it. Just be aware of the fact that if you hurt someone or damage something you will be personally liable. It may be legal but it you could still be sued if something went wrong.
 
It's all about litigation in nth America. Eh?
 
kiwi said:
It's all about litigation in nth America. Eh?
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No, it's all about knowing risk vs reward.

You could run over someone's big too and they'd say "no big deal", or you could run over someone's head and they'd say nothing at all.

As far as the bike's concerned, I don't know of an easy solution. Can you walk the bike to check the brakes at first? A friend of mine rides around his backyard. If you have access to a pickup truck, some tie downs and a plank or two for a ramp you could drive it somewhere. Just watch if you're using a plank that the bike doesn't slip off. That same friend just put his bike back together 10 years after his slipped.
 
Maybe one of the insurance gurus can verify but I think you need insurance to drive a motor vehicle on private property unless you own the property.
 
nobbie48 said:
Maybe one of the insurance gurus can verify but I think you need insurance to drive a motor vehicle on private property unless you own the property.
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I am one of those nerds.....er I mean gurus. Whether or not you're 'allowed to' ride on private property without insurance lies with the HTA not insurance companies. Insurance is governed by the ontario insurance act and doesn't state whether you can or can't ride somewhere. As long as it's legal under the HTA you're good. My comment above referenced the fact that it doesn't matter if you are on a public road or a parking lot, if you hurt someone or damage someone else's property you are liable. If you don't have liability insurance on the vehicle that caused the third party injury or property damage you will be held personally responsible for the costs. So even if you have permission to be in an empty parking lot and it's legal under the HTA but you don't see the neighbourhood kids that came across the street to see the 'cool bike' and hit him you're still on the hook. Ya, it's unlikely, but possible. When you work in the insurance industry long enough you start to think like that all the time lol
 
Wasted said:
I am one of those nerds.....er I mean gurus. Whether or not you're 'allowed to' ride on private property without insurance lies with the HTA not insurance companies. Insurance is governed by the ontario insurance act and doesn't state whether you can or can't ride somewhere. As long as it's legal under the HTA you're good. My comment above referenced the fact that it doesn't matter if you are on a public road or a parking lot, if you hurt someone or damage someone else's property you are liable. If you don't have liability insurance on the vehicle that caused the third party injury or property damage you will be held personally responsible for the costs. So even if you have permission to be in an empty parking lot and it's legal under the HTA but you don't see the neighbourhood kids that came across the street to see the 'cool bike' and hit him you're still on the hook. Ya, it's unlikely, but possible. When you work in the insurance industry long enough you start to think like that all the time lol
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I think of insurance as access to the top legal aid in the country. With the right policy the person going after my money has to get through the insurance company's army of lawyers first.

A $5000 fine for no insurance can be covered by a part time job for a year. Putting someone in a wheelchair for the rest of his life isn't so cheap.
 
nobbie48 said:
I think of insurance as access to the top legal aid in the country. With the right policy the person going after my money has to get through the insurance company's army of lawyers first.

A $5000 fine for no insurance can be covered by a part time job for a year. Putting someone in a wheelchair for the rest of his life isn't so cheap.
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That's a pretty good way to look at it. That, and if they do 'get through the lawyers' it's the insurance company's money that pays. In a 'round about way it's still your money (read premiums) but you don't have to come up with it on the spot.
 
There is a 'temporary plate' you can get for cars. It is supposed to be just to get an uncertified car from the sellers property to your mechanic for the safety, I think, but this may also be a legitimate use of it. Not sure if temp plates exist for bikes, though.

Also, you should maybe take a step back and consider what you are planning:
Testing your brakes on a public road, without insurance.
I'm thinking that may be tempting fate just a little too much, and might be happier with the parking lot solution, but of course it is your call.
 
jolomatic said:
There is a 'temporary plate' you can get for cars. It is supposed to be just to get an uncertified car from the sellers property to your mechanic for the safety, I think, but this may also be a legitimate use of it. Not sure if temp plates exist for bikes, though.

Also, you should maybe take a step back and consider what you are planning:
Testing your brakes on a public road, without insurance.
I'm thinking that may be tempting fate just a little too much, and might be happier with the parking lot solution, but of course it is your call.
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You can get a temp plate for a bike. It's $15, lasts 10 days and can be obtained twice per veh per year. It DOES NOT provide ANY insurance protection tho. I don't think that you were insinuating that it does, but I've had some people think that in the past and I just wanted to make it clear.
 
No, that's a good point that ought to be clarified.

My first paragraph was intended to keep the OP out of trouble with the police.
(And I reitterate that I'm not sure if that is even a legit use of the temp plate).

I redirect your attention to my second paragraph in regards to the liability risk.
 
Wasted said:
You can get a temp plate for a bike. It's $15, lasts 10 days and can be obtained twice per veh per year. It DOES NOT provide ANY insurance protection tho. I don't think that you were insinuating that it does, but I've had some people think that in the past and I just wanted to make it clear.
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The bike had to be previously fit and you need insurance to get the temp. Insurance is the problem as they don't do short term policies.
 
You don't have your location listed, but this lot is sweet for practicing on weekend (nobody there): http://g.co/maps/vhm8w

-Jamie M.
 
nfq said:
Talk about tempting fate....
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LOL :)

When I was in jail, my cell mate was asking around if anyone had a bible. He didn't seem very religious. Another inmate on the range gave him his and my cell mate ripped a few pages out of it! I was shocked, and I'm like "Why did you do that?" and he said "I need some to spread my oil on and roll my weed in."

I thought to myself, as if you're not already in enough trouble, you'll be burning some bible pages with drugs rolled in them. lol.

Things didn't turn out so well for him.

-Jamie M.
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