Motorcycling in Vancouver

I have been asked by more than a couple of people on how to go about getting a motorcycle and on the road here in Vancouver. I came here in August 2006 – my first journey abroad, and have been riding around quite a bit in the one year I have been here. So it’s not hard to get one and not that hard to ride one either, in spite of the change in lane directions and some traffic rules. In fact, the first automobile that I drove here was a motorcycle – which is definitely more interesting than a riding in a ‘cage’ as motorcyclists call a car – and boo you if your car has automatic transmission :-D. So in this write up, I will go into the stuff that you need to do to get that motorcycle and start riding around beautiful Vancouver without being ‘caged’ in, weather permitting! :-D.

So the first step – getting a motorcycle. I bought both my motorcycles through craigslist (http://vancouver.craigslist.org/mcy). You just have to keep looking for that affordable, durable, not too bad looking motorcycle – and I am speaking about those of you who are just scraping by with the money that you make RAing, TAing, working on-campus shifts and not the people who have cash to splurge. So for the tight budgeted, there IS hope. You just have to start cooking food at home and stop clubbing :-D. Both my motorcycles were sub $1500. But the problem is not just the actual price of the bike, it’s the insurance and the parking, the gas and maybe maintenance expenses that you might entail. Insurance is in slabs – less than 125CC, 125CC to 400CC, 400CC to 750CC. The premium also depends on how long you have been riding, your age, your insurance history (if you crashed or you were in an accident – it goes up) – it’s more personal here than in India. For a 750CC motorcycle, for the most basic insurance scheme, it will cost you about $120 per month. Parking at Thunderbird on campus residence will cost you $25 per month. And 1 hour at a motorcycle workshop would cost you about $80. So I wasn’t joking about the skipping dinner and working 3 shifts to ride a motorcycle part.

That said, once you have decided it’s worth it, and you really do want to smell the wind as it rushes past you at 140kmph, here are some rules of buying a motorcycle. Mostly the sellers let you test drive it if you give them a token amount (maybe $200) and some trusting/foolhardy people (like me) let you test ride for free. For the first purchase, I would advice taking a friend with you who does know something about motorcycles. Don’t worry about the humungous engine sizes – the basics of motorcycling are the same – if it’s a 100CC Indian motorcycle or a 750CC Japanese one. It’s heavier and quicker and it needs more care when handling – but don’t be intimidated. Once you are satisfied with its condition (and cross your fingers that its not glued together with gum and tape), you get it transferred to your name by going to an Auto Insurance broker. In BC, insurance is government-run by the ICBC and they have Auto Insurance brokers all around the place. The closest one on campus is University Insurance Brokers near the Village. I would strongly advice you to go down to the broker with the seller before you give him/her the money rather than him/her giving you the necessary papers with signature (you need the transfer of ownership form and the vehicle registration). Woes entailed by me for not following this procedure can be read at http://mindslice.blogspot.com/2007/04/possession-and-ownership-aka-idiots.html

So you have the motorcycle, next you might need motorcycling gear. Apart from the legally necessary helmets (which you might also trying buying off your motorcycle seller) for both you and your significant other/close friend (if you do take a close friend of the same sex with you, people on the streets smile knowingly), you might also want to buy a motorcycle jacket and gloves. In India, you could just buy a bike and ride it around, even without a helmet. But here, if you are riding early or late in the season (Summer), you would need a good jacket and a pair of gloves because of the cold. You could wear leather if it isn’t raining or invest in a good armored motorcycle jacket and gloves. Again, cragslist is the place to search for. There is also a forum at http://www.bcsportbikes.com/ which you might want to check out too. In the Summer I bought a leather jacket and wore leather gloves ($100), but now I have a Joe Rocket armored jacket and gloves (for around $150) – it does make you feel more safe – potentially dangerous :-D

About legalities and adapting to new traffic rules – if you are a student, you can drive in BC with your Indian license, your student card and your study permit. I have driven to Seattle and I know a friend who got pulled over in Seattle, showed his Indian license and that worked fine. So as long as you are a student and you have a motorcycle license from India, you are good to go. About traffic rules, you have to get used to riding on the right side of the road but you learn fast that you orient yourself with other traffic mostly – so it’s easy to get used to. Other major changes include the left turn – most intersections don’t have a green signal explicitly for a left turn. For learning about the rules and more, go here: http://www.icbc.com/licensing/lic_utility_resman_drivers.asp Chapter 4 explains what to do at intersections without explicit left green signal. Go through the rules numerous times because you don’t know when you are in a situation that you definitely would need to know the rules to handle.

Most of my motorcycling routes have been set by my ex-roomie – who taught me quite a bit of the ropes. If weather allows, I usually take daily trips to Jericho via the Marine drive – once you take the left fork from lower mall, there is a good curvy stretch on Marine drive, where you can learn the fine art of counter-steering. If you have more time, you could go to Cypress – it is an amazing ride after you are past Downtown traffic. The road is wide, clear of traffic mostly and has long straights and more than a couple good curves. You could also go to Iona beach near the airport which is another beautiful spot for an evening walk. You take the first right onto Templeton street after getting off Arthur Laing bridge (on the way to the airport from UBC via Granville street). The sea to sky highway to Whistler was another great route – but the construction work for the Winter Olympics has messed it up for motorcycles. Another route that my ex-roomie did was the Duffy Lake loop – search for it on Google. I haven’t done this yet but its on my to-do list for the Summer :-D

So that’s it! Hope I have motivated at least a few of you to buy a motorcycle and start riding. Its fun riding in a group too! Do mail me if you have any questions at anoop.karollil@gmail.com

This is taken from the UBC Indian students' association annual newsletter, which can be found here: Geetanjali 2007 -Roobaroo