Enough with the snow already!

Well what do you know world?  It's March 21st, second day of Spring and everything is still covered in snow outside!  What the hell?? 

Bikes have been allowed on Montreal roads for 6 days now, but God save anyone who tries to ride with the conditions the way they are right now. (or should we leave that to Darwin's law?)

Seeing the date, and seeing the conditions outside makes me think that I won't be starting my practical lessons for another few weeks, probably the weekend after Easter.  Let's say that is true, so it would be April 6th, and end the weekend of April 14th.  If I get lucky I can do my SAAQ test by the beginning of May.  That would leave me 4 weeks to ride around Montreal and get ready for the road trip to the Dragon Tail.

That would be the ideal situation.

What I can see happening though, is that my classes get pushed back by a week, and the SAAQ is booked solid and I don't get in until mid May.  That would leave only 2 weeks of prep riding before taking off on an almost 4000km odyssey (at least it's an odyssey for me, my ass is hurting just thinking about it). And that is if I pass the exam on my first try, many people have not, so it's not a guarantee.

I've prepared myself that there is a real possibility that I may not be able to go on the trip this year.  I just won't have the skill to do it.  I will try my best to get ready, but I don't want my first road trip to also be my last.

So here's crossing my fingers that the f****ing winter ends soon so I can get into the yard and start my lessons.  I really want to go on this trip, so World, if you have any sway with Mother Nature, get on it please!

Some info about having a bike in Quebec

Hello again World,

   I know it's been a couple of weeks since my last post, got distracted.

   I thought this time around I'd post some important links regarding the cost of owning a bike in Quebec. There's some missinformation going around because of changes to the laws over the past couple of years. 

   The first question that most people will ask when you tell them you're getting a bike will be about the high cost of insurance.  It is not the insurance costs a lot in Quebec, it is the vehicle registration. Insuring a bike is actually relatively cheap.  For a 39 year old man such as myself, to insure a FZ6R (which is a sport touring, 600cc bike) it was less than 280$.  On the other hand, to register this same bike with the Quebec government, it'll cost me upward of 560$ for a full year.  Some of you might be thinking, well just register in April, cancel in October, that way you only have to pay roughly half.  Nope, the government thought of that, you have to register for a full year, so you pay for your bike to sit in storage, awesome, eh?

   And what if you're daring and you want to drive a super sport bike?  Or as the government calls them, high risk bikes?  You'll be paying upward of almost 1200$ for registration alone.  Not insurance, and not your license, only to put a license plate on the bike.

   Here is a link to the costs of registering a bike in 2012:
http://www.saaq.gouv.qc.ca/en/vehicle_registration/registration_cost/moto.php

   If you're wondering if the bike you are considering is a high risk bike, the following links will help you, the first is a list of characteristics of what they consider high risk is, the second link is the official list of high risk bikes for the past several years.  The section for 2013 is being updated as we speak if I read it correctly.

http://www.saaq.gouv.qc.ca/en/vehicle_registration/high_risk_motorcycle.php

http://www2.publicationsduquebec.gouv.qc.ca/dynamicSearch/telecharge.php?type=3&file=/A_25/A25R3_1_A.HTM

   So there you have it World.  Some of the costs associated with just trying to get your bike on the road.  It's March 10th already and officially there are only 5 days left until people can get their bikes out.

   If you are taking your bikes out while there is still snow on the ground, stay safe and stay warm.