Thousands are Gearing Up Issue # 234 | Have, Riders, New, Now, Training

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Thousands are Gearing Up Issue # 234

Written by Len Creed
Wednesday, 10 October 2007
Don’t you just love it? The height of the riding season is upon us and everyone’s doing it—motorcycling that is, and they’re everywhere. This is the best time of the year for me and I only wish it lasted longer because the past six months have been filled with events and riding. With that said, I’d like to welcome all the new riders across Canada who have taken up life on two wheels, and are now enjoying the thrill and excitement of being a biker. Yes, I said “biker.” Whatever that image conjures for you, you’re now a motorcyclist, enthusiast and, to your friends, a biker. That’s a good thing in life and almost 40,000 new riders across Canada decided to get up on two wheels this year, and almost all of them took a rider training course. The Canada Safety Council now teaches up to 30,000 new riders yearly, and with its new “Gearing Up” program and facilities the Council offers a very high level standard to become qualified in riding. That’s something many of us who have been riding for some time have wanted to see over the past 20 years or so, simply because it affected our insurance rates yearly. Too many inexperienced riders in the 1980s were on the road with no training, but the efforts of many groups over the years have brought us to this point where graduated licensing is now playing a significant role and, even with car drivers, I think we are all getting better at sharing the roadways. Hey, even I took the upgraded course from the safety council. That was a few years back now, but I still remember the lessons learned made me a better rider. All my staff members who ride have taken rider training in one way or another, including my wife, sons and daughters. Hey the family that rides together stays together, and if you’re on two wheels you’re part of the Canadian Biker magazine family and a way of life. Because we have more and more riders out there these days, we have to be careful and mindful of the traffic as there are more distractions for drivers: cell phones, GPS, iPods, in-car televisions, etc. As much as I’d like to see every car driver take a rider’s course we know that won’t happen so we have to use our training everyday to avoid contact. I know that by taking training you’ll become a better driver as well, but the trick is to know what the other driver might do. Once again congratulations to all those new riders who passed their training and who are now enjoying copies of our magazine which we sent to students for taking the courses. I guess the next thing is to buy a new or used bike, and that’s where we come to your side (as always) with evaluations of product lines, test reviews, and our opinions on what to look for in the marketplace. On top of that, we give you the names of the best shops to deal with for accessories and services—you’ll find them listed either in the magazine or on our web site here. Once you have decided which bike you’ll be buying, insurance will be the next big money grab and, my friends, the insurance companies are not easy people to deal with—just ask anybody in Ontario and Quebec. They might as well have a mask on while they rob you. However, shop around. Every province is different, but be ready to move your house, car, boat and life insurance to any company that gives you a decent deal. I know I did and have saved even more over the years. So, happy riding and enjoy life on two wheels. Comments (0) Subscribe to this comment's feed Write comment You must be logged in to a comment. Please register if you do not have an account yet.