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[Frog]

Guys, I have got real bad news today...

our SAAQ (the bureau of legislation and licensing of Québec Province) was studying a law project for awhile and it finally passed even if the whole motorcyclist community was against it.

- To get a bike on the streets, it will now costs between 1500$ and 2000$ every year to get a legal license plate and we are not talking about the insurances yet..  for 3/4 year riding season, that's so much, it's cheaper now for me to commute in my truck...

The biggest argument that the government came up with was : too many peoples get injured on those things / young folks act like idiots on these.

So they ruled for everyone, and every type of ride...

Please think what image you are projecting of your community before acting like a fool...  You never know what's going to happen.

All the motorcycle industry will suffer of this. Dealers have been seeing their sales plunge 65% this year only <= That's before the news came out.

I dunno yet what I'll do with my ride..  it's too soon to talk about that.

The general public opinion is against the bikes and road rages event against bikers are rising at an alarming pace here..

[NinjaChic]

do you have a link for more info online anywhere? im not from canada but am highly interested in it.

[Frog]

I could provide links but they are all in french...

Here's one : http://www.canoe.com/infos/quebeccanada/archives/2007/06/20070610-091600.html

The Bill Is In The Mail..

The owners of motor bikes will not escape from it. The increases in premiums of insurance required by the SAAQ were approved and published in the official Gazette of Quebec of last 8 June.


The new "contribution of insurance" will prevail until 2010. This one will pass from 561.66 $ to 904.87 $ in 2009 and 1253 $ in 2010 for the motor bikes of more than 400 cc.


The tariff grid, very sophisticated, envisages variable annual rates for the motor bikes of 125 cc or less; from 125 cc with 400 cc and more than 400 cc. The premiums will also vary according to the total of the points of inaptitude accumulated by each driver of vehicle motorized, according to the class of the licence. The "contribution", according to the officialese, will vary thus from 34,78 $ to 405,84 $.


New particular premiums will be also imposed in more to the holders of licences which were seen imposing suspensions or revocations of licence during five years previous. These contributions of insurance will vary from 275 $ to 367 $.


The applicants of licence of apprentice-driver must also expect to spend more. The increases will still vary according to classes' of licence. The rates will evolve/move of 20,07 $ to 61,80 $.


It acts of a first step in the direction of the establishment of "personalized" premiums known as, according to the personal file of each driver.


The publication of these réglements in the official Gazette means that the file is now closed and that political pressures will not be able to reverse these decisions. The president of the SAAQ, John Harbour, on the other hand engaged a few days ago, during an interview with the Newspaper of Quebec, to seek with associations of motorcylcists a formula of tariffing which would also take into account the age of the motorcylcist, his experiment and the type of machine of which he is owner.

[johndoe]

I just hope this doesn't affect Ontario. I thought this would only affect sportbikes in Quebec? Do you know how many motorcycles are registered in Quebec right now?

[Frog]

Ontario is not ruled by la Société d'Assurances Automobiles du Québec.  You should be safe for awhile..

I don't know how many there are though but these numbers will fall like there's no tomorrow.

Something similar happened in the 80's but affected only the sport bikes.  The market simply died..

[NinjaChic]

i dont know what the consequences are but ild say insurance... who needs it!?!?

[Frog]

well, right now it's 60$/year for cover liability..  If I want to cover my ride, it's over 1000$ and I need a bike alarm installed (the kind that pages you...)

[damarble]

Now that's retarded. Worse is that once again a few dumbasses ruin it for all.

[FOG]

I've been trying to tell em Frog.
Them damn Muzzy's are going to do us in.

FOG

[Nick D]

The house next door to me is for sale.  That'd be one way for you to completely avoid the tax.

So does the bill come with a jar of vaseline?  That is completely freaking outrageous.  Got any relatives or friends outside the tax area that could register your bike for you and avoid it?

[D1g1TaL Gh0sT]

This news certainly doesn't come as a shock.

The general public just doesn't see the forrest from the trees. These provincial bureaucrats purposely look for reasons to rape us financially. Here's just another shining example of us giving them one. Just today, while I was in downtown Toronto, at Spadina and Queen St. (an extremely congested section of town), some idiot pulled a wheelie for a half block on a bike. That's the kind of a$$hole that puts MY insurance up, and gets MY favorite bikes banned.

Frog is completely "bang on the button". I expect to be out of a job by the end of the season, as all signs are now pointing to this.

[Yassoon]

It's funny, because alot of my friends went through some trouble to plate their bikes in Gatineau (Quebec) to save on the insurance, but now I guess they'll be running back to Ottawa 

[Tommy69]

That SUCKS,glad I'm not up there, I'm glad I'm not there ,and that we have a strong advocate for motorcycles here,and hope it stays that way ! I started riding to save some money ,not spend more!

[bhd1223]

To think I actually wouldn't have minded moving to Canada.  Granted this is only for Quebec atm but I'm sure it will eventually move on.  Anyone who sees something like this not happening in the US is in denial.  It won't happen all that soon but eventually it will.  I mean if you think about it all gasoline powered vehicles will probably become illegal at some point in the future.  I just hope none of it happens during my lifetime.  I really can't possibly see how people validate these arguments about motorcycles being so dangerous.  When I look at it people die alot more from other things such as diseases that "aren't cureable" only because there is no money in a cure.  For some reason I see alot of people riding illegally up north there.  My guess is that most will act like idiots.  Also I'm sure people who didn't use to run from cops will.  The image only keeps getting worse.  Maybe one day the people will have a say again.  Until then I pity the continent of North America.  If only there was somewhere better to live.

[Frog]

The house next door to me is for sale.  That'd be one way for you to completely avoid the tax.

So does the bill come with a jar of vaseline?  That is completely freaking outrageous.  Got any relatives or friends outside the tax area that could register your bike for you and avoid it?

LoL ! 

Thanks Nick, but living in 'Bama and working downtown Montréal doens't look too credible to me   You have to live 6 months out of the province to be able to plate any vehicle anywhere else than here...

Well, café racers will be very popular..  ever saw a 1 liter scooter anyone ?  Or a turbocharged burgman 400 ?

This could also be a solution, but top speed is 120km/h or 70mph..  and it's not my 500 



Some Ninja 250 were built on the same frame as my EX500...  anyone knows if I could fit a 250cc engine without going through major mods ?  Then I'd have to go through an inspection but it would still save me maybe 800$/year..

Details are too scarce to permanently engage myself down a one-way path, but I always want to have all my options known and handy    I might have a a much bigger winter project this year..

[Nick D]

This is going to sound sneaky, underhanded, and perhaps even illegal, but it's really not much less sneaky or underhanded than politicians charging $2000/yr for bike plates (I'm pissed that I have to pay wheel tax of $10/axle).  You could find a completely obliterated 250 with a title and just swap the VIN from one to the other.  You'd have to shave and restamp the VIN or cut it off one and put it on the other, then then for all intensive purposes you'd be under the cutoff.  You could still insure it as a 500 (you could call it a converted 250 I suppose ) but on the title you'd be 250 all the way.

BTW, I'm in southern Indiana, so it would only be about half as far as you're thinking .

Want me to just license and insure your bike from my house? 

[FOG]

Nobody has mentioned the only thing we have going for us here in the USA.  The AMA  they are constantly watching the Dipsticks in Washington and all the states for just such lunacy.  They maintain a whole group of paid professional Lawyers and researchers to protect you right to ride (and be an Idiot)  Join now.

FOG  member since 1980.

[Nick D]

Nobody has mentioned the only thing we have going for us here in the USA.  The AMA  they are constantly watching the Dipsticks in Washington and all the states for just such lunacy.  They maintain a whole group of paid professional Lawyers and researchers to protect you right to ride (and be an Idiot)  Join now.

FOG  member since 1980.

American Muzzy Association?  I'm in!

Definitely good to have a group pulling for you in DC and around the nation.  Seems there is power in numbers.

For the Google-y challenged: http://www.amadirectlink.com/

[Royson]

That is ridiculous.  I'm going to have to keep a close eye on that here in Ontario.

[Jrocket]

First off, that BLOWS!  I have heard of some pretty piss poor law making, but that takes the cake.  

2nd I would totaly commute on one of those CBR 125's if they sold them stateside here.

3rd.  Fog is SOOOO right about the AMA.  It is far more the a sanctioning body for racing.  I don't know why everyone who rides is not a memeber.

[Nick D]

Sorry about my lack of familiarity of the Canadian government, but do you all have representatives and such as we do in the states?  Might be a good time to write to your politicians and express your concern if any of you haven't already - whether you're in Quebec and affected now or outside it and may be affected later.

[Royson]

^ We're a very, very similar system to yours, only difference realy is how we're elected, and that our Prime Minister actually has more power in his hands than your President does, in terms of what he can do without going before senate/parlimanet.

I may have to write somebody, cause I'm not going to let go of motorcycle riding that easily.

[Frog]

There is hope.

There seems to be a black list that contains 600cc and up sport bikes.

So I might end up paying 'only' half of that 1500$/year IF I keep a perfect road record..

All the details are discussed on a local french forum, PM me if you want the link.

[Dawg]

Man that really does suck.. I guess if i decide to upgrade next year there will be quite a number of cheap rides coming from Quebec..

i do wonder how long before the fools here in Ottawa adopt the same position..  Already Ontario has taken up the "fight" against street racing (for those who don't know.. Its now LESS trouble to blow over the legal alcohol limit, then to be caught street racing.. which is subject to the officers discretion) and if they catch you, they have the authority to crush your car then and there..

More and more simple things are being made almost impossible for the vast majority of us to afford. While at the same time these politicians are increasing their own salary's as much as they can.

[NinjaChic]

More and more simple things are being made almost impossible for the vast majority of us to afford. While at the same time these politicians are increasing their own salary's as much as they can.

hey now.. that sounds like the american way