Toronto photographer Javin Lau sent us this cool creative for today’s daily photo. Check out his page for more of his images from around the city.

To have your photos shared with our readers, please visit our 500px group.

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Toronto photographer Michael Ishlove sent us this capture from downtown Toronto for our daily pic. Check out his page for more images from around the city.

To submit your photos to be featured on our website, visit our 500px group.

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Start with the M1. 

After a written test, one can take out a motorcycle by themselves and drive around in daylight hours, with no passengers, Zero blood-alcohol level, and no highways. The written test can be taken at some service Ontario locations. I took mine at Bay and College. It costs $15.50 for the test + $8.15 for the 90 day licence. You can include the package with a M2 road test for $75.40 but I took the 3 day course through the MTO certified Learning Curves program.

To practice for this test, there is a great website. If you can get 100% on all of these each time you take them, you should be good to go.

PRACTICE TESTS

After the M1.

Now you have your M1 and you have to wait 60 days, but no longer than 90 days, to get your M2 licence which is done by a road test. You can either do it through the ministry, or through a MTO certified course like Learning Curves. Honda Canada had asked me if I wanted to take part in the course at the edge of Toronto and Markham that takes place at the Honda HQ there. The course allows you to learn how to ride a bike and be prepared for the test on the final day that provides you with an M2.

Day 1 of Course

The first day of the course is in a classroom setting and goes over positioning on the road and what to do in various situations. It goes over what gear is appropriate to wear, what we will be learning over the length of the course and general bike knowledge and safety. The instructors were all friendly and approachable (4 for a group of about 20) and the class took about 3 hours.

Day 1 on the road

On the first day of the driving day, participants arrived at the Honda HQ parking lot to find 20 bikes lined up in a row. This is the way bikes are parked, we are told. We are asked to always being them back to this positioning whenever we return from practicing.

We each started by learning the parts of the bike and by walking the bike around. After this, we learned how to start and kill the engine and how to mount and dismount the bike safely.

In no time at all, we were on our bikes and driving around the parking lot and outer track of the compound. Throughout the day, new objectives and strategies were taught to us. Constant supervision and advice helped us gain our confidence and our ability.

After the first day, which started at 8:30am and ended at 4:30pm, I was getting very tired. Riding a motorcycle is very physical, no doubt a sport.

Day 2 on the road

On the second day of riding you are a lot more confident and you want to try ALL THE BIKES. With various types to choose from, dirt bike, racing bike, etc, you start to want to see the variations in each. On this day you will feel more comfortable maneuvering tight spaces and also gaining higher speeds.

At the end of the day, it comes time for the test. You have been riding for two full days now and have done all the requirements for the test, only now you are being marked.

The group got very nervous at this point, not everyone passes, and tests can make people lose focus.

Through 6 tests, the team at Learning Curves marks your abilities and mistakes. If you make too many, you have to come back another day and try again.

After the completion of the test, you receive your paperwork to pick up your M2 from a Service Ontario location with a Drive Test centre. Remember that this has to be done 60 days after acquiring your M1 but not more than 90 days after acquiring your M1.

I thought that the Learning Curves route was a great way to go for new drivers or those coming from other countries that may have different rules for bikes and for the roads. The team was fun to work with and I hope to do another course in 2 years for my full M licence.

For more info, visit the Drive Test website.

Check out the Learning Curves website for more info on their courses.

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The first time I saw one was on Spadina, just north of Queen. A crystal clear afternoon in spring, a fast few years ago. It felt like I saw a Transformer from a movie by Ang Lee in idle position, but still prepared to rocket blast off into battle with an evil Michael Bay Autobot monstrosity. It was a vehicle like I’d never seen before: the Can-Am Spyder.

BRP’s  Can-Am Spyder is the latest in next level “escape vehicles” available in our magnificent modern lives! Hilariously promoted by Danica Patrick, they recently ran a promotional campaign in Los Angeles where any celebrity in need of a paparazzi rescue (during the alotted timeframe) would simply need to call 1-844-SPYDER-LA, to be zoomed away in a Schwarzenegger-style Hollywood emergency escape, riding off into the sunset on a Can-Am Spyder, and far from the fame-starved TMZ media wannabes. They need to bring that promotion to Toronto and New York this summer! (The bike is made in Quebec, why couldn’t they? )

Danica got to drive one, and had this to say: “I first tried the Can-Am Spyder in Long Beach, CA in a closed track and I had a blast. I couldn’t believe how much fun to ride it was,” said Patrick. “The Can-Am Spyder feels easy to drive. Its stability system gives you confidence. I simply had a blast!” Of course she deserves to ride one of these, and that her stamp of approval adds a steel ton of credibility to this Quebec-made innovation: she’s the most successful female driver in the history of American open- wheel racing. She has to be elite to be a star cameo in a Jay-Z video!

Even though he was the first to own one, you don’t have to be Jay Leno rich to afford one of these (roundabout the 20 G’s range, NBD). So, if you got the dough to put one of these post-millenium sex rockets between your lucky legs, then browse www.brp.ca/spyder (or hit up your  local dealer), and then hit the Don Valley Parkway and the 401 riding an engine full of vengeance that shall not be contained by insane gridlock!

The Canadian outback will never feel the same, just as much as Spadina Ave. will always look a bit cooler with a Can-Am Spyder perched on the curb north of Bombshelter… possibly just waiting to assist Mark Wahlberg and Optimus Prime come summertime.

The post Can-Am Spyder Vehicle and their Hilarious Danica Patrick Ad Campaign appeared first on Toronto Guardian.

As a 20-year-old blond girl who weighs 110 pounds and works in retail, I never thought I’d be applying for my motorcycle licence. However, this summer has a roaring line-up of events dedicated to motor fans everywhere, and I want in on the action!

We’ve teamed up with BRP’s Can-Am Spyder to bring you a new set of adventures for the warm months ahead. BRP is kicking off the summer season with the release of their new and improved 2014 Can-Am Spyder. They will be showcasing this three- wheeled motorcycle at various events and test-drives in the upcoming months. We have decided to hop on and join the ride.

This week, I will take my M1 licence test and potentially become one step closer to owning my very own hog (sorry Mom). To prepare our readers for the Can-Am Spyder events and test-drives, I’m here to give you the scoop on getting your motorcycle driver’s licence in the city.

To begin, it’s important to note that an M1 licence is far cheaper than your average G- class license. It costs a mere $15 to write the knowledge test. You can do this in one of the three Toronto DriveTest centres. There is one located near Don Mills, one near Downsview Park, one in Etobicoke, and one in Scarborough (the click through links provide exact addresses). Now for you central downtown folk, these locations do seem a bit out of the way. Luckily, the Service Ontario office located just off of Bay and College provides the M1 test as well. Here, you can write the test between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m., while the DriveTest Centres are usually open until 5 p.m.

The M1 test, much like your G1 driving test, is a series of multiple-choice questions. You can study using Ontario’s official Motorcycle Handbook, which can be purchased online, at DriveTest Centres, at Driver and Vehicle License Issuing offices, or at some retail stores, such as Canadian Tire and Chapters. If you’re a student or just outright frugal, you can ditch the extra expense of the handbook and study online. So far, the practice tests on drivingtest.ca seem to be the most helpful, but there are surely a multitude of resources floating out there in the interweb.

Once you pass your M1 written test and slip that bad boy into your wallet, you’ll be eligible for the Can-Am Spyder test-drives this summer. The dates and locations of Can- Am events are TBA, so stay tuned and get studying!

Click here to read more about the 2014 Can-Am Spyder and watch auto racer Danica Patrick bring the bike for a spin.

Check out this local dealer to view their stock of Spyders.

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