- Cannot ride outside Ontario
- No passengers
- Ride only during the day
- Not allowed on 400-series highways (our "Interstates")
The little bike held up OK although some of the steeper grades took a bit of work. The most annoying thing about only having the 250 is the size of the throttle movements necessary -- coming over the top of some of the hills on corners meant going from nearly wide-open to nearly fully closed so there wasn't really any comfortable resting point for my wrist. The headlight predating halogen bulbs and the speedometer light being burnt out didn't help a whole lot either! It'll definitely be a one-or-two-season bike for me.
I do want to get out on the 416 or 417 sometime soon just to check that restriction off, but freeway speeds are pushing it a bit for that bike. I'll have to find a quiet time between two exits or something. Passenger can wait until next year at least; this bike's a bit too small for two-up riding, and
One odd bureaucratic thing: Since I passed my M1 exit test at a course instead of at the testing centre, they have to mail the paperwork off to data-entry folks before I can get my plastic license card. Until then, I have my old license as photo ID and a paper temporary license. Where it usually takes 1-2 weeks to get a new license mailed to you, mine will take 8-12 weeks! It's like the good old days of mail-order!
I need to find some other beginning riders around here to ride with. I also need to remember to bring my camera with me! I'm off next week, and I'm thinking about riding to Belleville via backroads (around 220 km), crashing at my parents' place overnight, and coming back the next day. Might be too much too soon, though. Maybe I'll just do a test run one day of 100km or so to see how it feels, and then a day of 200 km a while later, and if that's OK then Belleville later. (Today was about 50 km.)