Drivetest: Everything That's Wrong with Ontario

When I think back to the late '80s (the last time I had to involve myself in driver testing), I recall reasonable wait times, full time employees invested in what they were doing and a general sense of competence.  I left with my driver's license feeling like my time wasn't wasted and the people there knew what they were doing.

The lost souls trapped in the beige, fluorescent lit hell that
is Ontario's Drivetest Centre.  I got in trouble for taking
this picture, I hope you like it.

Since going back for my motorcycle license in 2013 I've had to attend Drivetest Centres several times and each one has been worse than the last.  The stone eyed 'funployees' of Drivetest struggle to handle massive wait times and angry citizens whose time doesn't seem to matter at all.

While waiting for more than ninety minutes yesterday in an overcrowded holding area I looked up Drivetest and discovered a poster child for why Ontario is failing like it is.

Up until 2003 Driver training was handled by MoT employees.  These would have been unionized, government workers who make enough money to pay a mortgage and tended to stick around, meaning they have a vested interest in what they're doing.  In 2003 Mike Harris (aka: ass-clown of the century) decided to privatize driver training in Ontario (because the mess they made giving away the 407 wasn't enough).

In a matter of months hundreds of full time employees were laid off in the name of efficiency.  At the time, the six week waiting list to get a license was considered proof of government incompetence and the private sector would come to our rescue!  The current backlog is over sixteen weeks.  Feeling that private efficiency yet?

At the Drivecentre yesterday I heard one of the employees say that they have a lot of people away on vacation so they are short handed at the busiest time of the year.  Another came back after taking only 10 minutes for lunch.  While revelling in this Kafkaesque corporate efficiency I thought I'd look up who we pay millions to now for driver testing.

Privatization seems to feed into globalization.  Just as he sold off the 407 for a fraction of what it's worth to a Spanish company, so Harris sold off driver training to another overseas firm, in this case Serco, a billion dollar a year multi-national out of the UK.  Their spiel on the Drivetest website is exactly the sort of MBA drivel that makes me sick in my mouth:   

Ah, the countless possibilities.  Fortunately, thanks to Serco's crap-tastic personnel management I had a lot of time to consider countless possibilities.  The Ontario Government is supposed to oversee the efficiency of this subcontract, but like most privatization they simply turn away from what IS the role of government, taking no responsibility for what has been and continues to be an out and out disaster.

You'd think it would be fairly easy to make licensing a zero-sum game.  You charge for licenses whatever it takes to cover the cost of licensing and you keep that money in Ontario instead of shipping off millions of dollars overseas.  You then offer bonuses based on accident rates of new drivers and the wait times in Drivetest Centres.  The lower the rates and better the wait times, the better the bonus.  Or... you could just give it all away to an off-shore concern that couldn't give a damn about Ontario citizens, their safety or their time, but sure knows a lot about business.

Meanwhile, we're all sitting here wondering why Ontario is in the biggest financial mess in its history.  Efficiency doesn't mean off-loading responsibility and doing things cheaply, unless you're in the private sector, then that can be your reason for being.  Efficiency and cheapness are not the same thing, though the private sector and conservatives often confuse the two.

Get your finger out Ontario, stop off-loading important government services to incompetent multi-nationals and keep our money in-province!  Fix this!

LINKS

The Dark Side of Privatization
Who we're paying to administer Ontario Driver Training
Serco quality
We should farm everything out to these guys!
Actually, just do a google-news search of Serco and revel in the excellence

The real costs of privatizing hydro
Privatization: generally a really bad idea
The 407, The 407 again, The 407, it never ends, The 407, WTF?

Green Laning

Public by-ways: It's a thing in the
UK, not so much here.

Green laning is a big thing where I'm from, but in Canada in 2015 most of the crown land around here has been sold off to pay off the debts of investment bankers.  With all the land hereabouts private it's not easy to take an off-road bike on a trail.

"As a military training area, Salisbury Plain is a unique
environment that has to be shared by both military and
civilians alike" - ha! Can you imagine that in Canada?

I got the KLX to trail ride.  I'm not interested in 'catching air' or riding like an MX loonie.  If I'm getting to places most people don't and practising my bike balance, I'm happy.  The point of the exercise is learning better bike control, being off road lets me do that.  If I have any interest beyond trail riding it's in trials, which is also hyper-focused on bike control and balance.

Today I took the KLX out for an hour or so, looking for trails.  Dirt roads start less than a kilometre from our sub-division, so I went there first.  I went south on Sideroad 6 North for about 5kms before hanging a right, crossing back over the regional road and then cutting off onto Sideroad 14.  From there I found a nice cut along a hydro line.  Another five minute stint on pavement found me at another off road trail which took me back north of Elora.  I ended the trip following the Grand River looking for off-road opportunities (there weren't any), though Pilkington Overlook was pretty.

Riding off road is an interesting process.  The massive suspension travel and knobbies on the KLX makes it amazingly sure-footed.  On the gravel roads I made a point of crossing back and forth over the centre line through the deep stuff, letting the bike wobble and find a track.  Even when I got onto the rougher stuff I still found the bike remarkably composed and had no trouble navigating ruts, mud puddles and deep grass.

I'm looking forward to getting deeper into the brush!

Just outside of Ponsonby

North off Side Road 14, a lovely little trail.

North of Sideroad 10 it's blocked off due to an electrical transfer station

2 Line East leads to the Elora Gorge Park entrance - it's a nice little bit of gravel

Pilkington Lookout
 

If anyone else lives north of Guelph and knows of any good spots to trail ride, please let me know!

Indianapolis MotoGP: It's happening!

After roughing it out we've finalized plans to ride down to Indianapolis to see the practice day of the Indianapolis MotoGP race.  It'll be a chance to see a legend like Valentino Rossi in the flesh doing what he does.  It'll also be an opportunity to wander the paddock and watch everyone setting up their machines.  I'm aiming to come away with a Sam Lowes t-shirt and some Rossi paraphernalia.


We couldn't do the whole weekend due to other commitments, but hitting Indy on the Friday means it isn't as busy and costs almost nothing (twenty bucks to get in!).  We're going to ride down Wednesday and Thursday and then stay in a Hampton Inn by the track on the Thursday and Friday nights before heading back on Saturday.  We should be home Sunday afternoon.

Motorcycles on Meridian looks like a good time!

Since we're in town Thursday and Friday night we'll be looking for some bike related magic happening around the day at the track.  Downtown Indy's Motorcycles on Meridian is happening on Friday night and we'll be there.  I'm looking forward to a brief wallow in American motorbike culture before heading out on Saturday morning.

I'll watch the qualifying and the race when I'm home the week after, but I'll also know what these bikes sound and smell like, which is magic!

The 2014 Indy highlight reel

My son Max and I are all set to go on my '94 Kawasaki Concours, but it got me wondering about what I'd take out of the new batch of Kawasakis, so here's a list!

Old Concours New Concours

I have a '94 ZG1000 Concours.  The new ones are monsters by comparison, but it'd be interesting to ride a team-green bike down to the MotoGP race, even if they aren't involved any more.  The new Connie is a massive 1354cc machine.  It would be interesting to see what Kawasaki has done with my beloved Concours over the past twenty years.

What do you say Kawasaki Canada, got a new Concours you'd like ridden?

Ninja Redux

A small part of me misses my Ninja.  Riding two up down to Indianapolis means looking for a Ninja that can handle Max and I, fortunately Kawasaki makes just such a Ninja!

The Ninja 1000 is a capable long distance sport touring bike with the emphasis on sport.  It would have no trouble getting Max and I down to the Speedway, and it would do it in MotoGP fashion.

Versys Variations

Last year I test road the old version of the Versys 1000 and really enjoyed it.  The new Versys is supposed to be better in every way.

My buddy Jeff (a Yamaha Super Ténéré rider coming down with us) would take to this bike like a duck to water.  If Kawasaki Canada were to set us up with a pair of these they might convert a Yamaha faithful!


We're more than ready to head south on my trusty Concours, but it'd be interesting to ride something green and new into the MotoGP at Indy and make the place a little greener.

T-minus one week until we're on our way south!

New Mobil 1, everything checked and cleaned up.  Connie is ready to do some miles down to Indy

There and back with minimal repetition

I Am M: The M2-exit exam for a full M license

Then...

Here I am early on a Saturday morning back at Conestoga College for my M2-exit course.  It's the last official step in my progression through Ontario's graduated motorcycle licensing system.

I got my M1 in March of 2013 after writing a short test in a dingy Drivecentre office in Guelph.  Getting my M2 in April of 2013 was the next big step, and the last time I was sitting on a bike in Conestoga's parking lot.  Back then they were little Yamaha 250s, this time I'm rolling in on my own version of the Millennium Falcon, a 999cc Concours I've rebuilt myself.  My motorcycling has evolved a lot in the past two and a half years.

It was a busy weekend at the college with two beginner courses with over 50 students getting started on the little bikes.  Our M2-exit course had only eight people in it, four guys and four girls, riding everything from the most ridiculous cruiser imaginable to perfectly serviceable 500cc sport bikes.

... and now. The M2-exit is as diverse in bikes
as it is in riders

Watching the Victory ride all over the don't-cross-lines while trying to lean a 280mm rear tire was both tragic and kinda funny.  It also had trouble stopping in the box, but hey, it sure was stylish.

The people on the course were as wide ranging as you can imagine, from a Ninja-riding pretty, blonde environmental scientist in her 20s to a grizzled, cruiser riding truck driver in his 50s.  You really got to see the breadth of motorcycle culture in our M2-exit class.

The Friday night was your typical three hour theory talk with lots of diagrams, videos from the 70s and legal talk.  When we left we had to be back in the room ten hours later (and I had a 90 minute commute in there too).

What the bike-control
sheet looks like

On Saturday I was there bright and early to secure one of the first two spots on the testing calendar so I could leave earlier.  Saturday morning was spent in stifling heat in the parking lot following lines and working on slow speed manoeuvring.  Every time we stopped everyone stripped off jackets, gloves and helmets and lay under a tree drenched in sweat.  It was good to practice slow speed and precision riding and it turned into an impromptu test of the Concours' cooling system.

With temperatures on the wrong side of 40°C on the pavement, the fans kept kicking on and off when needed but the big bike stayed, at most, in the middle of the temperature gauge.  By mid-morning several of the cruisers were having trouble starting in the heat and the rear brake light fell off the brand new Victory mega-cruiser.  The 21 year old, $800 Connie hummed along like a champ though, always starting at the touch of a button.  Damn, I love that machine.

After a short lunch we were back out, this time doing group rides.  One was simply a primer to riding in formation where we followed an instructor around while he very very obviously checked for dangers in places where we might be expected to check for dangers on our test.  It was very helpful in calming everyone down.

The second ride-out was a practice run with the instructional ear pieces in.  On the test you have a walkie-talkie with an earpiece that the instructor gives you directions through.  He then assesses how you perform these actions from a following car.    I was lucky enough to be the lead rider so I got to practice the instructions with a clear road in front of me.

Not pulling left - my only error on the
M2 exit exam. I didn't because there
was more room in front of me in that
lane. You'll find the follow-the-rules
at all costs approach by the MoT to
not necessarily follow the needs of
defensive riding.

Riding out in a group made me wonder why people would ever want to do that in a city.  Every stop is turned into a stop times the number of riders in the group, especially if you're further back.  I found riding around Kitchener in a group to be very tedious.

After all that we finally lined up for the road test.  While each rider went out, the rest were writing a knowledge test in the classroom with questions about rules of the road.  I got to go second.  It was about 45 minutes of riding in residential, industrial and regional roads followed by a brief stint on the highway.

It was all about shoulder checks, mirror checks and constantly (and obviously) scanning for dangers.  If you adapt to their system you'll find it fairly easy to work with, but I found it too regimented.  Defensive driving should be fluid and agile, constantly adapting to varying situations.  Following a checklist means you're not honouring the circumstances as they change (for example, always pulling into the slow lane when you have a better space bubble in the fast lane).

I was on my way home with a signed M2 exit pass sheet by 3:30pm.  I was hot, tired and sore (your wrists and fingers take a real beating after a day of slow speed manoeuvring and group town rides).  I'll take using my mirrors more out of the testing, but beyond that I found the frantic meerkatting to be both exhausting and unsettling on the bike.  We were encouraged to spin our heads around constantly but this is both tiring and disorientating.  There is something to be said for a composed approach to riding a motorbike.

Having to ride conservatively within posted limits was also very difficult.  I'm willing to shoulder the responsibility for my own safety, but not if I must have distracted people in SUVs creeping past me (and into me) because I'm required to ride at five under the limit in the inside lane all the time.

I'm glad I took the exit course.  I got some good practice and a supported approach to the MoT test which isn't always commonsensical, but I'm also really glad it's over.  One more trip to the take-a-number, florescent lit, beige misery that is the Drivecentre office and I'm a fully licensed rider.

The Baffling Dual Sport Helmet Part 2

I've already taken a run at the design of dual sport helmets, but I've since seen a couple of other things that make me wonder why people cling to the MX derived big-bill look.  That giant visor seems intent on injuring you in an off, and I'm not willing to have my head pulled off just to look like an MX racer.

Online you quickly find a lot of conflicting advice about dual sport helmets along with some good insight:  

"All the street comfort in the world won't please you when you get to a dusty trail, you're hot, and your lid is a cramped, dust-filled mess and you're breathing hard and hot into your chin bar."

Ventilation seems to be at the heart of the big-chin bar in dual sport helmets, but you pay a price in aerodynamics.  The chin-bar I get, but I'm still baffled by the visor.

Arai recently came out with a new version of their street helmet and they go to great pains explaining how a smoother shell is less likely to catch on obstructions if you come off at speed.  Of course, there are a hell of a lot more obstructions if you come off at speed off road, but that doesn't seem to factor into dual sport helmet thinking.

Sure, visors keep the sun out of your eyes, but
 a good pair of goggles does a better job, so why
risk safety for mediocre sun protection?  You can
remove the visor and make your dual sport helmet
safe, though you won't look like a motocross star.

What do massive visors do?  They create a huge projection aimed in the direction you're going that begs to pull your head off in a crash at anything over walking speeds.

Back in the day when goggles didn't have the benefit of modern reactive lenses and toughness perhaps a giant bill was all you had to keep the sun out of your eyes, but this was, at best, a partial measure.  It resulted in you experiencing huge swings in brightness from sun in your eyes to shade over and over again.

We're well into the 21st Century now and lens technology has come a long way.  You hardly need a giant beak to keep the sun from blinding you any more, and a reactive lens offers you the benefit of less eye strain between shadows and blinding sunlight.

I got a free pair of cool looking steam-punk goggles with a helmet this year and was virtually blind in them when trying to ride in the sun, they were a disaster.  A careful shopping trip later I had a pair of goggles that allow me to ride in direct sunlight with zero distortion, no squint and excellent viewing in the shade as well, they even work well at night.  When wearing these goggles a bill is only a dangerous projection, it serves no function.

I was watching the Dakar Rally this year when this happened:

You have to wonder what it felt like when his face bounced off the road and tore that visor half off.  Arai's logic with their new R75 makes a lot of sense after seeing that, yet everyone on a dual sport or adventure bike wants to look like Charlie & Ewan, and so big billed dual sport helmets keep happening.

I'd love to see a leading helmet company like Arai offer the same kind of minimal projection/safety and aerodynamic benefit they talk about in the R75 in a well ventilated, dual sport ready lid, but form seems to come before function in the image conscious world of adventure motorcycling.

Duckbills everywhere...

The End of Rain Crotch

What came of me almost losing my mind while riding underwater a few weeks ago?  I finally got to test my rain gear from Royal Distributing.  It did the business in light rain, but after a couple of hours in steady downpours they leaked through the waist leaving me with a nasty case of wet crotch and a foul attitude.

The key to happiness seems to be a zip up coverall rain suit.  No seams means no leaks.  Failing that, a pair of pants with a bib would prevent rain from working its way into the front of the jacket.  I'm bound to want something not sold here, so I immediately found a rain-suit that I'd like that isn't available for sale in Canada.

The Kawasaki rain-suit is sold in Europe and Asia, but not North America.  Sigh.  Fortunately, a German bike accessory company has it for sale on ebay and is willing to ship to Canada.

I've put in a request for sizing and shipping information, we'll see what comes of it.  In the meantime I found some waterproof bib-rainpants at the local TSC for $85.  Since the Kawi-rain suit is only $40 more, I'm going to hold out and see if I can nab one, but the cost of importing it might make that impractical.  Why doesn't Kawasaki offer this suit everywhere?  It does rain in Canada.

If you're ever looking for stuff tough enough to bike with TSC offers an interesting alternative.  TSC sells farm-ready work-wear, so everything is super tough.  It doesn't come with fancy bike related logos on it but it'll do the business.  A set of work boots that cover the ankle would be half the price of bike boots.  Leather work gloves (they have very nice mechanic's ones) are double reinforced at 1/3 the price of 'bike' gloves.  Jeans and jackets can be found with double stitching and thick material for a fraction of the cost of bike specific gear.  Likewise, their rain gear is classed to industrial levels of water resistance and durability at much less than branded bike wear.  If you're looking to bike on a budget TSC might be the ticket.

In the meantime I'll keep the Royal Distributing rain suit handy and hope it isn't too torrential while I wait for a reply from zee Germans.

Neck to ankles - that should keep it out.

Indianapolis MotoGP: There & Back in 5 Days

Indianapolis MotoGP:  August 07, 08 09

THE GOAL: a taste of motogp on a road trip with minimal freeway miles and a five day timeline.

TARGET:  Friday, August 07: practice day

Practice day runs from 9am to 3:50pm

PRACTICE
August 7, 2015
PRICE: $20.00

FRIDAY PADDOCK PASS
Not good for gate admission. Good for August 7, 2015. Limited to one (1) per Reserved Seat.
PRICE: $125.00

MOTORCYCLE TRACK LAP

Motorcycles Only. One Lap. Controlled Speed. Limited to one (1) per Reserved Seat.

PRICE: $40.00

But the Paddock Pass or track lap don't seem to be available if you only buy Friday tickets.  I'll have to dig in further.

In any case, twenty bucks US to get into Friday's practice is pretty accessible, and we might be able to find our way into paddock passes once we're there.

Other events (bike shows and many other satellite events going on in Indianapolis that weekend):

http://www.indianapolismotorspeedway.com/events/motogp/event-info/motorcycles-on-meridian

INDY AND BACK IN FIVE DAYS

Wednesday, August 5:  head toward Michigan and strike south.
Thursday, August 6th:  we're in the hotel outside of Indianapolis

Friday, August 7th:  a day at Indy, an evening in town at MotoGP related events

Saturday, August 8th: begin the ride home

Sunday, August 9th:  return home

The MAP shows about 850kms and a 10 hour travel time (trying to stay off interstates - it can be much faster but more tedious on them).

Broken into two days each way, the trip should offer plenty of time for stops.

Overnight on the way down somewhere on the southern end of the Detroit/Ann Arbour area.

Find a hotel in the north end of Indianapolis for the overnight on Thursday night and Friday night, then strike back north again Saturday morning.

Hampton Inn Indianapolis Northwest - Park 100

5860 West 73rd Street, Indianapolis, Indiana, 46278, USA +1-317-290-6000 

~ $300 for two nights - north of the Speedway (better)

http://www.visitindy.com/redbullhotels

https://goo.gl/maps/OQCVc

This isn't that hard to arrange - practice and qualifying are super cheap if cost is an issue, and the whole thing happens over the weekend, minimizing time off work.  If you're in Southern Ontario it's a straight shot down to Indy to see a legend like Valentino Rossi fight for a championship in his 36th year (!)

You should go.