My Favourite Motorcycle Meet-Ups and Weekly Motorcycle Events

*Updated for the 2024 summer motorcycle season.*

For a pastime where you mostly sit alone with your head inside a helmet unable to talk with others, motorcycling is a very social activity. Life is made richer with other people and I’ve always said I wouldn’t have met the breadth of people I know today if it weren’t for riding.

No matter which part of the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) you hail from, there is a meet for you!  Newly updated for the 2024 summer motorcycle season, here are my favourite motorcycle meet-ups and weekly motorcycle events.

1. The Moto Social Toronto

The biggest motorcycle meet in the Greater Toronto Area attracts hundreds of bikers from around and beyond the city.  If you really want to feel the pulse of the Toronto bike scene, you have to check this out! The location is a different independent coffee shop every month in Toronto proper. The vibe is relaxed and they frown upon hooliganism.

Having begun in Toronto, “The Moto Social is a global motorcycle initiative dedicated to building community and connecting people … Everyone's invited. Bike or no bike. Good vibes only. We’re all about people. Motorcycles are just the common thread.” (Source: The Moto Social Website)

Show up early enough to get good street parking and keep an eye on the lineup to buy coffee when the queue is shorter.

Location: Check their socials below for the location of the month

When: First Wednesday of the month from May – September

Time: 7 pm – 9 pm

Dates: 

• Wed May 1, 2024 | Petite Thuet, 284 Carlaw Avenue, Toronto, ON
• Wed June 5, 2024 | Woolshed Coffee, 850B Adelaide Street West, Toronto, ON
• Wed July 3, 2024 | Dark Horse Espresso, 120 Geary Avenue, Toronto, ON
• Wed Aug 7 | Check socials for location
• Wed Sept 4 | Check socials for location

Socials:

• Facebook: /themotosocial
• Instagram:  @themotosocial
• Website: www.themotosocial.com
• hashtag: #TheMotoSocialToronto

2. Back Road Coffee Roasters

The name conjures up scenes of riding country roads up north and taking a break at a small café where the air simultaneously smells like fresh country air with a hint of grass and fresh roasted black coffee. This meet is much smaller, more intimate and easier to meet other riders. The location is on a quiet street so traffic is low to non-existent. It’s also located a short distance off the QEW (Queen Elizabeth Way) at Hurontario. The vibe is low-key and relaxed. Of course, the coffee is good and I can personally vouch for their butter tarts.

Location: 133 Queen St East, Port Credit, Ontario (Hurontario / Lakeshore, Mississauga)

Time: 7 pm – 9 pm

When: Every 2nd and 4th Thursday 7 pm-9 pm

Dates:

• Thu May 23
• Thu June 13, 27
• Thu July 11, 25
• Thu August 8, 22
• Thu September 12, 26

Socials:

• Facebook: /BackRoadCoffee
• Instagram: @backroadcoffee
• TikTok: @backroadcoffee
• Website: www.backroadcoffee.ca

3. Newmarket Bike Nights

If you live in the north, the Newmarket Bike Night is for you! As always, a wide representation of different bikes and riders show up from all around for their weekly moto fix. Out of all the listed bike nights, this is the only one that is truly community-based with no key organizer. For an old-school rider like me, this hearkens back to the bygone days of the Rock n Roll Diner meets. Hands up if you miss those handmade milkshakes! 👋

The vibe is easygoing and congenial and a bit more down to earth than the down Toronto meets.

Location: 17725 Yonge St, Newmarket (Yonge North of Davis at the Food Basics)

When: Every Thursday Night

Time: 6:30 pm - ???

Dates:

• Thu May 2, 9, 16, 23, 30
• Thu June 6, 13, 20, 27
• Thu July 4, 11, 18, 25
• Thu August 1, 8, 15, 22, 29
• Thu September 5, 12, 19, 26
• Thu October: 3, 10, 17, 24, 31

Socials:

• Facebook: Newmarket Bike Nights
• Instagram: @newmarket_bike_nights

4. GTA East Bike Nights

Live east of Toronto? We’ve got you covered! This meet started about 3 or 4 years ago and is billed as Durham Region’s largest bike night. They meet on Friday evenings and are located in the parking lot of the Tim Hortons at Taunton and Brock in Whitby. The vibe is friendly with the trademark wide mixture of makes and models of motorcycles. It’s definitely worth dropping by.

Location: 130 Taunton Rd West (NW corner of Taunton / Brock St N)

When: Friday evenings

Time: 7 pm

Dates: Every Friday evening

• Fri May 3, 10, 17, 24, 31
• Fri June 7, 14, 21, 28
• Fri July 5, 12, 19, 26
• Fri August 2, 9, 16, 23, 30
• Fri September: 6, 13, 20, 27

Socials:

• Facebook: GTA East Bike Night
• Instagram: @gtaeast_bikenight

5. Hamilton

Hammertown has a burgeoning motorcycle scene with the 2 most well-known motorcycle meet-ups being:

5a. The Moto Social Hamilton

The Moto Social Hamilton has its own smaller footprint but has just as much diversity and heart. In fact, some in attendance may be from the 416. The location varies from month to month and is announced 2 weeks ahead of time on their socials. I love the low-key Hamilton vibe of this meet.

Location: Check their socials below for the location of the month

When: 2nd Tuesday of the month from May - September

Time: 7 pm – 9 pm

Dates for 2024:

• Tue May 14 | Hutch’s on the Beach, 280 Van Wagners Beach Rd, Hamilton, ON
• Tue June 11 | Merk Snack Bar, 189 Ottawa St. N, Hamilton, ON
• July 9 | 416 Coffee Co., 2 Main St W #2, Grimsby, ON
• Tue August 13 | Check socials for location
• Tue September 10 | Check socials for location

Socials:

• Facebook : /themotosocial
• Instagram: @themotosocial
• Website: www.themotosocial.com
• X / Twitter: @TheMotoSocial
• hashtag: #themotosocialhamilton

5b. Steeltown Garage

Although not a motorcycle mechanic shop, the aesthetic of this coffee bar makes you feel like you’re in one—in a good way! With a bar counter on the outside, it’s easy to hang out outside and enjoy the bikes. The vibe is friendly and chill. Though the official bike nights are only twice a month on Thursdays, you’ll find motorcycles and their riders rounded up outside their door any day of the week. My pro tip: Get the red iced tea.

Location: 8 Barton St East, Hamilton, Ontario (SE corner of Barton / James)

When: Thursdays twice a month

Time: 6-9

Dates:

• Thu June 6
• Thu June 27
• Thu July 11

Socials:

• Facebook: /steeltowngarage
• Instagram:@steeltowngarage
• TikTok: @steeltowngarage
• Website: www.steeltowngarage.com

I’ve made some of my best friends at bike nights. And while I can’t go to all of them every week, I believe these meet-ups are a big part of the motorcycling experience.

If you have other bike nights you like going to, let us know where/when they are and why you like them.

P.S. Motorcycle meets can be dangerous:  they may cause babies. I know more than one couple who met their spouses at a meet and have since had kids!

Special Mentions

Burrito Boyz Stavebank, Port Credit

A GTA staple, this meet has been going on since 2007 and is recently trying to bring back its former glory. They have a Biker night special of “Free drink with a purchase of a burrito or Quesadilla” and who doesn’t love free food?  

When:  Every Tuesday from 6 pm – 10 pm

Location: 9 Stavebank Rd N, Mississauga, ON (Hurontario / Lakeshore, Mississauga)

Durham Region Bike Night

This smaller meet has undergone restructuring for 2024 and has not published a schedule.

Location: Check socials

When: Check socials for which Fridays are active

Time: Usually about 7 pm

Dates: Check socials for dates

• Facebook: /DurhamRegionBikeNight
• Instagram: @durhamregionbikenight

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