Take the Ontario Motorcycle Bucket List Challenge

We’ve all started motorcycle season with the best of intentions, only to see them slowly get knocked to the back burner as lawn mowing and minor family obligations take over. 

This year we’re challenging every rider who rides in Ontario to take our bucket list challenge. It’s not an easy one—but it’s one that we guarantee will leave you with better memories than lawn clippings ever will.

If you're willing to take the challenge, snap a selfie of you completing one of the items on the list and we'll add you to the digital wall of fame on the What a Ride Facebook and Instagram accounts!

The Ontario Motorcycle Bucket List Challenge

1. Do at least one bucket list-worthy tour

Ontario is home to a good dozen motorcycle routes, spanning from Kenora to Mattawa, Niagara Falls to Kapuskasing. Long, short, twisty, scenic—we’ve got ’em all. Is this the year you make more excuses or the year you hit the open road and discover what freedom is all about?

2. Go to one event that you have to travel to

Ontario is home to hundreds of motorcycle events—charities, poker runs, bike displays—so pick one and head out on the highway to mingle with other riders in a fun atmosphere.

3. Cross at least 10 roads off the top 30 list

Ontario has some great routes, but sometimes you just want a quick thrill. The top 30 roads in Ontario offer a great way to get started. A lot of these roads are on our bigger tours, but they can easily be sampled on their own, or strung together to make your own route. Get moving.

4. Go to one Bike Meetup Night

There’s perhaps no brasher form of motorcycle culture than the Ontario bike night, organized all over the province. Canada is a polite place, so you’ll usually find Harleys mingling with Hondas without batting an eye—in the end, it’s all about having a good time together.

5. Check out a motorcycle film festival

We’re probably all going to be riding come October, so there’s good cause to ride out and check out films about motorcycles, right before we put the roads to sleep for winter. Now in its third year, the Toronto Motorcycle Film Fest is getting pretty damn good.

6. Travel to One Motorcycle-Friendly Restaurant

While we don’t ride just to eat—maybe we should. At least once in a while. Wherever you ride to in Ontario, there’s bound to be a killer place known by riders as a great place to stop when doing a tour or just out for a boot. We’ve listed a few of our faves here, but check out the full list at the “Big Belly Tour”

• Muddy’s Pit BBQ - Keene, ON
• The Breakfast Pig - Sault Sault Marie, ON
• Ted’s Range Road Diner - Meaford, ON
• Higher Ground Cafe - Belfountain, ON
• Hutch's on the Beach - Hamilton, ON
• The Beachhouse Restaurant - Port Dover, ON
• The Wilno Tavern - Wilno, ON

7. Visit a legendary motorcycle shop

All over Ontario, there are hundreds of motorcycle shops that all have their own class and character. Ask any rider here—they have their favourite and least favourite shops, and with good reason. Each one is a microcosm of all the motorcycles and riders that have passed through their doors. So ride out, and make your own decision about your favourite shop in Ontario. 

• Excalibur Motorcycle Works - Thunder Bay, ON
• Bud Robinson Motorsports - Sault Ste. Marie, ON
• North Bay Cycle - North Bay, ON
• Mackie Harley-Davidson - Oshawa
• The Rock Harley-Davidson - Sudbury, ON
• Clare's Harley-Davidson Niagara - Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON

8. Do a weekend group ride

A lot of us tend to ride alone, or if we go for a group ride, it’s just a day thing and we’re all back home before the sun goes down. There’s something distinctly different on a trip where you spend a few nights away with your rider friends. New connections are forged, and the soul is recharged. In many ways, riding with others gets better the longer you do it—so head out with your riding buddies, and make a weekend of it.

9. Learn to dirt bike (or if you already know how, get out on the trails)

It’s long been known that learning to ride in the dirt is good for your street-side skills as well, but Ontario is also home to some of the best off-road motorcycle trails in the world. We routinely hear from U.S. riders how great the trails and their maintenance are—and we can personally vouch for many of the training schools throughout the province. We’ve done them, and they have an amazing mix of teachers, equipment and landscape. Treat yourself.

If you get through all that and you're still not satisfied get in touch and we'll set you up with more Ontario to explore!

The Official Ontario Tourism Page for Motorcycle Touring

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