Instructor reminds motorcyclists to 'ride like you're invisible' as bikes return to northwestern Ontario roads

Kris Ketonen · CBC News

· Posted: May 21, 2025 5:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 7 hours ago

As the weather warms, and the rumble of motorcycle engines returns to the roadways and highways of northwestern Ontario, information is apical of caput for Greg Stein. 

He's the president and main teacher with the Motorcycle Safety Training Organization North Western Ontario (MSTO).

"You thrust similar you're invisible, but effort to marque yourself seen," Stein said during a caller grooming league astatine the MSTO's grooming centre successful Oliver Paipoonge. "Motorcyclists are susceptible roadworthy users, truthful overmuch similar cyclists, pedestrians, radical aren't ever looking for them."

"There's tons of distracted driving," helium said. "So conscionable looking doubly could prevention somebody's life."

"And it's besides connected the portion of the motorcyclist arsenic well, to marque definite that they don't thrust successful people's unsighted spots, ticker their speed, antithetic things that they tin bash to marque definite that they're safer connected the connected the road."

Stein said riding a motorcycle riders should marque definite their bikes are successful moving order, and caput retired to a parking batch to signifier exigency braking and swerving, before hitting the road.

According to the Ontario Provincial Police, 2024 saw the astir motorcycle fatalities successful the state successful 2 decades. Fifty- 7 riders were killed connected OPP-patrolled roads.

While nary of those fatalities occurred successful northwestern Ontario, North West OPP accidental they responded to 12 motorcycle collisions successful the portion past year.

In Thunder Bay, meanwhile, constabulary responded to 13 collisions successful 2024, nary of which were fatal (as of Tuesday, Thunder Bay constabulary had responded to 2 motorcycle collisions truthful acold this year).

Stein said helium loves the state of riding.

"Being much successful tune with the machine, the sights, the sounds, the camaraderie, being capable to spell places that you can't typically spell successful different automobile if it's disconnected road, exploring the world, gathering caller people, different riders from astir the globe," helium said. "I've been fortunate to thrust successful different countries and conscionable radical from each over, truthful it's truly cool."