Who has ridden darkside across the US Canadian border in the Northeast?

My wife and I are planning a trip in 2018 to Nova Scotia. At the border is not the time to find out they don't appreciate the fine art of stretching a tire over a rim that wasn't intended for it.

I don't understand the question Seymour.

Interesting question. I would think they wouldn't even know to check for, much less even notice a CT on your ST.

Is it specifically illegal to run a car tire in Canada or in any US state for that matter?

If you don't ask,, we won't tell,, David !!! Cat'

Actually,, we have so many rules and reg's,,, that no one knows what they all are. Also,, provincial reg's can over-ride our federal laws in many area's,, depending on the provinces wishes. And that, of course, that is different from the States. If I were a dark-sider,,, I would do what ever I wanted. I am sure we have both a law for it,,, and another law against it,,, just to be both fair and above all,, polite !! Cheers,, Cat'

I have been over the Canada/USA border on more then one occasion riding on the darkside and not even had a thought about it, not something they check I don't think.

RaYzerman from up there runs a CT on his bike all the time and comes back and forth, IIRC.

LOL, it's the last thing I would even think about....... ride on.

Catmandu2 said:

If you don't ask,, we won't tell,, David !!! Cat'

Actually,, we have so many rules and reg's,,, that no one knows what they all are. Also,, provincial reg's can over-ride our federal laws in many area's,, depending on the provinces wishes. And that, of course, that is different from the States. If I were a dark-sider,,, I would do what ever I wanted. I am sure we have both a law for it,,, and another law against it,,, just to be both fair and above all,, polite !! Cheers,, Cat'

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I don't really like typing LOL, but I laughed out loud, thanks for the insight. You know, Peppermint used to be a Mountie, I should ask her.

Rubberdarts said:

I have been over the Canada/USA border on more then one occasion riding on the darkside and not even had a thought about it, not something they check I don't think.

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Thank you. I have to admit, I would have been the first to try it, and deal with it later if they didn't think much of it.

RaYzerman said:

LOL, it's the last thing I would even think about....... ride on.

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Thanks. Are you darksiding with that FJR?

Moddy
I did it last September crossing the border in Vermont on my ST1800. They checked everything I had on me but never said a word about my rear tire.

There are soooooo many bikes with fat rear tires that the customs guy at the border would have to be a tire expert to even know something was wrong. And then he would have to care.....

Just don't carry a gun and you'll be fine.


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CT is no problem....but don't bring more than 24 cans of Yuengling.

We didn't even get a 2nd look running ds and pulling a one-wheeled home-built trailer, but we did declare the 2 cases of Yuengling!

sirepair said:

We didn't even get a 2nd look running ds and pulling a one-wheeled home-built trailer, but we did declare the 2 cases of Yuengling!

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I'm just going to have to take less Yuengling than I thought I was.

I've crossed in the east the middle and the west several times and nobody cared to look at my car tire on back. I even got the go inside for a 20 question interview once. Never asked a word about the bike.

The only thing ever noticed in my crossings was my radar detector mount and power wire. She told me not to take it out of my saddlebag while in Canada.

Believe me, CBSA is busy looking for things like drugs, firearms, large sums of money, plants, tobacco and alcohol limits etc. Car tires on motorcycles is the least of their worries unless they are filled with drugs.

Motorcycles are enough of a handful without re-engineered tire dynamics. But if you are ok with that... fill your boots.

Vehicle regulation (other than rules affecting new vehicles that have not been sold yet) is a provincial matter in Canada. I am not aware of any provincial government that has ever expressed an opinion about using car tires on a motorcycle. If you tried to sell a motorcycle with a car tire mounted on it in Canada, the vehicle probably would not pass the mandatory safety inspection required before ownership can be transferred, but then again, if you tried to sell a motorcycle with the wrong spec of motorcycle tire mounted on it, that wouldn't pass either.

There are only a few 'homogulation' issues you need to worry about if you come north to ride in Canada:

1) Wear a helmet, they are obligatory in all provinces.
2) Make sure the headlight is illuminated at all times, that is also obligatory. Modulators are specifically permitted by Canadian law - Transport Canada has published an interpretation bulletin that permits modulators.
3) If you do have a car tire on your moto, make sure it is not a studded tire, unless you are waaaaaaaaay up north and it is the wintertime.

Michael

A postscript: The government employees you meet at the border (customs & immigration) have no interest in equipment fitment or the condition of vehicles that enter Canada, and would only raise an objection if there was a really ridiculous safety problem present on a vehicle. I mean something really off the wall, like 5 people on a single motorcycle, or a car with no lights of any kind on it. Their only concern is immigration & taxation (importation) issues.