I might be taking a bit of a road trip in May. I live in Toronto, Canada and think I will hitch a ride with a friend who is heading down to Florida and we will trailer my bike down. Unfortunately he will be leaving his ride at home so I will be traveling alone once in Fl. I've rented a little 50cc scoot in Miami a couple years ago, but other than that I've not ridden in Fla, so... does anyone here know the laws for the state. On the scooter we didn't need helmets, is it the same for motorcycles? I cant really see myself on the bike without my gear, but will my gear here be legal there??? I ride with a Shoei RF-1000.
Also, has anyone ever made the Miami to Key West trip? My entire ride would take me from Gainsville in the north, to the Atlantic coast, Miami, Key West then return up the Gulf coast. Any tips?
Thanks!
Helmets not required by law in Florida, and your Canadian license should be fine. Does your Canuckistan license have a motorcycle endorsement? Local police will not be happy if you are on a bike without a bike license.
You'd be crazy not to wear a helmet in south Florida!
Insurance is also not required, but ya might want to have some of that, too.
I never thought about it until someone mentioned it after the trip, but I'm not sure my US insurance covered me while riding through Canada for a couple days. Fortunately nothing happened. You should check if you're covered while riding/driving in the US and maybe look into some kind of temp policy or something to cover you
Cool! To tell you the truth, I never even thought of checking if I'm covered by Canuckistanian insurance!! But the license should be ok since the shop that rented us the scooters didn't say anything about it when I showed him, but I will still check in with them.
I can't imagine riding without gear on a bike, so I sure I'll look (to Floridians) quite the fool all dressed up, but oh well... I've gotten used to having skin.
Just out of curiosity, did you guys happen to ever make the ride down the keys, and how was it if so?
I checked my Progressive Insurance policy and it specifically states that Out-of-State trips are covered, in both the U.S. and in Canada. Other policies may vary. Having no insurance = get ready for law suits.
As for distance, it's been a while since I drove it but recall it takes about 3 hours to ride from Homestead to Key West (something like 125 miles = 200 kilometers). Plenty of places to pull over and inhale the scenery.
Riding without gear is plain dumb. Suggests immunity from what happens to other people.