5 Things To Do Before Getting Your Motorcycle Towed in Toronto

Hi, my name is Adrian, and for the last five years I’ve run Motorcycle Towing Toronto. I’ve towed hundreds of motorcycles from all over the Greater Toronto Area to all over Ontario and beyond. These are my five tips, or five things you should do, before getting your motorcycle towed:

1) Make sure your motorcycle really needs to be towed

It happens a couple times ever season: I get called to tow a motorcycle that doesn’t actually need to be towed. This spring, it was a new rider in Etobicoke. He bought his bike over the winter, parked it, and didn’t touch it. In the spring the motorcycle wouldn’t start. The rider didn’t realize that his motorcycle wouldn’t start if it was in gear with the kick-stand down.

Sometimes, a little time with your owner’s manual, or a little help from a friend, can save you from needing a tow at all.

2) Make sure your motorcycle is ready to be towed

At least once a month I get a motorcycle or motorcyclist that isn’t as ready to have their bike towed as they thought they were. In July I had a customer in Mississauga who forgot his steering was locked and spent 30 minutes trying to find his keys. This week I had a customer in Ajax who didn’t realize that his motorcycle had been sitting for so long that his bike was completely seized up and couldn’t be pushed at all.

Before calling to get your motorcycle towed, you should make sure that it rolls relatively smoothly and that it’s ready to be picked up.

3) Be clear on what you need, or ask questions

At least once a week I get a call from someone who either isn’t sure where their motorcycle is, or isn’t sure where it’s going. In the case of new riders, I totally understand: Getting your first motorcycle home can be really confusing, and talking to someone about it definitely helps! Other times I get experienced riders who just broke down and aren’t sure where they are or where they plan on bringing their bike (home, or to the dealer).

Having a clear plan is always good, but if you’re not sure, don’t be shy to ask! I’ve been riding motorcycles for 13 years, helping millions of riders on this website for 10 years, worked in the motorcycle industry for 8 years, and towing bikes for 5 years. I can be pretty helpful if you need me!

4) Get quotes from reputable, insured, motorcycle towing providers

Not all service providers are created equally, luckily, the bad ones are pretty easy to spot. If they’re a little too available, a little too cheap, or their equipment isn’t motorcycle-specific, they probably aren’t doing this to a professional standard. Here’s an article called 6 Ways to Spot Bad Motorcycle Towing in Toronto, that outlines all of the red flags you should look for.

Your best bet is to search for motorcycle towing in Toronto or motorcycle towing near me Google or on Yelp so you can see real customer reviews and pictures from real businesses.

5) Let the driver know of any special arrangements/circumstances

When I’m towing motorcycles, I’m like a tailor: the more details you give me, the happier with the outcome you’ll be. I always try to be prepared by keeping a reasonable amount of tools, gear, motorcycle lift, and equipment with me, but I can’t carry the full contents of my garage inside of my truck either.

If you let me know any specific issues your motorcycle has, or even just simply letting me know if we’re meeting in a laneway behind the house, rather than on the street in front of it, it can help me or whoever your driver is be as prepared as possible to help you out.

Bonus – Talk about payment. Make sure you’re clear on what payment options are available (cash, debit, e-transfer, credit cards?) and whether or not the price quoted includes taxes. You should also ask if there are any other fees to make sure you aren’t being set up for a bad surprise later.

Conclusion

Once again, my name is Adrian. I run YouMotorcycle.com, a website that’s helped over 1 million riders with 1000s of free informative articles, BUT, I also run Motorcycle Towing Toronto. I’d love to be able to help you tow your motorcycle from anywhere in the Greater Toronto Area, to anywhere you want to go.

Please give me a shout through my contact form, or check out my website, MotorcycleTowing.ca.