GRM 450 said:
Matt, what ever you get (and I think the 250 you mentioned is a good choice)
YOU Are INVISABLE to MOST car Drivers !!!!!!!!
They will look straight at you then pull out in front of you and claim they didn't see you!
That was the best information I was given when I started riding, and it is true, most car drivers don't see bikes.
Graeme
Let me just correct this: You are invisible to ALL car drivers. Ride like this and you might make it longer than most. Always, and I mean
always assume they don't see you.
I like that my bike is loud enough that except for the most deaf (which are also out there) there is a chance they will hear me. Only people with zero common sense will say that loud pipes don't work. Just riding last summer I had multiple incidences in which the sound of my bike made car drivers aware I was around. Most people never look in their mirrors let alone their blind spots. But sound doesn't have a blind spot.
You haven't mentioned any required training courses available to you. Here in Oregon they are mandatory, I can't imagine Canada being more lenient. Take the beginner course, at the very least.