Seven years after the SAAQ dramatically increased the costs to ride a motorcycle, one rider trying to overturn the fee structure is getting his day in court.

Michael Mosca launched his court battle against the SAAQ in 2010, two years after the agency made it dramatically more expensive to ride.

It was in 2008 that the Quebec motor vehicle bureau created a new fee structure for multiple classes of motorcycles and sent the price of registration from a sport bike from $320 to $1400 per year.

"The main argument for me is that it's been abusive, discriminatory and illegal," said Mosca.

The SAAQ justified its decision by saying it the number of people injured in motorcycle crashes had increased and it was trying to recoup costs.

The agency said it had data showing there was a link between engine size and the likelihood of being in a collision, although riders contended that rider experience and behaviour was a much more important factor.

After several years of protests the SAAQ agreed to meet with motorcycle riders and discuss their concerns, and in recent years it has dropped the registration fees, saying the number of riders being injured has decreased.

In 2012 the cost to register a sport motorcycle dropped from $1,381 to $891, but in 2015 they rose again to $1,145.

Mosca says the price hikes were never properly justified, especially since the majority of two-vehicle collisions involving motorcycle riders are the fault of car drivers.

He argues that the SAAQ should drop its fees to what they were in 2007.

"We'd like to pay our fair share. We'd like to pay the same price as an automobile, minus the three months that we're not allowed on the road because we don't have winter tires. That would be fair," said Mosca.

In its defence in court, the SAAQ will have an actuary testify to explain the difference in injury rates between motorcycle riders and car drivers.

There is a separate class action suit working its way through the courts against the doubling in licence fees for motorcycle riders.

In 2008 the SAAQ said a class 6 certification (motorcycle licence) would be considered separate from a driver's licence -- meaning riders who also were licensed to drive a car had to pay twice.

The people behind that lawsuit, which is expected to be heard in court later this fall, say that one million Quebecers gave up their motorcycle licences instead of paying double.