As for riding on Finch, you have to be NUTS! That would be like riding on Highway 20 or Sherbrooke St at rush hour.
I sorta have no choice since I'm trying to get to York. That said, it isn't that bad even during rush hour (although rush hour it becomes somewhat of a parking lot). While the 18-wheeler oil trucks are a little intimidating the drivers are quite nice and do leave me a lot of room. I also go up early in the morning (leaving at 5:45am latest to make it for an 8am class I teach) so there's less traffic. And I leave around noonish..
In fact, I'm gonna go for a ride up this morning...
Highway 20 or Sherbrooke? Montreal? Anything in Montreal is nuts!

That said, I have taken a small portion of Highway 20 to get into the Island and start off towards Pierrefonds (where I have relatives) as part of a Toronto-Montreal tour.