Signed up and paid for the beginners class after only being there for 3 hours the teachers asked me to leave because I wasn't keeping up with the class with no opportunity for a refund only to come resign up for the class at a discounted price! It was a terrible experience! Why would I resign up for another class only for them to take my money again and not teach me??? I 100% don't recommend using this school! I didn't do anything wrong such as dropping the bike and I feel like I wasn't given a chance to learn read more

Big Apple Motorcycle School - Driving Schools Near Me - Oakdale, New York

I just completed my MSF Basic Rider at Big Apple Motorcycle School. While it is fresh in my head, I'd like to share a few thoughts that may help you decide if Big Apple is for you. Overall, it was a decent experience, with good solid foundational knowledge that is important for any new rider such as myself. I assume the coursework is standardized and the curriculum cannot be deviated from as set forth from the motorcycle safety foundation. We had four instructors over two days. It was led by Felice, with her was an amazing guy named John, a trainee named Constantine, and Diane the owner showed up for the second day. Diane and John could not have been nicer, Constantine didn't interact much, and he demonstrated most of the skills. Felice has a strong personality. She is the type of instructor I respond well to--tough, honest, direct and loud, however, it is not everyone's taste and I could sense the frustration others had with her. As someone who deals with many adult learners professionally, I think there is opportunity for the school to continue their own education, specifically on how to address different learner types. Something as simple as her explaining how serious she takes this and apologizing in advance for her "intensity" would go a long way with many students. A couple of other areas of feedback, so whoever is reading this can better prepare themselves-- 1. Bring food and snacks on your person, the breaks are five minutes at most and you are not given enough time to let's say use the restroom and take a drink. 2. Be prepared for the schedule to change, and be early. We were scheduled to begin at 7:45am, and when a student showed up "on time" for day 2 even though the day before we were told we would be starting earlier, he was turned away and couldn't complete the course. People sometimes have obligations, and a last minute time change should be met with flexibility, in my opinion at least. 3. Bring a solid lunch with you, as someone not from the area, one hour between riding and classroom to find, eat lunch, and be on time to the class or riding is not enough time. I'd strongly recommend that big apple provide water, snacks etc. and possibly a catered lunch for attendees. I don't think that's too much to ask with a $400 price tag when the competition is more affordable, and big apple likes to run the schedule like the military. Especially when you have long hot days in full gear, 10-12 motorcycles and zero shade on the beach. I chose to drive to big apple vs the closer competition in the city because many of the motorcycle dealers I visited recommended them. Would I choose them again? Maybe-- but only because I know they take riding seriously. Would I recommend them? Probably not. There are many things they can be doing to enhance the basic mandated curriculum, easy things as simple as creating a forum for students to connect after "graduating", as I sit here thinking how cool it would be to keep in touch with my classmates, when all I wanted to do was get the hell out of the heat after the class was over LOL. Overall it met the objective. I just don't know how well I'd recommend them in the future. read more

Took their motorcycle course and I enjoyed it. Felice, Diane, George and their other instructions were very patience with me. I had a problem with just keeping the bike on, but they taught me how to better control the bike. I would and have recommend them to everyone I know. read more

As Their website states Little or No Experience and to have FUN Their exact words. I have no experience never rode a motorcycle myself and they knew that. This course is designed to go through stages of a curriculum to get your license It is not for brand new riders. They need to make a different course. The Instructors go through different steps and just expect you to follow through after. One had very little patience for me although they tried at first. The personality to teach isn't there was more like a drill Sargent. my biggest problem in the beginning was not stalling to get used to letting go of clutch and adding the throttle or to find the sweet spot. Eventually I got it It is rain or shine it's by the water and we had wind as well. I was dressed properly so rain didn't bother me but the wind was definitely not helpful. A friend came down and took video No one that has seen it can believe we were taking that class in those windy conditions as a new rider and this comes from friends that have been riding their whole lives. I did drop the bike 2x Once just bending down to see the choke the other l cut the turn to sharp. And that was it they dropped me with one hour left to go. I would have understood not doing the 2nd day because I clearly wasn't ready for drills. But the way they go about it isn't fair. There is no refund and clearly all they care about is money. It isn't for a brand new rider and I hope this helps anyone who is truly brand new with the desire to learn. I have 2 friends that signed up last year 1 had to do a remedial to pass that agrees they don't speak nicely and the other got sick they wouldn't reschedule or refund her money and is still furious to this day Please get private lessons or a place that is highly recommended and save yourself the grief! I am now signed up with a highly recommended person who does private lessons. I won't let their negative words affect me read more

Big Apple Motorcycle School is superb!! They taught me two years ago in the Basic Ridercourse and they were great. Today I took the Advanced Rider Course and it was even better!! They know how to watch you and give you positive feedback to get better. The were able to critique some of the things I was doing wrong and explain them in a way that will certainly make me a much better rider. They take their job seriously and they put 100% into it. You can tell they have been doing this for some time and LOVE Their work! It shows! Thank you to Diane, George and MJ for a GREAT day of learning and riding. I am looking forward to the next class, I will be there!!!! read more

As a new motorcyclist it was very important for me to choose the right motorcycle school to learn my first steps the proper way and I think Big Apple provided me exactly that and more. The instructors Diane, George, Angelo were all great, professional and genuinely nice people. We had a nice group of students in various ages and gender. It was easy to make friends and make the learning experience into fun. read more

This course exceeded all my expectations. As a brand new rider having never sat on a motorcycle before I was surprised at how proficient I became at riding a motorcycle after this course. You can tell the instructors are passionate about motorcycle riding and care to share that passion with new riders so that the new riders can safely and confidently ride a motorcycle. Big thanks to Felica, Steve, Diane, and George. I appreciated how they were strict with the goals you needed to achieve to progress throughout the course, but also enthusiastic to keep pushing you through to pass. The instructors were good at pointing out areas for improvement through every exercise. Thank you Felice, I really appreciate the positive reinforcement, taking your time to give clear instructions, and answer all our questions. I'm grateful for learning here at Big Apple and am now comfortable and confident I can safely ride a motorcycle. THANK YOU! read more

Best school I've ever attended! Not only was it fun but I learned more from 2 days with them than I learned watching hours of YouTube videos. They teach everything in the book, but I learned so much by them sharing their experiences/knowledge. I took the Basic 3W course, graduated on a Friday and purchased my Spyder that Monday. They gave me the confidence I needed to feel comfortable riding. Diane and George were fantastic, so was Randy & Bozena. I plan on taking their Advanced 3W course as soon as it's available. 4 of my friends took their 3W class, they feel the same way I did. Hard to find great business these days, Big Apple is definitely one of them. After taking this class, I didn't have to take a DMV road test and I saved $$ on my motorcycle insurance. If you're thinking about learning how to ride, sign up for their course, you will not be disappointed! read more

Sent 8 emails changing class schedule with vague dates in 3 months. Poor communication. Rude staff.

Took the basic rider course and was definitely excellent and worth it. Had different instructors over the 3 day course and all were great. Would recommend! Also one of the reviewers here ( Janet ) had some negative views and I would suggest that you discount all of the negative claims. As far as her comment on racism / this should tell you all you need to know. I can attest here, that the class was made up of a very diverse group and all were clearly treated with respect -- shame on you Janet read more

THEY THREW MY HUSBAND OUT OF THE CLASS BECAUSE I WAS TAKING PICTURES!!! Diane and George, owners of the Big Apple Motorcycle School, were extremely rude. They insisted I was not allowed to take pictures or video of my husband during the class (even though it takes place in the state park parking lot, which is public land where anyone who pays the entrance fee is entitled to be and take pictures). Diane also said I was not allowed to post any of my pictures. They called the park police officers over and threatened to shut down the entire class if I didn't stop taking pictures. Park police said I was well within my rights to take pictures and video, so when they (Diane and George) couldn't force me to stop, they threw my husband out of the class even though he did NOTHING WRONG. Maybe they are racist, or they are doing something illegal and they don't want to be caught on camera, the whole thing made absolutely NO SENSE. I have a video of the park police interaction and the owners throwing my husband out of the school as he asks them to explain their behavior or name even ONE thing he did that was incorrect during the course. They simply walk away refusing to answer questions like a politician who's been caught red-handed and is just stonewalling the press. read more

I attended one of their classes and watched as they harassed another student because his wife was taking pictures. They were unprofessional and even made rude comments against them. If the class wasn't so expensive I would have walked out. read more

Just completed my second course with Diann George and MJ. Great help pointing out where I need to improve. I can't wait to practice focus on my weaknesses and get back and take my third course. Well worth the time and money read more