I just watched the state test video on Ride Chicago's YouTube channel in preparation for Day 2 of…read morethe basic motorcycle training class. Day 1 was fantastic. This was my very first time on a motorcycle. Henry and Natalie are great instructors. Sure, they know how to ride and instruct on skills. What they are really good at is developing relationships to aid in instruction. They learn your name, encourage and provide guidance in a way that keeps your head in the game. I highly recommend Ride Chicago.

I recently took the beginner MSF course with Ian, Jay, Ron and Kevin, and it was so much fun! They…read morewere so nice, extremely helpful and very patient with each of us, and definitely made it feel a lot less intimidating to get on a bike. I really appreciated all their help and had the best time, and definitely feel more confident riding! Thanks guys!! :)

An essential, and excellent, experience for first-time and experienced riders alike…read more I've always wanted to ride a motorcycle, but never felt quite ready to pull the trigger. After a year of sneaking rides on my wife's scooter, the time was finally right. Get your permit and sign up for a class at Ride. They'll start you out with the absolute basis, and take you through two, five hour days after which you'll feel confident in being able to pass the state test (another service they provide). I'll be heading back down to take that test soon, and am looking forward to starting my journey on two wheels, and almost certainly taking their intermediate class down the line. If you're lucky enough to get Jay and Paco, you'll be in good hands. They're each incredibly knowledgeable, excellent teachers with two very different styles, something I personally loved. You never have the opportunity to get too frustrated or anxious because you know you're in good hands and you're constantly building on skills you've learned in previous lessons. Highly recommend!

I'm a return customer! This place helped me get my motorcycle license in 2013, and I went back for…read morea refresher course recently. The instructors are knowledgable, friendly and funny. I felt safe, yet I had a blast. Def worth it if you want to get your motorcycle or scooter license.

Let's cover the easy part first. City Scooters is offering a great value by providing an easy to…read moreride bike when taking the "M" class license road test, delivering it legally to the Chicago North DMV, and providing a warm up and instruction out behind the shop. Now I want to cover the real value. I am a 60-year-old beginner who recently took a two day motorcycle rider safety class in preparation for the road test. I'm not afraid to acknowledge that I am an over thinker, which sometimes results in a bit of anxiety. Marty and Carlos found a way to meet me where I was in terms of capability and mindset. Yes, they were great instructors. Yes, I passed the test. That is not what made my experience great. Marty and Carlos made it great by meeting me at a human level with caring and kindness until I was ready to go take the test. As always seems to be the case, the people make the difference. I highly recommend utilizing their service and working with these guys. You won't be disappointed.

Avoid City Scooter for warranty, maintenance and repair work. They have a BBB rating of "F" under…read moretheir real name of OKI Motors. If you ignore my advice and use them for service, take a video with SOUND of the entire outside of your ride with the engine running so you have proof of condition! They charge a diagnostic fee NOT applicable to your final bill and want half the money up front. Prior to service, my Vino was so quiet, I had to take my helmet off to hear it running. When I brought it in for service, a customer asked what I was riding because "it was so quiet, I didn't hear it." He and Chris (desk guy) were joking they like loud bikes like Harleys. I said mine is quiet, like a Caddy and I like it that way. Brought Vino in 6/20/2023 for a sticky throttle. City Scooter said Vino needed new tires, and tacked on a $60 upcharge. Vino was "ready" July 6. Hubby picked up July 7. I started it, engine was beyond loud, like a chainsaw, NOT the quiet ride I dropped off. It had greasy fingerprints and liquid streaks all over. I found 4 large bolts and a washer under the seat. The steering column was out of alignment with the front fork. I brought it back July 13th to have the noise and alignment fixed, and handed over the 4 loose bolts. Desk guy's response? "Our bad." So after staff discussed how loud all scooters sound, I basically was called a liar for saying my Vino runs much louder than before "service." I say anyone who forgets to put parts back on a scooter can't be trusted to tell the truth. I was given nothing but excuses: the air filter might be bad (well, you guys put a new one in, so why not swap it out? Are your parts bad? Did you somehow miss another important step, like when Marty forgot to re-install 4 important bolts?); the engine noise was masked by the dirty air filter (too ridiculous to refute); "it might be the crankshaft" (why put NEW tires on my scooter and perform maintenance if that is what you thought?!!); "all bikes run that loud, we've heard worse" (wow, just... wow); "I'm not saying you're lying but" (another wow). I'd brought it back three times before they mentioned "crankshaft." 8/5 I call to speak to Jeff Wunderlich. "He's not available. I'll have him call you back." Jeff calls when I'm not home; has a heated convo with my hubby, who recorded him. Jeff kept insisting they didn't "touch the engine." You don't need to touch the engine to ruin it, you only need to drain the oil...but Jeff doesn't mention they did THAT, of course! An oil change is part of maintenance yet I didn't see an oil change on my bill. And the reason for that is someone drained the oil, then took my Vino for a ride, ruining my scooter's crankshaft bearings. Oki then tried every tactic possible to not let me guess what actually happened. Like the air box would make the Vino run loud. My scooter was so filthy because engine oil sprayed all over it. City Scooters/OKI charged me $1458. I asked for a refund of labor charges. I know Jeff Wunderlich, I used to board his dog Sparticus and he wouldn't admit his dope-smoking employees made a mistake nor refund me one cent. City Scooter said they didn't run the engine before servicing, so how could they tell if it was louder? (Who doesn't start up a bike first before starting to work on it?) What I got from Marty's "work" on my ride: a Vino paperweight. I took it to a real motorcycle repair shop; EPM said the only way the crankshaft bearings could go bad were if the scooter was run without enough oil in it. They said riding any longer would cause engine failure and my Vino was no longer safe to ride. City Scooter deserves ZERO stars for killing my beloved 18-year-old Vino.

Too bad no longer solvent. Excellent program back in the day. Politicians definitely ruined a good…read morething when they raided the funding.....

Do you want to learn to drive a motorcycle? You can't beat the NIU Motorcycle Safety Project. For…read more$20 plus $3 handling fee, you can hold your spot in a class. After the class is over you can get a refund of the $20 or donate it to the project. If you are more of a risk taker, you can just show up on the Friday of the class, the earlier the better, and see if they have any vacancies and not have to pay at all. The class is great, if not long. 4 hours on Friday, and 10 hours on Saturday and Sunday. Most of that time is riding motorcycles. They provide you with a bike and helmet. All you need are shoes that cover your ankles, long sleeve shirt, eye protection and gloves. Once you complete and pass the class they will mail you a certificate. You take that to the Secretary of State office, and you get your license with out having to take any of the tests. It's that easy. The best thing is that you get to spend two days riding motorcycles. Even if you donate the full fee, think about it. $23 for two days of riding motorcycles. Where else are you going to get two days worth of fun for that price? I'm not going to lie and say that the classroom work is a little boring, but honestly the instructors give you a lot of good information that will come in handy when you do start to ride. The best part is that these classes are located at various locations across the state. I took mine at the local community college. I now own my own motorcycle and ride all the time, but I'm thinking of taking the class again just to get some more experience and training. They also offer more advanced courses too. If you've ever thought of riding a motorcycle, I would highly recommend taking these classes.

I went here to test drive some motorcycles for their Triumph demo days event. Their staff was very…read morefriendly and the event was ran really well. They have a wide selection of both used and new motorcycles at pretty decent prices compared to other places. Would highly recommend.

I don't think they like to actually sell bikes. Been trying and trying to get a hold of sales…read more Unfortunately they don't seem to interested. Talked to one salesman. Gabe him my info. Said he'd call back. Never did. Now can't get a hold of anyone again

I took lessons from LRN2RYD this summer during the morning. It was amazing. I never thought that…read moreI would be good at riding a motorcycle, but four lessons later I felt like a pro. Wes was a great instructor and Larry (the owner) was very helpful and friendly. This class beats all others because of the one-on-one instruction that students receive. There were four people in my class and everyone got direct and personal coaching on the spot. This was a great experience. Definitely would recommend LYRN2RYD to anyone wanting to learn how to ride a motorcycle.

UPDATE: After posting my initial review, Andrew, one of their supervisors reached out to me…read moredirectly. He was professional, acknowledged the breakdown in communication, and offered a fair resolution. ORIGINAL REVIEW: I purchased an 8-hour driving package with a road test. My final instructor showed up unprepared--he admitted he hadn't read my file, didn't know I had a road test scheduled, and failed to teach the required test skills. When I initially contacted the office, I was promised a call back on the next day to give me a solution. They didn't call.

This is a scam. I signed up my daughter for classroom instruction and multiple hours of behind the…read morewheel lessons in June, 2025. Cost approximately $600. After she completed the classroom portion, passed the test, and obtained her learner's permit, I tried to schedule the behind-the-wheel lessons I had paid for. They were booked solid for the month of August. Then she had to go off to college. Once she got back, I tried to schedule the lessons. They told me her "credits" had expired, and she had to buy a new package. They would not refund me. Total scam. Go to Adams or American Defensive Driving School instead! Nova just steals from you.

Stopped in on the way to the airport to grab a t-shirt. They had 0 in the 2XL size, in any of at…read moreleast 5 styles that looked cool! When the sales lady asked how everything was I politely said, could be better, you don't have any 2xl, and her response was "that's not gonna happen!" I have literally been to 50+ dealers as I like to hit them everywhere I travel. Please see below pics of how I came in wearing a Harley shirt, hat and carrying a Harley bag. I have at least 100 Harley shirts, 8 leather jackets, boots gloves...the list goes on. Obviously she doesn't know that or that I also own 9 motorcycles, 2 are Harley's. Overall, this is the worst Harley dealer I've stepped foot in. Order some shirts, and don't have an attitude because you can figure out how to do so

I went there to buy some Harley shirts but it turns out that this location is closed as of December…read more30,2024. That's too bad, I always bought Harley Davidson souvenir items from here. The staff was always nice to me, and the place was exceptionally clean.

tl,dr: Let my driver's license expire, needed a new one, plus a car to use for the driving test…read more Nova Driving School was fantastic. I moved back to Chicago after 14 years in SF and finally needed to get my license again, mainly so I could help my aging folks in Southern Indiana if I needed to. I don't own a car, and I didn't want to borrow one from friends, so I looked for a driving school that also provides a vehicle for the test. Nova kept coming up in the ads, searches, and on Reddit. But I still needed an instructional permit to drive for the driving test. I went to the downtown DMV, took the written and vision tests, and got my instructional permit. I bought Nova's "2HR BTW + ROAD TEST" package on their site, which included 2 hours with an instructor and the use of the car on the day of the DMV. Called a coordinator, and they got me set up for a Friday morning. I'd show up at 6am at the Elston DMV (closest to me), practice the route in their car, then take the driving test. I arrived at the DMV at 6 AM, where I met an instructor named Jamie. He provided an overview of the driving test, explaining what the examiners look for and what questions they might ask. After that, we switched sides, and I got behind the wheel for the first time in 20 years. I was relieved to find that everything came back to me. Jamie took me through the two variations of the route used for the test. The route was very short, consisting of about four to five turns. There was no parallel parking or interstate driving involved. (Please note that this is specific to the Elston DMV; other branches may have different procedures.) Another student arrived, so we picked him up, and I sat in the back while that student drove the route a few times. Then, two more students joined us, making it three in the back and one in the driver's seat, with the instructor in the front. Each of us drove the route 2-3 times, and we had the opportunity to ask questions. As my appointment time approached, I returned to the front seat and went for another round of the two main route variations. Got into the DMV showing my text confirmation of my appointment. They won't let you enter without revealing either the email or the text proof of your appointment. And this branch doesn't take walk-ins. Stood in the first line to get the paperwork reviewed. I went to the camera line to get a photo, then waited, went to a counter, had everything reviewed, filled out more paperwork, signed more things, went over to pay at the cashier, came back, and got my paperwork for my driving test. Went outside to wait to take the driving test. Note that you can't stay inside the building so dress warm if it's winter. The other guys had less complicated paperwork, so one was in line for the driving test. The other one was in front of me. Then I was next. But this is mixed in with all the different people taking the written test. I waited an hour for the car to come back from the other guy and then got in. The instructor drove me around to the back parking lot. He stepped out, I took the driver's side, and got in line, the line of cars. I waited about 40 minutes in the car in line to get my assigned examiner. They had about 4-5 working that day across 3 lines of vehicles. I was finally at the front; the examiner who was the same woman who had helped me with the paperwork got in. We went exactly the route that Nova had reviewed with me several times. At the end, you have to park in a wide test parking space, then after that you park in angled parking with the rest of the other cars, with completed driving tests, but awaiting results. I choked on the question about which way your wheels point if you are facing uphill/downhill, and which side of the road you are on. Overthinking myself. But still passed thankfully. Examiner gets up, out, and leaves, and goes on to another driving test. 10 minutes later, another person comes out with my temporary driver's license and hands it to me, and I'm done. The real one arrives in 2-3 weeks. The $245 fee was definitely worth it for having a car provided, receiving two hours of driving experience on the exact test routes, and having them handle the appointment scheduling. And Jamie the instructor was clear, patient, and at ease in explaining and repeating all things we needed to keep in mind. I procrastinated on this for a long time and felt foolish when I realized how simple and straightforward the process was. If you're in a similar situation, make getting a new driver's license one of your goals for 2026 and call Nova.

Do not book driving lessons with this company. They do not disclose that it is nearly impossible to…read morebook times to take your classes until after you have purchased the package. They are rude unhelpful.