My dad has been riding for as long as I've been around, so I grew up as a motorcycle passenger. Although it was always fun, I was never eager to get my license until fairly recently.
I started looking for motorcycle schools and found several in Calgary. I happened across a forum post which alerted me to Dennis' Mobile Motorcycle Training School right here in Strathmore. I emailed him back and forth a few times, and tentatively planned to attend later in the summer.
When my vacation plans fell through, I was suddenly free for the upcoming weekend. I contacted Dennis and he still had a spot open, so I booked it. That Tuesday, there was a classroom training session, in which we spent about 2.5 hours going over paperwork, watching videos, and talking about what to expect. Dennis had a positive attitude about riding while stressing the importance of proper gear and "riding your own ride." I couldn't wait for the weekend.
On Saturday, we went over some principles before suiting up and getting on a bike. Dennis had some very new Honda CBR 125s, which are great little bikes to learn on (and unlike some schools with old bikes, they were in great condition). The small class size meant we were always attended to, and Dennis made sure to keep pace with our progression. We went over most of the basics, with a large emphasis on slow speed manoeuvres.
On Sunday, we reviewed what we had learned on Saturday and then built on it with emergency braking and collision avoidance. When we were done, we went on our first road ride for about an hour, touring around Strathmore and getting used to techniques we would apply on our road test. (My biggest fear wasn't falling, stalling, or speeding--it was forgetting to turn off my signal, which doesn't turn off automatically on a bike and could cause you to fail if you do it too much.)
Dennis had all sorts of great tips that I would have never thought of, and which made me not just a better rider, but a better driver. (I imagine many people fail their motorcycle road test due to bad driving habits, such as rolling stops, improper lane changes, etc.)
The nice thing about taking a motorcycle course is that you get to use one of his bikes on your road test (so if you're like me and don't have a bike, everything but the gear is provided). Also, the examiner comes in on Sunday, so Dennis hangs around after all the Sunday stuff is done to allow past students to take their tests. Usually, students book their road tests for a Sunday a week or two later, but I was ambitious and booked mine in advance (before I had even been on a motorcycle). Thanks to Dennis' training, I passed my road test. I just went in and converted my license, and am happy to say I now have my class 6 license.
I am very happy with the results I got from Dennis' school, and would do it again in a heartbeat. read more