It was an incredible experience--I learned a lot. Even with my riding background, there's always room to improve and refine bad habits, especially when it comes to body positioning and keeping your focus ahead. Excited for what's next--intermediate courses! read more

Just completed the safety course this past weekend and Dale and Marcelo were awesome. They communicated very well to the class. This helped me spot my weaknesses and the tips definitely improved my skills. They did a great job running the class and I was very happy to have them as my instructors! Definitely recommend taking the course! read more

NorCal Moto - The bike I used - Driving Schools Near Me - Pleasant Hill, California

Alfonso and Marcelo were great instructors, and were very clear on the instructions on the beginning course, never being on a motorcycle before i was able to grasp the concepts of riding a motorcycle. they were very motivating! when i thought i was doing bad they reassured that i was doing good read more

I am very happy to say that I am now a licensed motorcyclist because of NorCal Moto! I took and passed the beginner's class in May 2023. The location in Hayward is very convenient, and they have motorcycles to accommodate shorter and petite riders like myself. You have to request it in advance so that they can save one for you. I had never ridden a motorcycle prior to taking the beginner class here, and I really appreciate learning the basics. On my first day though, I fell while trying to shift gears and the clutch broke. I had to be rescheduled to come back another weekend, which thankfully was free of charge. It was kind of a pain to be on standby, especially when they don't have class at the Hayward location every weekend, but I was able to come back 2 weeks later and came early enough to join that class. That weekend, I barely passed by 1 point! Instruction-wise, Alfonso is fantastic! He was there the first weekend I was there, and he was so patient and able to explain things that help beginner riders like me understand certain concepts of riding and handling a motorcycle. Sadly, he was only there the first weekend I was there. The other instructor, Dale, was there both weekends. He's okay, but his method of teaching is yelling out what you're doing wrong and to do something, which honestly isn't very helpful. He's otherwise a nice guy, but not the most effective instructor. But at least I passed under his instruction. The admin, Taylor, is super helpful and communicative over both email and phone. After passing the class, I was able to go to DMV to take the written test so that I can get my driver's license to reflect the M1 license. I now have my own motorcycle, and wish there were intermediate classes held at the Hayward location too. read more

TLDR: DO NOT GIVE THIS PLACE YOUR MONEY OR TIME. Terrible experience and waste of a Saturday. They cancelled my all day class after just a few hours and refused to give me my money back. Full Story: For reference, I'm not a person who writes reviews of businesses. In the last five years, the only review I've written was for a hotel in Japan that went out of their way to find my wife's lost necklace and sent it to our home in the US for free, and it just didn't feel morally right to not give them an amazing review. This second review I'm writing is for the exact opposite reason - to warn you to not to give these people your money. They will not refund you under any circumstance including if THEY cancel your class. On Saturday, May 3rd I signed up for the intermediate riders course scheduled from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM. After only a couple hours of some very mediocre classroom instruction consisting of important motorcycle facts such as drinking and driving is unsafe and young children cannot be locked in hot cars and very little riding practice that essentially consisted of being told to ride in circles and practice braking, our instructor left me and the one other student alone for about 15 minutes before coming back to declare that he decided the parking lot the class was being held in had too many weeds and that he was going to cancel the rest of the class and have us come back some other time to finish the course. I wasn't sure if the instructor was hungover, just didn't feel like teaching that Saturday, or if it was a legit safety concern (though making sure they have safe facilities to teach in given the cost of this class seems like THEIR responsibility), but it didn't feel like a big deal because I just assumed they'd give me a refund or at least partial refund for their cancellation. A couple days pass and I don't hear anything from the business about rescheduling. I called them and told them I wasn't interested in rescheduling at a different time or location at this point and would simply like to request a partial refund. The owner officially refused to give me my money back claiming I had already completed the majority of the course, but we stopped at noon and there was still supposed to be five hours of instruction left. This is the first time in my life a business has refused to give a refund for a service that they weren't able to provide. Hopefully a credit card chargeback and a report of fraud will help me, but do yourself a favor and don't get into the mess I've gotten into here. Absolute garbage company. Avoid. read more

I had Nick and Stephen has my instructors, really nice people and were very helpful. I felt comfortable with asking any question I had and so did the group. I felt like I was able to learn a bunch from not only the instructors but the people taking the course with me as well. Would definitely recommend not only to get the certificate but if you need a bit of a confidence booster it definitely helped me learn the basics of riding. read more

Super friendly teachers that do a great job explaining the different skills. The MSF course has helped me become WAY more confident when riding. The instructors were very patient and were always able to help. Looking forward to coming back for the intermediate class! read more

I am really happy that I took those classes. I totally recommend this school. Big appreciation to Instructors for professionalism and patience! I had a little 1 month experience in riding, but after class I felt more confident and got how some technics work. Motorcycles are in good condition, class is well organised. read more

this is not motorcycle 101 / they are there to pass or fail/ an extension of dmv/chp older gentleman is cranky and serious younger gentleman is confident, rolls his eyes & smirks at every question (drives red ducati) no positive/negative reinforcement so i was surprised when i failed the class the scam is they charge 100$ to retake the evaluation test - after charging 450 for the class- dmv only charges $39 and the test is easier - you can also rent an automatic transmission scooter for less than $450 to take the dmv evaluation test.. read more

This was an amazing experience as a first time rider. The instructors were red m very patient and knowledgeable on the basics to riding smoothly and under control. My class had the fewest points missed of all the classes; story fits I know I missed a few lol. Everyone should take this class even if they do will not ride in their life. I'm still practicing what I learned daily and looking forward to taking more courses to level up my riding skills! read more

Do not expect to pass the skills test unless you pay a lot of money to take the course more than once and practice on your own in between. They do not give you enough practice on the hard parts that are graded at the end. This feels like a total money grab to get people to pay to retake the course. The parking lot is not flat at Pleasant Hill. It was 94 degrees but if you take your helmet off for some air while lined up and waiting for the next event then you get yelled at by the instructors. You get very little individual coaching except at the end of the day when they tell you everything you did wrong all at once. During the practice runs they shout some feedback at you as you pass them but you can't hear what they're saying over the engine noise. The only thing they shouted that I understood was, "Look to your next corner." Wow, so helpful. During the first day, one instructor told me to slow it down. At the end of the day another instructor told me I was going too slow. With 12 students you will almost always be behind somebody else during the practice runs and they were all going so slow because they were new and scared. At the end of the first day we were supposed to get all the way up to third gear but that was impossible for me because the person ahead of me was going so slow that it would have stalled if I put it in third gear. The first day was a waste of time for me since we basically just start and stop and go from first to second gear and do wide turns. I bought a bike and had 80 miles of practice before the course but I still failed. I didn't practice much slow speed maneuvering on my own bike because I've seen so many YouTube videos of beginners tipping their bikes while doing slow speed maneuvers. I thought I would save that for the course where we get to use their bikes and have expert supervision and training. I was looking forward to day two where we would finally get to practice swerving and emergency breaking, and cone slalom, but no. We literally got 5 passes on the cone slalom and one of my passes was interrupted by an instructor who called me over to tell me not to look at the cones. Then there's the emergency stop while turning. We got only three tries at that. Guess how many U-turns, circles and figure 8s they had us do? None. Not a single one. But you know what they did have us practice over and over and over again? The wide turn. That is the easiest maneuver to do on a motorcycle. They spent so much time having us do a nice easy wide turn but only 5 passes at the cone slalom! I had no idea what they would be testing us on at the end but I was very confident since I was clearly one of the strongest riders in the group. But then I saw them setting up the cone slalom! That was the only thing during the course that was hard. I only successfully navigated the cone slalom on 2 of my 4 training runs and I was shocked that they would test us on something that they didn't give us enough practice on. If you put your foot down or miss a cone then that is an automatic fail. Suddenly I went from very confident to very nervous. I was the last one in line and then I noticed that there were a lot more than the original 12 people in the course lined up ahead of me. Turns out these new riders were people who paid more money to retake the test. I'm sure my front tire made it around all the cones but I wasn't sure about my back tire. This left me so stressed out and miserable from the heat that I was very distracted for the rest of the test. After the skills test, they called us up one at a time to privately go over our scores. Again, I was one of the last and while waiting my turn I saw person after person walking away with a frown. One guy was happy and said he passed and that it was his second time taking the course. I didn't see anybody else walk away with a smile. I wonder what their pass rate is. Their website says that you must get 20 points or lower to pass the skills test but they never explained what they were grading on or anything at all about the points. They told me I would get an email explaining what I did wrong but I didn't get that email. I only got an email that said how much I'd have to pay to retake the test $100 - to get a standby spot to redo the riding portion $200 - or to get a guaranteed spot to retake the course $425. They won't get another cent out of me. TLDR; They advertise this class as a way to get the DL389 certificate so you can get your motorcycle license immediately and skip the DMV test. Do not take this course expecting that to happen. Only take this course if you have $425 to throw away and you want to get a little bit of practice before taking your first ride on your own bike. read more

Booking a class with NorCal Moto is the only purchase I have ever regretted making in my life. I gave NorCal Moto a call to ask them some questions before scheduling a class for my boyfriend and I. On the phone, one of their employees encouraged me to sign up for a class they were hosting later that week. She said there were only 3 spots left, and recommended I hurry and sign up before it filled up. I told her that I first needed to check if this date worked for my boyfriend as well. She assured me that I could just book the class now and then cancel it if the date didn't end up working for us. I specifically asked her if there would be any cancelation fees because the class was only a couple of days away. Again, she assured me that I would have no trouble canceling or changing the date of my class, so I decided to book a class for my boyfriend and I (a value of $700). Upon booking the class, I get a confirmation email that clearly states that there are no refunds for cancelations within a week of a scheduled class. The exact opposite of what the employee I talked to had assured me over the phone. My boyfriend and I ended up having to cancel our class reservation, and were unable to reschedule it for a later date over the phone. I have called countless times, and never got this issue resolved. The few times I did get someone on the phone, they told me the refund needed to get approved by someone higher up. They promised to call me back, but they never did. At one point someone even assured me the refunds were on their way, but we never received them. $700 is a not a small sum to be swindled out of. It's been over a year since this incident. I believed that perhaps if I called often enough, I would eventually fall on an employee who could sincerely help me but it's not been the case. Do not expect any fair customer service from NorCal Moto. They will lure you into buying their class, lie to you about their terms and policies, and then ignore you if you ask them for a refund. I do not recommend NorCal Moto unless you're in the mood to loose a couple hundred dollars. read more

Highly recommend this program: Great instructors: Marcelo and Dan were great; they watch each individual student and explain everything letting you know what you are doing right and what needs improvement with an emphasis on your safety. Great bikes: very new and modern, not old, used and abused. Great customer service: if you need any help with scheduling or other administrative tasks and you need to speak to someone; your call is promptly answered! thank you Liza. if you know nothing about mc, this is the right place to start. read more

Alfonso and Quinton were phenomenal instructors! They were very passionate, patient and professional! I took this course with my son and they took their time to ensure we learned the right skills to not just enjoy rides, but to survive! Thank you read more

NorCal Moto - Driving Schools Near Me - Pleasant Hill, California

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My boyfriend and I took the beginner's safety training course a couple of months ago in Pleasant Hill. The self-paced online portion of class was simple to register for and it covered a lot of information, but made it very clear and easy to stay focused and follow along while learning. It did a good job preparing you for the tests in each area, as did the study guide they supplement the class with, and we liked taking the sections at our own pace and both easily passed the written online test at the end, allowing us to attend the range portion for skills training. The range portion was the best part. The two instructors had everyone's names down fairly quickly and were able to give each student individual focus and attention, which was helpful when there were things we needed to improve on (such as sharp turns for me). They also gave lots of positive feedback, telling us when we were improving and complimenting us when we did well. Our safety gear was checked before each class to make sure we had proper footwear, DOT-approved helmets, gloves, long sleeves, etc. and I'm pretty sure they had some items that you could borrow if you didn't have your own. There were lots of bikes and they were all in good condition and had different sizes as well, for different sized riders. I think that the instructors were honestly really exceptional and they made it both educational and fun, even while pointing out the areas where improvement was needed and really giving pointers to help us. We spent most of the time practicing different skills and they usually showed us what we would be learning before we tried new things, and then also discussed what we had done and reviewed the reasons why you do/don't do certain things after we practiced and throughout the day. We had a couple of short breaks during the day, and class went on during the rain and in the sunshine. I'm a new rider but my bf is very experienced and he said he thoroughly enjoyed and benefited from the class as well. We both passed at the end of the weekend, as did most (but not all) of the students. We had a great experience in class, but the actual registering for class part was less satisfying. I had originally registered myself and my boyfriend for the mid-week course with live, online zoom meetings and afternoon range training. The range portion of class was switched to the morning meeting time and it was at the Hayward location, so I got us a nearby hotel room for the night before our class. Unfortunately we still slept through the beginning of class and ended up each forfeiting our fee since you cannot be late at all - showing up that early was not easy for either of us. It was months before our schedules worked out to re-register and by the time we did, they had reopened their Pleasant Hill location. This time we signed up for the self-paced online learning portion and afternoon in-person class, but were notified a couple days before that we were being combined with the morning class, meaning we would start at 7 a.m. instead of noon. The change conflicted with our work schedules, so I called and requested to be moved yet again to a different weekend so that we could attend the afternoon class. Registering the 3rd time meant canceling a flight we had to Boise, which was pretty disappointing; and even more so when once more our class was switched from noon on Saturday and Sunday to 7 a.m. both days. We ended up just attending that class, but neither of us appreciated the repeated scheduled change, and especially not when we were paying the same $425 as the students who registered for the early morning. read more

I recently took my CSMP course with Ren and Ricky and it was fantastic! I had never ridden a motorcycle before (as with most of the class) and they were so helpful and patient. They both emphasized the importance of safety in the dangerous sport of motorcycling and helped the class feel confident on a bike. I felt like there was no stupid questions! I am grateful for their hard work and the confidence they helped me to achieve. Thank you NorCal Moto team for the knowledge and skills development. I was impressed how much information they were able to fit into one weekend! read more

The instructors were great and very patient. I am a first time rider and senior citizen, there were 10 in our class. I passed the skills test at the end of the two day training and will just need to take the knowledge test at DMV to get licensed. Very pleased with the training. read more

Some of these reviews are crazy. The bikes were awesome and the Instructors were even better. Alfonso, James and miss Sue Are Awesome instructors who took the time to learn every single one of our names and helped me get rid of bad habits and made me feel more confident. Jon Paul was very helpful. Thanks guys read more

Excellent training coarse. The instructors are fantastic. Ricky and Katon were extremely helpful in improving riding techniques and riding safety. Highly recommend the class. read more

From the carefully maintained training bikes to the controlled practice areas, all precaution is taken to ensure a safe learning environment. Every aspect of the course is designed to build skills, ignite a passion, and instill confidence for riding. I really enjoy it! read more

I paid them $$350 in advance for my MTC program. Four weeks I was playing phone tag with the owner of the company which is name is John Paul finally I gave up on him since the last week he stopped taking my phone calls or emails altogether I only had one conversation with him which he promised that he was going to call me back the next day, after one week of calling his office as a receptionist, stopped, taking my phone calls as well. Very unprofessional and unethical way to do business. I wanted to avoid giving him this kind of a rating because everyone deserves a second chance but with this guy I give them not only second chance, but third fourth and fifth chance to respond to my phone calls, call mom emails call mom and leaving messages to do has a receptionist Taylor as well. Please research on this company before you buy any of these expensive packages because there is no customer service and lack of ownership is nonexistent from the current owner. read more

I was a little concerned that since this was a beginners class that I would be bored and not learn anything. That was NOT the case! These folks teach you very important safety skills that will make a big difference when you hit the road! It was so worth taking! I can't wait to do the intermediate class and beyond! These instructors know there sh!t and can walk their talk! read more

This course helped me to learn all the basic safety measures and skills needed to ride a motorcycle. The instructors James and Alfonso were great and friendly. read more

Highly recommend NorCal Moto Beginner course. The instructors were awesome and truly cared about both the safety and skills of the students, in addition to expressing patience and insight. The class I took had almost all new bikes and had sizes for all riders (150s - 310 Adventure bike). The bikes were great to learn on, so much so, that I am thinking of buying the same model that I learned on. Overall, highly recommend. read more

Great program for the new writer or some of this been writing for a while. I think everybody taking this course will go away with new knowledge and competency. Instructors were knowledgeable and easy to work with lots of positive reinforcement a good training experience. read more

You go in not knowing how to ride and you leave knowing the basics and can actually ride. Great class highly recommended.

They really teach you how to ride a motorcycle safely. I had experience riding, but learned a lot. It was not as easy as I expected. "Look more, turn more" and "Don't freak out" were their mantras. Anyone, and I mean anyone can learn how to ride a bike, but my old bones made it tough to pass, but I did! Yeah! Great, amazing instructors. 4.5/5 but I have to round up so 5 stars! Go ride! Ride. Nice to meet Milissa, Coki, Champion, Trever, JP and assistant and Paul... plus everyone else. I hope to see you all again... Upright! On the road! Mark read more

This was one of the greatest motorcycle classes, Eric, Chris and Omar are very informative and knowledgeable. They are willing to go the extra mile, they work more than 12 hours a day to provide safety and fun. It's not only about riding motorcycles, they teach you how to survive, and open your mind to different zone. I met people with bikes and attended the class to gain more experience. Thank you all for the excellent job. read more

The experience was amazing. I barely had any experience of riding before I joined the course. And now I can ride with basic skills and got my riding license. But more importantly, I know how to be a smart and safe rider now. The class indoor was fun and informative. We had it on Wed and Sat night. Each of them took ~3 hours, and has two 10 min breaks. There will be an test in the end. But if you pay attentions to the slides, you will pass it. In the field, our coach were Steve, Eric and Chris(Thank you so much for all the coaching!) They were very patient and supporting. The riding session I attend was Sat and Sun afternoon. It was a bit hot the first day. So bring water! And make sure you don't be late. Once the session starts, you can't join it. Each session is about 5 hours. We took 15 mins rest every 1 - 1.5 hour. We learned how to turn/shift gear /swerve/countersteer/emergency stop/max stops. It was very exciting and fun. At the end, it will be a testing session with 5 skill tests. It will take like 30 min in total. The course overall is organized very well(Thanks to Susie, who is very helpful!) I'd recommend it to friends! read more

What can I say! This was an amazing experience for me, and I highly encourage anyone who wants to learn to ride a motorcycle (or simply learn to be safer) to take this course! My riding instructors were Chris Lang and Kevin Mcgee, and they were fantastic! They gave me the confidence to take my nervous energy and turn it into excitement! I had never ridden a motorcycle before, but after 2 days they made me feel I could confidently, and safely, ride. Throughout the course, when students would make mistakes, the Chris and Kevin were incredibly supportive. They wouldn't make you feel silly for making the same mistake a few times in a row, they would simply reinforce the proper technique and ensure that you were going to get it right. They took someone who was nervous and had zero riding experience and made me very confident! I really appreciate these guys, and look forward to taking their advanced courses! Perfect class! read more

This was an amazing experience. I came in with very little knowledge on how to ride. By the time the class was over, I feel confident to ride carefully. Would recommend to anyone who has an interest in riding. Look more, push more read more

I'm so glad I took the class I have learned so much and now I'm more confident and responsible rider the Instructors Mike and Steve are the real deal you're safety is the top priority and Susie is the most sweet and accommodating Manager. I love this school I'll be taking their next class and highly recommend it for people who have not ride a motorcycle you'll love it. read more

Thank you guys, I felt much more confident and well informed (prepared) to ride a bike in the real world. Before I joined the course, I did have basic knowledge of riding a bike but I was not well informed. Now thanks to you guys, I know how to prevent an accident, save myself from an accident, and how to better prepare for road conditions. After completing the class, I went out and bought my first custom bike. Now I feel more comfortable riding locally and on the freeway. read more

I've just completed the basic California motorcycle Safety Course organized by Northern California Motorcycle Training. My instructors were Dave (in class ) and Dale and Walter on the riding range. What can I say? Thank you all for the great (and hot!) two days spend in Pleasant Hill! I have learned new and reinforced existing riding skills in a very professional and fun environment. I had great instructors and a great team to go trough the two day journey. I highly recommend Northern California Motorcycle Training school for the quality of the contents and the ability of the teachers. The class develops safety and riding capabilities which results in improved safety conditions and more enjoyable rides. I will attend the intermediate class as I was extremely satisfied with the experience. Thanks Northern California Motorcycle Training! read more

I just finished taking this class today at DVC and I just can't say enough how amazing the experience was. My class instructor Dale and range instructors Chris Lang and Kevin Magee were amazing! Dale was great in the class and even when when the DVC campus had some tech difficulties he made it work and we were able to get through it! As far as the range Chris and Kevin were so patient and helpful! They really knew what they were doing and helped everyone in class. They made the class really fun and honestly it just really helped with nerves and also with learning the different skills to have two such great instructors!!!!!!! read more

This course was excellent and exceeded my expectations. Dale taught both the classroom and range portions and was very informative, patient, and communicated the lessons very clearly. He made it all interesting, fun, and was seriously better at teaching than most of my past college professors! It was a great experience that I would highly recommend to others. read more