www.learningcurves.ca

July 31, 2010
By: Shaun de Jager
Published in 2Ride Magazine

Each Spring, more and more people take up motorcycling and they do so for a wide range of reasons. As such, motorcycle training schools across the country quickly fill up with students who are new to riding or those who are returning after taking many years off.

Whether you are new to riding or someone who is taking up riding again, the question that is often asked is “Why take a course? Isn’t it just like riding a bike?”

The short answer is no…it’s not.

Riding a motorcycle comes with risk, just like driving a car does. However, making a mistake on a motorbike can have far greater consequences. The point to taking a safety course is to mitigate and reduce those risks. Instructors start you with the basics of where the controls are and how to use them and rapidly move you up to required skills like emergency braking, obstacle avoidance and proper vision techniques.

Even for those who have ridden before and are returning to riding much has changed in the past decade and so have the bikes that are available today. For those who have many years experience riding dirt bikes, riding on public roads is a very different experience since trees don’t tend to simply jump out in front of you (only those who drive/ride drunk would disagree with that statement).

In general, people take up riding for many reasons ranging from a childhood fantasy to a mid-life crisis, encouragement from their friends or family, to wanting to save on gas, or simply wanting to indulge in the pure joy and sensations that riding provides and that they’ve heard about. Many of the joys of riding are foreign to new riders until they actually get out on their own bike and discover the thrills, adventures and excitement on their own.

I recently spent some time at “Learning Curves” a motorcycle safety school in Toronto and talked to some of the students and their instructors. The students shared the opinion that they wanted to learn the basics of motorcycle riding and some students went far as to say that they are taking the course to learn to “stay alive”. Although a relatively new school, Learning Curves bring to the table decades of combined motorcycling experience. The owners and head instructors have a long history in the riding community teaching others how to ride and most of their junior instructors come from other schools. What makes Learning Curves different is their personal touch and hands-on teaching style.

Let’s face it, we all learn differently and while we may excel with some concepts, we may lack in other areas. These instructors teach differently and adapt to your needs as a student, even spending more time with individual riders to help them in areas where they are weak.

The instructors fully understand what’s involved in riding on public roads and are there to pass down their knowledge much like native cultures pass down knowledge from one generation to the next by showing them first hand. We all start out the same as newbies, without a clue what we are doing and it’s the instructor’s passion for riding and willingness to “pay it forward” that makes taking a course enjoyable. Just observing the instructors running along side the students and taking extra time talking to those who required some extra tutelage, showed how much they cared about arming new riders with the basic knowledge and skills that they would need to head out on the open roads. It helps also that the instructors remember what it’s like to be new at riding and teach without the “I know more than you so you better listen” attitude found at some other schools. It also helps that they all have a great sense of humour and friendliness that makes students feel at ease from the moment you arrive.

As with other Ministry approved riding schools, Learning Curves offers both M1 and M2 exit courses and administers the Ministry skills test at the end of the program. Most schools focus on teaching you what you need to pass the Ministry tests at the end of the course but Learning Curves takes it to another level with additional tips, techniques and advice to add another level of safety for their students to take to the road. With that in mind though, if a student doesn’t “get it” they won’t pass the test. Another thing that really makes Learning Curves stand apart from the rest is their “Street Proofing” program. Once a student passes the M1 course, they will take you out on the streets at a later date (using your own bike once you get it) and show you how to ride in the real world (which is vastly different from puttering around in a safe, controlled parking lot) offering up tips and advice along the way. This is an invaluable service to help new riders navigate the roads safely.

Whatever your reasons are for taking up riding, please take the time to do it safely and take a safety course. It’s worth far more than it costs and should be considered a personal investment in you. Most riding schools offer not only a basic course for those who are new to riding but also advanced courses too. Some regions have graduated licensing and local schools, which are certified by their local governing body, offer weekend courses that focus on the skills required and actually administer the ministry tests that are required to graduate to the next level.