Learn to Ride — Standard and Complete Courses
Choose the course that fits your goals. The Standard course includes classroom, motorcycle skills training, and your skills test. The Complete course includes everything in Standard plus the traffic course.
MSA/MST (Skills Test) is conducted on-site
What you’ll do in the course
- 2 evening classes in our classroom (Barnes H-D in Langford).
- 2 full days (Sat/Sun) of parking-lot skills training at 4000 Seymour Place.
- Skills test included as part of your course.
Which course is right for me?
If you’re unsure whether you need traffic training, feel free to start with the Standard Course and upgrade at any time.
The Traffic Training Add-On is designed for riders who have never ridden on the road before or who want a guided, confidence-building introduction to real traffic conditions. It focuses on safe riding habits, lane positioning, traffic awareness, and progressively riding in real-world situations.
That said, even riders with previous experience often find value in this training, as it also covers ICBC road test habits and common mistakes that cause riders to fail their road test.
If you already feel comfortable riding in traffic and only want help preparing for the road test itself, there is an option to book only the road test session (the Traffic Course includes both the 6 hour intro to street riding AND the road test session). You can book this road-test-focused session on it’s own, which runs approximately 90 minutes and costs $145. If that’s your preference, first book the standard course, and then purchase the road test session from your account dashboard.
Standard Novice (New Rider) Course
Everything you need to get started
Most students start here.
Course highlights
- 16 hours motorcycle skills training (closed parking lot)
- 7 hours classroom instruction (weekday evenings)
- MST assessment on-site with your instructor at course end
- Equipment provided: bike, helmet, gloves, jacket
- 4-hour bike rental available for road test (if needed)
Complete Course (with Traffic Training Add-On)
Optional on-the-street experience
You can add this at a later date for the same price ($375).
What’s included
- Everything from the Standard Course
- 6 hours supervised on-the-street riding
- On your own motorcycle OR a school bike
- Progresses from quiet roads to real traffic
- Mock road test / road test coaching (Class 6 habits)
- 24-hour bike rental available for road test
How registration works (step by step)
Book your weekend skills training first, then pick your classroom nights. Traffic dates (if purchased) can be chosen later from your dashboard.
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Select your weekend skills training dates
Start by choosing your parking-lot skills training weekend. This is the core of the course and determines the rest of your schedule. To choose your skills training weekend, click one of the “View Calendar | Register” buttons in the sections above.
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Choose your classroom dates
After selecting your weekend training, choose any available classroom sessions that take place before your weekend skills training. You will be given a list of classroom dates to choose from during the registration process. If you need to change your classroom dates, you can do so at any time. The classroom sessions can hold up to 25 students, whereas skills training is limited to 10 to 15 students. This means that there is always room for you in any classroom session. It is best to take classroom sessions prior to the weekend skills training; however, if it is not possible, classroom may also be completed after skills training.
View upcoming classroom dates
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Register for Traffic Training dates (optional)
If you booked the Traffic Training Add-On, you don’t need to choose those dates right away.
You can return to your account dashboard at any time after purchase to select your traffic training dates when you’re ready.
View upcoming traffic training dates
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The Traffic Training Add-On includes a 6 hour supervised ride on city streets, plus a 60 to 90 minute road test prep course. If you feel that you are ready to ride on the streets on your own, you can also choose to purchase the road test lesson by itself, rather than as part of the full Traffic Training package.
Classroom sessions run over 2 weeknights (usually Wed/Thurs) at Barnes H-D in Langford from 6:15pm to 9:45pm.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Q: Is the MST included?
- A: Yes, if you take our STANDARD ($900) or COMPLETE course, the MSA (same as MST) is included as part of the course. In order to conduct the MSA, a motorcycle school must be a certified class 6/8 testing facility (we are!) and each student must successfully complete a minumum 18 hour course with an ICBC certified curriculum.
- Q: Do I need my own motorcycle?
- A: NO: IslandRider provides motorcycles for all parts of the training course.
- Q: Do I need to purchase my own helmet and riding gear prior to taking a course?
- A: NO. While we recommend that each student purchases their own helmet before taking the course, it is not mandatory. IslandRider will provide used helmets in various sizes (from XS to XXL) at no cost, as well as motorcycle gloves and motorcycle jackets (sizes XS to XL). Please note that we have limited gear available in sizes larger than XL.
- Q: Can I get my full license without having my own motorcycle?
- A: It Depends. Our STANDARD course includes theory and skills training, as well as the MST. Street lessons and road test lessons can be added on for an additional fee, or our COMPLETE course includes a traffic class, a motorcycle rental for practice on your own time, a motorcycle road test lesson, and the use of a school bike for your road test. Many of our COMPLETE course students have been successful in passing their road tests using only school bikes for all trainiing and testing.
- Q: Does your course include classroom/theory lessons?
- A: YES, the classroom is a mandatory part of any certified curriculum course. Our classroom is held on two consecutive weeknights from 6pm to 10pm in the classroom on the second floor of Barnes H-D, just off Westshore Parkway near Hwy 1 in Langford.
- Q: What happens if I don’t pass the MSA, or if I can’t learn enough in two days to feel safe on the road?
- A: Most of our students pass the MSA on the first attempt, however if you don’t pass the test (two attempts are permitted on the same day), then there are two options for you. If you were simply nervous, and failed the MSA due to this reason, you may return on any subsequent weekend for 2 hours of MSA practice and a retest, at no additional cost. If however, you failed the MSA due to a lack of skill, or if you decide not to take the test because you and/or your instructor feel that you are not ready to ride safely on the street, then we offer a second weekend of training at a cost of just $400.
- Q: Is IslandRider the same company as Urban Rider?
- A: Urban Rider is the parent organization, holding the ICBC school licence and authoring the ICBC-approved training program that allows the MSA (MST) to be built directly into our courses. Urban Rider delivers training in Victoria, Langley, and Burnaby. IslandRider is Urban Rider’s Vancouver Island identity. It is owned and managed by John and Tais, the original founders of Urban Rider. That means students at IslandRider are taught using the very same Urban Rider curriculum and ICBC-approved course structure. The only difference is in the name: IslandRider represents the Victoria branch, where John and Tais themselves do the teaching, while Langley and Burnaby locations are operated by partner schools. In short: IslandRider is the Vancouver Island branch of Urban Rider, personally overseen by its founders.
Photo Gallery of Skills Training at Seymour Place
Training Locations:
- Classroom and traffic classes meet at Barnes H-D just off Westshore Parkway in Langford.
- Skills training and MST classes are held in the parking lot at 4001 Seymour Place, Victoria (Open Map View)
- Motorcycle rentals and traffic classes, as well as road test lessons meet at 2903 Sooke Lake Rd, Langford.
Other Services
MST Bike Rental
Motorcycles can be delivered to your MST at the Langford testing center (979 Dunford) at a cost of $120, or they can be picked up (truck or supervisor required) at 2903 Sooke Lake Rd, Langford at a cost of $80. Advance reservation required.
Learn More →Skills Refresher / Skills Upgrade Class
Looking for information on our intermediate and advanced motorcycle classes? These courses are designed for licensed riders who want to sharpen their skills, build confidence, and improve real-world riding technique beyond the basics.
Advanced Motorcycle Skills Training →Road Test Training
Road test instruction is extremely specific and highly personalized. My experience in successfully training over 1,700 riders through the Class 6/8 road test over the past decade has shown that effective road test training is best conducted one-to-one. The effectiveness is further increased when a video recording of the lesson is provided to the student for review.
Road test training is currently available only to students who have completed our Novice course and can be booked directly from the student’s account dashboard.
IslandRider Motorcycle Training is a motorcycle training program on Vancouver Island by Urban Rider Motorcycle School Ltd. Urban Rider is a motorcycle driver training school licensed through ICBC with a corporate address of 2840 Sooke Lake Rd. Langford, BC V9B 4R3
