Learn to Ride – Standard and Complete Courses

MSA (MST) conducted as part of your course.

IslandRider Motorcycle Training specializes in taking new riders, including those who have never operated a motorcycle or even driven a clutch operated vehicle, and taking them through all the steps to becoming a safe and confident, fully licensed, unrestricted class 6 motorcycle rider.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Q: Is the MST included?
• A: Yes, if you take our STANDARD ($799) 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 XL) at no cost, as well as motorcycle gloves and motorcycle jackets (sizes XS to XL). Please note that we may not have 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 6:15pm 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 $200.
• Q: Is IslandRider the same company as Urban Rider?
• A: IslandRider is the corporate and marketing name of the training program run in Victoria. Urban Rider is the official school. The distinction has been made because Urban Rider has numerous locations, run by different instructors or corporate entities, whereas IslandRider is run exclusively by the school founder, John Buddo. As such, the IslandRider training program benefits from the administration, licensing, marketing and curriculum of the larger school, while its students benefit from the strict standards and expertise of the school’s founder and lead instructor.

Photo Gallery of Skills Training at Seymour Place

Road Test Training

Take the stress out of the road test with professional training by a qualified coach. The road test is primarily about good habits: stopping before the stop line, checking for hazards, shoulder checking consistently and maintaining a safe speed.

If you ask other riders how to pass the motorcycle road test, they will give you advice such as “exagerate your shoulder checks” and “shoulder check 3 times for every lane change or turn”. The truth is, no exageration is necessary, and checking once is usually enough. Many riders have failed because they didn’t understand which should checks are necessary. Coaching will allow you to understand which shoulder checks you are missing so that you can focus on other things during your road test (such as watching out for school zones and playground zones!

There are 5 types of skills that the ICBC examiner is watching for. The rider is permitted to make just a few mistakes in each of the 5 categories. Being perfect in 4 of the skills, but very weak in 1 category will still result in failure. In other words, you don’t have to be perfect, but don’t repeatedly make the same mistake. The most common mistakes are 1) failure to shoulder check consistently, particularly on right turns, and 2) going too slow! Many riders try to stay well under the speed limit in order to avoid failure due to speeding, but it isn’t safe to hold up traffic on busy city streets (except to obey the law: in other words, do the speed limit on a fast moving street, not 10kph under the limit!).

Success on the road test requires that you can observe speed limits and laws of the road. Any violation of the law is reason for an automatic failure. This would include speeding (there is some leniency given regarding speed on main streets, but be sure not to go even a little over in a 30 zone), not stopping completely for red lights on right turns, or riding in restricted bus lanes. Any dangerous action might also result in immediate failure, such as an unsafe lane change or unsafe turn in an intersection or a long skid of your rear tire demonstrating a lack of control over the motorcycle.

We offer a single road test lesson for $145, or a 2 lesson package for $255. If you need a motorcycle for your road test, then book our full road test package for $355 which includes 2 lessons, a video of your first lesson, and a 4 hour rental on the day of your road test.

The first lesson begins with a 15 minute overview of the marking criteria. Then your coach will follow you on a motorcycle, using a helmet camera to record your riding. Using radios (as ICBC does during the road test), your road test coach will instruct you to turn left, or turn right, and then will ask you to pull over every few minutes to discuss small changes that will make you a better rider. The second lesson is conducted as a mock test. Before showing up for the second lesson, you will have watched the video of your first lesson, and will be well aware of the changes that you need to make.

School motorcycles provided for the road test have windscreens and heated handlebar grips for your comfort in the rain or colder weather. Our motorcycle speedometers have been tested, comparing the reported speed to a GPS app to ensure that the rider is aware of the actual speed that they are moving at. Many motorcycle speedometers are inaccurate, even on new bikes. The speed is taken from the front wheel rotation, and something as simple as low or high air pressure, or a low or high profile tire can alter the speed reading, so manufacturers seem to err on the side of caution and set the speedometer reading low (typcially about 10% faster than the actual speed of the motorcycle). If you are going to ride your own motorcycle for the ICBC road test, make sure that your speedometer is accurate. This can be done by running an app on your phone and mounting the phone to the handlebars (not permitted for class 8 riders) or by measuring your speed against one of those neighbourhood radar signs that show “Your Speed is…”

For most riders, 2 lessons are enough. The first lesson is scheduled for 60 minutes, but may run 75 minutes at the instructor’s discretion, so please ensure that you have enough time in case we run longer than an hour. There is no extra charge if the instructor determines that the extra time is required. The second lesson typically runs for about an hour. Just like an actual road test, we start out by explaining how the road test is going to be conducted, and then we follow you for about 40 minutes, and then we explain the errors that you made and whether it would have been a pass or fail. On rare occasions, we suggest a follow up training session before your road test, but in 95% of the cases, 2 lessons are sufficient.

Registration for Road Test Classes in Victoria is now open. Classes start January 7th and continue weekly throughout the year.

MST Training & Bike Rental

This class is right for you if…

• You have past motorcycle riding experience, either on the street, or off-road, and feel reasonably comfortable using the clutch and balancing a bike at low speed
• You need to pass your MST at ICBC in Langford and want coaching and a bike delivered to ICBC for the test

We supply the motorcycles, helmets, gloves and an ICBC Certified Motorcycle Skills Assessment Officer to coach you through the ins and outs of the test.

This class includes an explanation of the rules and marking system, followed by a demonstration of the MST and then 60 minutes of practice on an MST course, followed by a 15 minute mock MST test. You will be provided with your marking sheet following the mock test.

$295 for 90 minutes. Includes delivery of the bike to ICBC Langford for the MST. If you don’t pass on the first try, re-test rentals are only $45.

**NOTE: MST Training is on hold for April and May 2025. No new classes will be posted until June as we are focusing on the new season for our Learn-to-Ride courses.

The Most Common Reasons for Failing the Motorcycle Skills Test:

• Slowing down before the examiner gives the stop signal
• Not stopping quick enough
• Long skid of the back tire
• Going too slow during the sudden stop exercise
• Unable to complete the u-turn without putting foot down multiple times or going around the boundary cones.

While none of the above items will fail you automatically if they simply occur once during the test, all parts of the test are repeated, and any two of the above errors occuring at any time during the test will cause a failure due to ‘skills’ incompetency. Most people worry about the slow portion of the MST, but as you can see from the list above, the braking portion offers far more opportunities to fail.

There are also several items which are automatic fails if they occur during the ICBC motorcycle skills test. Basically, anything that would be considered illegal or dangerous on the street, such as a wheelie or stoppie (lifting the front or rear wheel off the ground), losing control of your motorcycle or dropping it, or riding with no hands.

Motorcycle traffic classes are scheduled for 3 hours, including a coffee break in the middle of the ride, and are limited to a maximum of 5 riders. 1 to 1 traffic classes are offered at the same cost, but limited to 75 minutes.

Traffic classes may be taken on school motorbikes, or on your own bike.

We start with a discussion of traffic safety, and then ride around in quiet neighbourhoods until the instructor determines that all riders are ready to progress further out into traffic.

If you are taking a complete “Learn to Ride” course with Island Rider, then the first traffic class is included in some courses. Additional classes may be purchased individually. To book your included class, log in to the members area of your VMA account and select “Book a Traffic Class” from the menu.

If you aren’t enrolled in a course with IslandRider, you may also book into a traffic class for a fee. There are 3 levels of traffic classes. It is required that you start with level 1 – Introduction to Traffic.

Training Location:

• 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)

_{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}