Take Safety Course....Or Not?

First post on this forum. A little background. I will be 39yo this year. First rode a motorcycle at the age of 12. Of course it was only an 80cc dirt bike and it was on off-road trails but i learned all the skills of riding at that young age. I continued to ride off-road for 4-5 more years after that, moving up to 185cc enduro bikes. Nine years ago for my 30th birthday, i gifted myself with a motorcycle license. I took the Safety Course at Humber College, passed with flying colours and had my M2. Two weeks later, i was laid off from work and purchasing a motorcycle became the last thing on my mind. I found another job soon after but by then it was close to winter and again a bike was not on the radar. Five years passed, never got a bike and my M2 expired because i never did the M2 Exit test. Now i got the riding bug again. Went and got my M1 four days ago and have started looking for a bike. I am looking for something like a Ducati 696 Monster or a Suzuki sv650, etc. I feel those are decent beginner bikes and don't want to go smaller given i have some past experience, albeit off-road. I feel i just need to get used to the heavier weight of a road bike in slow maneuvers and those bikes are in the 400lb range, which is not too bad. Now....
My dilemma. Should i redo a Safety Course and get M2 through them or just go to MTO with my own bike and do test there? I already took the course years ago and would rather not spend the $450 again but i have no idea what the MTO test is like. Is it more difficult than the test done through the Safety Course? Do they have stricter tests? The only thing i am concerned with is doing the test on a much larger machine. At the Safety Courses they use 125cc bikes that are light and easy to ride. If i go to MTO, i will probably be doing the test on a Ducati Monster or something similar(depending on what i buy) and i am concerned that some of the tests, like pylon slaloms, will be a little tricky. Benefit is it only costs $80, i can go anytime and if i fail, i can just redo the test. Any advice, input, experiences???

SV650 is a good choice ( I have one ) and is good on insurance.

Take the course, I found it to be very informative. Good luck and have fun !!

welcome!

and yes, take the course.

it's nice to be able to practice things like emergency braking and braking through turns with a bike that isn't your own :)

It's never a bad idea to take the course and if you're worried about it maybe you should. But if I were you I'd just go straight to the MTO and take the test. Like you said, for $80 you can always try again if you fail. And again, and again if necessary and it'll still be cheaper than re-doing the course.

I don't know what it was like back in the day but I understand that the test they put you through at the end of the course is basically identical to the MTO's test.

I keep reading about the serpentine ride that they make you do on the M1 exit test at the MTO. It seems to be very difficult to do on a sports bike, especially without much experience. Humber didn't have this serpentine, but they had more real-life situations tested on the test. If you have the money, I'd do the course and refresh the safety and riding skills aspects.

+1 on taking the course again. It's usually worth it on your insurance. For me (I'm 48 years old) the course was paid for by my insurance savings in the first year. In other words the course was essentially free and I learned some valuable techniques.

Everytime anyone asks me about getting their M license, I always always always suggest taking the M1 exit course. I found it quite valuable and a must for anyone that has never ridden before. In your case, with some experience, it would really be up to you. Although the fact you're asking the question should be answer enough for you. Take the course! It's definitely not going to be detrimental if you do and will be so much easier to pass the test, especially if you're already worried about it.

At the same time, I can not recommend taking the M2 exit that gets you your full M. This IMHO was a waste of $. They do not teach you anything new, I talked to the instructor about this afterwards and he said that the only reason for the course is to get you to pass the test, nothing else. It would be better to simply go take the MTO test and even if you fail it a few times, you are still ahead $ wise. But that's just my opinion!

Another +1 to doing the course. Also, don't you get a bit of an insurance break if you've taken it?

Pylon slaloms are not difficult at all. Just look ahead and you'll be amazed at how easy they are. And as for age, there was a man in his late 60s doing the course when I did it. And yes, if you're going to drop a bike, might as well be a course bike and not yours.

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Originally Posted by stormcat

Another +1 to doing the course. Also, don't you get a bit of an insurance break if you've taken it?

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Not anymore :(

Take the course. Humber uses 250 cc bikes now.

Unlike l84toff, I found the M2 exit to be very helpful in discovering and correcting a couple of bad habits that I had developed. Passing wasn't a slam dunk at Humber as several people failed. Maybe other courses were to get your license period, but not mine. I would have been disappointed in the system if some of the people in my course had not failed.

Take the course for sure. 9 years is a long time and you will be very rusty, and having never ridden a larger bike it's best to practice one something else first that isn't yours. Going to the mto with a bike you have no experience on is almost a guarantee fail scenario, plus what if you drop it.. fail AND damage your beautiful shiny new bike! no way i would take that chance. Although, i'd give the +1 to centennial as that's where i went. They have 250cc sports bikes there.

A good friend of mine, long time rider took the course when his wife decided she wanted to ride. So, together they took the course and he thought is was great.

I understand you took a course a while ago and you're looking at dropping another $400 for something you completed already but, I'd just do it. Andthis time, don't let the 5 years sneak past you and get that M.


I did RTI and they had quite a few different bikes to chose from. I had a blast and met some nice people. I rode my Sportster to the course and then jumped on a Marauder 250 and rode it all day. Did I mention it was a blast?

Passed the course with flying colors. No regrets at all.

Just do it. If you were saving thousands of dollars by just going to the MTO, I'd say skip it. But, you might learn a thing or three.



Cheers.

Can you use the certificate you got when you passed the course the first time to get an insurance break now?

Once you are over 25, there is no longer an insurance discount for completeing the course.

Normally I would agree that for someone brand new to riding, taking the course is a no brainer but in your case I wouldn't waste the money. Not that it's cut and dry and a lot of valid points have been made by other members. I think the course is great overall and the Instructors have a lot of experience so really you have nothing but the cash to lose. But you are in your late 30s you probably have a fair amount of experience driving including hopefully some manual vehicles. You also have experience on dirt bikes which is very helpful for balance, etc. It amazed me when I took the course that a lot of people didn't even know how to use a clutch and were learning to drive on the road on a bike. Crazy IMO.
If your insurance doesn't cut you a break by taking the course then practise lots before the MTO exam. Like you said, the worst you can do is fail and do it again. Pylons are at Dollarama and there are many drills you can do that are straight from the course. There is also lots of info here too. If you have friends on bikes with experience take them with you so they can check your style as you practise and for safety wear full gear and have your cellphone. Everyone is going to tell you to start on a 150cc but if you are a responsible and capable driver, and according to Darwin you are since you're 39, then get what you like within reason, start slow, and you'll be back into it in no time. That is the beginning, then read all you can and talk to other Riders to keep developing your knowledge and experience.
You are the best judge as to your level of ability and confidence. Good luck with your decision. Gotta go put on my asbestos suit now.

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Originally Posted by omnivore

Once you are over 25, there is no longer an insurance discount for completeing the course.

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That statement is misleading. I easily saved over 25% off my insurance in the first year alone, and I'm over 25.

Ok...State Farm does not offer any discount for completion of the MSF course if the rider is already over 25.

take the course if you can afford it, you'll have fun!