Please Recommend a Rider Training Course --- my wife wants to get her M | GTAMotorcycle.com

Please Recommend a Rider Training Course --- my wife wants to get her M

SeaBreez

SeaBreez

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Thanks for the recommendations... She bought her first bike and signed up for RTI... See her new bike on post # 25

Hello everyone, a happy, yet sad day has arrived at our household. My passenger of 30 years has succumbed to the pressures of our female riding friends and has announced she wants to get her own motorcycle. Awesome, I thought, but it was a challenge to convince her a Can-Am wasn't a motorcycle in the true sense. Imagine my relief when she finally decided on a "two wheeled motorcycle". Don't get me wrong the Can-Am has great lines and I'm sure it is fun to ride, but losing my passenger to a Can-Am is one thing, but her getting a bike of her own poses poses a serious problem for me. What bike would I want to secretly ride while she is at work?? LOL. Having said all of that, we live in the east side of Toronto, (dare I say Scarborough) and are looking for a course nearby. Of course we've heard of Humber, Centennial and Learning Curves etc., but I would like to hear what my riding colleagues here on this forum would recommend. Thoughts from a woman's perspective would be most appreciated, as would recommendations on a light weight beginner cruiser for her. Thanks so much.
 
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I took the Learning Curves course, and it was good. The best instructor in the group was a recent transplant from RTI. I imagine that you would have a similar experience with any of these outfits.
 
I recently met the person who trains the instructors for (I think) RTI. She seemed really nice & knowledgeable. Maybe would be an option for your wife having a female instructor?
That being said, I took the Humber course. They offer a weekday course T-W-T, 8 hours each day. The advantage of this is that there were only 20 people in my class, but 5 instructors. My understanding is that the weekend courses have at least 3x the students, same # of instructors.
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Both myself and the GF took the RTI courses for M1 and M2 Exits. I found it to be quite well run and not over crowded, so you had enough personalized attention (moreso on the M2 exit).
 
Thank you for your replies, I think my wife wants to book it soon, before there is no space left. Does anyone know which outfit operates at the DVP and401?
 
That is www.ridertraining.ca, otherwise known as RTI. They have 3 sites in the DVP/Sheppard area.

They also do two courses that are all women - instructors and students. One is usually in May and the other is typically in July.

Hope she has a blast!
 
Thanks meme, Dresden, Joe Bass and DejaVu. I called RTI, she wants to book it right away, regardless of the $25.00 discount offered at the bike show. Yahooooo! :D
 
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Take a look at the TU200. New suzuki that is very forgiving and looks great. Swap out the bars and could easily be a little cafe-racerish looking.

Honda Rebel 250 is another solid bike.

And then there is the 883 Harley, slim lines so she ought to able to touch. The wider the tank, the more spread out she will be so try and choose a "skinny" bike.

Most women riders want to be able to touch, which can be both a help and a hindrance. Help for balance and hindrance because sometimes putting a foot down will just knock them off balance. Like duck walking-sways side to side (because she can touch and feels more comfortable with her feet on the ground) which really doesn't help establish balance at slow speeds.
 
In terms of a light weight cruiser, a Suzuki Maurader 250 is available, but I would strongly suggest that she test ride one first. It does not instil confidence in picking up speed at anything over 60 km/h. On the plus side, it's seat height is quite low in stock configuration, which makes flat footing a possibility for the smallest of riders.

501a50a5e1120150a91e5476a.jpg



Pro's:
Cheap as hell (I believe we sold the '07 for $1500)
Low Seat height
Slimline cruiser
Very forgiving


Cons:
Lacks power
Sounds like a sewing machine (subjective)


Might make a great first bike, where you won't take a bath on the resale. But if the intention is to buy and hang onto, then I'd go with Meme's suggestion on the Harley 883 - great bike with plenty of customizations to be had!
 
can't speak for the courses out your way as I live in the west end and did mine at Mohawk in Hamilton...however, as for a beginner cruiser, personally I wouldn't go with a 250...look for a 2009 Kawasaki Vulcan 500...it was great while I had it for 2.5 seasons...has enough power to hit 100+ on the country roads and non-400 series highways (ie: Hwy 6, 10 etc) and fun enough in the twisties...put a windshield on it and it provides great wind protection...I traded mine for '10 FZ6R and love it too...I found the cruiser sitting position put a lot of pressure on my lower back and I would get major burn/pain across my shoulders...the furthest I could go at one time was about 150-200 km...the FZ6R has a more upright sitting position and I don't get any of the pain I used to...I can go all day and still feel ok...if she's vertically challenged like I am, just get the bike lowered...both bikes are around the same weight (465 lbs) but I find the FZ6R a lot more fun and better all the way around (braking, acceleration, cornering etc)...just my $0.02 worth :)
 
Humber for the m1, then get her to Cayuga in the spring for the surviving the streets coarse, the n throw in a fun day at trail tours for a day in the dirt. that should get her off to a good start. and BTW my wife started on a Suzuki GS500f, still rides it today 3 yrs later
 
my daughter and i did the RTI course and both enjoyed it,get a small bike now because everyone wants a bigger bike anyway.
 
Wow, thanks again for the useful advice, meme; we'll check out the U200 and Rebel. (I was joking with my son about getting her a cafe racer already - so he and I could blast around on it). She sat on the sportster (1200 Custom) at last years show and looked great on it. Flat footing is no problem as she is fairly tall. Dresden, we'll look at the Maurader too, probably won't get a chance to test drive one, but hopefully buy something at the January show. I'm thinking - inexpensive first bike where we won't cry if it is dropped. Ifiddles, the Kawi 500 sounds great. We didn't think about the FZ6R, so we'll check that out too. basmn, "surviving the streets" sounds like a necessity, thanks for the tip, hopefully she'll get to swing a leg over a GS500f too! nearace, thanks, too, RTI does the course near our house, and I'll agree, small to start, but how small is small? I can't see anything less than a 500? Have a great day everyone! (I just love bike shopping)
 
SeaBreez said:
Wow, thanks again for the useful advice, meme; we'll check out the U200 and Rebel. (I was joking with my son about getting her a cafe racer already - so he and I could blast around on it). She sat on the sportster (1200 Custom) at last years show and looked great on it. Flat footing is no problem as she is fairly tall. Dresden, we'll look at the Maurader too, probably won't get a chance to test drive one, but hopefully buy something at the January show. I'm thinking - inexpensive first bike where we won't cry if it is dropped. Ifiddles, the Kawi 500 sounds great. We didn't think about the FZ6R, so we'll check that out too. basmn, "surviving the streets" sounds like a necessity, thanks for the tip, hopefully she'll get to swing a leg over a GS500f too! nearace, thanks, too, RTI does the course near our house, and I'll agree, small to start, but how small is small? I can't see anything less than a 500? Have a great day everyone! (I just love bike shopping)
Click to expand...

If you aren't sticking to just cruisers - it might be worth checking out the new FZ-07. Very light, and great power. It's getting awesome reviews!
 
Dresden said:
If you aren't sticking to just cruisers - it might be worth checking out the new FZ-07. Very light, and great power. It's getting awesome reviews!
Click to expand...
+1 on the FZ-07, we r thinking of dealing the gs500f for 1 of those. OP may not want to shell out that much for a 1st bike....just remember, if you buy a 125/250 she will probably want to deal it after 3 months, but then again maybe not.
 
My first bike is a 500 Vulcan. If I can handle that, anyone can. I was intimidated by the size of the thing at first, but didn't really have much trouble with the weight.
Honda Shadow 650 and Yamaha Star 650 are both in the same class as my Vulcan, but I believe they are both heavier and slower. Everyone seems to agree that they are also suitable as first bikes.
Kawasaki recently announced a 650 Vulcan for 2015, built around a retuned Ninja engine; that should be a quick little bike.
The Suzuki Savage, rebranded as the Boulevard S40, has its admirers, although it seems to be an awfully tame little unit. Air-cooled/single cylinder 650/belt-driven. Only about 35hp, iirc.

Edit: I have seen favourable reviews for the Kymco Venox 250 and Hyosung Aquila 250, both V-twins. Some writers suggested that the Triumph Speedmaster is small enough for a new rider; I'd hate to drop something that expensive.
 
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Centennial College has the Vstar 250 she can ride during the course and it's right here in Scarborough.

Do not push your wife to be on 2 wheels if she is not comfortable with it, it will lead to bad things. However the options are so much greater for you than many of us who have the vertically challenged ones.
 
Did several courses at Humber. M1, M2 exit, Pro Rider. I really liked them. One of my instructors I met later on offered to ride with me, although I never took him up on it. Next door neighbour had some issues during his course at RTI docks.

Depending on what you have now, and where you live, I'd look at a CBR250RA or CBR300RA.
They're a fun little bike with a fairly upright position.
 
Once again, thank you for the useful advice. (most appreciated).

Dresden, thanks again, I'll send her a pic of the FZ07, although she has never swung a leg over a "sport bike", we won't be getting 2015.

Basmn, thank you for your comment; your're right, that is way too much money to spend on a first bike, and no, a 125 or 250 isn't the way we want to go.

DejaVu, thanks, I'm partial to Vulcan's as I ride the 1500, so we'll definitely check out the 500. The Shadow and Star are on the radar too. I'll have her check out the the other bikes you mentioned too.

Supernam, thanks, we'll check out Centennial too. Although, she knows I am, and always will be opposed to any 3 wheeled bike in the garage, (no offence to the 3 wheeled bike owners out there), it was her who announced she wanted a two wheeled bike. Seat height is not a problem here!

shanekingsley, I too have heard good things about RTI, thanks for your recommendation.

Baggsy, thanks for the heads up on the Docks RTI course, (we are way closer to the one at DVP and 401) I'll have her look at the CBR's and Humber too.

Again, thanks everyone. So far, we are leaning towards RTI, but they won't have their 2015 schedule ready until mid December. Although they will offer a $25.00 discount at the Super Show, my wife wants to book asap, as she wants to secure her spot in early spring. BTW their prices are actually cheaper than that of the colleges, go figure? I hope she finds a suitable used bike at the Super Show, since it would save us a lot of running around.

Any thoughts on Learning Curves?




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