Learning Curves or RTI?

Anyone have any opinions on one vs. the other for the initial safety course? I hear they are both very similar in that they allow you to choose different bikes and offer the same amount of instruction time and similar class sizes.

I was leaning toward one of those two schools because one has the times and dates I am looking for and one does not. But communication was difficult with the particular school I contacted. It took a long time to get back to me, and when they did, the information that I had previously told them about myself was wrong. This didn't exactly inspire confidence. I also felt there was a lack of enthusiasm with the rep I spoke to. Hopefully this was just the sales rep and not the actual instructor.

I am looking for a course which will be good for someone who likes to ask questions (as you can see from my posts, I have many). I heard that many of these courses are taught by enthusiasts, and so that's what I expect to see when I go - enthusiasm. I also want to avoid courses where particular students get most of the attention (i.e. ladies, friends of the instructors, etc.). I have heard of this happening.

I don't want to smite any school's reputation, so if anyone has particular incidents, please don't post them here, but PM me. But if someone has general reasoning for recommending one school over the other, I would appreciate the information here!

I took learning curves, at the time they are not for profit, they are there to help the rider learn and be safe. I always had good contact with them and they were very respectful and helpful. We had a class of about 20 (it was first weekend in April) and there was about 2 main instructors with another 4 helpers and a couple other that would help. Lots of help for the group.

They're both fine. The curriculum for both schools are approved by the MTO and will be very similar.

Ultimately, it's going to come down to which instructors are assigned to your course and how you personally interact with them. The best instructor for one person may not be exactly right for the next. The schools will hire a number of different personalities, give them a standardized curriculum to stick to, but how they impart that knowledge to you and coach you in a way that resonates with you will be personal and subjective.

There are multiple instructors assigned to each course and both you and they will figure out which of their teaching approaches will mesh well with your learning style.

Just show up with a willingness to accept instruction and you'll have a good experience.

I used RTI for M1 exit. The following year I paid for a group instructional ride with them as a spring refresher. Two excellent experiences and all the instructors were very clear, knowledgeable, and welcoming of questions.

I have also heard many positive things about Learning Curves so I really don't think you can go far wrong: both places are staffed by enthusiasts and will get you past the finish post.

I did the M1x course with RTI in October. Best part of the course? The enthusiasm of the instructors(Raf, Obi good work gents and thank you!!) they genuinely wanted every one of us to pass that course and more importantly, pass along an appreciation for and joy in, riding a motorcycle. They also did an amazing job of tailoring instruction to every ones specific needs. Some of us had good/long experience on bikes, we were checked on to make sure we understood the lesson then left to practice. The others with little/no experience where then concentrated on and taught well. Very good balancing of their attentions IMHO.
Have also heard good things about 'Curves so you probably can't go wrong picking either.

Either one of them is fine. I had good experience with both. Just choose the one that works with your location and schedule.

Also, check out motorsoul if you haven't. Ginny is an excellent instructor and she makes things easy to understand and fun. I think they are operating near Ontario Place.

I get a good feeling from the Motorsoul website, I like that they have the founder's profile there, it gives a more personable feeling when you know something about who runs the business. I was actually going to post here asking about private instruction, but Motorsoul offers it.

however, anyone here know any other private instructors? Obviously I know it will cost a premium, but I might feel a little better going into a course if I have some one on one first, i.e. How to get the bike going without stalling, LOL! I would even consider meeting up with an experienced enthusiast in Toronto for an hour test ride and demo for $50 bucks (or so). If there are any, PM me.

I'm not sure about Learning Curves, but RTI also has private lessons and/or smaller 1/2 day classes that are designed as either "Intro's to Riding" for brand new riders or "Refreshers" for people who need to revisit proper skills if they have been away from riding for a while.

As for getting some private instruction before taking the course, don't forget that the M1X courses are oriented towards brand new riders who have never ridden a motorcycle before. If you are comfortable balancing yourself on a bicycle and know the rules of the road, you should be fine.

It may help if you can clearly understand English or have prior experience with driving manual transmission vehicles, but many new riders do not have either and grasp the concepts quite well.

Lightcycle said:

They're both fine. The curriculum for both schools are approved by the MTO and will be very similar.

Ultimately, it's going to come down to which instructors are assigned to your course and how you personally interact with them. The best instructor for one person may not be exactly right for the next. The schools will hire a number of different personalities, give them a standardized curriculum to stick to, but how they impart that knowledge to you and coach you in a way that resonates with you will be personal and subjective.

There are multiple instructors assigned to each course and both you and they will figure out which of their teaching approaches will mesh well with your learning style.

Just show up with a willingness to accept instruction and you'll have a good experience.

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Very well said.I can't say anything at all about Learning Curves. I personally took RTI M1x downtown twice as my license expired, both times were a good experience. No complaints. I don't really recall anything specifically good or bad from when I took it back in 2007 or so, but I know when I took it this past November the instructors were great, friendly, constructive, instructive, etc.

marktwothousand said:

anyone here know any other private instructors? Obviously I know it will cost a premium, but I might feel a little better going into a course if I have some one on one first, i.e. How to get the bike going without stalling

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I don't think you'll need private instruction. The M1X course is specifically tailored to people with absolutely no experience with motorcycles. Everyone there will be instructed on how to balance on a motorcycle, start it up, get it going without stalling, etc.

Part of the fun of taking a group course is the camaraderie amongst new riders all going through the same learning process at the same time. You'll give each other moral support, laugh off all the silly mistakes you're all doing and best of all, you'll make a bunch of contacts so you can go riding together after you get your licenses.

marktwothousand said:

I get a good feeling from the Motorsoul website, I like that they have the founder's profile there, it gives a more personable feeling when you know something about who runs the business. I was actually going to post here asking about private instruction, but Motorsoul offers it.

however, anyone here know any other private instructors? Obviously I know it will cost a premium, but I might feel a little better going into a course if I have some one on one first, i.e. How to get the bike going without stalling, LOL! I would even consider meeting up with an experienced enthusiast in Toronto for an hour test ride and demo for $50 bucks (or so). If there are any, PM me.

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I took my M1 Exit course with Motorsoul down at Ontario Place and had a great time! I had never been on a motorcycle before so I was a bit nervous on the first day, but that quickly faded. I was part of a class of about 12 people, some with riding experience and others like myself with none. We went through everything from the basics of starting a bike, to emergency maneuvers. I believe besides Ginny the main instructor, there were 4 other instructors there to help. I was having a hard time at the beginning with the clutch, but with some one on one help from Sheldon a great instructor, I was able to get the hang of it. The rest I seemed to pick up quickly. All instructors were enthusiastic and lots of help!

My advice would be to skip your idea of private lessons. The M1 exit course is meant to give someone with no experience whatsoever the skills needed to handle a motorcycle. Over the course of two full days of instruction and practice, you will learn everything you need. At that point, if you feel you need extra instruction I would say book lessons then.

I took - Get your feet wet with Learning curves. That was like a little piece of crack. I had never been on a bike before and after that I couldn't wait to get back on.
I then took my M1 Exit with them. I thought that was great, most of the bikes were 125's with two honda rebels.
I tried out their street smart course - it was free. I like free. It was ok.
I am now booked for my M2 Exit with them.
I can't say anything about RTI. But I can say I have always had good instructors and communication with Learning curves.

marktwothousand said:

I get a good feeling from the Motorsoul website, I like that they have the founder's profile there, it gives a more personable feeling when you know something about who runs the business. I was actually going to post here asking about private instruction, but Motorsoul offers it.

however, anyone here know any other private instructors? Obviously I know it will cost a premium, but I might feel a little better going into a course if I have some one on one first, i.e. How to get the bike going without stalling, LOL! I would even consider meeting up with an experienced enthusiast in Toronto for an hour test ride and demo for $50 bucks (or so). If there are any, PM me.

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If you really want learn the very basics first, I have a honda crf230, a mild mannered trail bike. I live near Barrie and if you make your way here, I'd be glad to let you learn on it. A few hours learning clutch technique, braking, etc in the woods will do you a world of good, and nothing you can do to it will ever hurt it when you drop it, and you will drop it.


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I went with Motorsoul and signed up for the first available course. Thanx guys.

in the meantime, I'm still searching for a tutor session from someone or some school. Iceman I appreciate your offer immensely, but I got to keep it a little closer to Toronto unfortunately I would totes take you up on that otherwise.

Mainly why I'm also looking for some hands-on is because I want to buy a bike sooner rather than later and want to figure out if I like riding for sure. I have other issues to sort out besides just buying the bike (namely: parking). So the whole process could take about 30-60 days, as I'll never know if and when a parking space comes up in my building.

What really irks me about the buying process is that private sellers and small shops won't allow test drives. I know there's insurance concerns, but... Would a ride around the block or in a parking lot really be that risky? Honestly, I am supposed to plunk $4000 on a bike I've never ridden before, and cross my fingers? Arghhhh!

marktwothousand said:

I went with Motorsoul and signed up for the first available course. Thanx guys.

in the meantime, I'm still searching for a tutor session from someone or some school. Iceman I appreciate your offer immensely, but I got to keep it a little closer to Toronto unfortunately I would totes take you up on that otherwise.

Mainly why I'm also looking for some hands-on is because I want to buy a bike sooner rather than later and want to figure out if I like riding for sure. I have other issues to sort out besides just buying the bike (namely: parking). So the whole process could take about 30-60 days, as I'll never know if and when a parking space comes up in my building.

What really irks me about the buying process is that private sellers and small shops won't allow test drives. I know there's insurance concerns, but... Would a ride around the block or in a parking lot really be that risky? Honestly, I am supposed to plunk $4000 on a bike I've never ridden before, and cross my fingers? Arghhhh!

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do a search on this forum for bikes stolen from condos, you may want to reconsider purchasing a bike.

Of course it could get stolen. Luckily we have decent security, which should reduce the risk. 24/7, plus you need a fob to open the door from the inside (weight alone won't do it). That's life in the big city. I'll just take my comprehensive down to $300.

Honestly, if someone wants to try and penetrate our security to steal a $4000 bike...good riddance. There are much more valuable things they could steal down there anyway.

There are demo days all throughout the warmer weather where various dealerships will allow you to ride a bunch of bikes across their model lines. You typically need an M license and some will allow it with an M2 license. There are dealerships that will allow you to test ride a bike before you buy, but you would likely have to go there and strike up a conversation before they allow it. From my experience, these aren't high volume dealerships, but rather smaller dealerships in the rural areas.

Private sellers allowing test rides can be very risky. There are situations where the would be buyer just rides away with the bike and other situations where the buyer drops the bike and does not have the money to pay for it. Some sellers would be willing if you presented them with the full value of the bike as cash in hand before test ride. If you do not have clutch and throttle control, you could seriously injure yourself in parking lot and now it's my insurance that has to cover that? Not worth the risk.

A problem with any of us letting you try out our bikes for 30-60 minutes in a parking lot setting is that if and when you drop our bikes, then we are out the time and cash for getting the bike repaired and all the headaches that go with it. The risk is simply not worth it. Iceman's offer is excellent, because it's an older bike and you would be trying it out on soft surfaces without any traffic around, presenting minimal damage if something went wrong. However, if you wanted to meet with someone in the downtown area to just sit on their un-powered bike and go through the controls and just talk about bikes to get a better understanding of how it will feel for you, then it's a different story. PM me and you can do that on my bike on the EX grounds.

As for underground parking, it's only an issue if your bike has a high theft value and even moreso if your bike is the nicest one in the garage. I have had my bikes parked in underground garages for years, but there were always plenty of other bikes in those garages which were nicer than mine and they always got stolen instead. Also one of the best theft deterrents may be a piece of duct tape on your seat. Most bikes less than $4000 are not high value items.

marktwothousand said:

Of course it could get stolen. Luckily we have decent security, which should reduce the risk. 24/7, plus you need a fob to open the door from the inside (weight alone won't do it). That's life in the big city. I'll just take my comprehensive down to $300.

Honestly, if someone wants to try and penetrate our security to steal a $4000 bike...good riddance. There are much more valuable things they could steal down there anyway.

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I honestly think that's a good way to look at it, just wanted to make sure you were aware. Avoiding popular bikes reduces the risk as well.
^^^ as Shane covered in previous post.