Learn to Ride a Motorcycle
This site is about learning to ride a motorcycle in Beautiful British Columbia. including information about getting your class 6 or 8 motorcycle license, the ICBC MST/MSA and Motorcycle Road Test.
Learning to ride a motorcycle can be a fun and exciting experience, but it comes with risk. Don’t take on the challenge on your own. And you might regret having a friend teach you to ride, as you will be picking up on their bad habits.
The best riding in Canada is on the West Coast, in Beautiful British Columbia. The temperate climate combined with mountain roads and views of the Pacific Ocean and countless lakes combine to make for many great rides. Once you have learned to ride a motorcycle, use the section on routes to find suggestions for the best motorcycle routes on Vancouver Island and throughout BC.
Here are the recommended steps to learn to ride:
- Get the right gear
- Take a course (Take a learn to ride course in Vancouver or Take a learn to ride course in Victoria)
- Choose an appropriate motorcycle
- Stay focused and alert when riding
- Ride at a safe speed: Rider Speed is a contributing factor in almost ALL motorcycle crashes.
The Licensing Process
Getting your motorcycle license in BC requires a trip to an ICBC office to take the knowledge test. Book your knowledge test.
While it isn’t necessary to take a course in BC in order to get your license, it is the recommended next step. Find a motorcycle school.
Motorcycles have an extra step between the knowledge test and the road test. It is called the ICBC Motorcycle Skills Test (or MST). Sometimes you will hear the MST referred to as the MSA (Motorcycle Skills Assessment). It is the same test, but goes by different names depending on whether you take the test at ICBC (MST) or with an ICBC MSTP accredited school, such as Urban Rider Motorcycle School with operations in Vancouver, Burnaby and Victoria.
The MST is a 15 minute test in the ICBC parking lot. You must demonstrate that you can ride a motorbike at a walking speed with balance, and then perform a u-turn without hitting cones or putting a foot down, and then slalom/zig-zag through 5 cones spaced about 3m apart. Additionally, you must demonstrate that you can perform a suddent stop without skidding your tires. When you take an ICBC certified MSTP course at a licensed motorcycle school, you can take the MSA (motorcycle skills assessment) with the school and skip the MST at ICBC. Register in an MSTP course in Victoria or register in an MSTP course in Vancouver. MSTP Courses must run a minimum of 18 hours, with at least 7 hours of classroom learning in order to qualify. These courses typically cost between $900 and $1600 depending on the size of the group and whether they include traffic classes as well as parking lot skills training.
The final step in the licensing process is the ICBC motorcycle road test. The road test costs $50, plus an additional fee to reprint or renew your license when you pass. The motorcycle road test is about 40 minutes long and is very similar to the road test in the car. More details about the skills marked on the road test can be found here.