Motorcycle Instructors v4

[whatscrakn]

causeway rider training FTW

[Hazelnutty]

Dwayne from Down Under Riding is awesome! Definitely recommend him... Had him at City West.
He's patient, happy to have a laugh, gives really good feedback and doesn't get angry when you keep making the same mistakes! Awesome job, thanks mate..

and i can even forgive him for being a kiwi....

V.

[SIKPUPY]

Sandra.

Can you please change our contact details to 0488 024 055.

Now in Cannngton, Huntingdale, Forrestfield and Byford.

[Randomanizer]

I was extremely happy with Mark from Causeway Rider Training. Taught me everything I needed to know

[Venugs]

Took a few lessons from Anthony. He does a pretty good job in teaching and reinforcing your skill. Although I had been riding before I found that having a good instructor makes the difference whether you keep riding or become a statistic!

The "in the helmet" blutooth sets are awesome!

[Belsambor]

Dwayne from Down Under Riding is awesome! Definitely recommend him... Had him at City West.
He's patient, happy to have a laugh, gives really good feedback and doesn't get angry when you keep making the same mistakes! Awesome job, thanks mate..

and i can even forgive him for being a kiwi....

V.

Quoted for Truth. Just passed yesterday thanks to Dwayne. Cannot recommend him highly enough

[Rorschach]

I was recommended John from Global Motorcycle Skills in Kardinya for some lessons, got my first lesson with him next week.
Just out of interest, whats the average number of lessons you guys have had before taking your test?

[Stoneville]

Pretty sure there are others closer to where you live, but that doesn't matter

Between 5-10 lessons, it varies between riders, helps if you have your own bike and can get out with a shadow, you'll be at test confidence/ability sooner usually.

Don't worry too much about the number, just go with the flow, if you get hung up on numbers you might not settle into the lessons and then you're there for longer!!

[Rorschach]

I don't have my own bike yet so can't get out on it. And Kardinya is only a 15 minute or so drive for me so I'm not that fussed. He's throwing in a free 2 hour intro lesson so that aint too bad! He also only does 2 hour lessons so I'm hoping more hands-on time will be good. Not particularly fussed how many lessons it takes (took me loads to pass my driving test!), but if it costs me less, great!
His learner bike is also a 250 Ninja, which is what I'm looking at as a first bike.

[Wedge]

Are there any instructors that cater to an older crowd more interested in learning on cruisers?

[Stoneville]

mm maybe

Grunts Motorcycle Training
Location: Kalamunda, Kelmscott, Midland, Morley
Ph: Grant 0417 666 883


Though any should be able to, what area are you in?

[Wedge]

Will need both North and South. Ardross and Hillarys.

[Rorschach]

Hey Stoneville

Can you add Global Motorcycle Skills to the list?
Global Motorcycle Skills :: Home

[ellibe08]

Elite are really good!
Bluetooth is handy and the 2 hours struture is good!

[Tamsyn]

Another massive hells yes for Grant@ Grunts!

I started off not being able to ride a push bike and now I'm riding on the road! Super patient and doesn't make me feel like a wanker when i hit the horn instead of the indicator. haha

[truewheel]

Ok, I passed my RE a couple of weeks ago and would like to share my instructor experiences with the forum.

Obviously, it's hard to find some objectivity when reading here about instructors - eg "I highly recommend 'insert your riding school here', they are brilliant!". Since most of us stick with the one person whilst learning its very hard to draw comparisons between the various riding schools.

So I thought I would detail my own experience in the hope that it at least helps new riders to ask the right questions when ringing around for a good instructor.

My 1st lesson: Not a great experience. I rang the school and said I was looking for an instructor around Willagee (they said in their advertising that they taught in this area). Was given a mobile to call; did so and booked a 1 hr lesson. Unfortunately I had to drive to Lynwood - further than I expected but I thought that if he's really good then the extra travel would be worth it.

It wasn't. It was a hot day but still, I expected to be given a jacket for protection. Helmet and gloves provided only. The bike was a 225cc Scorpio, easy learner bike but I would have preferred a 250cc that would likely be in my naked/street bike short list when I purchase even if it's a bit harder to learn on.
The first half of the lesson went well enough - estops and O turns and general riding around the quiet back streets of Lynwood. Second half was the same except I was given constant chatter (small talk) from the instructor via the intercom. I found this to be very distracting as I was trying to concentrate on my riding and hearing about his hobbies was a real hindrance to my ability to focus.

Cost: $65, including a $5 discount because I'm a PSB member.

So, back to the drawing board. Quick Google and I found this:


Global Motorcycle Skills
Location: Kardinya
Instructor: John Green
Phone: 0457 607 159
Web: Global Motorcycle Skills :: Home


Rang and booked my 1st 2hr lesson, which was no obligation, and free.
Did my 1st lesson which was 100% theory, following which I immediately booked 3 x 2hr practicals.

What impressed me with John/Global Motorcycle Skills?:

1. Bikes - Honda vtr250 & Kawasaki Ninja 250r. Much better - both were on my short list for purchase, and the fact that he teaches on a full fairing bike says a lot about the soundness of his techniques and the results he achieves with his students. And he has all the protective and communications gear you would expect including hi-viz vests and Bluetooth intercom.

2. Lesson Structure - Each lesson is 2 hrs. Personally I think that this is much better than 2 x 1hr lessons. It allows more time per lesson to practice techniques such as e-stops and counter steering, and I believe that you take more away with you when you do a 2 hr stint. John is also very flexible when it comes to lesson times. Weekends, mornings before work, evenings - he does his best to accommodate your timetable. Lessons often go for longer than 2hrs and given time he will offer you a cold drink afterwards so you can both have a chat off the bikes about how the lesson went.

3. Teaching Philosophy - John stresses that his primary goal is not to teach you to just pass your test but to imbue you with correct techniques and give you a mindset that will stay with you for your entire riding life. He has over 35 years riding experience and he passes all of that wisdom onto his students. He emphasizes precise defensive techniques that will get you out of trouble when required and his teaching is logical and easy to follow. The reasoning behind every little 1% tip he teaches is fully explained and it all adds up to the skills you need to maximize your chances of avoiding a mishap. John has obviously put a lot of thought into his lesson structures and techniques and you can only benefit from this. One example is that later in the lesson schedule he will follow you and video your riding so that off the bike you can review and identify areas in your cornering, counter steering etc that can be improved.

4. Instructor Personality - I found John to be friendly, patient and most of all very passionate about what he does. One thing I really liked when out on the bike was the quality of his feedback to you. He repeats advice consistantly so that after a while it just becomes 2nd nature. He inspires confidence and breaks down the riding experience into small manageble steps in a way that made it easy for me to absorb and remember. He strives to be the very best at his job and is happy to get feedback from his students so he can continue to improve. In this regard he asks you to complete an evaluation survey at the end of the course. In simple terms, John is just a great bloke - just the kind of person I wanted to learn from. It was the combination of his great methodology and his personality that made my learning experience so rewarding for me.

Lesson costs: At first I thought that he was a bit expensive - $200 for a 2 hr lesson whereas other instructors typically charge $60-$70 per hour. But he does offer a generous discount if you book a block of lessons and as I said the first introductory lesson is free. My total cost went as follows:

1st lesson (2hrs) - free
3 x 2hr block (6hrs) - $500

That worked out to be $62.50/hr.

I must add however that although I passed after 8 hrs it helped that I had decades of driving experience; learning from scratch may take longer than this.

I will definitely be going back to John for my R's (he has a Honda vtr1000f) and if the bug really bites me I'll be taking some of his 'advanced riding techniques' lessons out on the track as well.

Very very happy with how it all went & I'm left with a very high regard for John and Global Motorcycle Skills.

Teaching of the highest calibre.

[John Green]

thanks for the feedback mate, it's what keeps me doing what I do to the very highest standard...

[Rorschach]

Much the same experience for me with John!

6 sessions from not being able to ride to passing my test yesterday.

[John Green]

congrats again mate - seeing learning curves as steep as yours in such a short period of time is an awesome thing to be a part of... I <3 my job... ))

[Ichigoat]

^ I agree with the above

Have only had 2 lessons with John so far, I really like his teaching methods and patience

What appealed to me the most was that he is happy to teach me more than I need to "just" get my licence.

Was referred to me by my dad, which says something