Learning How to Ride a Motorcycle with Smart Driving School – 2021

If you’re planning to get a driver’s license for a motorcycle or ad a restriction for a motorcycle on your existing driver’s license, please know that completing a Motorcycle Practical Instruction Course from an LTO (Land Transportation Office)-accredited school is one of the requirements for application. I learned how to ride a motorcycle with SMART Driving School last 2021.

As of writing the blog, only a few driving schools here in Metro Manila offer motorcycle practical riding courses. One of which is Smart Driving School which announced the opening of its Motorcycle Training Program last December 2020, at its Road 20 branch in Quezon City. As of September 2021, SMART Driving School is also offering motorcycle classes in their Training Center 1 at Apo St., Mandaluyong, and in their Muntinlupa Branch. You can check out all SMART Driving School branches here.

Smart Driving School offers its Motorcycle Practical Instruction Course for Php. 3000. The training program includes a Basic 8-hour motorcycle practical instruction. You may choose to learn how to ride a Manual, Automatic, or Semi-Automatic transmission. The course will take 2 days, 4 hours each.

Smart Driving School Motorcycle Class Requirements:

You’ll need the following requirements, before enrolling in SMART’s Motorcycle Training Program:

• Student-Driver’s Permit (Read Blog on How to Get Student-Driver’s Permit) or Driver’s License
• Must know how to Ride a Bike

FREE SEMINAR: There are fixed schedules for the 5-hour Exclusive Seminar for Riders which you’d have to inquire SMART about first which will take place in the training center. The seminar will start with a bike test where they’ll also check your balance, coordination, and skill level on the bike. Afterward, they’ll schedule you for your 2-day motorcycle practical instruction course based on your availability.

UPDATE: The 5-Hour Free Classroom Seminar for Motorcycle Riders is currently suspended until further notice because of MECQ (Modified Enhanced Community Quarantine). You can proceed with the practical riding instruction course as long as you have your LTO Student’s Driver’s permit.

There are also additional requirements to bring on the first day of your scheduled motorcycle practical instruction course:

• Medical Certificate stating you’re fit to drive a motorcycle
• Student-Driver’s Permit (Read Blog on How to Get Student-Driver’s Permit) or Driver’s License
• Helmet with ICC or PSS Sticker – *You may also borrow from SMART
• Motorcycle Gloves – *You may also borrow from SMART
• Elbow Pad and Knee Pad – *You may also borrow from SMART

You’ll also need to be in proper attire during your days of training:

• Closed shoes
• Full-length pants
• Wear Jacket or long sleeve shirt
• Mask

The instructors will start by teaching you simple warm-up exercises to get your body ready. They will also teach you the different parts of a motorcycle you need to check before riding namely the BLOWBAGETS (Battery, Lights, Oil, Water, Break, Air, Gas, Engine, Tire, and Self). Aside from teaching you about the motorcycle and how to ride it, they will also let you experience how to carry a motorcycle for instances where you run out of gas or get broken down in the middle of the road.

The layout of SMART Road 20 Motorcycle Training Center also resembles actual streets outside so you’ll get to follow road markings and observe road signs. They also use traffic cones to simulate other scenarios you might encounter while riding a motorcycle on the road. The entire training will only take place within the training center with the supervision of the instructors. Also for safety, the motorcycles have crash pads on its sides so then they will not fall on you even if you lose balance and turn over. Some motorcycles also have sidecars for balance assistance. 

There will be an assessment on your last day of training. If you pass, you may get your completion certificate after 3-5 business days. In the instance that you fail the assessment, you can extend your training hours and be assessed again with corresponding payment. For example, you can schedule a 4-hour extension for another day which will cost about Php. 1500.

My Experience Learning How to Ride a Motorcycle with Smart Driving School Road 20, QC

All right! Now, that we’ve laid out all of the information you need to know about SMART’s Driving School’s Motorcycle Training Program, here comes the fun part! Let me share with you guys my experience learning how to ride a motorcycle. I freaking know how to ride a motorcycle now! Can you guys even believe it? Like what was going on in my mind exactly? Such a random idea! But, let me tell you that I had so much fun. I had so much fun even if I ended up failing the assessment!

Why the hell do I want to learn how to ride a motorcycle?

Firstly, doesn’t the idea of riding a motorcycle just excite you? As dangerous as it is, I have to admit I enjoy the adrenaline that courses through my body whenever I hop on the back of a motorcycle. Riding a motorcycle is like you’re on a roller coaster of the real world, especially when you’re up high on flyovers here in Metro Manila. Having a motorcycle is also cheaper than having a car. It’s easier to maintain. Filling a tank is less expensive, and you wouldn’t have to worry that much about parking and traffic! No worries though, because as impulsive as I am, buying a motorcycle is still a big investment that would need more planning and big adult decisions.

I admit that yes, it’s scary to ride a motorcycle here in Metro Manila, but there isn’t any harm in learning how to ride.  And what better place is there to learn how to ride a motorcycle than in an actual school, right? Of course, they’ll prioritize your safety so accidents should be close to none. And besides, it is also an additional requirement for a driver’s license here in the Philippines anyway. It’s good to have the certificate if ever I do decide to add the restriction to my driver’s license.

Make Sure to Get Your Protection Ready

Before your 1st day of motorcycle riding class, I would suggest getting your other requirements ready.  I ordered my helmet, elbow and knee pads, and riding gloves from Shoppe. They came super quickly in the mail.

It’s also encouraged to practice riding a bike before your class so that basic turning and balancing won’t be that much of an issue. Remember to get your medical certificate and do not forget it at home. This happened to me and they refused to let me train, even when I brought all the other stuff! I would suggest also bringing a bottle of water and an extra change of clothes for the day. Also, eat a full meal! That’s it!

Riding a motorcycle is a full-body activity, and trust me when I say that they put us through quite a workout. Who knew that motorcycles were so heavy? We had to push them around the training center for how many rounds. I swear that sweat was dripping like a faucet from my face already!! My regular home workouts failed to give me the strength and endurance to survive through that.

Learning how to ride a motorcycle is so much fun!

It’s easy to learn how to ride a motorcycle actually, especially a scooter or an automatic transmission. You hop on, switch the engine, twist the throttle and you’re already moving.  But since your body is exposed when riding a motorcycle, you will actually be doing half of the work. You need to turn your head and look before you move or make any other turns. Safety is a priority because so many people get into accidents riding motorcycles. The instructor who gave the seminar told us that every motorcycle rider will turn over or fall down at some point. So it’s important to be careful and to know what to do in case of accidents.

During my first day, I would twist the throttle so much that the instructors were scared of how fast I was going. And yeah, I almost crashed a couple of times. Good thing, the break worked every time. Hahaha.

When I hop on the motorcycle, I always started off nervous and a bit rough. It also didn’t help that those guys I was taking the classes with were actual riders already. I was the only one learning it for the first time from scratch, and I was completely messing up. Balancing and raising my feet off the ground was easy enough, but for some reason, I had difficulty making turns on a motorcycle. No matter how many times I passed the course, I could never make a sharp right turn! The others had to leave me on the same course while they were already climbing uphill.

It was very frustrating because even when I tried my hardest, again and again, I could never get it right.  There was a point at the training where I was already so exhausted. I knew that it was a lost cause for me already, at least on that day. Why did I think this was such a good idea? I had given up the idea of even passing already. I just rode poorly around and around the course, because being on the motorcycle was fun and I wouldn’t have a chance to ride a motorcycle myself again soon.

Last thoughts…

Learning how to ride a motorcycle at Smart Driving School Road 20 was such a thrilling experience. Special thanks to my instructors: sir Angelo, and Christopher for an unbelievable amount of patience. They paid close attention and delivered clear step-by-step instructions. They were so eager to help me learn, even if I couldn’t get it right after multiple tries already. They would even chase me down the course when I make my turns so I would close my throttle and not turn it for more speed. LOL.

The experience was so worth it even if let’s say I’ll never actually ride a motorcycle on the streets of Metro Manila. I mean are you kidding me? I will for sure get into so many accidents if you release me on the streets with a motorcycle! I’ll be dead, okay, but I don’t want other people to die too! No!

Even if I failed the assessment, I’m not giving up. I am coming back to Smart Driving School and yes, I’ll try to complete the Motorcycle Training Program. I can do this! I’ll just have to take some time practicing on my own. I already know how to ride a motorcycle. I just need more practice and like everything else, it will get better every time I try. I can even say that the experience I had with them is worth more than I paid for! This was much more fun than learning how to drive a car. Vroom. vroom, guys!

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