Welcome to Lil' Johnny's motorcycle academy

Calgary's premium motorcycle school

LIL' JOHNNY'S MOTORCYCLE ACADEMY

Our Philosophy

OUR MISSION

To deliver a premium motorcycle training school experience and safely prepare individuals for a long and enjoyable riding career. We believe safety should always come first and safe riding practice can prevent accidents, injuries, and fatalities.

WHO WE ARE

We are a bunch of riders who believe that good habits don't happen by accident. We all have a passion for sharing our knowledge and experiences. We're fully trained, insured, bonded and our school is licensed and certified by Alberta Transportation.

HOW WE TEACH

We use a building block system. We start with the very basic skills and start building up from there. Each new skill adds to the previous, until you're on the road with the wind in your face!! We also keep a low student to instructor ratio.

motorcycle training courses Calgary

We firmly believe in safety first, and this is evident in our motorcycle lessons and motorcycle courses. Our motorcycle training courses are structured to equip you with the right knowledge and hands-on skills to be a safe motorcycle rider. Motorcycle courses should equip and prepare you for real life road, street and traffic conditions.

All our instructors are fully licensed, insured, and bonded by Alberta Transportation. 

Primary Course

For beginners

Our primary course is designed for the new rider or someone that has been away from riding for a few years. It starts with an introduction to the bike and slowly builds on each module. We concentrate on slow speed controls, gear changing, emergency braking, obstacle avoidance, and an introduction to road riding. This course prepares you to challenge the Alberta Transportation Class 6 Road Test.

Max  10 students per class with 2 licensed instructors.

Time: 16 hours on the bike and 3 hours in classroom

Refresher Course

This course is designed for the rider who has their class 6 and just needs a little more practice to enhance their skills. It is also a great confidence builder. It starts with our basic warm up exercises and moves into our core curriculum. There’s also time allotted to practice those troublesome areas. This course is highly recommended in the springtime or when you first get back on the bike after a long winter!

Max 6 students per class.

Time: 4 hours

Advanced Level 1 & 2

Our advanced courses were developed to take your riding skills to the next level. It will challenge your slow speed control, controlled braking and advance collision avoidance, we will also discuss group riding strategies. This course can also be tailored to your specific needs or desired training areas.

You must complete level 1 before attempting level 2.

These courses require the use of your own motorcycle.

Max 4 students per class

Time: 8 hours for level 1, 8 hours for level 2.

Advanced Level 1 & 2

Our advanced courses were developed to take your riding skills to the next level. It will challenge your slow speed control, controlled braking and advance collision avoidance, we will also discuss group riding strategies. This course can also be tailored to your specific needs or desired training areas.

You must complete level 1 before attempting level 2.

These courses require the use of your own motorcycle.

Max 4 students per class

Time: 8 hours for level 1, 8 hours for level 2.

Private 1-on-1 Training

The course uses the exact curriculum as the primary course, only its completed in a private 1 on 1 setting. We cover the same exercises as the primary course as well as the road riding portion. This course can also be tailored for couples or friends on request to a max of 2 students. 

Designed for 1 on 1, but will accommodate 2 students max

Time: 16 hours on bike and 2.5 hours of classroom. 

Can-Am Spyder / Ryker Course

Our NEW Can-Am program will take the new rider and transform them into a confident operator of the three wheel Spyder / Ryker models. The course will start with learning the basics, ensuring the unit is ready for the road, throttle control, starting and stopping, moving around the parking lot at low speeds, and practicing emergency procedures like emergency braking and obstacle avoidance.


Max 4 students per class


Time: 3 hours on the lot, 1 hour on the road and 2.5 hours in classroom

MEET THE FLEET

Our Bikes

We use multiple styles and sizes of motorcycles to assist in helping you learn how to ride. They include a cruiser, dual purpose, sport bike, and a mini naked style. We have a bike to fit your needs!

Harley-Davidson Street 500

This is Harley-Davidson’s answer to “I want to learn on a Harley!” It has a low seat height, standard controls and enough power to keep up to the big guys!

Honda CBR300R

Don’t let the 300cc engine fool you, this small package packs a lot of punch! This is a great bike to learn the required skills to challenge each corner with a smile.

Kawasaki KLX 250

This dual sport motorcycle puts the fun back in learning. It’s 35″ seat height makes it easier for the taller folks to enjoy the ride instead of being cramped up on a little bike!

Honda Rebel 300

With its 27” seat height, this little cruiser will make learning simple and fun! The seating position and power to weight ratio makes this entry level motorcycle a top contender to master the course skills.

Kawasaki Z125

This little bandit will help you start your riding career. It’s small stature shouldn’t deter you from hopping on and learning the basics. You may just want to take one home!

2022 Honda Grom

Our newest members to the fleet shouldn’t be overlooked due to their size! The new 2022 Honda Grom is the perfect motorcycle to develop and practice your riding skills. The 124cc engine and 5 speed transmission will put smiles on your face for the whole course! You might even want to take it home when you’re done!! This unit is the perfect all around training motorcycle.

Honda CB300 RAK

The CB300 RAK is the perfect entry-level motorcycle for urban use. With its improved low-rpm performance, a more upright seating position, this bike may be your go to city streetfighter!

REVIEWS AND TESTIMONIALS

Calgary's Best-Rated
Motorcycle Course Lessons

Here’s what students are saying about Lil Johnny’s Motorycle Academy…

WHO WE ARE

A little about us...

Our Motorcycle Training School has been around for almost 26 years! The school was initially started by a couple police officers, through the local Harley-Davidson dealership and they provided a very much needed service to the local customers. From there the motorcycle school has grown from providing that service to their customers to what it is now, a fully licensed and authorized motorcycle training academy. The name may have changed a few times along the way, but the main focus of providing the best training to our students has always been our first priority and that remains true today. 

... and what we believe in.

We believe that our students deserve the very best training and support while learning how to safely operate a motorcycle. We keep our classes small as to give the students our best attention while attending our course. We look forward to sharing our knowledge and experiences with you.

MEET THE FLEET

Your Instructors

It takes more than just a motorcycle license to be an instructor. At Lil’ Johnny’s Motorcycle Academy, instructors have over 25-50 years of experience each, with a combined experience of 200+ years. Some of our motorcycle instructors have even completed Police Motorcycle Training as well as Advanced Level 1 and Level 2 training so that you can develop the right skills and become comfortable handling any motorcycle. 

John (Lil' Johnny)

Chief Instructor at ljma

Troy

Instructor at ljma

Jack

Instructor at ljma

Pete

Instructor at ljma

Bruce

Instructor at ljma

WE'VE GOT ANSWERS

Frequently Asked Questions

We use a building block system. We treat every student like they have never seen a motorcycle before and start on the ground level with “this is a motorcycle”. From there we start with approaching the motorcycle, pushing the motorcycle, picking up the motorcycle up to riding the motorcycle. The majority of the course is spent on the parking lot with slow speed handling, turns, gear changing, and emergency procedures.

The total course is 18.5 hours long. We spend 2.5 hours on the classroom presentation, which is completed via an online platform. Then we spend a total of 16 hours riding the motorcycle.

No. We supply the motorcycles for our primary courses. Refresher courses and Advanced courses will require the use of your own motorcycle though.

No. Due to hygienic and safety reasons, we do not supply riding gear. Each student must bring their own gear. If a helmet is dropped, it could be compromised. If we are not told that the helmet was dropped, it may not performed as required if in an accident. Therefore, we do not supply PPE.

A DOT motorcycle helmet (full face prefered) sturdy jacket (leather, denim, or cordura / kevlar) Full fingered leather gloves, eye protection, pants (leather or denim), over the ankle leather boots (no leather sole boots), and rain gear. Also, it’s best to dress in layers.

No. The Alberta Transportation road test fees are separate from the course cost and are paid directly to Alberta Transportation.

With the changes to motorcycle examinations, we cannot supply motorcycles for the road exams.

No. You will need it before challenging your class 6 road test but it’s not needed to attend our course. You will need a class 5 or better. Review the Motorcycle Operator’s Handbook to best prepare for your exam here.

Yes, sometimes motorcycles find a way to lay on their sides. We ensure everyone wear all their riding gear while riding, no matter what the temperature is! Safety is our number one concern. This is a slow speed training course. There’s no way to eliminate the risk of falling, but it’s better to have a low speed incident on the course rather then out in traffic.

Of course! We have several styles and models to accommodate all shapes and sizes.

FAIL is First Attempt ILearning. You must complete each exercise in the course to receive your certificate. However, if you don’t complete the course in the time allotted, we will work with you to finish the course. *extra fees may be required.

  • Course cancelled with >30 days prior to course date,  full refund minus $100 admin fee
  • Course cancelled  with 15 – 30 days prior to course date, 50% refund
  • Course cancelled less than 15 days, no refund.

There will be no refund once a course commences.

Rescheduling fee:

  • >30 days = no charge
  • 7 – 30 days = $100
  • <7  days = $200

We do not cancel for rainy weather. Courses in the springtime may sometimes have to be rescheduled because of dangerous weather conditions. We realize this can be inconvenient and we appreciate your understanding. Your safety is our first priority. If we have to cancel because of weather or reasons beyond our control, we will do our best to reschedule to dates that work for you.

WHAT’S NEXT

Upcoming Courses

Primary Course (for beginners)

Refresher Course

Advanced Course - Level 1

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COME TRAIN WITH US!

Join Our Family

STEP 1: Register at LJMA and Book Your Course

If you have any questions, call us at (587) 579-5562 or email us at liljohnny@ljma.ca

Lil' Johnny's Motorcycle Academy has moved!

Due to our recent growth at LJMA we've expanded to a bigger location so our students have more space to train! You can find us at 333 96 Ave NE, Calgary.