Motorcycle Safety

It’s mid-summer and motorcycle season is in full swing! Whether you have been thinking about getting your Class 6 motorcycle licence for the first time, or you’re wanting to refresh your skills before getting back on the road, we highly recommend taking a motorcycle safety course!

Our friends at Lil’ Johnny’s Motorcycle Academy are offering a range of courses to suit your motorcycle safety training needs:

Primary Course

Suitable for new riders or someone who hasn’t ridden in a few years.

Refresher Course

Designed for a rider who is looking to enhance their skills and build more confidence.

Advanced Course

Teaches riders to take their skills to the next level.

About Lil’ Johnny’s Motorcycle Academy

In business for 24 years, Lil’ Johnny’s aims to deliver premium motorcycle training and safety, preparing riders for a long and enjoyable riding career.

They are fully licenced, insured, bonded and approved by Alberta Transportation and their courses include 16 hours of riding time and 2 hours of virtual classroom training. As well, they offer smaller class sizes with a maximum ratio of 4 students per instructor and 8 students maximum per session.

They have a great Team of instructors that you can meet here, and multiple styles of bikes that they train on which can be seen here. For more information or to book a motorcycle training safety course (tell them Costen Insurance sent you!), please visit their website here.

Motorcycle Destinations

For those experienced riders, or for those who have completed their safety training and want to gain more riding experience, here are some great motorcycle destinations to check out this summer!

Thank you to our friend and client, Dan Penton, for providing this content.

Highway 1A to Canmore

Start in Cochrane and head along Highway 1A to Canmore. There are a lot of great medium speed corners and the views open up around Ghost Lake. Since this road is so close to Calgary, it is popular with a lot of different motorists and can be quite busy. Stop at the Grizzly Paw for lunch or the Iron Goat for dinner, both excellent mid-point destinations for your trip. On your way home, hit up McKays Ice Cream in Cochrane and you’re set for the day!

Bragg Creek / 762 / Plummers Road

This is another close destination to Calgary for a quick afternoon ride. Take Highway 8 west from Calgary and down Highway 22 to Bragg Creek. Stop in the town centre for a chat with many other riders and grab a coffee from Lucid Kustoms. Afterwards, go south and take Highway 762 and Plummers Rd back to Highway 22 to take you home to Calgary.

Highway 22 south / Crowsnest Pass

Highway 22 south from Black Diamond to the Crowsnest Pass offers some fantastic views and curves through the valley and our signature rocky mountains. Continue through the pass for some unmatched vistas and stop in Fernie for lunch or the night. Go a bit further and see the giant dump truck in Sparwood. It can be a little windy, but it always feels like home on this highway. If you’re into fishing, there are numerous destinations along Crowsnest Pass to wet a line.

Highway 40 / Highwood Pass

Make sure you get a chance to ride this route in the summer, as the views are incredible and the pavement is high. In fact, it is the highest paved road in Canada. Ride it with caution as the weather can change quickly and the gas stops are far between. Start at the northern part at the Stoney Nakoda Casino and end in Longview for a burger at the Twin Cities Saloon and jerky at the Longview Jerky Shop.

Radium / 93 South

From the Trans Canada Highway just a bit past Banff, take the south exit onto Highway 93 and head south to Radium. Take in the sights and fun long fast wide corners and end in Radium for some hot spring soaking, visit Screamers for ice cream or continue on to Invermere for a burger at the excellent lakeside pub called The Station.

Icefields Parkway 93 North

National Geographic Traveler magazine rated the Icefields Parkway as one of their 20 drives of a lifetime. It is a long day or a two day trip with a stop for a night in Jasper. There are a plenty of stops along the way and each will reward you with a fantastic picture filled with stunning views. Try and take this one during the week to help manage the traffic.

BC Highway 6 / 3 / Vernon to Creston

If you’re in the BC Interior, check out the 3A Highway from Vernon to Creston, BC. The road offers some fun curves, hot springs in Ainsworth and Nakusp and some great views of Kootenay lakes. Hop on the free ferry to cross Arrow Lake and stay at the Riders Retreat in Nakusp, a small motorcycle only campground, and meet some new riding friends.

BC Highway 99 from Lilooet to Whistler

One of the best roads in all of BC has to be Highway 99 from Lilooet to Whistler. There are parts with huge elevation gains, lots of corners, and a great reward for stopping in Whistler. If you’re into mountain biking, the ski hill is turned into a world-class downhill course for the summer and the village offers a fun dining experience in the evening.

If you do manage to get out on any great rides this summer, we would love to see your pictures of your adventure!  Please post them to your Facebook, Instagram or Twitter account with the hashtag #myBikeAdventure.

Thank you,

The Costen Insurance Team