Motorhead’s passion makes a motor mentor

Kimberly Spice — 

Ginny Allen has loved riding motorcycles for years with not one accident to date and she attributes her success through her diligence in education.

“I’m knocking on wood right now,” Allen told The Bulletin. “I’ve never had an accident. I work, live and drive in Downtown Toronto all the time. My strong belief is that it’s not the motorcycle that’s dangerous it’s the rider.
I can see a whole lot of reasons that these accidents are happening out there from people getting far too powerful motorcycles, to them not getting the proper training, to drinking and riding. Just about half of accidents are single vehicle accidents.”

Allen has been interested in driving everything, but because her family was cautious with regards to her safety, she did not have the opportunity to ride a bike until she left home, and once she did obtain her licence, she kept it a secret for five years.

While taking her motorcycle preparation course to get her full M licence, she was recruited by the training organization becoming an instructor in 2003. She quickly realized that for things to be done the way she wanted, she should have her own school.

“I moved up the ranks and became the top person at the school,” said Allen. “I left for another school and then I thought I’m going to do this myself and have my own school. If people have the proper knowledge and skills they can be safe but if they don’t get it then there are problems.”

Consulting people about her business idea provided little support but it brought Allen to a point where she had to make a firm decision.

The result was to forge ahead with her motorcycle training school. She started with a curriculum that took two years to write.

The next step was Ministry of Transportation approval, which was successful after a lot of red tape, and finally launched her business in 2013.
Learning to ride is open to a wide demographic, one thing she finds as one of the most enjoyable aspects.

“It’s so wonderful about the world of motorcycling,” stated Allen. “It cuts through the demographic and that’s one thing I love about my job and teaching people to ride.”

Although every trip has been fun and exciting Allen’s most memorable time was in 2014 when Ontario Tourism hired Allen to be part of their campaign of learning to ride a bike in a year. She travelled though Ontario with a couple being followed by a camera crew.

This educational, not-for-profit, business provides a complete learning environment to produce safe and responsible motorcycle drivers in the community as well as outside of Toronto.

Allen, single and in her 30s, also believes strongly in adopting rescue animals and currently owns a golden retriever Poppy, who she adopted on Remembrance Day, and three cats referring to her residence as the Animal House.

Acting—plus being a writer and a comedian—is another passion. Since the start of her school this has been put on the back burner, but she plans on going back to the stage this coming winter.

The Queen and Bathurst resident also works for The Ministry of Transportation Ontario (MTO) and Drive Test working as a trainer to their examiners.

For more information about Allen’s motorcycle training school visit to motorsoul.ca. Classes start beginning of April, weather permitting.