M2-Exit Course

M2-Exit Course

The M2-Exit course corresponds to the final phase of Ontario's graduated licensing system - your graduation from the M2 to the full M license.
     M2-Exit is targeted at experienced riders, who have held an M2 license for at least eighteen months, but not more than four years, 364 days. (i.e. your M2 license can't be five years old, or it has expired.) You should be an active rider, comfortable with real-world riding on streets and highways, as we will be teaching fine points of improving your skills, not the basics of riding in traffic.

Course Outline
The M2 Exit Program provides two (2) separate courses: the M2 Exit On-Road Course and the M2 Exit Preparation Session. Each is lead by an instructor who has attended the mandatory MTO training sessions and is a certified Signing Authority.
      The M2 Exit On-Road Course examines and practices defensive driving techniques for motorcyclists and how these techniques apply to the MTO requirements for passing the M2 Exit Test. The course includes: classroom discussion; parking lot practice sessions with coaching; on-street practice with coaching; and the M2 Exit Test which has been accepted by the MTO for upgrade to a full M license. Since you will be riding your own motorcycle during this course it must be mechanically sound and you must wear full protective gear.
      During this course, you will be riding your own motorcycle in a small group, totalling no more than six students and two instructors. There are two lecture sessions, several skills improvement sessions, and an on-street evaluation and practice, followed by the provincial M2-Exit road test.
      The course starts with an Experienced Rider Course which acts as a skill refresher and evaluation, to ensure we are teaching to students at a consistent skill level. This refresher is equivalent to the skills test at the end of the Gearing Up program, and will refresh your basic riding, turning and speed judgment, and emergency techniques such as swerving and braking.
      Next, we will teach and practice the specific skills needed to execute the elements on the M2 Exit Test. For each skill, your instructor will discuss and demonstrate the correct sequence of events and specific procedures you will be expected to perform. Then you will practice these procedures, with coaching and feedback, in an enclosed parking lot.
      Finally, you will move onto the streets of Ottawa to practice the skills you have been taught in real situations. One instructor will be in a vehicle, following you on your motorcycle and providing coaching and feedback via radio communications (Radios are provided, and you will get instruction and practice on their use before beginning this section of the program.) Another instructor will accompany the group, on their own motorcycle, to lead and demonstrate techniques, as required.
      At the end of the coaching and practice sessions, you will take the M2-Exit Road Test. You will ride your own motorcycle on real streets, performing manoeuvres directed by the Signing Authority, who will be following you in a vehicle and giving you instructions over your helmet radio. Once you successfully complete the course curriculum and pass the M2-Exit Road Test, you will receive certification that allows you to upgrade to your full M license.

M2 Exit Preparation
As an alternative to the full course, the M2 Exit Preparation Session is designed for those who just want coaching on the nature of the MTO M2 Exit test, but prefer to practice riding on their own. This is a classroom-only session, therefore; students will not be expected to bring their motorcycles. The Course Moderator is a certified Signing Authority for the administration of the M2 Exit Road Test and will provide some tips on what to expect while being tested.
     Note: The OSC MRC does NOT provide any testing for students nor does it provide any tutoring (theoretical or practical) outside of the context of these sessions. Students are expected to make their own arrangements with licensed MTO offices for the road test.

Course Format
The format for each of the courses is as follows:

M2 Exit On Road Course:

Successful completion of the Experienced Rider Course which consists of one evening and a weekend day (Saturday or Sunday);
Two (2) weekday evenings to include parking lot practical and classroom sessions; and
One weekend day, Saturday or Sunday.

M2 Exit Preparation Session:

One (1) weekday evening from 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM. (Classroom discussion only. No practical component). Students are expected to have a copy of the MTO Handbook for Motorcyclists. Copies are available for purchase at the OSC Office, any MTO office or Canadian Tire store. Copies will also be available for purchase from the Course Moderator.

Prerequisites
To participate in, and graduate from, the M2-Exit program you must meet the following criteria.

You must be eligible to take the M2 exit. This means you must hold a valid M2 license, and must be in the 18 month to 5-year window as prescribed by the provincial guidelines. It is your responsibility to make sure you are eligible. Contact the Ministry if you are unsure.

You must wear a complete set of safety gear, in acceptable condition, for all riding exercises, both in the parking lots and on the streets. You must meet our course standards for safety gear, even if you personally ride with less protection outside the course.

You must provide a properly licensed and insured, safe, roadworthy motorcycle. Tires, lights, horn, and indicators must be in working order, and there must be no obvious mechanical problems or leaks. You must provide the fuel for the riding exercises.

Your instructor is responsible for your safety and the safety of the other students. If your instructor feels you are unable to develop the necessary skills to safely operate your motorcycle in the test situations, they are authorized to ask you to withdraw from the course, and to disqualify you from taking the skills test. Unsafe behaviour of any kind will also result in your removal from the course.

Fees
The current fees are as follows:

M2 Exit On Road Course (classroom, Experienced Rider Course, riding practice, and road test) is $522 (HST included). Fees include all instruction and instructive materials, and the use of the radio. The fee does not include motorcycle, fuel, oil, food, or refreshments.

M2 Exit Preparation Session (provides guidance, a preview of the test, and riding tips, but no riding practice and no test) is $56.50 (HST included).

After you Graduate
Once you graduate from the M2-Exit program, you can visit a License Centre with your graduation certificate and be upgraded to your full M License.
We recommend that you consider taking additional Experienced Rider Courses now and then to continue to hone and practice your skills. In addition, if you remain an active rider and would like to share your enthusiasm for motorcycling with others, you might wish to become a Motorcycle Rider Course instructor yourself.

Schedule & Registration
The M2-Exit program is a labour-intensive course with a growing demand (since the graduated licensing program was introduced in the early ‘90s). The schedule runs approximately like this:

You successfully complete an Experienced Rider Course in the month preceding your M2-Exit program. The skills test from the Gearing Up program will be administered and must be passed.

Tuesday and Thursday evenings you meet from 6:30 PM to 10:00 PM.

Both Tuesday and Thursday evenings have classroom and riding components. The parking lot session is designed to practice the specific techniques required by the MTO to demonstrate safe, competent and confident riding. The classroom sessions examine defensive driving strategies and how they apply to the MTO requirements.

Either Saturday or Sunday you will continue to practice the elements of the M2-Exit skills, then do the on-road practice, and finally take the actual M2-Exit test. You should keep both Saturday and Sunday free until your specific schedule is worked out with your instructors and fellow students.

The M2-Exit program runs weekends from April until early October, subject to demand and the availability of instructors. You need to contact the office to determine the available weekends and to register. The ERC, lecture, skills practice, and on-street riding will be spread between three locations, Mitel, Lakeside Gardens and the General Dynamics Canada site. We will provide you detailed schedule and location instructions when you register.
Plan to register soon after your 18 months of M2 riding are up. Scheduling your course may be tight, so why not allow yourself 3-1/2 years to fit it in, rather than risking the expiry of your license by waiting until the last minute?

changed Jun 30, 2010