Roaring through this city

It’s 4 pm on a Thursday and classes are starting at the Egypt Motorcycle School.

The school's co-founder Ahmed Omran is watching a female student as she does laps around a cone.

But not for long — her circular turns are wide, and it’s time to switch to smaller maneuvers before switching back to practicing the wider loops.

“The process teaches a biker control and turning,” says Omran, 32, who has been riding bikes since he was 10.

The grounds of the small school comprise a bachelor-pad like hut off the side of a dead-end road with garden seating and a barrel grill made by Omran. A track is painted on the ground with routes and the number eight.

The most important part of teaching riders to ride properly is safety, he says.

"Riding motorcycles is dangerous, and if you don’t know what you’re doing, it can be deadly," Omran cautions.

This hasn't kept bikers from riding, nor has it kept those curious enough from trying, even if they are less experienced.

Cairo's streets are teeming with motorbikes and Vespas weaving their way through the capital's congested traffic. On the weekends, more serious bikers roar around town, or in its less crowded outskirts, on their Harley-Davidsons. The global Harley Owners Group has a very active chapter in Cairo with more than 100 members, better known as HOGs.

But on the city's notoriously precarious roads, accidents are prevalent and at times fatal, putting amateur bikers at greater risk.

Twenty-five students are currently enrolled at the Egypt Motorcycle School, of whom 40 percent are women. Certification takes anywhere from eight to 10 classes, and it typically takes students three classes to progress from level to level (beginning, intermediate and advanced) before taking their certification test.

Omran says 99 percent of students make it through the whole course.

“In Egypt, you can get a motorcycle license without even knowing how to ride a motorcycle,” he says. If Omran had it his way, a prerequisite for anyone wanting a motorcycle license would be time at a school like EMS.

"Many people ride motorcycles through the streets of Cairo but they don’t have the first idea about technique — it’s very dangerous.”

Trained by instructors from BMW, Omran and his partner Haitham al-Shayeb are well versed in techniques and safety measures for proper motorcycle riding. They have bigger dreams of expanding their school and getting more students to join.

“We started with the school on the corner near my home, but now we have a more permanent place and our dream continues to grow as we work," Omran explains.

The commitment is small, but the benefits are many. The EMS course costs LE1,000 and will take you from 4 to 6 weeks to complete depending on the amount of time you can commit. Instructors also help students pick a good new bike or assess a more affordable used one.

For students, taking courses at EMS also means they join a network of Cairo bikers and gain a resource for motorcycle related advice, information and access to gear.

“People come and hang out here at the school. They come for coffee or to grill. We also have trips and many of our students choose to join us," says Omran.

You learn on a street bike and ride with a half helmet, knee and elbow pads and a body brace of sorts for safety.

Hala al-Samra, a 22-year-old co-teacher at a local school, is one of the EMS students. “I have always been into motorcycles,” she says. “I think it’s the adrenaline — I love to ride.”

While it's not very common to see women riding around Cairo on motorcycles, it is not a completely rare sighting either. Still, of the hundred or so HOGs, only a few are female, according to their website.

Samra spent time riding motorcycles around town, but she noticed that she attracted more attention if she didn’t wear a helmet or take some care with what she wears.

Omran advises female riders to tuck their hair in their helmet and wear baggy pants. If anyone runs into trouble, they can always call on the help of EMS staff.

“No one has stopped me or bothered me, but everyone watches me when I drive,” Samra says. “It’s very empowering to ride a motorcycle."

Even male riders turn a few heads as their bikes rumble through the city, probably from unfortunate drivers trapped in their cars. With traffic the way it is, the thrill of navigating the streets on a motorcycle is looking increasingly tempting — as long as you know what you're doing.

For more information, email [email protected] or visit egyptmotorcycleschool.com.
Tel: 010-9818-6669