About MMS
What’s with the name Monkey Moto School?
Monkey Moto School just kind of made sense.
Meet Los Monkeys
Evan Arkush
Back around 2007 Evan started Monkey Moto School pretty randomly after helping a few friends with their riding skills. It became clear that coaching riders wasn’t a huge methodical departure from teaching health and fitness (Evan’s other career) even invoking yogic and sports mentalities which greatly aid people to understand motorcycling on a deeper level.
Now, about 15 years later, Evan has worked with hundreds of novice and intermediate motorcyclists and continues to develop the curriculum so that Monkey Moto School can offer the very best training possible.
Jason Vieira
Now in his mid-forties Jason brings a lifetime of experience along with an easy smile and calming presence to Monkey Moto School. Asked what draws him to teaching he quickly responded that he feels pretty lucky to have received excellent training from the very beginning and wants to pass on the same solid foundation of skills to others straight out of the gate.
Additionally, he is looking forward to expanding his own exposure in working with the diverse population of excited new riders here in the SF Bay Area.
Tuula Paivio-Ala
If you actually know Tuula you get why this is a very silly (though possibly true) statement. No question, at first glance she appears like a quintessential rocker chick – and yes, she does sing in a rock band! – but your first moment of contact will reveal the brain of a passionate and concerned motorcycling mentor with a mountain of experience to share. Tuula has traveled the globe to ride and probably knows every fun Bay Area back road intimately. She has several years of coaching under her Slayer belt and you can have full confidence that she will turn you into a very capable motorcyclist in addition to offering her library of insight that may literally save you years of figuring it out on your own. We are incredibly blessed that Tuula decided to leave Canada and come to our corner. You will be too.
Brian Giblon
Between extensive bicycling and scooter riding while working various delivery jobs he has probably traveled nearly every inch of road in San Francisco and he can tell you where most of the fun riding outside of the city is too.
Initially self-taught (as were most of us) Brian took it upon himself to up his game with more formal training courses including the Monkey Moto School rider program. Added to the practical knowledge, he now has an extensive set of skills and traffic management tools which he brings to us with his easy demeanor and a friendly smile. Brian is a dedicated Vespa rider with a real desire to pass it forward and the deep philosophy that we’ll all be better off on the streets if there are more two-wheeled motorists than four-wheeled ones. We couldn’t agree more.
Elle
Elle is an avid street, track and, more recently, dirt rider. She’s rides her bikes every possible day and is constantly seeking opportunities to develop her skills and to be a positive influence in the riding community.
Elle began motorcycling while in college around age 20 and was immediately captivated. She graduated from a basic rider course in North Carolina and was further mentored by a good friend who was a sportbike junkie and a fan of Keith Code’s techniques. Around that time, she participated in her first of many track days on a 250cc bike.
In her early years of motorcycling Elle had several observations… First, wherever she went there were few other female riders which she found disappointing. Second, a lot of people -riders and non-riders alike- offered an abundance of advice that was a mix of good, bad and questionable. And third, unfortunately, she received frequent, unsolicited discouragement simply because she was a girl.
These observations led to some obvious conclusions and a building desire to affect change that continues today. In short, women need more female motorcycling role models, and the riding world in general would benefit from more-informed ambassadors.
Of course Elle never saw her gender as a drawback nor did she see her height (or lack thereof) as a limiter. She wanted to ride and she was making it happen regardless of whatever noise came her way. In fact, in order to offset some height challenges Elle had to develop techniques that many taller riders didn’t which she now recognizes as an advantage and she eagerly shares this knowledge with all-comers.
These days you’ll frequently find Elle romping on one of her two super fun sport bikes, a KTM Duke 890R and a neo cult classic sport bike, Yamaha R6. Whether she’s carving canyons, dodging city traffic, doing track days or just fine tuning in a parking lot Elle has a devotion that won’t quit and a motivation to share her knowledge with anybody with the enthusiasm and capacity to learn.