HOW TO SELECT A MOTORCYLE DRIVING SAFETY COURSE

A HARLEY DAVIDSON RIDERS EDGE COURSE
Motorcycle safety courses are for *more* than learning how to safely ride your bike!

You will also gain some helpful information about motorcycles in general and you’ll meet other motorcycle enthusiasts!

There are many options for choosing a course to learn to ride. Since I cannot speak for all states, I will mention a few of the popular options for my home state of Virginia:

1. The Harley Davidson 鈥淩iders鈥?Edge New Riders Course.鈥?/span>
2. The Motorcycle Safety Foundation basic 鈥淩iderCourse鈥?

Regardless of how or where you decide to take classes, if you are a beginner you want to make sure to get a course that includes the following:

• The course is certified by the Motorcycle Safety Foundation (MSF) and includes the course material from their Rider Education and Training System (MSF RETS). You can find them at www.msf-usa.org.
• The course offers their own bikes so that you don鈥檛 have to bring your own or have to own one.
• The course includes hands-on riding (at least one full day, preferably two) and classroom study
• The course includes a driving skills test and test certification that you can take to your state Department of Motor Vehicles which will allow you to waive the skills portion at DMV when you get your license. In most states you will still need to take the short written exam.
• The course offers proof of certification and successful accomplishment that you can use for a discount from your motorcycle insurance carrier.

Here are some 鈥渘ice to have鈥?items in a course:

• Dealership familiarization and tours of bike service areas
• Course materials that you can keep for future reference
• Demo helmets and accessories that you can try during the course (i.e. Do I like a full helmet, three-quarter, or half helmet? How does it affect my vision?)
• Video CDs or DVDs that show course exercises and teaching points for home use

Most safety courses include these topics:

• How to identify different types of motorcycles (street, racing, cruiser, off-road, etc.)
• Different parts of the motorcycle and operating controls: engine, brakes, throttle, lights, clutch, drive train, etc.
• Some motorcycle maintenance basics: changing oil, checking tire pressure, checking clutch tension, etc.
• Pre-ride actions and the acronyms to remember them: Safety Inspection (T-CLOCS: Tires, Controls, Lights, Oil, Chassis, Sidestand), and Start UP (FINE-C: Fuel, Ignition, Neutral, Engine Cut-off and Clutch)
• Motorcycle safety gear: helmets, gloves, jackets, goggles/face shields, boots, and clothing.
• Motorcycle traffic rules and guidelines. Many courses offer video simulation of road hazards and potentially dangerous scenarios.
• Actual bike riding! For beginners this starts out very slowly (i.e. just learning how to get a feel for the clutch and walking the bike across the parking lot), but quickly progresses to driving in large circles and executing avoidance maneuvers and emergency braking. You spend a lot of time in second gear and may even touch third gear for a few moments.
• Driving test practice and the actual examination. Look for a course that will give you the certification paperwork to permit you to take the road skills portion during the class and have that part waived by DMV.

Buell Blast motorcycles used in the Harley courses

HARLEY DAVIDSON NEW RIDER TRAINING

The safety course offered through Harley Davidson is called 鈥淩ider鈥檚 Edge New Riders Course鈥? and it is usually hosted by a corporately-designated Harley dealership.

In this stroke of marketing genius, the course also includes a tour of the dealership display floor and service area, and a discussion of motorcycle accessories and clothing from the sales staff on the showroom floor, using actual items (helmets, jackets, gloves, shirts) for demo.

The intent, obviously, is to have new riders bond with the dealership and to trust them for more than just the motorcycle purchase. It works!

The cost of the New Rider Course is determined by each participating dealership, and ranges anywhere from $195 to $350. The price includes the use of a Buell庐 Blast庐 motorcycle for class riding sessions. You can find a dealer near you by going to the Harley Davidson web site at www.harley-davidson.com, clicking on the 鈥淩iders鈥?tab and selecting new rider training.

Usually the course is scheduled over five days, Thursday to Monday. Weekday sessions are held in the evening at the dealership classroom. Saturday and Sunday sessions run all day and are taught on a controlled range near the dealership.

To take the Rider’s Edge庐 New Rider Course, you’ll need:

* A valid automobile driver’s license or learner’s permit
* To be able to ride a bicycle For the riding sessions, you’ll need:
* A heavy long-sleeve shirt or leather jacket
* Jeans, chaps or leather pants
* Over-the ankle, sturdy footwear
* Full-fingered gloves
* A helmet that meets DOT requirements
* Eyewear

MOTORCYCLE SAFETY FOUNDATION NEW RIDER TRAINING

Considerations when selecting an MSF training site for the Beginner MSF RIDERCOURSE:

• The MSF Basic RiderCourse is designed as a 15-hour curriculum that takes place over a few days or consecutive weekends. However, some locations listed here add additional modules of instruction/discussion that lengthen the class. COST approx $150.
• Most locations issue an MSF RiderCourse Completion Card. Upon successful completion of the RiderCourse, some states, not all, will waive the on-bike riding skills test and/or the written test required to obtain your motorcycle operator’s license or endorsement.
• Please note that many states will not accept an MSF RiderCourse Completion Card issued from another state or from the Military.

KEY MESSAGES FROM THE MSF:

• Get trained and licensed
• Wear protective gear — all the gear, all the time — including a helmet manufactured to the standards set by the DOT
• Ride unimpaired by alcohol or other drugs
• Ride within your own skill limits
• Be a lifelong learner by taking refresher rider courses

SOME EXTRA TIPS:

A good resource for state-specific licensing requirements for motorcycles is at www.dmv.org/motorcycles.php.

A list of internet training resource links can be found at the Motorcycle Safety Foundation at www.msf-usa.org.

New Rider Learning for Big Bikes:

Jerry “Motorman” Palladino goes through an exercise

This is an unsolicited endorsement for a CD called 鈥淩ide Like a Pro.鈥?nbsp; This series of video demonstrations and exercises definitely helped me to learn to control my big bike (Harley Davidson Street Glide) at low speeds.

The main instructor is Jerry 鈥楳otorman鈥?Palladino, a motorcycle police officer. He takes you through progressively more challenging exercises. It takes some personal discipline to get a few small traffic cones and lay out an exercise course, but the quick improvement that it made in my driving and control skills was (to me, anyway) amazing.

You can find the CD at www.ridelikeapro.com.

Check out our other guide on How To Choose A GREAT Pair of Motorcycle Goggles!

Here is another good link for Motorcycle gloves, goggles, leathers and other Harley Davidson accessories!