Motorcycle Safety Courses

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Motorcycling can be a real challenge, from your first time sitting on the motorcycle and trying to learn the controls, to learning how to ride the bike, to finally dealing with real-world driving situations. This article will discuss the various safty courses available for both new and experienced riders to take. These course are user friendly and are designed to maximize the students involvement and experience. The main objective is to develop the special motorcyclist skills, habits, and strategies to be the best motorcyclist you can be and to keep you safe while enjoying your ride.

Motorcycle Safety? what is it? where do I sign up? why do I need it? When I wanted to learn how to ride properly I had no idea where to go or whom to ask. I am often asked today, “how can I get trained to ride a motorcycle?” Sure most people can hop on a bike and go, but to be a confident and safe rider and to know your machine, it is advisable to enroll in a motorcycle safety course. It is best to learn your mistakes in the controlled environment of a parking lot than out on the road. Plus you get to ride someone elses bike for a few days and meet fellow motorcylists. With the increased popularity of motorcycles, more and more riders are finding that they are being turned away by state programs. The Motor Vehicle Administration in Maryland is so over booked with its Motorcycle Safety Foundation (MSF) sponsored courses, that they have turned to a lottery system for candidates. It is both a good and bad problem to have — too many interested students. The downside is that, people will not want to wait to get in the class, go and buy their motorcycle with their permit in hand and possibly get in over their heads. Also, Maryland has the option where you can show up at the MVA and have an angry MD state employee certify you on the non-MSF sanctioned closed course. It is a crime and needs to be changed. The failure rate on this is above 60%. Mainly due to the state motorcycle certifier not having any knowledge of what it takes to ride a motorcycle. So, please do not go this route unless you want your blood pressure to rise. Take a sanctioned MSF course, or sign up for a Rider’s Edge course. You can even get in courses sponsored through the local Community Colleges.

When I took my MSF course back in 1987, it was taught by several California Highway Patrol Officers. These guys were great. I remember one saying to me, “We offer these courses because we get tired of scraping people off the sides of the road.” Pretty sobering thought for a kid about to buy a Kawasaki Ninja.

I can only speak of the Motorcycle Safety Foundation’s sponsored course. It is called the BRC for Basic Rider Course. It is well worth the experience. It weeds out those that have know coordination and have no business being on a bike. Students are encouraged to do self evaluations and decide to opt themselves out of the course if they find that motorcycling is just not for them. Now, once you get your BRC and start riding, you can come back later and sign up for the ERC - Experienced Rider Course. This is a referesher and provides a few more advanced exercises.

Now if you have done all that and have a knack for teaching, you can return and sign up for the RCC - Rider Coach Course. But, this will take away your weekends, so be fore warned. I did go thru 90% of the Maryland sponsored RCC program. I learned alot. But I wanted to ride on the weekends and not be tied to a parking lot teaching. Having said that, if you have the teaching bug, I recommend the course. Perhaps you could open your own training center one day, get state certification and teach away. Also, you could sign up with Rider’s Edge and be part of that orginization or other. I have set up this Motorcycle Safety Orginization Section for the intent to help both new and experienced riders to find places to take these very useful courses. If there is a course that I have not listed in the section, please contact me or write up an article for me and I will gladly add it to this site.

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