- Riding a bike can’t be that difficult. Why do I need special
training?
- Riding a motorcycle is not simple; it requires you to pay a lot of
attention and to apply a few counterintuitive techniques. In recent
months there have been lots of stories in newspapers around the country
older men folks who, after not riding in decades—or ever—bought
a motorcycle, took delivery, and immediately crashed it. Moreover, stories
abound about young men riding like madmen and getting themselves killed.
Lack of proper training is a contributing cause to many motorcycle
accidents.
Maybe you already know everything there is about riding a motorcycle.
So take the Basic Rider Course anyway: it will be an easy review.
Please read “Unskilled
and Unaware of It: How Difficulties in Recognizing One’s Own Incompetence
Lead to Inflated Self-Assessments.”
- What’s the best way to learn to ride a motorcycle?
- In the US, the best way is to take the Motorcycle
Safety Foundation’s Basic Rider Course.
In California: The California
Motorcyclist Safety Program Basic Rider Course required if you are
not yet 21 years old. If you pass the test at the end of the course,
you get a certificate that you take to the DMV. This lets you skip the
DMV’s riding test.
- Where can I find an MSF course near me?
- In California, call (877) RIDE-411 for the times and locations of
classes near you. (800-CC-RIDER is obsolete!) In the United States,
check out the moto-directory web site’s list of MSF
Courses by State. In the rest of the world, check out their list
of Motorcycle
Riding Courses by Country.
- How do I get my motorcycle driver’s license?
- In the US, go to the DMV and take the motorcycle written and riding
tests.
- I’m coming back to riding after an absence of twenty years. I
know how to ride. Why should I take a rider training course?
- If you were a small-airplane pilot, would you expect the FAA to let
you fly again after an absence like that without a refresher course?
- Does insurance cover track schools?
- Sometimes.
“Where did the accident happen?”
“I was attending a rider safety school called dP Safety School,
on a closed course.”
“Closed course?”
“Yes. They rent out SIR and hold their riding instruction there.
There is no traffic, no cars, no objects in the road, so it is pretty
much the only safe place to hold these things.”
“You mean this was at a racetrack.”
“Yes it was. However, this was not racing. I was not in a speed
contest. I was attending a course designed to make me a safer motorcyclist,
on a closed course, under the supervision of experienced instructors.”
Don’t laugh—it has worked. You just have to be firm and make
sure they understand it wasn’t a speed contest and you were not
in a race with anyone, sanctioned or unsanctioned. —Jenner
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