Rider courses

The wind in your hair, the close up views of mother nature and the camaraderie of the road…all an unrealized dream because you don’t know how to ride a motorcycle? Here are a couple of tips to help you get started.

No matter how macho, how self sufficient you are, you gotta take a formal course. Really. The Motorcycle Safety Foundation, aka MSF, trains instructors and has set out specific methods to help you keep safe. The courses include classroom and on the road experience and typically are two or three days. They give you the small cycles to ride along with a helmet, you provide the appropriate clothing (read long sleeves, gloves and those marvelously heavy boots).

You’ll learn how to ride a bike in traffic and how to keep out of sticky situations that may leave you vulnerable. Keep in mind it takes a while to feel comfy driving a motorcycle in traffic. Even if you think you know how to cycle, it is only to your benefit to take an MSF course. It may be necessary even, before you can get a license, if you have failed a test before.

So get your courage up, take a course and ride happy.