Course graduate = smart rider
You'll quickly recognize the people who didn't get 'real' training and learn to avoid them!

Good luck!

 

best money i ever spent. i learned so many subtle nuances that i never thought of before. its mandatory in florida now as i understand it. but i highly recommend it no matter what your experience level is.

 

Curt 1953 I was an instructor for 6 years you will be amased at what you are doing wrong when you take the course. I had a 73 year old that had ridden more than 50 years and he could not believe how he got to class after taking the class.

 

I took the course before I bought my bike. I had ridden dirt bikes all my life but never street bikes. Since it had been about 6 years since I even rode a dirt bike I thought it would be a good idea. The class is well worth the money. I found most of it pretty basic just because of my past experience but there were a few things that were great. Just the opportunity to play around a little on a smaller bike helped build some confidence before going to the bigger bike. I was the youngest person there but it was a great atmosphere with everyone. Because the instructor knew about my past dirt bike experience he pushed me pretty hard through every exercise. I think he just wanted to see how fast one of those little Honda 250's would go around the turns. LOL It was good though because I would have coasted through it all if he didn't push me. In the end the instructors asked me to consider being an instructor myself. I thought about it but decided I didn't want to spend every weekend in the summer playing around in a parking lot. The class is great though. I'm going to put my girlfriend through it just so she will feel more comfortable riding on the back with me. I have talked to other women who took it for the same reason and they said it helped them alot.

 

Bro...

When I took the course I had merely about a half an hour on a BMW Dakar bike (street modded)... AND... A Heck of a lot of miles of bicycle racing (Road, Track, Tandem and Trike)... up to National Level!!! Dry, Rain, You Name it!!!

We trained on little buzz bikes... and believe me!!! They were the Nutz!!! The difference twixt an Austin Healey Bug-Eyed Sprite and a Peugeot 504!!! (When compared to my Wide Glide!!!)!!!

EACH time you turn the ignition will began a learning experience!!! (as it its with EVERY endeavour!!!) When you think you have nothing more to learn... You will die!!! Be Humble In ALL Things!!! Actually, I think this consideration goes for ALL of life!!!

Stay safe, grow old and wizened and happy, and share the blessings of life which you have learned!!!

Jim aka kiltiemon

 

I have also took the Rider course in PA here...I guess the difference here is that we actually dont have to pay any sort of money to take the class it is provided by the state...I have ridden atv's and some dirt bikes but not with alot of experience...I went there a little nervous thinking id be the only one who had never ridden, when they asked us i think about 7 ppl had raised their hands saying they have never ridden b 4...Was def. the best thing I have ever done in my life, I have been riding for maybe 3 or 4 yrs now and my first bike is an 82 HD FXR Superglide II. After I got done with the class i wasnt afraid to ride anywhere all I had to do was basically watch out for the "Cagers" or the other "A$$holes" on the road...Other then that was one of the best experiences ive had on a bike especially getting to know others

 

How much is this riding course? I'm very glad to see that there are people willing to pay the money and take the time to go through such a course voluntarily

You guys wouldn't believe the trouble (and money) you have to go through in order to get a license to ride big bikes where I live (Japan). First of all, there is no general motorcycle endorsement here. It's split up into 3 categories: small (up to 125cc), medium (up to 400cc) and large (over 400cc). If you want to the big bikes here - and that of course includes all Harleys - you first need to pay approximately $1,500 and then go through a rigorous 31 hour riding course before you can even take the driving test for a license. I recently bought an '08 Fatboy, but I still have 24 more hours of training and a driving test to go before I can even ride it.

Now, I am a pretty experienced rider, but they have tripped me up on more than one occasion. The motto of this course seems to be, "anyone can ride a bike fast, but can you ride and keep your balance at a crawl." Many hours of this course are spent on a 10 inch-wide, 15 meter-long balance beam, which during the test, you need to stay up on for a minimum of 10 seconds. If you put your foot down or fall off the beam, it's an automatic fail on the driving test. If you knock over a cone (easy to do on the test bikes because of the big prodruding guards on front and rear) on the figure 8, cone-weave or any of the other obstacle courses it's also an automatic fail.

A lot of foreigners who come to Japan opt for a "test out" which allows you to by-pass the riding course IF you pass the test, but less than 1% of those who take it pass on the first try. I once balked at their program, too, but now I see the merit and I'm glad I'm taking the courses because of what it teaches. Even for a 31 hour course, though, that's still a LOT of coin. I'm glad they gave me few grand off on the bike. That was ultimately the deciding factor on my taking the course.

Harley-Davidson has long been after Japan to stop their stringent licensing methods as it cuts down on their sales. Even so, Harley has a STRONG following and steady sales here.

 

Thanks Tinkermc, Right now I'm having trouble with my right turns, taking up more than my lane while I'm making the turn. I guess this is due to my lazy right eye but I am getting better. I guess I'm just afaid to lean more than what I am. I'm not having any problems at all with my left turns. I'm also having trouble just putting down my left foot when I stop and keeping my right foot on the rear brake pedal. My take offs, shifting and downshifts are getting better everytime I ride.

 

curt if you use your rear brake at slow speeds it will force you to stop with the left down

 

I've been riding bikes in one form or another all my life. I took the course and learned tons, things I'd of never considered before. I recommend it to anyone.