LEARN HOW TO RIDE A MOTORCYCLE
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motorcycle, but the low seat height
helps make up for that.
Even though both are outdoorsy
people, neither Landon nor Shawna
are familiar with motorcycles; in fact,
they've never really been around
motorcycles. But they always wanted
to ride one. After all, it looks like
fun, and they are into having fun and
trying new things. Landon, I thought,
would be a bit of a challenge to
teach since he had never before
operated any kind of vehicle with a
clutch or a manual transmission, but
he had plenty of two-wheel experi-
ence on a bicycle. Perfect.
I've always felt that learning to
ride a motorcycle on the dirt is best.
Pavement is hard, dirt is soft, and
dirt teaches you that a wiggling
motorcycle on the unstable ground
beneath you is not unusual or some-
thing to be afraid of. Riding on dirt
quickly forces you to learn how to
control the motorcycle by continually
having to make corrections on the
soft and irregular ground. I realize
it might be a little more difficult at
first, but in my mind, the learning
curve is much steeper on dirt, and I
believe it's safer, as well. I taught my
wife how to ride a motorcycle on the
dirt, and she's never looked back.
It's fine to get your motorcycling feet
wet on the pavement, for sure, but I
prefer getting started on terra firma if
possible.
THE CLUTCH
Any accomplished motorcyclist
will tell you the hardest part about
learning how to ride a motorcycle
was mastering the clutch. Figuring
out that fine line between stalling the
How To Get Started
All states now require the Class
M endorsement on a license to
operate a motorcycle on public
roads. The entity in charge of the
motorcycle-training courses var-
ies from state to state, as do the
prices (in Illinois, for example,
the basic course is free!). But
many states are using the Motor-
cycle Safety Foundation (MSF)
courses, including Honda's
Colton Rider Education Center
(RECs) in California, which was
one of the very first motorcycle-
training centers in the U.S. that
was open to the public. Soon af-
ter the California Rider Education
Center was established, three
more were opened in Irving,
Texas; Alpharetta, Georgia; and
Troy, Ohio. The Honda RECs
were the first of their kind to be
built by an Original Equipment
Manufacturer (OEM) with dedi-
cated classrooms and ranges for
teaching street, ATV and off-road
riding skills. Police and military
agencies also use the facilities
for their own specialized rider
training programs.
Harley-Davidson has its Riding
Academy New Rider Course at
authorized H-D dealerships all
over the USA, and usually the
dealer offers generous financial
incentives on bikes and gear for
students completing the course.
Some states run their own
unique motorcycle programs,
such as Team Oregon or Idaho
STAR and a growing number of
states are using the Total Control
Clinic curriculum by Lee Parks
(currently California, Colorado,
Pennsylvania, Texas and coming
soon, Arizona.)
The United States Motorcycle
Coaching Association (USMCA)
has a certification process for
coaches and riders can con-
nect with those coaches via the
https://motorcyclecoaching.
org/ website.
To find the nearest one to you,
visit your state's DMV website,
which will have links to its official
motorcycle-endorsement training
courses. Or you can call the
MSF and plug your zip code into
the hotline at (800) 446-9227 to
find a nearby MSF course.
There are many certified
organizations out there that will
love to teach you, your kids,
your mother or whoever how to
ride a motorcycle.
