safety course

[STEPPENWOLF]

The reason why I say dirt bike experience is good is because if the bike wiggle waggles a little on sand,gravel,tar snakes, metal grate bridges or railroad track crossings you won't panic..just stay on your course and you should be fine.
Not telling ya what to do but stay calm and you will have a story to tell later when swapping lies with other riders.

[kboehringer]

Safety Course Discount?

I wonder if my State Farm Agent will accept my card as proof of training?



It doesn't have an expiration date!

KURT

[aquamantx]

The one thing I have noticed and sounds like they impress upon students is pay attention. The more I ride the more I am able to predict others drivers moves before they happen. Once or twice I could see the accident before it happened. Keeps you alive.

[Blank Slate]

The one thing I have noticed and sounds like they impress upon students is pay attention. .

Yup, we were told shoulder checks were not part of the final exam yet almost everyone did them anyway because it was ingrained into our blank slates

[mikubuilder]

I did Safety course a couple of years ago, here in MI. It was in a community college and it was only $25. You get to use their bikes, most were 250s, some newer fuel injected Bandits...Money well spent, as we get a discount on insurance as well.

[Blank Slate]

It was in a community college and it was only $25.

We get so screwed in Canada for just about everything. My course was $450.
same goes for cars, tools, etc... Canada is big with the population of California (not counting illegals).

[DiverRay]

Canada is big with the population of California (not counting illegals)

Yeah, but You guys have a LOT more area to get lost in! And no, we don't count the illegals either.... We just try and avoid them, as some STILL do not have a drivers license.

[JerseyJon]

Ride like a pro

I took the ride-like-a-pro course, and it was really helpful. A lot of slow speed maneuvering drills that translate to road and highway speeds. MUCH better than the standard MSF course.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NR_eEo9XpKw

[Rasputin]

We get so screwed in Canada for just about everything. My course was $450.
same goes for cars, tools, etc... Canada is big with the population of California (not counting illegals).

Yup cost $450 here as well. Our local has a guarantee of getting a license as well as they provide the bikes, helmets etc. So it ain't all bad.

[CatatonicBug]

I took the course when I first got my XS, back in 2008. It took care of the riding part of the DL exam. It cost somewhere around $250 IIRC. I will agree that the classroom part was rather boring, but they did cover preflight checks, which get overlooked by many riders. They provided the bikes (Honda 250s), but helmet, jacket, boots and gloves were required to be brought by the student. I rode my XS to the class, and it was quite a shock to change to that tiny 250! We lost at least one student during the riding portion too. She just couldn't handle the bike - kept complaining that there was something wrong with the bike, but she was just as bad with a different bike.

I learned a lot from the slow-speed maneuvering lessons. Being able to make a tight U-turn actually helped me the very next week, as I found myself downtown, looking for creative parking places. I remember they focused on not looking at the ground, and keeping your hand OFF the brake lever when you aren't stopping. I do remember that I cheated with one of the tests, and power-shifted instead of using the clutch. The instructor didn't even notice!

I've never been able to get an insurance discount from taking the class though. I'd like to take some other maneuvering courses though, so I can learn to ride like those Highway Patrol riders in the slow-speed contests!

[nzemke]

I took mine in washington state back in 2004 and borrowed a little honda 250 from a friend to do the driving portion. At that point all you had to do was take a written test then drive their little course. Even when I stopped riding for a few years whens when my kiddos were first born I still paid to keep the endorsement and very glad that I did! One of the guys working under me went got his endorsement two years ago and had to drive an hour away to do a two day class before doing his driving test. His mom is to this day still a little irked that I talked him into getting a motorcycle!! LOL!!

[rover]

safety course.

I learned on a 38 Indian 4 cyl in 1952, 14 years old. We lived on a gravel road, and I rode on it a lot. That was before I had any DL. I burned up the fields, and once escaped from the law. I have been riding ever since. At 77 years old, I still ride. The old bikes were really a chore to drive, compared to an XS11. In 1980 I bought a 79 SF, put close to 100,000 on it, bought a 79 F in 02, with 14,000 on it, and have 83,000 on it. I've had many old Harleys, Indians. Then around 1982, I got a Honda 350 from a friend, rode that for a year, then got a 750 Kaw 3 cyl 2 stroke, and rode that till 1980 when I got the SF. The newest Harley I ever had was a 51.

[Blank Slate]

I learned on a 38 Indian 4 cyl in 1952, 14 years old. We lived on a gravel road, and I rode on it a lot. That was before I had any DL. I burned up the fields, and once escaped from the law. I have been riding ever since. At 77 years old, I still ride. The old bikes were really a chore to drive, compared to an XS11. In 1980 I bought a 79 SF, put close to 100,000 on it, bought a 79 F in 02, with 14,000 on it, and have 83,000 on it. I've had many old Harleys, Indians. Then around 1982, I got a Honda 350 from a friend, rode that for a year, then got a 750 Kaw 3 cyl 2 stroke, and rode that till 1980 when I got the SF. The newest Harley I ever had was a 51.

pretty cool

[ViperRon]

I must say I went through a good one when I was in the Navy and it was required to get a sticker to come on base. The instructor explained in the beginning that there are for a fact too many service members getting injured and if someone was even the least uncomfortable go home, you will not pass this course. This was a requirement placed on him by the base commander and several went home and had to wait 6 weeks to come back. There were some simple things people failed on you had to ride the course and take verbal orders not look for horn or signals etc. and then had to do hand signals at same time. Stop balance had to take off stop and balance on a 50 foot long line 4 inch wide no feet down and cut gas off and on all at the same time and you had a time limit. No if you got to the end of the line in less than 2 minutes go home if you had to look go home go off the line go home. I really felt sorry for some gold wingers they had no way to see the line. Wet slick asphalt stopping driving in gravel and it was all day long. I knew I was good and even felt on edge.

[motoman]

I have been riding since 1954, never heard of endorsements, insurance requirements, rider courses back then. The bikes available then all had foot clutch, hand shift, bikes were very clumsy and hard to handle, Indians were left hand throttle and right hand shift. Many of the old Harleys and Indians had car tires on them. Springer front ends, Indians had sliding pillar rear, Harleys were rigid. All were heavy and compared to todays bikes, pathetic, but we rode them anyhow. Very few riders of today would be able to handle them.

Guess I'g be among the few............