Starting Out Right
It's a proven statistic that riders who start their riding experience with a riding school are far less likely to end up statistics themselves. Many riders, especially ones who spent time on scooters or dirt bikes in the past don't feel the need for a street motorcycle education, but those with prior bad habits (and a touch of overconfidence) tend to be those who meet the pavement the fastest. And if you've been to school, it might not be a bad time for a refresher course. Case in point, our two riders fresh out of Honda's boot camp came through our beginner's test unscathed, while the one who has the most street experience, put our long term Aero on the ground.
Our two beginners were Rick and Lizzie. Rick, has 30+ years of dirt riding experience, but other than a few borrowed bikes in college, no time on the street. Our other newbie, Lizzie, has a lot of miles on the street, but all on either the back of a motorcycle or riding a bicycle. Bicycle experience is sometimes overlooked but the balance developed on two wheels is invaluable to riding motorcycles.
To get our new riders educated we took them to the Honda Rider Education Center in Colton, CA. Our instructors gave a Basic Motorcycle Safety Foundation Rider Course, but unlike many MSF classes, it wasn't done in some makeshift digs or split with days or hours between classroom sessions and applying what you leaned out on the range. Instead, using the (air-conditioned) Honda facility, we were able to transition straight from the classroom to the bikes and back again. In fact, the class started with simple drills to teach the new riders how to deal with a clutch and begin riding in a straight line before even cracking a book or watching a video. On our second day most of the class arrived early, and they were able to practice riding around on the big oval in a safe and supervised environment.
The whole process took a couple of weekend days for a grand total of about 16 hours (class and range). It covers everything from the basics of transmission control and startup procedures to tight parking lot maneuvers, slaloms, panic stops, and quick and accurate decision making. In the end, passing the skills and written test will score you a certificate that when taken to the DMV (at least in California) will get you your license, without any direct DMV testing.
If there is a weakness of the Colton facility, it's that it's almost always freaking hot out there. And if it's not hot, it's probably raining or windy or both. Also the Nighthawk 250s that most of the class rode are in their golden years, but are being replaced by newer dual sport bikes.
If there's a true vote of confidence for the program, it's this: Our more experienced test subject, Rick, (with about a thousand street miles now under his belt) is now indistinguishable from a very experienced rider out on the street, even on very challenging roads. The only time his inexperience is obvious is when he's suiting up and forgets what order to put his gear on. You might have noticed him in our last issue testing the Attitude Bikes, which didn't intimidate him at all.