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  1. Member
    Join Date
    Jul 2016
    Location
    Nevada, OH
    Posts
    113
    #21
    Take the Motorcycle Ohio safety course. I had been riding for 30 years and had never taken the course. I signed up with my son when he turned 16 so we could take it together. 1 day of classroom and then 1 half day of riding. 16 people were in the class, and 8 had never been on a bike before. The other 8 were experienced riders. Great course with lots of information even for an experienced rider. My son got the highest score in the class on the final riding test because he didn't have any bad habits that some of the experience riders had. I had to train myself to hug the gas tank with both knees instead of flaring one knee out like I did when i raced bicycles. Also, when turning a tight circle, the course taught to look at the end of the curve and the bike would just follow your eyes. We were required to figure 8 inside a small square that was marked off, and using this technique was the only way to pass this part. All riders from novice to seasoned would benefit from this course.

  2. Member
    Join Date
    Jul 2007
    Location
    Paducah, KY and Palm Bay, FL
    Posts
    7,187
    #22
    Quote Originally Posted by Bankangler View Post
    .....We were required to figure 8 inside a small square that was marked off, and using this technique was the only way to pass this part. All riders from novice to seasoned would benefit from this course.
    I had almost forgotten that part. I think that little exercise was the most physically intimidating thing I had ever attempted. Here was a little box that looked to be only slightly larger than the bike, and we were supposed to figure 8 in this thing without touching a foot. I knew it was possible because I saw guys doing it, but don't think I ever made it. You are right about the newbies doing the best, because they listened and had no bad habits. I remember, and please no slight intended, a Harley guy dead seriously saying he never leaned his bike but steered by turning the handle bars in the direction he wanted to go. Of course he was wrong about that because he never would have made it around the first corner doing it that way. That was what was in his head, though. We all knew about counter steering before the course was over. I wish I had taken the advanced rider course that followed but never did.

  3. Member
    Join Date
    Jul 2016
    Location
    Nevada, OH
    Posts
    113
    #23
    Out of the 16 riders in our class, only 2 failed the test. It was a husband and wife that rode their old Harleys to the class on the second day. They knew it all already, and were unwilling to learn and complained the whole time about the bikes they were put on. We had 8 riders who had never even been on a motorcycle before and all of them passed. There were also zero wrecks in the two days of riding. When my older son took the course a year later, the instructors kicked an older gentleman out of the riding porting after he dumped his bike 3 times in the first half hour of riding.

  4. Moderator cape cod basser's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2004
    Location
    Carver
    Posts
    11,683
    #24
    Never did take a class like that... Learned from woods riding since I was ten... Nothing wakes you up about watching what's ahead of you Like dumping a few times in the woods or on a rocky trail... The last toy run I rode in was years ago but had not been in the woods in a long time. A friend had two YZ 250s so I took one. One of the guys brought his wife so I figured I would not be the slow one... WRONG.. All I could do to try and keep up with her..

  5. Blazer Boats Moderator Rebel1's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2004
    Location
    Taylors, SC
    Posts
    12,722
    #25
    My home Harley dealer requires all their employees to take the course. Most are experienced riders that struggle to do the slow speed stuff. Like my instructor said...most anyone can ride a motorcycle going 50 down the highway.

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