In order to cruise the streets legally, you'll need to get a motorcycle
license. Completing a basic riding course is a great way to build
confidence and often satisfies the DMV's knowledge and on-cycle skills
requirements.
Getting a motorcycle license is a critical step when becoming a new
rider. It entitles you to legally to ride the public streets, but also
requires riders to go through a modicum of training and education, both
of which help reduce the incidence of accidents.
In the U.S. all riders are legally required to have a license or
endorsement to ride on public roads and each state differs in its
process to obtain a license. Most states require written and on-cycle
exams, though in many instances completion of a rider safety course will
waive the need to take these tests at the DMV. Check with your local
DMV to find out the specific requirements for your area, and check here
www.dmv.org/motorcycle-license for a quick reference guide of the different states’ rules.
Experienced riders can often simply take the DMV’s written and on-cycle
skills tests. For those with limited to no experience, there are
beginning rider courses available in all 50 states that offer in-class
and on-bike training in the basics of riding a motorcycle. Most states
utilize curriculum and/or skills tests developed by the Motorcycle
Safety Foundation and beginner courses generally run 15 hours, with five
spent in class and 10 spent on a small-displacement motorcycle in a
controlled environment. Other states, such as Oregon, have developed
their own programs similar to those of the MSF. All will teach a new
rider how to operate the machine and navigate the typical situations
encountered on the road. Check with your local DMV to find out if the
rider safety course serves as a license test waiver in your area and to
find out whether such courses are mandatory for licensure, as many
states now require new riders to complete such courses if they’ve never
been previously licensed.
Learning the curriculum and practicing in a beginning rider class can
help a new rider determine if motorcycles are really a pastime to
pursue. Considering the money needed to buy a bike and gear, register
the bike and insure the machine, starting out can be pretty pricy.
Prices for new rider training courses vary state to state, but are often
less than $200 and they provide valuable seat time in an environment
where the chances of a serious accident are relatively low.
The Team Oregon basic rider course is conducted in a large, empty
parking lot and gives new riders the chance to develop essential riding
skills in a safe, controlled environment.
Team Oregon
I got my motorcycle endorsement by taking a basic rider course offered
by Team Oregon, a state-run program through the Oregon State University
College of Public Health and Human Sciences and Oregon Department of
Transportation. It provides similar courses as Motorcycle Safety
Foundation (MSF) rider training programs and successful completion of
the Basic Rider Training means the new licensee doesn't have to take
state-knowledge and on-cycle tests at the DMV.
Some of the things a fledgling rider needs for the BRT course are a
DOT-approved helmet (which Team Oregon provides if a student can’t bring
one of their own), eye protection, long-sleeved shirt or jacket, long
pants, full fingered gloves and over-the-ankle boots or shoes. Of course
there’s also a fee, which is $179 for BRT with Team Oregon. You’ll also
need a little free time, since the 15-hour course is split between
three days.
Day 1 was a 2.5 hour in-class session where the course was introduced,
some basic operating functions of a motorcycle were reviewed and the
criteria for successful completion outlined. Class time during all three
days is spent going through the BRT handbook and watching informational
videos.
The second day was split between classroom instruction and riding drills
on a course in the parking lot. Prior to each drill, one of the two
instructors would outline the goal of the exercise and provide an
overview of how to successfully complete the task. They would watch each
rider and provide immediate feedback on performance; each student got
multiple opportunities to execute a drill and implement improvement
suggestions.
Instructors provide immediate feedback on a rider's performance and
there's plenty of time to practice skills in order to get them right
before the on-bike test.
We started from square one, sitting on the bikes to feel their weight,
practicing the ignition sequence, feeling for the friction point and
duck-walking in a straight line at a slow pace. From there we practiced
switching gears up from first and back down, looking through both left
and right hand turns, executing emergency stops, swerving to avoid
obstacles and weaving in and out of cones.
Day 3 was much the same as the previous day, though near the end of the
riding portion there is an on-bike skills test where instructors run
students through the different drills conducted during the two days on
course. They also set up a simulation of real-world traffic with a
four-lane intersection that gave us a chance to navigate tight turns,
use our blinkers and manage ourselves in very, very light traffic. If a
student can make it through all that without dropping the bike or
knocking down too many cones, then it’s back to the classroom for the
written test.
We got our results on site that day, and if you passed you received a
completion card that would waive the skills and written tests at the
DMV. Check with your DMV to find out where your local safety training
course is held. The Motorcycle Safety Foundation also offers a
Rider Course database that’s searchable by state and provides links to the different training programs available in your area.
