Rider refresher: Taking the Basic Rider Course after 20 years

May 31, 8:21 AMMotorcycle ExaminerKen Bingenheimer

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Chris Cook taught our Basic Rider Course

Why on earth would someone who has been riding motorcycles--a lot--for more than 20 years want to take a riding course for beginners? OK, I admit it, my primary reason was to experience it so I could write and tell you what it's like. But that wasn't my only reason.

I have read any number of times over the years that even experienced riders can gain a great deal from a beginning course. Learning new stuff is always cool, and who would say no to improving their riding skills? So when Colleen Boyle of T3RG Motorcycle Schools offered me the chance to do the class I quickly said yes.

I showed up at 7 a.m. at Sun Enterprises, where the classroom portion of the two-day session would be held. Two women and another guy, Kenny, made up the class, and Chris Cook was the instructor. We dove right in. Everyone had done their homework, reading the course handbook, so we didn't dawdle going through it. Even the newbies were acquainted with the placement of the brakes and throttle and that sort of thing. We talked about risk management and crash avoidance and watched a few videos.

Nothing new here for me, although one video helped a lot in explaining why drivers so often turn in front of motorcycles and then claim, "I didn't see him." With the camera stationed at the driver's position, one of two motorcycles quickly disappeared from view altogether, and the second one became just another brightly colored object in among a panorama of bright objects. Very scary. It really is up to you to ride as though you were invisible, because essentially you are.

So we took the written test and everybody passed and it was time to go ride some motorcycles. Now the fun begins!

Saddled up on our 250cc Suzukis, we were ready to go. This being a beginner course, the first exercises consisted of really basic things such as starting stopping, and turning the bike on and off. We moved on to turning and shifting gears and then weaving in and out through cones. I was having fun on this little 250 but I didn't feel like I was learning much.

One thing you need to understand about the Basic Rider Course is that it's all at slow speeds, in a parking lot. And one of the exercises was deliberately riding as slowly as you possibly can. This was where I first felt challenged. Sure, I can ride slowly, but try going as slow as you can, and then go even slower, and sustain that speed over a considerable distance.

Chris, our instructor, had shown himself all along to be a very competent instructor. It was at this point that he showed me that he knew how to handle multiple students at varying skill levels simultaneously. While the others were working on keeping the bikes up at slow speeds, he told me to try the exercise using trail braking, i.e., keeping the throttle revved up while limiting the bike's forward momentum via the rear brake pedal. You get a noticeable improvement in stability. OK, teach me more.

Day two picked up from there. More weaving, turning, swerving, stopping. We practiced maximum braking, which is hitting the brakes hard in an emergency stop without losing traction and going into a skid. Of course we were trained to use front and rear brakes. I always use the front brake but often will not use the back. I know a lot of riders almost never use their front brake, but if you're one of them maybe you should consider this class. Most of your stopping power comes from your front brake.

Then came the box. I don't know the dimensions, but picture a rectangle painted on the asphalt. Your job is to do a left-hand u-turn followed by a right-hand u-turn. In the space allowed this means cranking the handlebar as far as it will go in the desired direction and executing this maneuver at about walking speed. Don't go out of the box and don't put your foot down.

Let me tell you, this was tough. I was darn pleased with myself that I did it successfully the first few times but ultimately I ended up dabbing with my foot on several occasions. One of the other students dropped her bike repeatedly and it was Kenny who showed us all how it was done, cruising smoothly through the exercise time and again. He explained that he just kept the throttle revved strongly and every time he felt himself starting to lean too far he would let out the clutch more to straighten the bike up. I tried it, it worked, and I knew it worked, but getting myself to do all the right things the right way every time was not easy. I think it's a matter of over-thinking. Just do it and you'll be fine, but try to think about each step each time and you get confused as to which one you need to do right now.

Finally it was time for our riding skills test. Pass both the written and the riding skills tests and you can go get your motorcycle validation at the DMV by handing them two dollars. Unimportant to me, granted. Kenny passed with flying colors, a perfect score. One of the women dropped her bike in the box and concluded then and there that she was not going to be a motorcycle rider. The other one passed, but not with a perfect score.

Me, I ended up dabbing in the box--to my great annoyance--and then I also got marked down for not using both brakes at one point when I should have. That was habit asserting itself, and habits are something experienced riders are most likely to have trouble with in a course like this. But I still passed with a good solid score.

What do I take away from all this? First, if you've never ridden and you want to, get training. If you can pass this course you'll have good, solid skills that will go a long way toward keeping you safe out on the road. It's not an easy course; not everyone passes.

Second, an old dog can learn new tricks. You're not going to master them in a two-day course, but if you take what you learn and keep practicing, you really can become a better rider. It's a whole lot easier to try challenging maneuvers when the bike is light enough that you can stop it from falling. It also doesn't hurt if the bike you're practicing on is not yours and it's explicitly OK if you do drop it.

Third, I have to say that I was truly impressed with the confidence and professionalism of our instructor. Chris Cook wasn't even in kindergarten when I first got my motorcycle validation, but he's a better rider than I am. He also knows how to lead a class.

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