A Course on Lookin’ Good

Most of the Riders I ride with have been riding for some time, and I know from experience that just the mention of taking a motorcycle safety course can get a few of them ruffled under the feathers. I guess my suggestion might come across as me disrespecting their riding skills when I mention taking a motorcycle safety class, but it’s with all due respect when I say, “you should take a motorcycle safety riding course”. It can’t hurt to freshen up your skills, and with the right instruction you might learn a few new skills that, until taking the course, you didn’t think possible.
The number of different motorcycle courses available to Riders has grown and updated in recent years and the emphasis has shifted to solid riding skills we can use on the street. How to practice avoiding a driver that has turned in front of you, to what to do if you have a flat tire at speed, will be found in a good up to date motorcycle safety course. But… none of this training and practice will help if you already know it all. Being honest with yourself about your level of riding skill is lesson number one.
I like to take matters in my own hands. I taught myself to ride a bike, ride a motorcycle, drive a car, and back up a big truck. I didn’t really consider the finer details of driving, or riding, until I landed a professional driving job that had a safety program for their drivers. I thought getting through the sixteen gears was all there was to driving a Big Rig, but that was only the start. The monthly safety classes I took brought up traffic situations, and road emergencies, and tires, and towing, and on and on. I remember one week-end safety course I took with a large Big Rig safety training company and how they imbedded the “Happy Neck” into my driving. To this day I still use the Happy Neck when I drive or ride.
Consider taking a safety course if you ride. It’s up to you to decide the type and level of training that’s right for you, but do it. Sign up for an Advanced Riders Class, or consider taking a slow speed safety cone class. I would recommend a safety cone Police type safety course because you will be pushed harder than in the ARC, but that’s just me. Think Safe …Ride Safe.
John ‘Hammer’ Hanzlik

R.C. ALR Chapter 1, Omaha, Ne