Maybe you’re driving down the road and seeing all those motorcycles and little scooters running around on a fraction of the gas you spent starting up your SUV this morning, and you're thinking that you could be doing that.
On the other hand, maybe you just want your freedom and want to head out on the highway and feel the wind in your hair?
Well, whatever your view, the fact is there are more and more bikes out on the road these days. People are looking for ways to deal with the gouged fuel prices or to put some fun in their lives or both. Maybe you have seen all those bikers having fun during the rallies, and wish you were one of them.
Of course, the question is: Could you do it? It is kind of scary there out on the road with nothing but your eyes, hands and maybe a good set of leathers keeping you safe. When every you think about it, you have to wonder if you can even do it, let alone if it would be fun once you learned.
I know I did. I bought my bike a couple of weeks ago. Now, the last time I had ridden was on the back of my dad’s bike when I was around 11. I had never driven one before at all. However, I found a good deal, and couldn’t pass it up.
Therefore, I read a lot, and got a friend to drive it home for me. When I got it home (after getting my permit), I started practicing around the neighborhood with small little rides, just to get use to it.
Then Elizabeth told me about the Motorcycle safety classes they offer at Horry Georgetown Technical College.
In a joint program between HGTC Continuing Education, the SC Rider Education Program and the national Motorcycle Safety Foundation, you can spend a weekend learning how to ride a motorcycle.
You don’t even have to own a bike.
Now, I am not stupid nor overly arrogant. I know when I can learn something on my own and when I need help. And while I was pretty sure that I could master my motorcycle on my own, I knew that taking the Beginner’s Motorcycle Course (An official continuing education class), I would learn to ride, and much quicker and safer than on my own.
So, I signed up for the class. Tuition was $225, and they provide the bikes, and can even provide a helmet if you need one (I bought my own, about $75 for a ¾ DOT approved Fulmer; a small price to protect my biggest asset).
The class meets over the course of a weekend, with 4 hours of classroom lessons on Friday evening and about 7 hours of spent out on the bikes on Saturday and Sunday. Held at the Conway Campus on 501, the instructors, Erv Krull and Herb Anderson, take you through everything from how to safety get on a bike to all the basic maneuvers you need to master when riding motorcycles.
According to them, and I agree, even if you are just wondering if you would like riding a motorcycle, this class is for you. They use relatively small bikes, and you get plenty of time on them. When you are done, you will know if you can and if you want to be a biker.
In addition, the class is just not for guys. In fact, my class consisted mostly of women. We had a mother and her daughters, a chiropractor, and a lady told everyone her friends thought she was crazy for wanting to take the class. There were some young guys wanting to learn, or at least get the insurance discounts. I guess it is a sign of my age, but I was probably the old man dealing with a second childhood (although I maintain that I never gave up on my first).
Oh, and I did mention insurance discounts. If you are going to ride, you need motorcycle insurance. And just like in high school where Drivers Ed and good grades got your parents a discount on insurance, passing the Motorcycle’s safety class qualifies you for some level of discount with nearly all the insurance companies out there, although how much varies.
Furthermore, passing the beginner’s course qualifies you with the intermediate course, which can earn you a waiver from taking the DMV’s road test for when you go to get your motorcycle license.
Simple fact is, there are more and more motorcycles on the road everyday. If you plan to be one of those riders, or just want to have a little weekend adventure learning about motorcycles, then HGTC’s/MSF’s Beginners Motorcycle Class is for you.
For more information check out www.msf-usa.org and www.hgtc.edu.
(And as an extra note, HGTC’s continuing education classes are a great way to learn anything, from computers to real estate to culinary arts. So, if motorcycles are not your thing, you can probably find something that will tempt your brain.)
