Basic Rider Course sponsor or teacher website:
http://motorcycles.hsmv.state.fl.us/

Information and details on where to find approved sponsors:
http://www.flhsmv.gov

News from your old stomping grounds, Joe.

My husband (the great GOP_Harley_Guy) didn't need a motorcycle training course. Go figure. Another bunch of bureaucrats who should seek meaningful employment elsewhere.

Just make sure you wear a helmet when you ride. And a full suit of body armor. And a condom.

In CA you can either take and pass the basic rider course and get your license, or you can take the DMV practical exam to get your license. Its much easier and to take the Basic Rider Course, they put you through the paces and get you up to snuff, very few people will practice the manuevers necessary to pass the DMV practical the first time around.

I would recommend the Basic Rider Course to any new riders. There is just too much crap that can happen to you out there on a bike, it is a good idea to learn about it before putting yourself up as a target for cagers, and a future low side/high side from poor riding technique.

And a condom.

Wow! Where do you ride, for Pete's sake?

I think all new riders should take the Motorcycle Safety Foundation rider course,however, it should not be mandatory.I think the examination,both written and riding, should be a lot tougher.

DMV practical exam:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AWTYc8uVRFA

LOL! I am always amazed at what can be done with a motorcycle.

Wow! Where do you ride, for Pete's sake?

Nowhere anyone else doesn't! But hey, it's not my idea ... everyone knows that the condom is the salvation of the human race!

And a revolving amber warning light on your head.

And 2 pair of gloves.

And jackboots.

And a full gayftey orange body suit covered in 2.653 square miles of reflective material.

I just wear a condom

As with all government ideas I expected them to now require that the cyclists parallel park.

And fireproof underwear

Some places have passed a law that only one bike is allowed per car parking space. That’s almost the same thing.

Jeeezzz...One rule applies to riding motorcycles safely.

Rule #1: Don't fall down.

I have used this rule for 30 years and its worked for me. (falling down includes, but not limited to, hitting or being hit by a hard object which will cause you to fall down)

Also, obey this rule while sitting on a motorcycle parked in the garage. Ask me how I know :-/

PS, this rule also applies to flying airplanes.

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The best rule (I think) I learned was to believe and ride as though you were invisible to others

“Lose not thine airspeed, lest the ground rise up and smite thee”

The best rule (I think) I learned was to believe and ride as though you were invisible to others

While this is true, if you don't obey Rule #1, you will get hurt even though invisible :-)

“Lose not thine airspeed, lest the ground rise up and smite thee”

Yep, in other words... Don't fall down! (rule # 1)

You must speak in simple terms as anyone who does not ride knows, people who do are not smart, just mention an aircraft ARM and they'll know you've lost it!

Rule #1...no doubt.

The Basic Rider Course was excellent...I went having never ridden a motorcycle before, and did just fine.

They were correct when they told us that we only knew enough now to practice on our own....too bad I had to go and prove that theorem.

The Advanced Rider Course is also very good. I would recommend that to anyone. You ride your own bike and do all sorts of maneuvers you would not normally do. I plan to take that course with every different kind of bike I get—I know others who do, simply as a good refresher and to get a good feel for their new bike. I also think this helps out with the insurance.

"...always amazed..."

The best rule (I think) I learned was to believe and ride as though you were invisible to others

You got that right. When I got my first motorcycle in CA( a long time ago I admit)you didn't have to pass any special test, just show up with the bike and they gave you a motorcycle endorsement. I think I had to make a figure eight around the parking lot once when I renewed it but that was many years later. The first thing I learned was that drivers of 4 wheel vehicles don't see you on a motorcycle and this rule applies to bicycles also. I learned not to drop my bike(a stipped down Indian scout frame, with a Harley D. knuckle head crammed into it and a 1937 transmission)which was kinda heavy to pick up, and not to fall with it while moving at any speed!

I think an extra test is BS, mainly made for revenue purposes and I doubt Florida will see a decrease in the accident rate with bikes. We sure didn't in CA. JMO and what the he** do know anyway:)

more and more people riding motorcycles these days with gas prices so high

Just another attempt for the state to empty your pockets

Want to see some pics of some great bikes and bikers that I took? :-)

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2004161/posts

My husband (the great GOP_Harley_Guy) didn't need a motorcycle training course. Go figure. Another bunch of bureaucrats who should seek meaningful employment elsewhere.

Irrelevant. I've had a motorcycle license since I was 16, and I've never taken a safety course, and at this point I certainly don't need one. However, for a new rider, it can't be beat. This is a good piece of legislation that will save lives. As a life-long biker, I wholly support it.

A rider’s life would have more longevity if cage drivers had to take a course titled -

“How to Share the Road with Motorcycles”

,,,,before they jump behind the wheel of a 3000lb battering ram.

Awesome job! Thanks!

I’m glad I’m grandfathered in . . .

I think I took about the same test, in CA also. (Van Nuys DMV)1977ish

Had to do the figure eight and stay in the lines. Also had to drive a straight line, come to a complete stop, then smoothly start again without putting your feet down.

That was abut it, except for the written test and I think about $10.00

I've heard here in NV you have to go to a special class, $200.00+ then go the the DMV for the test. Total money grab

With the cost of insurance it’s a no-brainer. Around here the insurers give a 30% discount if you take the course, so if you’re under 30 the year 1 savings pays for it many times over (payback for me took two years because being 40something my premium was pretty low to begin with). The nice thing about the course is that you can learn on someone else’s bike instead of dropping your own while you figure it out.

In Ontario, the provincial police run free one-day safety refresher courses at the start of each riding season. Starting last year, my club started something similar with the Toronto Police Service to offer a seminar aimed at urban scooterists. The cops love doing this kind of thing because they prefer it to scraping us off the pavement.

Friend of mine packed for a ride around the Great Lakes...

LOL! Ahem.....how does he deal with stiff crosswinds? Looks like that thing would turn turtle....come to think of it...it looks like a turtle.

I just wear a condom

Texas Condom?

Well, this ain’t your Italian grandpa’s Vespa- it’s 250cc, top speed ~100mph and (1) the weight of the load, (2) the fact that a lot of what he carried was on the front rack (not too visible in this shot) and (3) his own frame ain’t exactly svelte, his ride was uber-stable for the whole trip.

HOw about a motorcycle awareness course for auto drivers before they get a car license?

Chicks dig guys on motorcycles.

After I posted that response it occurred to me perhaps the more appropriate question would be “What do you ride?”

I wholeheartedly agree with your previous post; drivers of all stripes should be required to endure some sort of motorcycle awareness instruction prior to being granted a driver’s license. Given we’re such a small percentage of the road inhabitants, I fear this is just wishful thinking.

'93 Kawasaki Vulcan 750

This is me arriving to stand guard at the front gate of Walter Reed, as part of the group of Freepers who keep the monnbats away every Friday night.