So I have decided to take to the open road and get my motorcycle endorsement. That means taking a riding class that involves a 5 hour eCourse and a riding class that is held over three days at my local Harley-Davidson.
Why Now?
Yes, I am getting older and I am getting close to that magic 50, but age should never be a factor right? The whole thing started out as a conversation between my wife and I and she made the suggestion. I don’t remember how motorcycles got brought up, remember I am getting old, but she made the suggestion that I should do something for myself and take the class and get my endorsement.
I will touch on this more in other posts, but we also have a 40-foot Toy Hauler RV and our goal this year is to actually use it. So we thought if I had a motorcycle she could ride on, we could find RV locations with nice scenic roads and really have an adventure this year. Have I mentioned that I have stated 2025 is my year of adventures?
Step 1 – Dealership Visit
So we went down to the local dealer to get more information about the class and get an idea of what it would cost to get a bike, the gear and see if this is going to be something we both want to do. We were met with a salesperson, as unexpected as that might be when you drive onto any dealership lot. Tyler walked us in and did give us a tour of the different classes of bike and after some conversation on bike types and general information, we moved to the gear.
I tried on a helmet and got some more information on what gear I would need for the class. So my shopping list of the next few weeks would be:
- A DOT CERTIFIED helmet
- Protective eyewear
- Full-fingered gloves
- A long sleeve shirt or jacket
- Over-the-ankle boots
- Jeans or motorcycle pants (NO HOLES, Make sure it covers the ankles)
So now that I have an idea on what the cost could look like for a bike, gear and the class, I went home to overthink it.
Step 2 – Signed Up!
After some thinking, I have pulled the trigger and signed up for the class. So this is a 3 day riding class with the first day being 2 hours for a tour of the dealership, some classroom activities and I am sure some small sales pitches along the way. This should be a pretty easy day.
Day two and three are made up of days starting at 6:45am and ending around 3p. From the research I have done, there are 14 lessons you will be taught and on the last day you will take the exam and if you pass, get your certificate that you can take to the DMV for your endorsement.
I will be sure to post my experience of this class for anyone who may be thinking about getting their endorsement or license and have not made the leap yet.
Step 3 – eCourse
The eCourse is a 5 hour class that you should not take any more than 30 days out from your class. It is self paced and you can start and stop without any issues. Don’t let the 5 hours scare you as it went by really fast and it did not feel like a full 5 hours. It is what you would expect, think of when you were studying for your driver license and had to learn all the basic information, but this is not a roads rule class.
You will learn the basics of the controls, the differences of riding a bike on the road and driving a car. There are lane positions, how to scan the road, how to take turns and a lot more. I would not say it is useless, but I had done a lot of research on Youtube so it did repeat a lot of things I had already watch on counter steering, braking and the controls on a motorcycle. I would suggest watching some online videos but don’t take them as gospel as you will find, everyone has the right way to do something.
Next Step – Riding Class
I still need to go shopping for the gear, but I have a few weeks before the class. Each day I will at least jot down how the day went, what we learned and share it once I recover from those 3 days. I took some time off work for this as one, I don’t take time off and I am told I should do that more often, and two it is cheaper to take the class on a Wed-Fri instead of a Friday-Sunday. So if you can, save the money as you can use that for gear.
So the adventure starts in a few weeks, so stay tuned!