What Should I Expect Prior to Class?
After enrolling, you will be contacted by Mathews HD via email with the specifics to your course, including what to bring, what is required, and where and when to meet.
The Motorcycle Safety Foundation curriculum includes the Basic eCourse as a component of your overall class. Completion of the eCourse is required and must be completed prior to the first night of class. Be sure to read through the email confirmation thoroughly as you'll find a link to the MSF Learning Center. Mathews HD has elected to absorb the additional student enrollment fees to access the eCourse.
Be sure to budget time prior to the first day of class to complete the eCourse - it takes about 3 hours, and even if you have previous experience with motorcycling, you cannot fast forward through any sections of the eCourse. You will receive a completion certificate at the end of the course, be sure to print that out and bring it to the first day of class.
You will need to bring these items to class with you:
- Your Driver's License and/or Learner's Permit
- Proof of completion of eCourse
- Any materials provided to you during class
What Should I Wear?
Gloves and a helmet are the only essential motorcycle specific items, but we recommend that sometime before the first night of class, bring in what you have to the dealership to get it checked out. Mathews HD staff can help ensure that you have the right equipment.
Class Gear List
- Long-sleeve shirt or jacket
- Long pants (heavy denim or riding pants recommended)
- Over-the-ankle boots (sturdy, not canvas, low heel)
- Eye protection (helmet visor, eye glasses, sun glasses, goggles acceptable)
- Full-finger gloves with leather over the finger tips & palms with knuckle protection
- DOT-certified 3/4 or full face helmet
Shopping for a Helmet
A helmet is the most important piece of motorcycle gear you will invest in. A helmet is a very personal piece of gear. Consider buying a helmet vs. borrowing one, that way it is yours and it fits you perfectly and allows you to focus on learning to ride.
The staff at Mathews Harley-Davidson are trained to fit a helmet properly and will help you decide what fits you best. Helmet fit is so important that staff will most likely suggest you wear the one you settle on around the dealership for about 15 minutes. It takes that long for the helmet to really let you know if it will be comfortable in the long run. Remember, helmets are not returnable once they leave the dealership, so take the time to find the right one.
Coach Tip: The more helmet the better, full face is the best, followed by a modular. An open face helmet or 3⁄4 open still provides good protection if you feel too cooped up in a full face. Half helmets, while very popular, offer the least amount of protection.
What Happens in the Classroom Before You Go on the Range?
The first class meeting typically runs three hours: You'll get a tour of the dealership and get to know your peers and coaches. You will hear a lot about counseling and being on time and having all the gear. Don't fret, it is just to set clear expectations for everyone.
A review of the eCourse will be next, which gives you a chance to better understand important points of the eCourse. Jump in there and participate! A lot of what is being discussed you have already seen firsthand as a car driver. Then the class will turn to new material - an activity to help demystify motorcycle controls and their use will be held, as well as an activity to help understand important aspects of riding gear.
At the end of the night, coaches usually spend some time talking about the range days, what to bring, where the range is and when to be there. The Mathews Motorcycle Training Facility (range) is simply a practice lot; it is a large flat piece of asphalt just down the road a few miles.
This site is on private property enclosed in a fenced area and offers a controlled environment to learn in. The classroom will probably conclude with a discussion on the range rules and hand signals. These are all intended to help you understand how the range works and to ensure everyone has a good time during the riding portion of the course.
Coach Tip: The classroom portion is held in the museum at the Mathews Harley-Davidson showroom: 548 N. Blackstone Ave. and the range/riding portion is held at the Mathews Motorcycle Training Facility: 1516 W. Dan Ronquillo Dr., Fresno. Maps will be provided but if you are unsure of where either location is, please take the time to drive to the destination prior to your class start date as late arrivals will be turned away and enrollment fees will be forfeited.
Pack whatever snacks you need to keep going physically and mentally, bottled water is usually provided by the dealership.
What Happens on the Range?
A typical course will include two days on the range. Here is what to expect.
First Day Riding
Your first range day will focus on getting to know the motorcycle, how to properly start it up, move it from point A to point B, and shut it off. You learn the fundamentals of clutching and shifting, turning and stopping.
Each exercise is designed to build on the previous exercises and allow you to learn quickly and effectively. Expect each exercise to take about 40 minutes. After every other exercise, a break will be held. This is a chance to just rest, get a drink of water and hang out with your classmates.
A classroom session is held at the dealership after the first range day. The afternoon classroom session is focused on behaviors and self-assessment. This is important stuff! The more you participate the more you will get out of it.
Coach Tip: Learning to ride can be mentally and physically exhausting. Make plans to rest up the night before and after the first range day - you want to be fresh for the second range day.
Second Day Riding
Day 2 will focus on the skills of riding: cornering, swerving and maximum braking. Just like the first day, expect two exercises back to back with a break in between. These exercises are at slightly higher speeds than the first range session and are a lot of fun! Expect to see smiles spread across the faces of your classmates.
At the end of the second day on the range, the coaches will set up and score the five evaluation exercises. These are based on the same exercises you just rode and the same skills you learned over the last two days of riding.
Relax and be sure to breathe - This is just a fair measurement of your current abilities to ensure that you are ready to leave the range and venture out onto the open road. Listen to your coaches and watch each student ahead of you as they ride the test exercises. You want to be sure of the path of travel and the technique being scored.
Coach Tip: Don't score yourself during the evaluations. Not all areas of the riding exercise are scored, and most mistakes are just a few points. Riders that get worked up because they made a riding error often ride worse and make more errors. Ride on and do your best!
At the end of the evaluations, your coach will let you know how you did. If you did not pass, don't freak! There are opportunities to take a portion of the course over or to retest later. See your Riding Academy Manager as soon as possible regarding these options.
What Happens After Your Time on the Range?
Students who successfully complete the classroom and range sessions will be issued a MSF completion card which may get you money on insurance for being proactive in safety. However, it does not count as a license and is not recognized by law enforcement as a license to ride.
Graduate will not receive a DMV waiver certificate. You will need to take the riding evaluation at DMV and complete any additional steps required to get the motorcycle endorsement on your driver license. Need a bike to ride at DMV? Need more practice on the lollipop test? No problem - Mathews HD has you covered!
Once you've gotten your license, get out and enjoy the ride!