After enrolling, you will receive an email with specifics to your course, including what to bring, what is required, and where and when to meet. 

Many states use the Motorcycle Safety Foundation curriculum and many of those employ the MSF Basic eCourse as a component of your overall class. The eCourse replaces a classroom session and typically takes five hours to complete. Look through your welcome email for a link to the MSF Learning Center (Note: You may be required to pay a separate fee if the dealer did not include this in your class fee).

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.

TAKE THE E-COURSE

You will need to bring these items to class with you:

• Your Driver's License and/or Learner's Permit
• Proof of completion of the E-Course.
• Gear (see below)

Gloves and a helmet are the only essential motorcycle specific items, but we recommend that sometime before the first night of class, take what you have to Wilkins Harley to get it checked out.

They can help you 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 (motorcycle specific recommended)
• DOT-certified helmet style based on the requirements of your state (3/4 or full face are recommended).

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 Wilkins Harley are trained to fit a helmet and will ensure you get the right one. Helmet fit is so important.

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 typically 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 ¾ 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.

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.  We will crawl before we walk.  Relax.  

Each exercise is designed to build on the previous exercises and allow you to learn quickly and effectively. Expect each exercise to take about 30-40 minutes. After every other exercise, a break will be held. This is usually an opportunity and a chance to just rest, get a drink of water and hang out with your classmates.

Coach Tip: Learning to ride can be mentally and physically exhausting. Make plans to rest the night before – 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 ROADBOOK break in between. These exercises are at slightly higher speeds than yesterday's 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.  Remember when you were 16 years old and getting your drivers license?  You just needed to be "okay at driving, not perfect"

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 worry about mistakes during the test.  Just ride.  Worrying about points off causes you to lose focus. 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! We have options.

Students who successfully complete the classroom and range sessions will be issued a completion document. In many states this document will excuse the person from taking a motorcycle operator skills test through the Department of Motor Vehicles.  In Vermont, you will be issued your actual motorcycle endorsement if you are successful.