It’s all fun and games when you get on the back of your Harley or other motorcycle and head out to enjoy the open road – until someone gets hurt, that is.
Which is why the Guilford County Sheriff’s Department, in conjunction with Bikesafe NC, is holding a class to teach local bikers how to stay safe on the road. To help those riders protect themselves, the department is offering a free, one-day motorcycle riding safety class.
The class, which will take place on Friday, June 21, includes both classroom time and open road training. During the day, motorcycle riders will be paired with experienced law enforcement officers who know how to handle a bike, and those officers will critique riding skills as well as train them on proper riding techniques.
The instruction from the officers will cover, among other things, proper motorcycle control, including acceleration, braking and clutch control. It will also cover hazard management – such as the correct way to react to sudden road dangers – as well as techniques for proper cornering and passing.
On June 21, the day will start with a classroom session in the morning, followed by a short ride in which riders will be paired with officers. Then there will be a break for lunch followed by an afternoon classroom session – which will in turn be followed by a longer afternoon ride. The day will conclude with a final classroom session where officers will provide concluding feedback to the riders.
Interested persons can visit www.bikesafenc.com and click on the “Upcoming classes” section for additional information. The deadline for enrolling is June 19 but space is limited so riders may want to register early.
The most important part of riding safely is to stay sober.
Ok…It’s not the Harley riders you need to worry about acting like Evel Knievel’s. It’s the ones driving crotch rockets! Just because you see a lot of Harley’s on the road doesn’t mean only they are gonna behave like Evel Knievel! If you watch them, you will for the majority, see safety and well behaved drivers. I’ll grant that there is the occasional idiot on one but it’s rare.
I’ve been driving a Harley for over 43 years. I’ve ridden with other Harley riders my whole life. Even we are wary of the careless and reckless crotch rockets!! They are called organ donors in the biker world because of the way they drive. They have no regard for their own lives and certainly none for anyone else. Always flying down the road well over the speed limit, dodging in and out of traffic, acting reckless.
But I’m betting none of them sign up for this class. It’s gonna be like regular bike classes. The only ones who will sign up are those who are already safety conscious and want to be even more safer. Those who actually care about the rules of the road. Not the reckless crotch rocket drivers. That being said, there are careful and safe crotch rocket drivers out there. But there aren’t a lot.
Good luck with this class. I think it’s a fantastic idea! Hopefully it will help save a bikers life.