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| - My first piece of advice is this: If you're not sure you want to ride, take the $85 introductory course first. Two people dropped out after the first riding day in my class and they don't give refunds!
I took this course several years ago when gas was almost $4 a gallon. I had never ridden a motorcycle before and about 1/2 my class hadn't either. From a complete newbie's point of view, I thought this was an excellent class. I took the course on the West Side at Glendale Community College. Here's the breakdown:
The Course: 2 1/2 days over a weekend. Friday is 4 hours of class time. Saturday is about 5 to 6 hours of riding and 2 to 3 hours more of class time with a written test. Sunday is roughly 4 more hours of riding culminating with the riding test. Yes you have to get up early to do the riding portion on Saturday and Sunday. This is Arizona, you have to get up early to do anything outside.
Instructors: I read a few other reviews about their instructors being rude or arrogant, so I have to mention that our instructor Dave was affable, polite and treated everyone in the class with respect. He patiently answered everyone's questions, and made sure everyone understood the material. This is important because he didn't just spew out answers to the test, he actually "taught" the material in a way that you remembered it. I was a bit stressed about the written portion of the test because the class portion is so short. Come test time though, everyone could easily recall enough information to pass the written exam (which is not easy either) Out on the course our instructors were "firm" but still polite. When you take into consideration that they are responsible for your safety and that falling off a motorcycle even while standing still can be hazardous, their sometimes gruff attitude is understandable.
Course Materials: You get a small book that has all the information in it which you get to keep (I refer to mine frequently) They show several videos that also contain test information and a few "no-brainers" like a drinking and riding video. For the beginners course, they provide the motorcycle (which you don't get to keep) and a helmet. The motorcycles themselves are well maintained and are small enough (250cc) for a novice to handle. They have both cruisers like the Honda Nighthawk and Rebel and sport bikes like the Ninja.
Class Time: I thought the class time was time well spent. If you've never ridden before all of the material is new so it's interesting and informative. I'm pretty sure even those in my class that had ridden before learned something new. As I said before, my instructor was really good at teaching the material in a way that everyone was receptive to.
Riding Time: This is what we're here for right?!? Of course I'd love to have a week of riding but that wasn't going to happen so roughly 7 to 10 hours would have to do. The methods the instructors use to teach are so simple and easy to understand that they took me from not knowing how to start the bike to weaving in and out of cones at about 10 miles per hour in about 30 minutes. By the end of the first day I could corner, emergency stop at 20 to 30 mph, make 90 degree left and right turns and almost do figure eights in a small rectangular area marked out on the black top ( trust me, you will come to *hate* that box!) The second day you work on more advanced things like emergency stopping while cornering and controlling the bike with the rear wheel is locked up. The riding test is administered on the second day as well.
The Tests: Sorry, No answers here. Before taking the course, on a whim while I was at the MVD I took the State test and failed it by one question. I had not studied for it at all, most of the questions seemed like common sense to me. By comparison, the test you will take at this course has a lot more questions and seems a little harder than the State test. Great! You actually come out a little smarter. The TEAM Arizona riding test is a lot more involved than the state one, but does contain all the elements of the state test. The best part is after you pass you can take your paperwork to the MVD and get your license issued on the spot. My insurance company also gave me a pretty decent discount for taking the course.
Overall: An excellent course with lots of great information and basic technical riding skills. This course will not turn you into Valentino Rossi in one weekend though. I was excited when I got my license and then scared sh!tless the first time I rode on the street in actual traffic. It took me almost 2 months to get up the nerve to go on the freeway. I've been riding over 300 miles a week back and forth to work every day now for 3 years and still use most of what I've learned in this course. After a while it happens automatically and I'm certain some of the skills I learned in this class have kept me out of the hospital or morgue.
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