The Basic RiderCourse is usually a two-day course taught by RiderCoaches certified by the Motorcycle Safety Foundation (MSF) using curriculum developed by MSF. All riders in California under 21 years of age must successfully complete this course to obtain a motorcycle license or endorsement. Upon successful completion of the Basic RiderCourse, students are given a Certificate of Completion of Motorcycle Training (DL389). The motorcycle riding test given by the DMV may be waived with this certification and graduates may also qualify for insurance premium discounts with some motorcycle insurers.

The Basic RiderCourse is aimed at beginning riders of all ages 15 1/2 or older. To take this course, you must present a valid driver’s license, learner’s permit, or a certificate showing completion of classroom portion of driver’s education. If under 18, a waiver must be signed by a parent or guardian.

A minimum of five hours classroom instruction prepares the student for at least ten hours of practical riding in a controlled, off-street environment. Motorcycles and helmets for use in the course are included in your course fee. Fees range from $150 for students under 21 to $250 for others depending on the training site. Most motorcycles used in the course are loaned by local dealers and are either 125cc or 250cc.

In this course, you'll learn how to operate a motorcycle safely, with emphasis on the special skills and mental attitudes necessary for dealing with traffic.

RiderCoaches will start you off with straight-line riding, turning, shifting and stopping. You'll gradually progress to cornering, swerving and emergency braking. In the classroom you'll learn about the different types of motorcycles, their characteristics, and how they operate. The RiderCoaches, all experienced motorcyclists, will advise you on what to wear for comfort, visibility and protection. You'll find out how alcohol and other drugs affect your ability to ride safely. A very important segment of the course will show you how to create your own strategy for riding in traffic, and how to deal with critical situations. The course concludes with a knowledge test and skill evaluation.

Courses in the Experienced RiderCourse (ERC) Suite are taught by RiderCoaches certified by the Motorcycle Safety Foundation (MSF) using curriculum developed by MSF. Fee is approximately $75.00

Even if you've been riding for some time, there's always something new to learn. Increasing numbers of seasoned riders are flocking to the five- to six-hour Experienced RiderCourse Suite courses to hone their skills and fine-tune the mental skills needed for survival in traffic.

On the range you'll discuss with your peers how to balance the mental and physical aspects of safe riding, manage risk, increase visibility and optimize your lane position. These courses also provide valuable information about protective gear, rider responsibility, motorcycle inspection and care, and the effects of alcohol and other drugs on riding. Optional skill evaluation and knowledge tests are available.

Using your own motorcycle, you'll put into practice the techniques of managing traction, stopping quickly, cornering and swerving. The ERC Suite courses may qualify graduates for insurance premium discounts with some motorcycle insurers.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why should I take the course?
Upon successful completion, you will have learned how to become a safe and responsible motorcyclist, will receive a DMV licensing skills test waiver, and possible insurance discount.

How do I find a course near me?
Call 1-(877) RIDE-411 and follow the prompts to find the training site near you.

How do I sign up for a course?
Locate the site closest to you and give them a call. They will be happy to schedule you into the next available class that fits your schedule.

How long does the course take?
The course is approximately 15 hours total. Check with your local training site for scheduling options.

If I’m under 18 years old, can I enroll in the course?
If you are between 16 and 18 years old you will need the signature of a parent or legal guardian in order to take the course. Ask your chosen site to see if your parent or legal guardian will need to come to class with you.

Do I need to have any riding experience?
It is not essential to have any riding experience. However, you need to have the ability to balance and stabilize a two-wheeled vehicle. If you have not ridden a bicycle in a long time, it would be a good idea to get some practice before attempting to ride a motorcycle.

Do I need to get a learner’s permit before I take the course?
Click here to find out more.

What is the cost of the course?
The cost of the CMSP Basic Course will be no more than $235.00 for riders who are 21 years old and older and $150 for under 21 years old. Please be aware that tuition for the Basic RiderCourse does not include DMV fees associated with obtaining your motorcycle license.

What do I need to bring to the course?
Your training site will provide the motorcycle. Helmets are also provided if you do not have your own. Regardless of your riding experience, you are required to wear a helmet during the riding portion of your class. You should come to the riding portion with eye protection, a long sleeved shirt or jacket, full fingered gloves, long pants and sturdy over the ankle footwear (not canvas).

Do I need to bring a motorcycle to the course?
Motorcycles will be provided for you at the training sites.

What if I don’t pass the knowledge test or the skills evaluation?
If you do not pass the knowledge test or the skills evaluation, you can re-take the skills evaluation at a later time. Schedule the re-evaluation with your particular site. Check with your site for re-registration procedures and charges.

Will I get a license after the course?
You will receive a skills test waiver after successfully completing the Basic Rider Course. This waiver will allow graduates to go to the DMV and take only the written test for their motorcycle endorsement. Please be aware that tuition for the Basic RiderCourse does not include DMV fees associated with obtaining your motorcycle license.

Guzmán has a license to go hog wild
He’s always dreamed of it, now he has one

              
Wade Byars, The Desert Sun

Richard Guzmán, among other students, takes instruction from Alton Stevens (right) of La Quinta, former owner of Coachella Valley Motorcycle Training, in the parking lot of Cathedral City High School.






Become a biker
The Basic Rider Course is offered every weekend until May. The course requires a weekday five-hour classroom session and 10 hours of riding time.
Motorcycles and helmets for use in the course are included in your course fee. Fees range from $150 for students under 21 to $235 for others depending on the training site. Most motorcycles used in the course are loaned by local dealers and are either 125cc or 250cc.
To make an appointment call 574-9169.

For experienced riders using their own motorcycles, CVMT teaches techniques to manage traction, stop quickly, cornering and swerving, increasing visibility and optimizing lane position.
To make an appointment call 574-9169
 

Richard Guzmán
The Desert Sun
April 12, 2006 April 12, 2006

Maybe it was because the movie "Easy Rider" made choppers look so cool.

Or maybe it's the desire to be an outlaw; a modern-day urban rebel. For some reason, I've always loved motorcycles.

Unfortunately, my outlaw ways were shattered early in life when I attempted to ride a friend's scooter but instead sent it flying directly into a tree.

Ever since then the idea of being a biker started to slowly fade away and I filed it in the "I could have been," section of my life, along with being a rock star and rich.

I know I'll never develop the talent to be a rocker, and as a newspaper reporter the rich part is pretty much out of the way, but recently, my biker dreams were reunited thanks to a challenge from Halle Fetty of Valley V Twin Motorcycles in Indio.

Fetty challenged me to become a biker and learn how to ride a motorcycle.

She said the instructors at Coachella Valley Motorcycle Training could teach anyone how to ride a motorcycle.

Instantly Steppenwolf's "Born to be Wild," started playing in my head. And yes, I was finally ready to get my motor running, to "head out on the highway, looking for adventure or whatever came my way."

I called Alton Stevens, the owner of the motorcycle school, and he set me up for a class.

It was going to be an intense beginners class with a five-hour classroom session and a 10-hour riding course.

Alton asked the class about our experience level.

The class varied from a guy who rode his Harley there but wanted to get an actual motorcycle license to a woman who asked if the bikes had training wheels and even one know-it-all who thought he was the assistant teacher.

But Alton cringed when I told him I could barely ride a bicycle.

In fact, I bought a bicycle last year to get a little better at it. It's an old beach cruiser and I put chopper-style handle bars on it to make it look like a motorcycle.

But on my first ride down Palm Canyon I was almost hit by a truck, I fell down twice and nearly crashed into the Sonny Bono fountain.

"As long as you have some balance you can learn to ride," he assured me.

I have some balance, sometimes.

I was a little bit more nervous after the part of the class that focuses on safety and what could happen to you if you're not careful.

But again, Alton was a great teacher and very encouraging and he assured us he was going to do everything possible to teach us to avoid a "gravity incident."

I wanted very much to avoid a gravity incident so I paid attention in class and passed the written test easily.

I was now a little more confident and ready to ride.

We met two days later at the Cathedral City High School parking lot for the weekend riding course.

My heart started pumping when I saw the bikes lined up waiting to be ridden.

I was assigned a small Kawasaki, the smallest cruiser you can legally ride on the streets. But to me, it was my hog.

Alton encouraged us to name our bikes, so my hog became The Hog.

We learned to turn them on and get them in neutral. We got the feel of the clutch and finally, after what seem forever, we were ready to ride.

We stared with walking the bike, then slowly released the clutch and at Alton's instruction I put both feet up and I was finally a biker, cruising at a steady 10 miles per hour.

We learned several safety techniques the first day, including how to break, how to properly turn and we also did a dreaded slow-speed U-turn.

I felt pretty good at almost everything except for this U-turn.

I felt like I was going to end up on my back like I did with my bicycle on Palm Canyon, except this time there was going to be hundreds of pounds of metal on me after The Hog ends up on top of me.

I barely survived the U-turn and couldn't stop smiling when we finally went into third gear and hit a nail-biting 18 mph, my fastest speed of the weekend.

The second day was a lot more fun as we learned to maneuver curves, swerve to avoid road hazards and we even went over 2x4 pieces of wood to simulate going over debris.

In order to get the DL389 certificate from Alton that allows students to go to the DMV and skip the riding portion of the motorcycle test, we had to pass an evaluation at the end of the weekend.

The evaluation was going to include a braking test, a swerving test, going around some curves and the dreaded slow U-turn.

I figured everything else wouldn't be a problem but if we dropped the bike at any point, including the U-turn, it would be an automatic fail.

I was suddenly very nervous at the thought of ending up on my back next to The Hog, but outlaws aren't supposed to show fear so I went on, got up to second gear and started the maneuver.

I felt wobbly the whole time, I went outside the boundary line and looked like a little kid learning to ride a two-wheeler for the first time.

But I didn't drop The Hog. I was still so nervous that I messed up almost every other test.

I hit a cone during the swerve and went too slow around he curves, although I did stop on time.

I thought I was going to fail but Alton announced that the whole class had passed.

So just like that, I was finally a real biker - parking lot certified, license pending.

I did get the worst grade in the class and would have failed if I had done even one more tiny thing wrong, but Alton, always reassuring, told me that even the doctor who graduates with the lowest grade from medical school is still called a doctor.

So just call me Dr. Outlaw, and as soon as I get my bike, I'm going to ride it past my record 18 miles per hour.

I just hope I don't end up on the receiving end of an emergency room.