im 17 and just got my first harley a few weeks ago. upgraded from a 1980 650 yamaha, and yes i realize im young and no my parents didnt buy me bike for me.

so anyway ive been riding with my dad on a motorcycle permit, but tomorrow i start my 3 day course to get my liscence so i can ride whenever i want and with summer and gas prices sneaking up on me its gunna be a blessing.

so my question is... do you guys have any tips for the class? or has anyone on the boards taken the class in iowa? i want to know what to expect, i hear its alot of first gear manuevering?

any help you guys could give me would be great

thanks

p.s. heres my bike... picked it up for 4 grand its an 02 with 4700 miles on it. I beleive it was a very good deal

 

My suggestion is that you go there with a completely open mind, and no preconceptions.

If it's a good class, they'll tell you, demonstrate, and then have you do it.

If you taught yourself to ride, you may be in for some nice surprises about how to control that bike. It's all good.

Good luck, and congratulations on buying yourself your Harley.

 

The bike looks good. Just listen to what they teach you in the course. Forget what you already know and focus on what the instructors tell you. Also, I recommend buying the DVD "Ride Like A Pro V". It will help you build on the skills you will learn in the MSF course.

 

Taking the course is a great idea. Listen to what they have to say. You probably won't hit third gear, at least that is the way it was when I took one of the courses. Have fun, enjoy the sporty and ride safe.

 

Congrats on the bike. JB had the best advice, go in there with an open mind, you'll be surprised what you learn and experience. Good luck and welcome. Let us know what you think after the class.

 

I just finished the ABATE class in Indiana. You are correct that there is a lot of 1st gear stuff. Just take your time and don't go too fast through the exercises, keep an even speed. Get used to turning your head to where you are going to go. Keep your head and eyes up. You will go where you look, if you look down when you are turning at slow speeds, you may go down. My class had 250cc and 175cc bikes for the students. Jump on one of the 175cc bikes or the smaller bike they have, the smaller the bike the easier it is to do the slow turns like the figure 8.

 

thanks for the input guys, anyone have any input as to what the actual classroom work is like? is there a test at the end or somthing?

 

Yeah, I don't know about IA. Maybe someone here does.

 

I took the course here in Iowa back in '02. I already had my license but took it because I heard it was a good class. I learned a lot. As was said earlier, keep an open mind and listen to the instructors. A couple years ago I took the experienced rider course (that you use your own bike on) and it was excellent also. The classroom portion of the class was mixed in between riding sessions. The written test at the end is pretty easy if you pay attention in class, and the riding test is easy because you practice all the maneuvers a lot

 

The ABATE written test wasn't too hard. I got a 100 percent. If you pay attention in class and then read the class booklet the night before the test, you will do OK.