Last weekend I completed the Motorcycle Safety Foundation's Basic RiderCourse.  I've had my motorcycle license for years, but I haven't actually owned a bike in a long time.  So while I'm saving my pennies to get one (along with a full assortment of riding gear) I thought it would be a good idea to take a safety course to freshen up my riding skills.

The course is actually conducted by ABATE of Indiana.  There are several hours of classroom instruction and (thankfully) many more on the riding range, which in our case was a parking lot at Carmel Middle School.  Twelve students are in each class.  We had two great instructors... "Skip" and "Scrounge".  Though I already knew how to ride, I really appreciated their coaching and the opportunity to focus on technique and precision.

I'd highly recommend the class to anyone, and quite frankly I'm not sure why more people don't take it.  The time commitment (Friday evening, Saturday, most of Sunday) and fee ($50) are both very reasonable.  And judging by some of the riders who showed up for the state riding exam which was being conducted nearby, more people could certainly use it.

Below are some quick cell phone photos I snapped while I was there.