Owens to offer basic motorcycle safety training classes March - October | News

PERRYSBURG TOWNSHIP, OH (PRESS RELEASE) – Area motorcycle enthusiasts interested in enhancing their knowledge about safe driving are invited to enroll in upcoming Motorcycle Safety Training classes offered through Owens Community College’s Workforce and Community Services. The classes will occur from March through October.

The College’s Motorcycle Safety Training is the only basic motorcycle-rider course offered in Wood County and is one of only 22 permanent training locations in Ohio. Owens’ motorcycle safety training is a three-day course, which occurs Thursday evenings, Saturdays and Sundays. Initial classes will take place Thursday through Sunday, March 29 – April 1.

Motorcycle Ohio is regarded as the premier motorcycle safety and education program in the state, having enhanced the riding skills of over 115,000 motorcyclists since its founding in 1987. The organization has 22 permanent training locations throughout Ohio and one mobile program, as well as a fleet of 450 training motorcycles, helmets and over 250 instructors. Motorcycle Ohio’s Basic Rider Course or “Riding and Street Skills” was first made available to the public in 1988, while the Experienced Rider Course was added in 1992. An Instructor Preparation Course is available for experienced motorcyclists interested in becoming a Motorcycle Ohio instructor.

The Basic Rider Course requires 16 hours of educational learning. Four hours will occur within a classroom at the College’s Arrowhead Park Learning Center on Indian Wood Circle in Maumee. Classroom topics will include introduction to motorcycling, preparing to ride and street strategies. The final 12 hours will be held as part of practice riding sessions at Owens’ 250 feet by 500 feet defensive driving pad adjacent to the Fire Science and Law Enforcement Center in Perrysburg Township. The practice riding sessions will feature educational training within the areas of motorcycle familiarization, limited-space maneuvers, using the friction zone, negotiating curves, obstacles and lane changes, avoiding hazards and matching gears to speed, among other topics.

Attendees will be provided with motorcycles, helmets and a student workbook. Individuals must show proof of a Motorcycle Endorsement on their driver’s license or a valid Temporary Motorcycle permit in order to participate in the course.

In its first five years at Owens, the basic motorcycle-rider class has trained more than 2,180 individuals during the spring, summer and fall months.

The cost to participate in the class is only $25. Space is limited to 12 riders per class. For additional information, contact the College’s Workforce and Community Services at 567-661-7357 or 1-800-GO-OWENS, ext. 7357. Individuals can register online at www.motorcycle.ohio.gov.