I’m Taking More Motorcycle Safety Courses. Here’s Why.

Sometimes you just need a dumb excuse to get out on the bike.

Last Friday the weather was rough in the morning and I’d basically written off the day. Then it cleared up, and suddenly I had the opposite problem – no idea where to go. Analysis paralysis. I’m sitting there scrolling my phone, burning daylight trying to decide on a direction, when my 15-year-old texts me from an Easter egg hunt at a local orchard. Needs her hoodie. It’s colder than she thought.

She’s 15. She should’ve grabbed a jacket. But I threw the hoodie in a backpack, hopped on the Ninja 400, and had my reason to ride. That’s really all it takes sometimes. Stop overthinking, take whatever ride is in front of you, and sort the rest out once you’re moving.

Why I Keep Coming Back to Motorcycle Safety Courses

Once the hoodie was delivered and I was back on the bike with nowhere specific to be, my brain landed on something I’d been meaning to act on: getting back into some formal training.

I’m signed up for a Street Smart seminar at Martin Moto. It’s put on by the Motorcycle Safety Foundation (MSF), it’s free, and it’s held right there in the dealership – slideshow, printouts, safety discussion, technical riding stuff. I went once before and got more out of it than I expected. Signed up again, put the word out on the WaltInPA Discord, and Old’s Man jumped in immediately. TrekkieMoto wanted to go but the event sold out before he could grab a spot.

Here’s the reality with free motorcycle safety courses: when there’s no money on the line, people flake. When I went last time, the event was sold out but less than half the seats had anyone in them. So my advice to Trekkie was the same I’d give anyone: just show up anyway. Worst they do is turn you away, and honestly that seems unlikely.

The IRC: My Next Real Target

The Street Smart seminar got me motivated to look at what else was available in my area.

Specifically, the Intermediate Rider Clinic – the IRC. If all you’ve ever done is the basic MSF course you took to get your endorsement, the IRC is the logical next move. You’re not retreading beginner stuff. It’s actual skill work that matters for riders who’ve been at this for a while.

The problem is I waited too long. Looking in March and April for courses happening in April and May means everything near me is already booked. The range at Norristown has IRC slots, but they’re full. There’s a closer range that only offers the beginner course, and I’m not going backwards. So for now I’m watching for openings, and I may just show up at Norristown on a free weekend and see if walk-ins get in. Worst case I ride home. There are worse outcomes.

The ARC Is On My Radar Too

While I was digging around, I found out Norristown now offers the Advanced Rider Course – the ARC. That’s new, and it’s worth paying attention to if you’re in the area.

Before this, my ARC options were a Harley dealership in the Harrisburg area or Pocono Raceway. Both are a couple of hours out, minimum. Finding it closer changes things.

One thing worth knowing: not all ARC courses cover the same ground. The version at Pocono takes you through drills at real speed – not racetrack speed, but well above the 20 to 25 mph you’re doing in a parking lot range. Some locations only cover advanced slow-speed maneuvers and skip the speed work entirely. I want both, and I think both are worth doing for different reasons.

Also worth knowing: there’s no required order to these courses. You don’t have to ladder up from BRC to IRC to ARC. As long as you have your motorcycle license, you can take any of them. They do recommend having some seat time under your belt before jumping into the advanced stuff – you don’t want to show up with no base and try to work through skills you’ve never touched. But there’s no gatekeeper checking your prerequisites. Personally, I want to finish the IRC before I jump into the ARC. It just makes sense for where I’m at right now.

Going Alone Is Fine, But It Takes Some Patience

Getting another rider to commit to one of these courses at the same time is harder than it sounds. Schedules don’t line up, events fill before a second person can register – it just doesn’t come together easily. At this point my plan is to figure out which weekends I’m free and show up at Norristown solo. Walk-ins are accepted.

If I get in, I get in. If not, I ride home and try another day. Either way I’m on the bike, and that’s not a bad outcome by any measure.

Have You Taken Any Motorcycle Safety Courses Beyond the MSF?

That’s something I’m genuinely curious about. Most of us took the basic course to get the endorsement. But beyond that, have you gone back for anything else? IRC, ARC, Total Control, Lee Parks – any of it?

Drop that in the WaltInPA Discord. That’s where the real conversations happen between videos, and it’s a good group of riders who’d actually have something useful to say on the subject. Come find us there.

Stay in the Loop

If you want to follow along when I actually get around to taking these courses – and I will be covering it – subscribe to the WaltInPA YouTube channel so you don’t miss it.

And if you know another rider who’s been thinking about getting back into some formal training, send them this post. Might be the thing that gets them to finally sign up.