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Macomb Community College Motorcycle Safety Class Review

Macomb Community College Motorcycle Safety Class Review – Macomb Community College holds motorcycle safety classes at its south campus in Warren MI from March through October. The classes run $50 and include classroom time as well as several hours of drive time on the campus’ large parking lots. Motorcycles are provided for Macomb Community College Motorcycle Safety Class, mostly Honda and Yamaha 250cc bikes.

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I signed up for the weekend Basic Motorcycle Safety course. It consists of 3 hours of online classes prior to training, 5 hours of classroom training, and 10 hours of “hands-on” training – all jammed into one weekend. The classroom training is intermixed with the hands-on parking lot training. IE – 2 hours of roadwork, and hour of classroom training (repeat).

Macomb Community College Motorcycle Safety Class Review

Yes, I’m a true beginner, so I had a lot to learn, but I was impressed by how much I could learn in one weekend. NOTE – Michigan laws have changed since my 2014 review of this course – you can no longer get your CY license from a 3rd party without a course. So, for $50, this course is an incredible bargain because, upon completion, you will receive BOTH a riding and written test WAIVER from the Secretary of State. In other words, this is now the CHEAPEST and pretty much ONLY way to get your license nowadays.

The Friday night motorcycle safety lecture (now replaced with online work before class) was a thorough lesson on motorcycle riding and safety. The class participated in groups to answer and discuss 120 questions about riding and safety. These questions supported what we did in the riding skills sessions, and they also made up the written exam we took on Sunday.

Saturday’s riding sessions were intense. There are about 10-12 students in each group. Everyone gets their own motorcycle which is provided by the course. The riding session takes up an entire parking lot at MCC. There are two instructors for each group and they set up obstacles (traffic cones) that start with the basics and gradually increase to developing more skills, e.g. weaving, u-turns, sudden stops, figure 8’s and more. This part of the course is draining. Be sure to hydrate in the hot weather, eat well, and get plenty of rest. You will need to keep your focus and be ready to learn all day – in ANY weather. You will ride for three 2-hour session. Even though we never got above 2nd gear, I felt this part of the class was an incredible lesson that taught me a lot and will help me as I venture out on the roads.

Did I say intense? If your Saturday session starts at 8a, you’ll be on that motorcycle by 8:05a – even if you’ve never ridden a motorcycle before. The individual riding skill lessons progress VERY quickly. If you’re struggling with it early, it’s going to be a long day as they ramp up the difficulty. Unless you have copious experience riding, you’ll likely find Saturday lessons very challenging as many in my group were tempted to quit – but don’t quit! The instructors at Macomb Community College Motorcycle Safety Class do a great job helping you keep your wits during the many new challenges. 3, 2-hour sessions means you’ll have plenty of break time but it’s NOT a truly relaxing rest period. This time is usually spent cramming for the written material you learned Friday evening in preparation for all-important Sunday’s written test.

Sunday is test day. The day begins with a review of the skills to be tested. Next is the road test which takes about 40 minutes. Whether or not you pass the road test (most do), the next step is the 50-question written exam. If you pass both of these components (road test and written exam), in order to be officially certified, you still need to pass the written test at the Secretary of State. I found the testing, thankfully, fairly lenient and a large portion of my classmates passed.

The Macomb Community College Motorcycle Safety Class instructors from our group were great – strict and firm, yet patient, helpful and encouraging. The skills move at a pretty fast pace and can be quite overwhelming for the beginner rider. Everything is very specific so you have to be alert and ready to follow direction. The Macomb Community College Motorcycle Safety instructors did what they could to keep us from getting completely discouraged and walking away.

LisaLaGrouMotorcycleThe Macomb Community College Motorcycle Safety Class has classes for beginners, intermediate, and even advanced. If you’ve NEVER ridden before, even the beginner class can be difficult. My husband, who took the class last year, likens it to taking a college Spanish course. I.E. If you have 1-2 years of high school Spanish, college Spanish is easy to learn. If you have zero experience speaking Spanish, you’re going to have a very hard time keeping up in college class with those who do. If you have some familiarity with riding a motorcycle or a quad (anything with an up/down tree shift pattern), you’ll be fine. If you have next to zero experience, it may feel like a crash course in brain surgery – but one you can manage. In case you’re wondering, there were PLENTY of ladies in addition to me taking this class. I guess I’m not the only “motorcycle mama” in training.

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My motorcycle class was well worth the $. Just be prepared to make an all-weekend commitment. It’s a grueling weekend, but probably the fastest (and cheapest) way to getting your CY license.

You can register for the Macomb Community College Motorcycle Safety Class here.

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