"It's the freedom, the wind in your face," Gaber said of why he rides. "There's so much more out there, the smells, the sights. You see a lot more when you're on a bike."

But the view comes with risks, as illustrated by the wreck last week of Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. Roethlisberger, who was not wearing a helmet, suffered a broken jaw and other injuries.

Virginia law requires all riders to wear helmets. In Pennsylvania, riders 21 and older who have been licensed to ride for at least two years, or who have passed a safety course, don't have to wear helmets, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation.

The hazards of riding a bike--with or without a helmet--are why training programs at Germanna and other sites help prepare riders with strategies to avoid wrecks.

"We want to survive while riding and to have fun, too," said Lindsay Walker, program coordinator at Germanna.

The Motorcycle Safety Foundation, a national organization, established the program in the 1970s. The current curriculum has been in place since 2003.

About 850 riders complete the program at Germanna annually, and about 85,000 are trained in similar programs across Virginia each year, according to Walker.

"The demand is awesome," Walker said.

The class at Germanna, which is held most weekends, is booked through October. But cancellations do occur, and Walker recommends interested riders call the college to see if there's an available spot.

"Anything worth having is worth waiting for, and this is worth having," Walker said.

Two classes are offered at Germanna: the Beginning Rider Course and the Experienced Rider Course.

The objectives of the beginning class include riding in a straight line, turning, shifting, braking and hazard avoidance. The experienced class builds on those skills.

But the most fundamental component of each class is safety.

According to the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles, there were 56 motorcycle fatalities in 2004, or 6 percent of all traffic fatalities that year. In 2004, there were 123,548 registered motorcycles in the state, with 1.7 percent of them involved in crashes.

Instructor Guy Smith knows the dangers of riding firsthand.

"This is a blood sport," Smith said. "No matter how prepared you are."

Several years ago, he was riding his motorcycle in the middle of seven cars when an intoxicated car driver came straight at them in the wrong lane. One of the other car drivers was killed, and Smith was seriously injured.

That didn't keep him from getting back on his motorcycle.

"I ride because I want to, and I recognize that things like that happen," Smith said.

Walker, the program coordinator, has been teaching since 1997, and his love of riding has brought his family out with him. His daughter Karen has been riding with him since she was little. Now, she works as a range aide, setting up the cones and obstacles to keep the class running smoothly. She plans to become an instructor.

Walker's wife, Debbie, enjoys being a passenger. And while she worries about her daughter's safety as all parents do, she said she isn't concerned about Karen hopping on a bike.

"Actually, I feel better with her on a motorcycle than in a car because she's more alert on the motorcycle," Debbie said. "In a car, you feel a little safer and are less cautious."

Educating the rookies

No riding experience is necessary to take the beginner class. But participants must be at least 15 years old and must have completed the classroom portion of a basic driver education course. Participants also need to be able to balance on two wheels.

"If you can't even balance on a bicycle, you're going to have a tough time balancing on a motorcycle," said Jack Heric, an instructor and rider coach. A rider coach trains other instructors.

Motorcycles are provided for participants in the beginning course. The instructors recommend taking the course before buying a motorcycle.

"There's a percentage of people who come take the class and realize the sport isn't for them," said Walker. "If you love it, you'll do it right and be prepared."

Rick Fiero of Fredericksburg signed up for the beginner class having never been on a motorcycle, "other than in the store."

"It looked like fun and I wanted to buy a bike, so I thought I'd take a class and learn how to do it the right way," Fiero said.

The beginning class includes a hodgepodge of students, ranging from those like Fiero who have never ridden, to those with some experience on a bike.

The class starts with locating the parts of the bike and learning how to ride in straight lines, brake and turn.

Like Fiero, Angie Boyer had never ridden a motorcycle before taking the class.

"I had wanted to do it for a while, but kept putting it off," Boyer said. "But then I just wanted to see if I could do it."

She found that the easiest part of learning to ride was getting the bike into first gear. And the hardest part, she said, was mastering the clutch.

By the second day of the class, a Sunday, Boyer was feeling like she could do it.

"You feel more confident coming in on Sunday," Boyer said. "The instructors help out a lot. They give lots of encouragement."

At the end of the weekend, beginning students take a written and riding test. About 92 percent of students at Germanna pass. Those who do are exempt from the riding portion of the DMV licensing exam. Passing the course also may get participants a discount on motorcycle insurance.

Even with the incentives, the course is no cakewalk.

"It's not a class where you can show up and walk out with a certificate," Walker said. "We're working with the DMV, and when you walk in there with that piece of paper, we're telling them that you're ready to ride a motorcycle."

When Ron Walker, another student in the beginning class, moved to Virginia, his motorcycle endorsement had expired. So he decided to take the beginning class to get it back.

"After taking it, I'm glad I did because there's a lot of things I didn't know about riding even though I've been riding 15 years," Walker said. "There's a lot of things they explain in the class that nobody ever took the time to explain before."

Bike bonding

Riders who have taken the beginner class, or have logged at least 4,000 miles on a motorcycle, can take the experienced class to refresh their skills.

There is no test involved with the experienced class and riders can opt out of an exercise if they feel uncomfortable about it. But these riders love being on their bikes so much, they're willing to give most anything a go.

The back of Scott Gaber's Harley Owners Group jacket captures the sentiment concisely: "No rules, no dues, I just want to cruz."

The Experienced Rider Course is a five-hour course "designed to build on what people usually learn in the [Beginning Rider Course]," Walker said.

But instead of using class bikes, the riders use their own.

"We call it bike bonding day," said Walker, the program coordinator.

The class includes nine exercises that all build on each other, and that help get riders more in synch with their bikes.

These riders are perfectly comfortable cruising on their motorcycles, but they are also more aware of all the things that can go wrong.

Intersections are one of the biggest dangers, said Mike Strachan, a participant in the experienced course. He considers an intersection any place that another vehicle could come across his path. That includes driveways and parking lots.

Strachan said people in cars--which he refers to as "cages"--have a tendency to overlook motorcycles because they're smaller. And they just aren't looking for them. Car drivers should always turn to check their blind spots and not rely solely on their mirrors.

"That's what we would like to see on the part of cages, more awareness," Strachan said.

Many riders repeat the class and learn something new each time.

"It doesn't all come together in one session," Walker said. "That's why so many people keep coming back and pick up something they missed last time."

Scott Gaber takes the course every year. He understands the dangers involved in riding a bike.

"To be a motorcycle rider, you have to be a defensive driver," Gaber said. "Otherwise, you'll die."

For more information or to enroll, call 540/891-3095 or visit the class Web site at gcc.vccs.edu/workforce/motorcycle.asp.

Article can be found here: http://fredericksburg.com/News/FLS/2006/062006/06182006/195081
UNEASY RIDER For bikers, safety is more than wearing a helmet
Story by JENN ROWELL