Motorcycle course cool - even for us girls

A few months ago, I went to the website Idahostar.org to see about obtaining a motorcycle license in this state by training through this program. There is an initial on line quiz which assesses your experience level and then recommends which course you most likely would need. There are 3 day courses and 1 day courses.

Based on my previous knowledge of clutch and hand brake use, and my comfort level of riding in general, the 1-day course was recommended and I was thrilled. I used to ride dirt bikes with my Dad when I was a teenager, had a little experience on a couple of street bikes, but have never owned a street bike as an adult.The course was held at the local police department building in Coeur d'Alene and consisted of approximately 4 hours of class work, lunch break, then 4 hours of actual riding at their range facility at the northwest end of the Coeur d'Alene airport. They provide beautiful new motorcycles of various makes and models, as well as a helmet if you don't have your own. Once you pass the very basic written exam in class, you only have to bring gloves and over-the-ankles boots to the range and you're all set.

In my class, there were 11 of us... nine males, and two females. Each of us gave a brief introduction, our experience level and our expectations of the class. Since we were in the one day course, everyone had some level of experience, and for some it had been a good many years.However, it was interesting to me that I was singled out for a few minutes mid-way through the class for what the instructor called "mildly concerned" about whether I was in the correct class.

I am one of the two females in class and while I admit, I did have limited experience and no recent experience, there were other male students there who expressed similar levels, yet didn't seem to cause the same amount of concern. Keep in mind that this was only maybe 2 hours into the ground school portion of the program. I hadn't even gotten ON a motorcycle yet! I was very quick to reply that I understood what he was saying, and that if there was ANY indication that I couldn't handle the bike once we started, I had NO problem going through the longer "beginner course" which is 3 days long. This is what I call being "treated like a girl." Good natured doubting, cautiously optimistic.I think once the instructor knew I was willing to concede failure happily if need be, he was relieved that he wasn't going to quash my dreams of becoming a biker chick. Everyone passed the written quiz and we were told to meet at the range after lunch. The other gal in the class owned her own bike and had a good amount of recent riding experience, so I could only assume that the instructor was still only concerned with my recent lack thereof.

On the range, we had both the ground instructor and another instructor to go through the various drills. The only question I needed to ask initially was the start sequence for the bike, which consisted of "ignition switch on, kill switch off, push start button." After that it was, SURPRISE!, the same operation of most bikes, which is 1st gear, neutral, 2nd , 3rd and 4th etc...It was all extremely professional, and well organized. Both instructors were excellent on the course and encouraging throughout. We went in circles doing maneuvers around cones, and cornering and swerving and stopping in a the shortest distance. We never got past 2nd gear in any exercise and there were no mishaps on the range whatsoever.

As I took some corners and "pressed" to lean into the turns, I felt what I expect is the reason people love to ride....some kind of strange freedom from gliding across the road on two wheels instead of the 'cage' of being in an automobile. A few times I heard people celebrating out loud with a yelp or a couple of quick beeps of the horn when the task was completed. We were all having a great time.I was never presumptuous about my ability, because I know all too well that arrogance and assumption are two ingredients that do not mix when operating machinery that moves. But I have to admit, I was having a great time and felt much more confident after the drills. Each individual then had to demonstrate the maneuvers in a testing mode and were graded by the instructors. We all gathered together at the end of the day and one by one each of us was talked to in a slightly discreet setting (the other side of the motorcycle trailer) where I assumed they could help someone save face if they didn't pass.

I was approximately the 5th or 6th person called over for my results and was given a hearty congratulations and kudos that I did a very good job, only missing a few points on one of the test drills! The instructor told me again that he was concerned in the morning, but that I surprised him with my results.I smiled and shook his hand, thanking him for a job well done. I didn't think it would have mattered if I told him (before class or after) that I sailed boats for fun and flew airplanes for a living.

It's much more fun to tell others the encouraging and sometime humorous stories of how I've been "treated like a girl" and lo and behold....we succeed anyway! I highly recommend this venue for training.Tell 'em Jill said hello!

Jill Jesensky is a Coeur d'Alene resident who is a captain at USAirways and enjoys sailing on Lake Coeur d'Alene in her Catalina 22.