Training & Trackdays

Motorcycle Safety Foundation’s Basic Rider Course

The first thing to do, after getting your motorcycle permit, is to take a Motorcycle Safety Foundation (MSF) Basic Rider Course (BRC) (800-447-4700).

The BRC was developed by the Motorcycle safety Foundation as a complete riding program for the beginning rider. The program consists of seven hours of classroom instruction and eleven hours of hands-on riding instruction all taught by MSF certified instructors. The two-and-a-half day, 18 hour course provides beginning motorcyclists with the basic mental and physical riding skills necessary to minimize risk on the street. Topics covered include: straight line riding, shifting, braking, turning and swerving techniques as well as motorcycle dynamics.

You will learn important skills that could help you stay safe in tough situations. What better way to get additional experience and learn techniques that will make you a better rider.

MSF Courses are available in the New York City area at: Motorcycle Safety School and Trama’s Motorcycle & Auto School.

Videos, Podcasts

100 Points of Grip with Champion Riding School’s, Nick Ienatsch

  • This is a must see for any rider on any road. Nick Ienatsch talks, talks, and talks about what everyone needs drilled in about grip and how to make the most of it.

Brake Light Initiative: Braking Properly

  • How to use your motorcycle brakes properly By Nick Ienatsch Jeff Allen, Michael Troutman, John Beck. Illustration by Jim Hatch May 28, 2014

Ienatsch Tuesday: Stop, Midcorner or Anywhere

  • Braking skills that can save your bacon.

High Performance Courses

After you’ve gotten at least a year/3,000 miles of street riding experience, you may want to take your skills to the next level. Check out:

Moto Gymkhana

Motorcycle gymkhana is a motorcycle time trial sport in which riders compete to maneuver in the shortest time through a paved course restricted by traffic cones or other obstacles. The course is made up of various obstacles that you need to navigate through which generally test your ability to maneuver your bike in low speeds in tight turns. Those obstacles can include 360 circles (both inside and outside a marked circular boundary), figure 8’s, slaloms, chicanes and various tight corners that really require you to ride at slow speed while balancing the bike.

Motorcycle Gymkhana is an open displacement competition that is all about a rider’s skill and ability rather than about how much or how little horsepower a particular motorcycle can produced.

Motorcycle Gymkhana is relatively open to beginners, because riders need little equipment and no special license to participate. Events are usually held at closed courses such as driving schools, parking lots, small circuits, or other paved lots. The layout of the course is designed by the organizer and is different for each event.

Trackdays

An on-bike view of a track day session at NY Safety Track
(Chin is on bike #591. At 01:47 #591 is a spec in the back finally catching up to the 1st group that was let on to the track.

Motorcycle Road Racing

Motorcycle road racing features contests of speed on closed, paved courses. Riders compete on a range of bike styles, from nearly stock street-legal sport bikes modified to be safe for competition to purpose-built road race machines.

Insurance

  • Get Covered by Jon Hatcher for TrackDayMag.com: 
    (Medical insurance should be on your trackday checklist.)
  • RiderSurance.com is an action sports-friendly place to quote and apply for health, life, and disability insurance. The perk of this site is we only offer plans that do not have hobby or occupational exclusions specific to racing and riding.