After an early summer preview last weekend in Virginia, the roads were filled with any and everyone who owned anything with two wheels and a motor between and so I decided I REALLY had to get my Virginia Motorcycle License. I’d been kicking the idea around for some time but never actually made the time to go take a BRC (Basic Rider Course) in order to get my license.
The beauty of the BRC is that you attend a 2-3 day course (classroom and road course on a bike) and after successfully passing, come out with a VA 30day temporary motorcycle license and the ability to go to a VA DMV location within 12 months of passing the course and have the endorsement added to your license.
As I found out, the real advantage of going through this process (versus just taking the test at the DMV) is the knowledge, skills, experience, and confidence you gain by going through the course.
After searching for available openings to take the course and finding nothing in my immediate area available for over a month, I came across MotoHaven based in Fredericksburg, VA which is a short 30min drive south of Potomac Mills area where I currently live. MotoHaven is a new school opened by two instructors who previously taught at another area school before starting their own. James Perkins and Tony Anderson are the two primary instructors and complimented by Sam Lovelady who attended one of their courses and then became an instructor (Rider Coach) and joined the school.
While I never attended any other course like this before, I was impressed with MotoHaven because of a couple key factors.
The first was price. MotoHaven offered the class for about $75 cheaper than any other area school (accept NOVA of course which offers the class but requires that you register and become a student to attend the classes). The second was availability. As a new school, MotoHaven wasn’t booked 1-2 months in advance which meant that I was able to get in on short (4-5 days in advance) notice. This is a great thing if you’ve got an upcoming weekend available to take the class and want to lock it down without waiting for a month + before attending. Another big factor about MotoHaven is the quality of instructors. Both Tony and James are EXCELLENT at what they do and their relaxed teaching style (even after you’ve just made a mistake that scared the cr*p out of you) helps put you at ease and focus on learning from mistakes and how to improve your skills.
The equipment they provided was new and in excellent condition and consisted of Honda, Suzuki, and Kawasaki equipment (1 sport bike, several cruisers, and 2 dirt bikes) all of the 250cc variety as well as helmets and gloves for those students that did not bring their own gear. It was nice to work with nice equipment that was clearly in excellent condition and working order versus something that has been ridden to death by novice riders before.
The class was held at the UMW Graduate School in Fredericksburg, VA and was a very convenient and nice location to attend in you live anywhere around the southern portion of Northern Virginia. The drive down there from Potomac Mills area was only about 20-30 min even with heavy rain. Friday afternoon was a bit of a different story though, as anyone who lives in NOVA knows, if you are going anywhere south on I95 on a Friday – LEAVE EARLY.
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I went into the class w/very little experiene (it had been over 12 years since I rode a motorcycle) but James and Tony were able to help cure some bad novice rider habbits that I didn’t even know I had (namely, covering the front brake and throttle at the same time). Their wealth of knowledge was invaluable and really helped me gain confidence (but not over confidence). Even though the class was held over a very rainy Sunday afternoon, James and Tony kept everything up-beat and encouraged us to use the rainy conditions to apply our knowledge and learn how to ride in the rain. Before the class I had no clue what I would do if caught on my bike in the rain but came away understanding the dynamic and knowing that I was better prepared if I ever encounter such a situation.
The class was divided into 4 parts:
Day 1 – Classroom
We spent several hours in a classroom environment first getting a course overview and then reviewing the course materials and videos. In groups, we researched and answered questions and discussed them. The classroom work was the least intensive part of the class but was very informative. Numerous times on days 2 & 3 the instructors referenced material we discussed in class and we saw how it was applied in the real world. We were able to study our materials prior to a 50 question multiple choice test.
Day 2 – Classroom Test & Motorcycle Course
The test was not at all hard if you paid attention and reviewed the materials and the entire class quickly passed and those that were there for the afternoon session (myself included) headed out to the range to start motorcycle familiarization. The course work (on a bike) portion of the class began after the test and started with getting to know the motorcycle and controls. A majority of the afternoon included basic skills development (starting from a stop, braking in a straight line, simple cornering, etc) and the exercises progressively built on the one prior. I’m sure I wasn’t the only one who left the class wishing I could go home and jump on my bike and keep practicing!
Day 3 – Motorcycle Course Work and Test
Day 3 started at noon for myself and the rest of the afternoon class, just as the Virginia Spring rain began to come down. The 2nd day of course work started with a basic refresher (ride-around) to get reacquainted with the motorcycle and then immediately began more advanced exercises. The rain contributed to make some of Day 2’s exercises more challenging but it was also a big benefit to know you could perform cornering and braking in the rain and how to do it properly. With each exercise building to the final test we worked through all the exercises at a good pace, but the instructors were always focused on giving attention to any rider that needed coaching. I realized how important and valuable it was that the instructors were willing to hold everyone up while they coached someone who needed one-on-one attention and by the end of Day 3, EVERYONE had been individually coached numerous times and was clearly appreciative of the insight and advice offered.
The test or “Celebration of Skills” (as the instructors referred to it) was at the end of the 3rd day and the instructors encouraged everyone to just focus on the exercises as if we were not being tested and remember our skills. I was impressed with how professional the instructors were in administering the test and the advice they provided to riders (myself included) who had to make use of the second attempt on a test or two. Notwithstanding their patience, they adhered to the test guidelines without fail – it was clear that they were both serious about the responsibility of assuring that only those who could successfully demonstrate proficiency would be licensed.
I’m sure the rest of the class picked up on this and it was clear that nerves came into play on the test (once again, myself included) and it was definitely much more challenging than the classroom test. This was largely because you begin over-thinking everything that has just started to become second nature. By the 3rd part of the test I was able to relax and just go w/my training and muscle memory. Fortunately, I passed the last element of the test on my first attempt.
Ultimately, this was an excellent experience and you can check out their course availablity and schedule by visiting their website. I’d highly recommend them to anyone interested in a safe, fun, and relaxed environment to both learn solid skills and get your VA Motorcycle License. If you attend or contact them, be sure you let them know that you came across them from a very positive former student!
