Abate Rider's Course deciding if I want to use my Wing or the Hondas they supply

Ride the one you know the best.

USE their bike.. JUST on the off chance you dump it during the slow ride portion,, thats what their bikes are for. Plus after riding your wing around for a year testing on their their rebels or nighthawks will seem like a walk in the park

They are going to make you do a lot of slow maneuvering in a parking lot. Although good practice on the Wing, I personally would choose the lighter more maneuverable bike for the course which is your test.

kniterider said:

USE their bike.. JUST on the off chance you dump it during the slow ride portion,, thats what their bikes are for. Plus after riding your wing around for a year testing on their their rebels or nighthawks will seem like a walk in the park

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:agree: 110%
The wing is a big heavy bike and is a handful at low speed for even some experienced riders. Use the provided motorcycle for the class.

I suggest you find out exactly what the test is, lay it out in a parking lot and TRY it on your Wing. It will be fun and give you a Real World answer. Of course, there is nothing wrong with taking the class either. All that stuff is good practice and lots if fun.

Looks like some of the folks above need to spend some slow-speed time with their Wings so they realize it is not half the handful they think it is.

I have spent a whole lot of time training with my Wing, K1200 Lt, R1200Rt and every bike in between those . But after teaching the MSF course for over a decade and taking the Street Masters Course in Lancaster California, plus the ride like a pro course. I know excatly what a large heavy touring bike can do in the right experienced hands. I also know what a single moments hesitation by a less experienced rider can cause. I still stand by my "suggestion" that this fairly new rider avail himself the opportunity to "TEST" on their bike instead of his own, since IF he were to drop their bike instead of his, it would be their insurance company and not his. Plus several of the bike insurance companies will not cover damage to your bike if it is USED for any commercial or training uses.

Wings in 2nd gear will run forever at low speeds

I have found (this may not be new to anyone but me) that you can just keep your wing in 2nd gear with full clutch and they will not stall or stutter and keep a constant 10 mph. This has come in handy for those tight turns. I believe that Honda has specifically designed this feature into the Goldwings.

I took the MSF course on their bike and had fun. I then took my VTX back to the same course, on a non class day, and rode through the same courses. When I got the wing I also went back to the same course and rode through. I now go back about once a month and refresh with the wing. While I can successfully negotiate every part of the course, their are some that the size of the wing make challenging for me and I am still not real comfortable with. I would take their class on their bike. Learn the course on a smaller lighter bike and if the opportunity presents itself, go back on your wing and practice at your own pace.

So are you saying you'll do it on the Wing?

My Son did this class to get his MC endorsement and so did my daughter. My Son did it on a Buell Blast as that's what they were using, my daughter on a Honda Rebel which is what it sounds like your class is offering.

They spent two days practicing parking lot drills. Then they basically did most of the same exercises as a test. I watched my daughter for most of the two days, she ace'd it on the rebel. I saw at least three tip overs. Those folk did NOT get their MC endorsement paperwork and were invited back for more training.

If you do decide to use your Goldwing, before going to the class, try laying it over and picking it up a few times, that's good practice as well, the last thing you'll need is a bunch of over eager helpful folks trying to pick it up using plastic pieces.

The rebel is a much better bike for the newbie than the Blast. Rebel , twin cyclinder, and idle much smoother , requires much less throttle movement to tke off and slow ride versus the Blast. That bike is a beast for newbies especially newbies with no prior clutch experience. I have taught that class on both bikes,, got my wife the rebel for her first bike. Failure rate with the blast is double that of the rebel or night hawk

Evansville Winger said:

Here's a pretty general question. I got my wing a year ago and got my drivers license permit and figured I'd wait to test for the final Motorcycle endorsement after getting acquainted with my bike. It has been a year and I have about 30 days to test for my final endorsement. I have signed up for the Abate beginners course here in Indiana. As I understand, I can use my Goldwing or one supplied by Abate. They seem to be Hondas at about 300cc? I'm thinking I'll use there bike as it most likely will be easier to make the tight turns needed to get your endorsement. By taking the class I don't have to test. They will provide me with somethng I can then take to our BMV for my endorsement. Any thoughts on my Goldwing vs. their supplied bike?

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It all depends on YOU, I had to retake my MSF course in 2008 since I lost my card from the original course. The wait list for the course using a provided bike was six months. I took the course on my wing! Not a problem at all, the worst part was walking my wing across the parking lot for one of the exercises! At that time I wish I had one of the smaller bikes. Walking a 800 pound bike in a slight incline in the middle of Aug here in FL is no fun. Again your ability is know only to you. Good luck with the course.

Also remember the 2012 wing uses engine oil pressure to add additional holding force to the pressure plate, So it is much rougher on the bike to RIDE the clutch all day during slow ride training.

WOW I want your WING.. that is a lightweight. 800 pounds?? The lightest listed weight I think is 900 pounds dry

kniterider said:

The rebel is a much better bike for the newbie than the Blast.

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My Son did it at a HD dealership that held the courses, he didn't have a choice, well he did have a (marginally) street legal KTM 250XCW 2 stroke, but we decided not to use that, although he did wear his dirt bike boots for the course.

The Captain said:

:agree: 110%
The wing is a big heavy bike and is a handful at low speed for even some experienced riders. Use the provided motorcycle for the class.

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srobak said:

Looks like some of the folks above need to spend some slow-speed time with their Wings so they realize it is not half the handful they think it is.

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If you READ my post I stated it is a handful for SOME experienced riders. Some people have never taken a riding class, never had to do a u-turn in a small area, never had to panic stop, etc. I can handle the big girl just fine. The OP has only had his bike for a short time and I'm betting that he has not had much experience with slow speed turns and some of the other things needed to pass the class. Also, if he drops the bike better their POS loaner than his new wing.

I took that the same way you did Captain, especially since he quoted you. Plus I don't care how many miles you have on our honda- begos or beemerhemoths. Why chance it under a training situation the first time through.