If you successfully complete the class, you will be sent a DMV DL389 certificate via snail mail, which may waive the riding part of your license process. You will still be responsible for taking the DMV's written test to complete your M1 license, because there is no way out of that. Please consult your local DMV office for details about your individual requirements

No.

The purpose of this class is to create safer riders out of the average beginning motorcyclist, not to make it easy to get a license.

While most beginning students are riding within the first few exercises and are able to pass this class the first time they take it, since everyone learns at a different pace it is not uncommon for students that need more repetition to be counseled out.

If you are counseled out or are not able to pass the first time through, our school allows instructors to waive the fee for students to come back as a standby student as many times as they would like in a 6 month period, but there is still no guarantee you will pass this class!

Students get what they put into the class!  Students that are counseled out that make a commitment to studying, listening and coming back often to improve their skills usually pass within a week after their original class ends.  You will receive a follow up email after the rosters are processed for information about how to come back, or you can call the office 9am-5pm Mon-Fri.

HOWEVER- please keep in mind that when students decide that riding a motorcycle/scooter is not for them as a consequence of taking this class, from our point of view that is a win, since the challenges of riding on the street are definitely not for everyone.

Our class provides a much safer way for students to discover that riding is not for them than going out on the street and discovering that in the midst of traffic, and our curriculum is based upon decades of experience and research of most important things a beginning motorcyclist should know and the best way to to teach it, so it is also much more effective than learning from friends an relatives.

No.

Actually, we recommend you wait until you have the DL389 before going to the DMV, since most students are be able to complete everything you needed to get their motorcycle endorsement in one trip that way.

Since we are allowed to accept any valid, government- issued photo ID of any kind, if your ID is not from the US and/or is not a driver’s license, enter ’other’ instead of a state when you register.

If you are under 18 and do not yet have a government issued photo ID yet, enter ‘other’ use your school or a some other kind of photo ID when you register.

No.

It does not matter if you know how to drive or have any kind of driver training before taking this class.

We are allowed to accept any valid, government- issued photo ID, no matter what state or country it is from.

If your ID is not from the US and/or is not a driver’s license, enter ’other’ instead of a state, and enter what kind of ID and what state/country it is from.

If your ID is expired or punched it is not valid, so we cannot accept it and you will not be allowed into the class. It is your responsibility to come perpared, so you will not be refunded or rescheduled in such a case, but you may come back as a standby for a fee once you have obtained a valid, government- issued photo ID

No.

We are allowed to accept any valid, government- issued photo ID, no matter what state or country it is from.

If your ID is not from the US and/or is not a driver’s license, enter ’other’ instead of a state.

We run scooter only classes that teach the handling differences between scooters and motorcycles.

If you are not able to make it to the scooter class, we can provide a scooter in either San Francisco or Alameda, but we do not provide scooters in Vallejo. If you would like to use one of our scooters, please confirm availability before signing up.

Many scooter students think that they so not need to wear the same gear as a motorcyclist when in our class or when riding on the street. If you get into an accident by yourself or with another vehicle, the damage to your body will be the same, regardless of what vehicle you are using when it happens, so our requirements and recommendations are the same for everyone.

Classes are offered during the week and on weekends, depending upon enrollment. When weekends fill up very quickly we will open up weekday classes.

When the season is slow, less of those classes are offered, since they do not tend to sell as well as weekend classes.

It is approximately 15 hours total. About five hours are spent in the classroom and around 10 hours are on-bike practice. You can expect to ride between 24 and 30 miles during the class.

The purpose of this class is to create safer riders out of the average beginning motorcyclist, not to make it easy to get a license.  While most beginning students are riding within the first few exercises and are able to pass this class the first time they take it, since everyone learns at a different pace it is not uncommon for students that need more repetition to be counseled out.  

If you are counseled out or are not able to pass the first time through, our school allows students to come back for no additional fee as a standby student as many times as they would like in a 6 month period, but there is still no guarantee you will pass this class!

Students get what they put into the class!  Students that are counseled out that make a commitment to studying, listening and coming back often to improve their skills usually pass within a week after their original class ends.  If you are counseled out you will be sent a follow up email for information about the fastest way to come back when the roster for your class is processed.  If you have any questions, call the office any time from 9am-5pm Mon-Fri for clarification

We are not allowed to let anyone ride without the proper protective clothing.  The minimum requirements that we are allowed to let students wear in order to take our class consists of clothing that is usually already in your wardrobe or not too difficult or expensive to borrow or buy(Please note, this ‘gear’ is NOT recommended for wearing outside of our very tightly controlled low- speed range exercises!).

In addition, PROTECTIVE street motorcycle gear is always acceptable for taking our class, but gear that is motorcycle style is almost never protective, and so is almost never acceptable.

HELMETS -Full-coverage and DOT-compliant helmets will be provided. BAMT only allows helmets that are full face and DOT compliant, so if you would like to bring your own full face helmet you may, but if the instructor cannot confirm that it meets our requirements, you will be required to use one of ours instead

SHIRT/JACKETS- A full-sleeved and high- cut shirt and/or jacket that allows no skin(including wrists and parts of your chest) showing when seated on the motorcycle
when your arms are outstretched to ride is required at all times you are seated on a bike. Since temperatures fluctuate quite a bit through out the day bring many full
sleeved layers, since you will not be allowed to ride with short sleeves. If you are not able to be cool/warm/dry enough to continue to ride safely you will be counseled out, but you may come back as a standby for a reduced fee.

GLOVES -Full- fingered, 100% leather work gloves are acceptable and can usually be found at any hardware store. You may bring your own or wear ours. Off-road motorcycle gloves, leather dress gloves, ski gloves, or work gloves of material other than leather will NOT be accepted

DURABLE PANTS -Denim jeans or anything made of durable, rugged material, such as protective work pants will be allowed. We will not allow you to ride in stretch pants or
stretch fabric (including jeggings), or ANY pants with rips, tears, or any sort of holes, no matter the material. Pants must cover all of the leg when seated on the motorcycle with feet up on the foot pegs - no skin/socks, etc. showing. Unfortunately there is no way to know for sure which motorcycle you will end up riding and how long the pants will need to be unless you use the following test: try on the footwear and pants you will be riding in, then sit down or lie on your back and bend your knees all the way to your chest. If your pants ride up up past the top of your boots so that your socks are
showing, then they may not be long enough once you are riding, so you must bring longer pants.

FOOTWEAR -Only sturdy, over-the-ankle, snug fitting, reinforced footwear that supports the ankle will be accepted. Most laced and tied hiking boots will do as long as they fit snugly around the ankle with thick, padded/reinforced material so that your ankle bone cannot be felt. They must also be laced up so the sides are snug against the foot/ankle in order to provide ankle support. Hiking boots that merely cover the ankle and/or are worn in such a way that does not provide ankle support will NOT be accepted(ie: Chuck Taylor or other high tops, Uggs, cowboy boots, boots with elastic on the ankle, any footwear previously mentioned that is fastened loosely so that ankle
support does not function properly, motorcycle- specific footwear that do not provide ankle support in the instructor's opinion, etc.)

RAIN GEAR -We do NOT cancel for rain so arrive prepared for rain. You will have to pay a fee to come back as a standby student if you are not able to ride due to being unprepared

Click here for examples of gear we can let you wear in our class

You must complete the entire class in order to pass it. If you miss a part, it is your responsibility to make up the rest in order and on stand-by. You may be allowed to return if space is available, but you cannot get a second reserved spot. You may also be subject to standby fee and other restrictions. The decision to allow students to return on a standby basis is made by the administration.

If you would like more practice so you can pass the skill test in the beginning class or you have already passed but you are not ready to sign up for the Intermediate Riding Clinic on your own bike, the best way to get the most guided practice in a parking lot for the least amount of money is to come back as a standby student.

Coming back as a standby student is an option for any previous BAMT beginning or intermediate student.  It allows you to repeat one or both of the beginning riding sessions as a standby student as many times as you would like over a 6 month period at any of our locations in SF, Alameda or Vallejo.

If you prefer to pay for a confirmed seat or you have not taken any classes with BAMT before, one of our Extra Ride Time classes might be the correct choice for you.

You have 6 months to return as a standby student from when your class was originally scheduled.

If you were counseled out due to needing more practice your standby fee will be waived, since you are coming back to finish the class you started.  If you are coming back due to being late or other wise unprepared, you must pay a standby fee.

If you return within 60 days of your first class, you only need to complete what you have not completed/passed. After 60 days, the State of California requires you to repeat the entire class including both evaluations, but you may still return as a standby student for the remainder of the standby period, as long as you continue to abide by all of our other policies.

You may repeat each session as many times as you would like to feel comfortable before moving on to the next session. If you have a lot of questions, consider repeating the classroom sessions to further your knowledge and understanding, since everything will make more sense now that you have had some experience on a motorcycle.

Standby only confirms ELIGIBILITY to be added to a class if we have enough room in the classroom or empty seats on the range if you are far enough ahead in line. It is very common for SF classes to run with empty seats, so there is a good chance you will get in.

If you do not get into class, you may repeat the process for the next class time you are available for.

You are allowed to retest ONCE after failing. Be sure you are prepared. The office can go over options that will help you succeed. If you fail either test a second time, you will need to repeat the entire course again.

You may take any session(s) at any of our locations in San Francisco, Alameda or Vallejo. If the classroom works better for you in one location and the range in a different location, please contact the office.

The bigger the class is, the more likely there will be an open seat.  Your best chance for an open seat will be in San Francisco since we run over 3 ranges there.

Click here to see the eRider classroom schedule at all of our locations

We offer a wide variety of makes and models that are 125-350cc's. Unfortunately we cannot guarantee which kind of bike you will be using. You may not use your own motorcycle in the beginning class.

You can use our online registration pages or, if you need assistance with your registration, please call us at 888.744.2268. We accept most credit, debit or pre-paid gift cards. Full payment is required to complete your registration.

You will receive an email confirmation that includes a receipt after successful registration unless you request a confirmation letter via snail mail.

eRider is an interactive computer program that takes the place of 5 of the 15 hours of training that make up our California Motorcycle Safety Program’s beginning class. The other 10 hours are made up of two 5 hour riding sessions.

Since the eRider program may be taken at home and may be started and stopped at the student’s convenience, only the 10 hours of riding sessions is reflected in the eRider class schedule.  

eRider is made up of videos, games, quizzes and review questions. It is divided into 6 chapters that take most students about 1 hour per chapter to complete.  Since 1 hour per chapter is an average and you must complete the first two chapters before your first riding session, chapters 3 and 4 before the second riding session and the rest of the chapters by midnight of the second riding day, we recommend you plan to compete eRider a week before your riding sessions begin so you have plenty of time to get help from our office in case you have any problems or questions as you are progressing through the class. Our office is not open M-F from 9-5pm, so it is not possible to get help on the weekends.

It is your responsibly to make sure you are able to connect and use eRider, just as it is your responsibility to get to class on time.  Almost all issues students encounter with eRider are due to lack of internet connection or using devices or software that is not supported, so please be sure your system meets eRider’s requirements before signing up.

We are not allowed to let you into the first riding session if you have not brought proof of completing at least chapter 2 of eRider, or to let you into the second riding session if you have not brought proof of completing at least chapter 4. You ware not eligible to be refunded or scheduled if you are turned away due to not being able to show your grades to the instructors, though you will be eligible to come back as a standby student for an additional fee.

To get the most out of your class and so be more likely to pass, read the MTC handbook before starting eRider.  Both the MTC Handbook and eRider are digital resources that are updated regularly and will be available to you indefinitely after you graduate.  Links to the MTC Handbook and to create your eRider account are provided in your confirmation email when you register.

No. All Bay Area Motorcycle Training classes consist of in-person riding sessions combined with online or in-person classrooms sessions. BAMT does not provide ANY online-only motorcycle training.

Most likely your eRider account is not yet set up. To set up an eRider account, find the confirmation email which was sent automatically when you paid. This email also is the receipt for your credit card payment. In it there is a link that is individual to the payment and other information you provided when you registered. Use that link to create your eRider account.

If you have already used the link in your confirmation email to set up an account, then you might be on the wrong website. Be sure to log into California Motorcycle Safety Program’s Total Control eRider website, and not TeamOregon’s eRider website.

If you are using the link from your confirmation email, then be sure you are reading the directions. Many students have trouble because they try to log in with the menu in the upper left hand corner before their account is set up.

Scroll to the right and down to the bottom of the screen to see if the webpage is asking to verify your information in order to complete the set up of your eRider account.

You can often arrange to pick your certificate up at our office on Treasure Island within days of passing the class if you are in a hurry. HOWEVER- pick up is only by appointment, so availability does vary!! If pick up in the timeframe you need is important to you, you MUST check with the office to verify if pick up in the necessary timeframe will be an option for you!!

If you are not able to finish/pass, or if you pass before you feel ready to ride on the street, for a reduced fee you may return as many times as you would like for 6 months as a standby student.

Standby at almost all other schools is only available to students that have not passed yet, and only for 60 days, after which you have no other option but to pay the whole fee over again for a confirmed seat.

Students are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner. We have a ZERO tolerance policy for alcohol and other drugs.

Students who fail to respond to coaching or intentionally interfere with other students learning may be asked to leave and will not be eligible for a refund or to be rescheduled. Our goal is to create a safe, positive learning environment.

Safety is our number one priority. The Motorcyclist Training Course (MTC) is designed to provide an enjoyable learning experience for all students.

Learning to ride a motorcycle is challenging even under ideal circumstances, so we have a ZERO tolerance policy for students taking class under the influence of alcohol and/or other illegal, legal, over the counter, and/or prescribed drugs and/or mind altering substance(s) of any kind whatsoever. If the instructor suspects you are under the influence and/or impaired due to drugs or anything else, you will be asked to leave immediately and you will not be eligible for a refund or to be rescheduled, but you MIGHT be eligble to come back as a standby student for a reduced fee.

Tuition fees are not refundable or transferable for any reason.

You may cancel a reservation and reschedule for another time for no fee as long as it is more than 14 days before your first in person session meets.

There is a 15% cancellation fee if you cancel 14 business days before your reserved class starts.

Cancellation 14 business days or less before your class begins is considered a voluntary withdrawal, for which there is NO refund.

You may pay a reduced fee to return as a standby/drop-in student or you may pay the entire course fee again to reschedule with a confirmed seat.

Since the State of California requires instructors to turn away students that have missed any of the instruction, failure to appear on time to a classroom or riding session or to return from a break forfeits the course fee. Please be considerate of both your classmates and the instructors by showing up early and prepared.

Every week the office is flooded with students claiming they have a family emergencies of some kind, so unfortunately we cannot make exceptions, no matter how good your reason is.

All attendees and/or their parents/guardians must sign our waiver(s), abide by the requirements outlined in our confirmation email and be pre-registered and pre-paid to secure their place in class. This is your only reserved seat.

You will have to pay a standby fee to come back if you choose to leave before class is excused, are unprepared, unsafe(on purpose or otherwise), unable to follow directions, argumentative and/or the instructor believes you are impaired/intoxicated in any manner with any drug, including alcohol or any other legal, illegal, prescription or over- the- counter substance(s).

If you are abusive or threatening in any manner, you will not be eligible to come back.