"A lot of times they come in knowing exactly what they want," sales manager Mark Schneider said.
Nowhere is the sign of the two-wheel times more evident than at Leeward Community College's basic rider course.

"We were averaging about 140 to 160 students a month and we're now up over 300," said Bill Labby, director of the school's motorcycle safety program.

It's so popular enrollment is filled through the middle of August. Ed-An Gearhart spent $200 for the three-day training. It costs her $60 a week to fill up her SUV.

"I could cut down on gas by riding my motorcycle to the gym, running errands , to the bank," she said.
Students train in a classroom and on a riding range.

They start with the basics like how to sit on bike and steer it at low rates of speed. . Before long they're shifting gears and avoiding obstacles.

"Out here you got cars, trucks, semis, pedestrians. A lot more things to worry about on the street," student James Hayes said.

Licensed motorcycle coaches critique and correct mistakes and teach when not to ride.

"Avoiding risk is opening your garage door one day, seeing that it's pouring rain, and taking the bus," Labby said.
You need a mtorcycle permit to enroll plus safety gear. The school provides the training wheels.

A passing grade earns a waiver that lets the student skip the state's road test. With motorcycle mileage exceeding sixty miles to a gallon for many bikes, motorcycle licenses are on track to pass 50,000 this year. That would be an all-time high for the state.

"I have to do something with the cost of gas," Gearhart said.

With more motorcycles on the road, riders need to learn the right way to ride. The course is a good place to start.
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