Harley-Davidson of Singapore and Comfort Delgro Driving Centre team up to offer a defensive riding course that’s open to all riders, and free for new Harley owners

SINGAPORE –

Harley-Davidson of Singapore, the authorised distributor for Harley-Davidson motorcycles here, and driving instruction/safety institute Comfort Delgro Driving Centre announced today the debut of a new defensive riding course for motorcyclists in Singapore.
Actor Darren Lim, an avid motorcyclist, took part in the Ride Safe course today 

The Ride Safe Course instructs motorcyclists on defensive riding – that is, riding with safety in mind and anticipating dangers – through a half-day theory and practical session.

It’s especially timely given the Traffic Police has just announced its own Singapore Ride Safe Campaign 2019, pointing out that motorcyclists remain the most at-risk section of road users.
While the year-on-year overall accident rate dropped by 2.5 per cent in the first half of 2019, and the number of accidents involving motorcycles fell by 0.8 percent, the number of fatal accidents involving bikers increased by a worrying 24.1 percent – from 29 to 36. Motorcyclists still make up the majority of traffic accidents – 58 percent – and more than half (55 percent) of traffic fatalities.

That certainly indicates that Singaporean riders need to up their game when it comes to safety, which is where Ride Safe can help.

Ms Dorothy Chan (left), General Manager of Harley-Davidson of Singapore, Mr Lim Tien Hock (right), CEO of ComfortDelGro Driving Centre

Ms Dorothy Chan, General Manager of Harley-Davidson of Singapore, said, “We’re delighted to collaborate with ComfortDelGro Driving Centre to bring greater awareness of riding safety to motorcyclists in Singapore. The Ride Safe courses are one way to empower motorcyclists with knowledge on how to reduce their vulnerability on the roads.”

READ MORE: Why is Olympian Joe Schooling back at Ubi driving school too? 

“We developed the Ride Safe Course with the aim of inculcating in motorcyclists that riding defensively is key to staying safe on the roads. Besides riding defensively, motorcyclists should also put on protective apparel before they ride and maintain their motorcycles in roadworthy conditions,” said Mr Lim Tien Hock (above, right), CEO of ComfortDelGro Driving Centre.  

Ride Safe has three classes for varying levels of experience, from total beginner to advanced.
Level One
How much? S$53.50
How long: 3.5 hours
Who’s it for? New and probation plate riders who have less than a year of riding experience. 

What does it teach?  It covers the basics of defensive riding. Theory class includes the attributes of a good rider, proper riding behaviours (eyeline, posture and more), identifying hazards and safe pillion riding. The practical section includes riding posture, how to negotiate bends, proper braking, and more. 

Level Two
How much? S$85.60
How long: 3.5 hours
Who’s it for? For riders with more than a year’s experience, or have completed Level One. 

What does it teach?  Expanded defensive riding skills, including understanding how a motorcycle works and its performance, how to ride in bad conditions, speed control and overtaking.

Level Three
How much? S$107.00
How long: 3.5 hours
Who’s it for?  Recommended for riders holding minimum Class 2A licence with more than 1 year active riding experience on manual-transmission motorcycles; or riders who have completed Ride Safe Course (Level 2).

What does it teach?  Advanced defensive riding skills including advanced braking and banking techniques, how to react to hazards and avoid them, planning and avoidance and risk forecasting.

CarBuyer highly recommends all motorcyclists take a defensive riding course or three. as driving licenses only give you just enough skill to operate a vehicle in a theoretical world where other road users (including yourself) do entirely logical things.

READ MORE: Sign up for Ride Safe, buy Shell petrol, or shop at HD Singapore and you could win this bike 

We participated in the half-day beginner course at CDDC’s Ubi premises, and found it a useful starting point for defensive riding, and a great place to start developing all the tools riders need to stay safe on the roads.

For instance, learning the different types of leaning on the bike – lean out for tight, slow turns, lean with the bike for normal riding, and lean in for quicker maneuvers.  

New Harley-Davidson owners enjoy a free Ride Safe Level 3 class that’s been designed with H-D motorcycles in mind. H-D says a fifth of its new bike owners have benefitted from the course to date, but Harley-Davidson is offering even more incentives to everyone else as well. 

With its Live For The Ride promotion, H-D is offering a chance to win a Harley-Davidson Forty-Eight motorcycle plus a riding jacket and free Ride Safe Level 1 Course. The promo is open to anyone who signs up for riding courses, shops at H-D Singapore, or tops up petrol with Shell, from now until the end of the year.