SmartRider Motorcycle Safety Program Inc

Fantastic experience: It was a fine experience, even in the rain in early April. From registration, scheduling and the actual course, everything went smoothly. Don't be discouraged if you have to leave a voice mail or send an Email, a representative will get back to you in a timely manner. The staff was knowledgeable, attentive, patient and good humored. I highly recommend Smart Rider. Roy and Kayleigh, not sure if I'm spelling her name correctly, were great.

Fantastic experience: Safety is so important when riding, everyone should take this course before riding a motorcycle

Fantastic experience: Highly recommend this school for training. The instructors are awesome.

Fantastic experience: Great instructors, fantastic class, lots of good information and hands on training.

Fantastic experience: Beyond knowledgeable Riding Coach's, and an exhilarating learning unlike any other. High recommended! #2020 #FormerParticipant

Fantastic experience: Very patient and encouraging, had nothing but fun. Loved every minute of it.

Fantastic experience: Nothing but awesomeness the staff here are great and understanding very professional and know how to make a good time while keeping safety at the top priority I felt I had confidence before coming here and really just wanted to come to be able to skip the road test but was pleasantly surprised in the knowledge that I left with pretty much skipping the road test is just a bonus at this point from all the information and exercises that I have learned thank you for all your patience guys I recommend this for anyone thinking about jumping into motorcycles

Fantastic experience: The motorcycle beginner's course was a wonderful experience. The instructor "Maria" was amazing. Well worth the money, Thank you!

Fantastic experience: Caley and Maria were excellent coaches, and were very attentive and provided great demo and feedback. The motorcycles were in good working order, and they were light and easy to handle. I did my course on a Suzuki Marauder 250, and it was very enjoyable. Before the course, I had no motorcycle experience, but plenty of bicycle and stickshift experience, and this was enough to get me at a good starting place for the course.

Fantastic experience: Their basic rider course was great. Instructors Michael and Roy were a big part of the positive learning experience. Course covered mental and physical aspects which these guys take to heart. They care about you becoming a safe and happy rider. It's well organized and I highly recommended it.

Fantastic experience: I really enjoyed the Basic Motorcycle course and learned a lot. The instructors were knowledgeable, fun, and professional. I can’t recommend this place enough to new and experienced riders alike!

Fantastic experience: This is a great class! I had 500 miles under my belt and did the class and came out a more confident rider. I recommend riding a similar amount of hours before the class so you can focus on learning the techniques while being comfortable on a bike. The instructors are willing and ready to work with you. It was overall a great experience. I plan on taking future classes

Fantastic experience: Was very lucky to have Brian as my instructor. Very knowledgeable with riding and very fair. He made the riding and the classroom very fun. Would recommend to new riders and old riders.

Fantastic experience: My experience was a lousy one. They advertise the BRC is a great course for beginners. But if you've never been on a motorcycle this is not the course for you. The instructor rushes you through a pre set group of lessons that he follows the book by. Giving very little attention or concern to how well you're handling them. ie.. one may need practice rolling the throttle while releasing the clutch and using you're foot to shift the gears ..5-10 minutes is not a long enough time to get used to doing this automatically unless you've done this before ... Plus if one's never handled a motorcycle before, getting used to handling the weight and picking your feet up off the ground and not having the bike tip over can be tricky. He also keep threatening to drop you from the class if cannot keep up because he has a set amount of material to cover in a particular period of time and if you ask about a refund you get the classic "It don't work that way". .. This was the most impersonal and insensitive class I have ever taken .. If I'm paying money to learn something I would at least like the instructor to pay attention to my needs, and spend time or let me spend time practicing the areas I'm having problems with. If you have never been on a motorcycle before, you should spend at least an hour or two learning to handle the bike .. and the last thing you need is the instructor rushing you to keep up with already experienced people and berating you for not being able to do so. ================================================================================== I returned 5 years later to take the three wheeler course. There were different instructors. Roy and Bill were fantastic. They were very helpful and we had a bunch of fun in the class. This is how instructors are supposed to be.. I’d like to thank them for all their help and I totally enjoyed this class.

Fantastic experience: Roy and Bill are excellent instructors. Very relaxed atmosphere. Laughed a lot. Learned a lot. Met some good people and passed the course. Highly recommend taking this program.

Fantastic experience: Learned so much in such a short amount of time! Caley was great, patient and knowledgeable. Would highly recommend.

Fantastic experience: Excellent! These guys really helped me out a lot. Highly recommended!

Fantastic experience: What a Great place to go to learn... Mike our instructor was really good and knowable, thanks for your help.

Fantastic experience: I've been riding a long time... Michael was amazing and I learned and tuned skills I thought I already had ! Thanks smart Rider for an amazing experience!

Fantastic experience: It was a lot of fun. You are in a small class of 12 people and they all have a passion for motorcycles. The riding instructors Roy and Maria are knowledgeable and patient and offer plenty of coaching. The course covers everything from starting the bike to figure eights. You will feel way more confident about riding a motorcycle after taking this course. Highly recommended.

Fantastic experience: Got my motorcycle learner permit and decide to take the course. I'm glad I did the . Riding coach. We're Very good. Learn a great deal. I. would highly recommend A+++++

Fantastic experience: Smartrider is the BEST driving school in Dutchess County. I tried other schools they do not compare or come close. Bob is excellent, very professional, patient and knowledgeable he gave me so many tips that came in handy on the day of the test. Trust me don't waste your time or money elsewhere, just go with Smartrider. I passed without a sweat, thank you very much indeed Bob, I am a better driver because of you!

Fantastic experience: On November 11th, 2016 I received my DMV waiver for my motorcycle license from Smart Rider in Poughkeepsie. Let me caution, I personally feel that if you have never ridden a motorcycle or dirt bike in the past (not a passenger), then you should consider the Introduction to Motorcycling:1 Hour pre-session to the Basic Rider Course or even a private lesson. The BRC is for those who have some previous experience (in my case 30 years ago, lol). With that said, Micheal, with his humoristic approach and a demeanor which I can't explain, explained to us patiently and respectfully why things happen on a bike and how to correct a situation that can cost you your life. I learned so much from him in the 2 day course than what I would have learned from a friend following me around for a year in order to take the test to get my license after obtaining my permit (ugh). The 3 hour online course was also helpful, but like I said, If you have never ridden before, then learn. You can then go for the BRC course. Your outlook will be more positive and you will look more forward to riding a motorcycle. I will be attending a BRC2 course in the spring to fine tune what I know and learned from Michael. I highly recommend the Poughkeepsie location. Thanks again to Michael and Bob. RIDE SAFE!

Negative experience: I have failed the test, and it was not explained what my weaknesses were. I asked what it was I failed, so I could practice, and I got "It's Complicated" So I call up that day, so that I may reschedule for the makeup test. Well to get right to the point. I have yet to take it. I have called at least 7 times, spoke with somebody four of those times. And I kept getting the same b******* answer of "Well the season is almost over, when can you take it again." I don't want to get into a long drawn-out rant. I don't recommend it to anyone unless you want to be robbed $300

Fantastic experience: Basic Rider Course was great!! Michael out instructor has been riding for over 50 years...you can learn a lot from someone with that kind of experience...thanks Michael for all your hard work...a class act and great instructor!!!

Fantastic experience: I was weary because of all the negative reviews but decided to give Smartrider a chance since I didn't want to drive to Newburgh. I signed up for the Basic Rider Course through the dmv website with zero experience. After viewing their website I read that riders have benefited from a one on one lesson prior to the BRC. Advertising ploy or not, I signed up for one and found it INCREASINGLY helpful. Micheal, the instructor, was very knowledgeable and incredibly patient. After the hour I felt confident, and comfortable going into the BRC. Could I have done well without it? Possibly. As all my other classmates did not do a private lesson and did very well on the course. But for me, having ZERO experience, I felt it helped. Again, I cannot stress how helpful the instructor was. Micheal keeps the atmosphere light while providing professionalism and constructive criticism throughout the entire course. I just felt that this review had to be done, since I almost didn't go with Smartrider because of the previous reviews. Pay them no mind, I'm sure I speak for myself and everyone else in my class when I say, that Smartrider is highly recommended for all level of experiences.

Fantastic experience: If you want to ride a motorcycle, take one of these courses. They're super valuable.

Fantastic experience: Great experience !!!!! instructors made the whole class fun and an overall great learning experience.. I'll tell all my boys about this place.. THANKS GUYS

Negative experience: Only reason why I gave this place a 2 Star is because of the guy that let me take my retest. Otherwise, this review would be a 1 star. I was in an all girl's class, with two female instructors, and they failed the 3 youngest (me included) but passed all the old people who I'd be scared half to death if I saw them on the road. My husband took me out two weeks after I took this course and he was shocked they failed me. I took the test again before my 90 days was up, and the guy wasn't intimidating like the one girl instructor, he explained things at the end on what could've been done differently, and lastly he was fair. This course is good for the class - teaches you a lot about safety - but the test to see if you get your license lies solely on which instructor you get.

Fantastic experience: Fantastisch! One of the biggest enemies of safe driving on a motorcycle is indecision arising from either a lack of confidence or not knowing what to do. By the time the problem arises it is too late and you are dead or injured. This is a wise program that filters out a lot of people who should not be on a motorcycle for psychological reasons, or middle ear problems. This course was review for me since I had been riding for a little more than ten years, about 20 - 30 years ago and had thought about getting back on a bike every single day in the intervening period. Not an exaggeration! The course is thorough and should be mandatory. It was embarrassing to see the errors I made on my last bike pointed up, like going into a wet curve that is banked the wrong way at too high of a speed and trying to downshift like an idiot. I won't do that again!! And as a night shift guy, I am looking at electric motorcycles (near silent) so the local admins don't put a contract on me again. All I have to do in the daytime to keep pedestrians safe is to put some baseball cards in the spokes. I highly recommend this course, not just for trained monkey on the high-wire skills, but more importantly, street smarts. Do it!

Negative experience: Instructor over newburgh was not patient with students, passed other student that should of failed, and failed those that should have passed..I would not recommend first time riders to participate in the class unless you already know how to ride a motorcycle from the get.I will not recommend any of my friends to join this class