Motorcycle Rider Education in Iowa
Questions & Answers

Iowa has a quality Motorcycle Rider Education (MRE) Program administered by the Office of Driver Services of the Department of Transportation.  Iowa's MRE program teaches Basic Rider Course (BRC) and the Experienced Rider Course (ERC) of the Motorcycle Safety Foundation (MSF).  The BRC has a minimum of 15 hours of core instruction - 5 spent in the classroom in preparation for 10 hours of range activities, and the ERC has a minimum of 5 hours--most of which are spent on the range.  You must successfully pass a knowledge test as well as a skill test to receive a certificate of completion..

Basic skills taught are:

• Riding in a Straight Line
• Turning
• Shifting
• Stopping

The next level of instruction is the application of these basic skills to on-street riding conditions.

Who teaches it?

Only Iowa-licensed, MSF-certified rider coaches teach the BRC and ERC programs.

Who can or must take it?

Any person 14 years of age or older, whether licensed or not licensed for motorcycle, may take the course to learn, refresh or improve safe riding skills.  And the licensing skills test may be waived upon successful completion of the course.

Iowa Code section 321.180B requires any person under the age of 18 who wants a Class M license - valid for the operation of a motorcycle - to successfully complete the motorcycle rider education course before the Class M license will be issued.

What does it cost?

Motorcycle rider education in Iowa is supported in part by an additional fee of one dollar per year for a motorcycle validations, a portion from the sale of MRE license plates and the balance comes from the student tuition.  Your out-of-pocket cost, which varies by sponsor, ranges from about $115 to $245.

Where can I take it?

The training season, somewhat weather dependent, varies throughout the state.   However, the course is generally available from early April through mid-October.   Sponsors of the BRC or ERC include 13 of Iowa's 15 community colleges, ABATE of Iowa, Inc., ARIES, Inc. and Bandy Motorcycle Training.  Iowa also has the Harley Davidson Rider Edge Program, currently with 5 sponsors, Zylstra's Harley Davidson of Ames, Silver Eagle Harley Davidson/Buell Cycle Center of Waterloo, Hawkeye Harley Davidson of Coralville, Clinton Harley Davidson of Clinton and Wilwerts Harley Davidson of Dubuque.  The course is taught at all 15 community colleges, either by the college or the mobile programs of ABATE and ARIES.

Sponsors, sites and course registration telephone numbers are listed below.

Sponsors	Locations	Telephone
Northeast Iowa Community College	Calmar Peosta	800-728-2256 Ext 219 888-642-2338
North Iowa Area Community College	Hampton	888-466-4222 See "ARIES"
Iowa Lakes Community College	Emmetsburg	712-362-7934
Northwest Iowa Community College	Sheldon	800-352-4907
Iowa Central Community College	Fort Dodge Storm Lake	515-576-0099 Ext 2337
Iowa Valley Community College District	Marshalltown	800-284-4823
Hawkeye Community College	Waterloo	319-296-4017
ABATE of Iowa, Inc.	Algona Cherokee Council Bluffs Davenport Forest City Ogden Pekin Shenandoah Waterloo	641-858-5001
ARIES, Inc.	Clear Lake Spencer Spirit Lake	641-423-5437
Bandy Motorcycle Training	North Liberty	319-626-2014
Eastern Iowa Community College District	Bettendorf Clinton Muscatine	563-336-3320 888-336-3907 (Toll Free)
Kirkwood Community College	Cedar Rapids Iowa City	319-398-5690 800-332-8833 (Toll Free)
Des Moines Area Community College	Ankeny Carroll	515-964-6330 800-342-0033
Western Iowa Tech Community College	Sioux City	712-274-8733 Ext 6404
Iowa Western Community College	Council Bluffs	See "ABATE"
Southwestern Community College	Creston	641-782-1417
Indian Hills Community College	Ottumwa	800-346-4413
Southeastern Iowa Community College	Keokuk West Burlington	800-828-7322 866-722-4692 Ext 8104
Zylstra's Harley Davidson of Ames	Ames	515-232-6223
Silver Eagle Harley Davidson/Buell Cycle Center	Waterloo	319-235-6505 Ext 19
Wilwert's Harley Davidson	Dubuque	800-359-1980
Clinton Harley Davidson	Clinton	563-242-1901
Hawkeye Harley Davidson	Coralville	319-545-7495

How do I get a Motorcycle Operator's Manual?
 

This PDF document requires Acrobat® Reader, a free utility from Adobe. Motorcycle Operator's Manual You can also get a copy at any driver's license issuance site, or by contacting us at: Office of Driver Services P.O. Box 9204 Des Moines, IA  50306-9204 800-532-1121 Toll-Free in Iowa 515-237-3153 Local Des Moines 515-239-1837 Fax ods@dot.iowa.gov