With the school semester winding down to an end and summer looming near, we begin to schedule our agendas, book fun events and even re-examine our resolutions. Given the abundance of spare time during summer, consider learning a new skill that could be used efficiently.

With gas prices becoming parallel to our bipolar Bay Area weather, learning to ride a motorcycle would be quite a beneficial skill to pick up.

The best way is to take a training course. Not only do you need to take this course if you’re under 21, it also teaches you the proper way to ride in a non-threatening environment. For those over 21, this benefits you by waiving your riding test at the DMV (which consists of riding through a tiny, difficult circle and weaving through cones), a test which many fail due to the difficulty of driving within the lines of the circle.

Bay Area Motorcycle Training in San Francisco offers a basic three-day course. The first session consists of learning the guidelines from a booklet and video and is located in downtown San Francisco. Parking isn’t too bad because it is toward the outskirts of the crowded city, but be sure to arrive 15 minutes early.

This lecture session may be a long and dreary five hours of your life, but it is full of informative facts. From proper leans in a curve to locating the fuel valve, you are gaining motorcycle vernacular, prepping you not only for the test but for the ride on the bikes. Afterward, you are required to take a comprehensive test on the material you learned, which will help you pass the written exam at the DMV.

All knowledge learned from the lecture class is helpful, but not until you actually ride a motorcycle will you learn anything. The next two sessions are hands-on training and are taken either in the morning or afternoon on the weekends, depending on your reservation. The riding range is located in the parking lot of City College of San Francisco. These two days do require you to be dressed appropriately and to ride to their expectation before they hand you a certificate of motorcycle course completion.

The proper dress code for the hands-on portion will be addressed in the lecture class. You will need: leather gloves, ankle-high shoes with rubber soles, a long-sleeved shirt or jacket and a U.S. Department of Transportation-approved helmet. An instructor will inspect your attire to confirm that it meets the enforced dress code; the only piece that is not mandated is the helmet, which they have enough of, from sizes extra small to extra large.

Once the driving course begins and you sit on a motorcycle for the first time, a twist of excitement and anxiety overcomes your body. Nerves are normal, especially after a comforting remark from the instructor that only one student has driven their bike into the thin handicap pole in the parking lot. Once the body memorizes the synchronized motion of holding the clutch and switching gears, it is smooth sailing from there. Being able to rev the throttle and drive off correctly is an experience like no other. It really is as if you have gained your own set of wings.

Before you zoom off confidently, you should learn other maneuvers such as the motions of turns, breaking swiftly, swerving quickly to avoid a collision, head movements and maintaining proper speed.

The majority of motorcycles provided are 500cc cruisers; motor scooters are also available but are limited. I would recommend learning to ride on a motorcycle because the motor scooter is automatic and you are not getting the full experience you paid for.

The three-day course is a total of $150 if you are under the age of 21. For those who are 21 and older, $250 is your cost. Reservations may be made online or by calling 650-873-4700.

This course is highly impacted, so it is wise to reserve a month ahead of time. Get your motorcycle license this summer, save on gas, earn your wings and cross that off your bucket list.