Travis Gurney used to sneak his brothers’ bikes out and ride around his rural Idaho hometown. No license. No endorsement. No formal training.
“It wasn’t out of defiance,” he says. “I just didn’t think it mattered. I’d been riding dirt bikes since I was a kid, so it felt the same as always, normal.”
Many Idaho riders have similar stories. Those early days of riding, and the freedom of getting on a motorcycle; there’s a sense of independence, of being connected to the road, and riding on your own terms. With each ride confidence grows, especially if nothing went seriously wrong.
But confidence doesn’t always translate in moments of pressure, and unfortunately, many riders learn this the hard way. It often takes a close call or a tragedy for riders to take motorcycle safety seriously. A parent hit a patch of gravel on a familiar turn. Or a good friend laid their bike down and never got up. Those hard moments make riders think differently.
For some lucky others, it’s a simpler moment that changes their thinking. Travis’ nudge came in his early twenties. Newly married and with a bit more maturity under his belt, something in him shifted.
“I realized I wanted to come home at the end of every ride, for the people I loved,” he said. “ It wasn’t just for me anymore. And that meant getting serious and becoming a ‘legal’ rider.”
Today, Travis rides for a living. He’s a motorcycle trooper with Idaho State Police and every year he sees more and more rider-involved crashes. There were 597 motorcycle-involved crashes in 2023, a 13% increase over the 529 crashes in 2022. Of those crashes, there were 39 fatal crashes in 2023—which was a startling 56% jump from the previous year.
Riders can choose to be proactive about riding safety, instead of waiting for a crash to be their wake up call. Getting endorsed. Taking a course. Staying sharp. These are choices that you can make before things go wrong. Not every rider has to learn the importance of safety and training the hard way.
The Rider Most at Risk Might Be You
Of the hundreds of motorcycle crashes in Idaho each year, a surprising number involve riders who are more like Travis now, than Travis back then. In 2023, more than two-thirds of riders involved in crashes were over the age of 35. That same age group makes up an alarming 88% of fatal crashes for the same year.
That’s not to say younger riders are necessarily in the clear. Crashes involving riders under the age of 35 are also on the rise, jumping 14% between 2022 and 2023. But older riders are still facing the most severe outcomes. Of the motorcyclists killed in 2023, 51% were over the age of 50.
Simply ‘knowing how to ride’ just isn’t the same as knowing how to respond. And in the eyes of motorcycle safety advocates across Idaho, the solution for all ages is the same—get endorsed, keep learning, and stay sharp.
What Getting Endorsed Really Means
In Idaho, getting your motorcycle endorsement means earning the legal right to ride on our roads, and proving that you have the foundational knowledge and skills to do it safely. Riders have two routes to get endorsed:
- Option one, pass the written test at your county driver’s license office, and pass a skills test with an examiner.
- Option two, complete a training course from Idaho STAR or High Desert Harley-Davidson’s Learn to Ride to fulfill your skills test. Note: you’ll still need to pass the written test at your county driver’s license office.
When you’ve met those two requirements, you’ll receive the ‘M’ (motorcycle) endorsement on your driver’s license. You’re now legally allowed to ride on Idaho roads!
These days, there are very few obstacles keeping riders from getting their endorsement. The endorsement itself will cost you less than $50. If you choose to go the course-route, you’re looking at less than $200 all-in, course and endorsement combined. It might mean skipping a couple of dinners out, or pausing that parts upgrade, but investing in your endorsement is one of the most important things you can do to ride legally—and ride safer.
You can find classes in many different cities across the state. We strongly encourage all riders to visit idahostar.org or learntorideidaho.com to find a class, check availability, and take the first step toward getting that ‘M’ on your license. And according to Cpl. Travis Gurney, that “M” can carry weight in a crash investigation, too (though we hope no rider has to experience this).
“It tells us this rider took the time to learn the basics,” Gurney said. “If a rider isn’t endorsed, it tells us something else. It doesn’t mean they caused the crash, but it gives us context.”
There were 597 motorcycle-involved crashes in 2023. Of those crashes, 39 were fatal—a startling 56% jump from the previous year.
Riding For The Real World
Endorsement signals that a rider has the basic skills to operate their bike and ride safely—but not necessarily the judgment or mental preparation needed to respond in high-risk situations.
Maybe you’re on a curve you’ve taken a hundred times—but this time there’s sand. Or a wind gust pushes you sideways. You didn’t do anything ‘wrong,’ but you weren’t sure what to do next. That moment of hesitation? Training is what helps you push through it.
Programs from Idaho STAR and High Desert Harley-Davidson’s Learn to Ride help riders move beyond old habits, providing structured, scenario-based environments to build muscle memory and decision-making skills—especially for those unpredictable moments that don’t show up in everyday riding.
And most importantly, these courses aren’t just for new riders. Older riders are showing up too, recognizing that experience doesn’t replace preparation.
It’s Not Just Physical—It’s Mental
Controlling the bike physically is only part of the job as a rider. Riders are quick to check their bikes before a ride. Tire pressure. Lights. Brakes. But often, riders forget to check themselves.
Cpl. Gurney encourages riders to not skip the mental check-in before each ride.
“Riding takes focus,” he says. “It takes patience. It takes quick thinking. If you’re distracted or in a bad headspace, that’s when things go sideways.”
Training reinforces that mindset. It reminds riders that riding safely isn’t just about what your hands and feet are doing, it’s about where your head is at.
Sunshine Beer, Director with Idaho STAR, has seen how this mental piece impacts trainees firsthand. “We get people in their 50s or 60s who’ve been riding for decades. They know how to ride. But they come out of training realizing they didn’t know how to think about safety in this way—about how your mindset and decision-making matter just as much as your bike-handling skills.”
That awareness doesn’t just help riders avoid crashes, it helps them enjoy the ride more, too. Riders who are endorsed and educated don’t only reduce their own risk on the roads—they help make the road safer for everyone.
Riding takes focus. It takes patience. It takes quick thinking. If you’re distracted or in a bad headspace, that’s when things go sideways.
Shifting the Mindset Around Safety with Riders
There’s a culture of confidence among long-time riders. And that’s not a bad thing—it’s earned, and often respected. But confidence isn’t a substitute for preparation.
Brian Eichler, ‘Learn to Ride’ Manager with High Desert Harley-Davidson, shared how this applies to all riders, and the collective mindset benefits everyone.
“Whether it’s younger or older riders, we’re seeing a range of experience joining in on group rides and skills days, coming together with the goal of improving and being safer on the road for each other,” he said.
This isn’t about fear. It’s about respect—for the road, for the machine, and for the people who are waiting at home. In garages, forums, and parking lot meetups across Idaho, you can feel this shift happening. Riders are talking about technique. Sharing close calls. Comparing cornering lines. Signing up for skills clinics and group rides. They’re encouraging each other to take training—even if they’ve been riding for decades.
Travis is the first to admit he was lucky. He didn’t get hurt. He didn’t cause harm. But he knows not everyone gets that kind of warning; some riders have to learn this the hard way.
Summer is just getting started, and riders across Idaho will gear up, roll out, and chase that familiar thrill. Some will head for the mountains. Others will cruise backroads at golden hour. But every ride carries risk—and every rider has a choice about whether they prepare for it.
Our message today to all riders is simple: you don’t need a crash or tragedy to teach you the importance of motorcycle safety—you can make choices now, before things go wrong, to prepare you for the unexpected moments later.
Getting endorsed, taking a training course, staying current—these aren’t just checkboxes. They’re investments in yourself, in the people who ride with you, and in the future of Idaho’s riding community.
Ride proud. Ride prepared. Ride well, Idaho.
This article is part of SHIFT Idaho’s ongoing efforts to support safe, skilled, and confident riding across the state.
