The Motorcycle Instructor Is Deaf and Jewish!
Louis Caplan
Motorcycling has a serious image problem these days – by too far too many people have this image of these unsavory, dangerous-looking characters – bearded, ponytailed, and heavily tattooed, whipping their bikes around and hanging out at the biker bars. Also it does not help when perception persists of cycling itself as a dangerous adventure, with too many accidents on the road.
Nevertheless, there are many people of respectable professions – doctors, lawyers, bankers, accountants, scientists riding bikes and they do not look very unlawful at all nor do they perform daredevil cycling stunts.
Louis Caplan, Alexandria, VA, is one such respectable individual with a professed love for riding his bike. He did not grow up with the bike; he wanted to but couldn’t for two reasons. First, his parents wouldn’t let him. Secondly, he couldn’t afford to purchase one during his student days at the NTID/RIT. “When I was young I always enjoyed watching motorcycles on the road,” Louis recalls.
There was a reason for his parents putting up a stand against cycling. “My parents had a moped for a while, and had some bad experiences with it. So I was forbidden to have anything to do with motorcycles,” Louis explained.
Now with his full time job as Computer Specialist for a Federal government agency, he is now able to afford his own bike. What does he do with his own cycle? “I ride for pleasure, recreation and travel,” Louis said.
And what is interesting is that despite Louis’ late start into the world of cycling, he has learned so much about the ABC’s of cycling that he has become a certified instructor! The magic day was March 30, 1997. It was the day he won certification to teach motorcycling.
He teaches both deaf and hearing motorcyclists in his “other job” with a motorcycle riding program on weekends. These classes explain the basic skills of riding, effective braking operations, and most important of all, learning to avoid obstacles which would lead to accidents.
Louis said, “the course he teaches was developed by the Motorcycle Safety Foundation. A study was done on the causes of motorcycle accidents and it was discovered that there were some skills that motorcyclists didn’t have. The course strives to educate the motorcyclists on the need for safety in riding.”
Is he the only deaf motorcycle instructor in USA? Louis said no. “There is a hearing impaired instructor in Washington State,” Louis went on.
Asides from teaching motorcycling, Louis has professional aspirations – hoping to move up the ranks in his full time job with the government. He is attending classes part time at the George Washington University, hoping to earn his D. Sc. in Computer Science. It would be a neat addition to the MS he already earned in Computer Science and the BS in Computational Mathematics, both at RIT.
Those interested in learning more about Louis and the motorcycle could surf his web site at: www.clark.net/pub/louis/cycle.htm
So, if you think motorcycling is dangerous, then Louis is a living proof that it is not – provided one takes courses on Motorcycle Safety.
