Richard Dean, CEO
  S.M.A.R.T. Course LLC

I've been riding motorcycles most of my life. I started out as a lot of others did, on mini-bikes and small street/trail bikes. I then graduated to a dirt (racing) bike. My first street bike was a Kawasaki KZ 1000. I later bought my first Harley and 3 Harley's later I currently ride a 2002 Harley Roadking.

My first formal training came back in the early 80's where I was certified on a Police motorcycle by being trained in pursuits and Emergency Response riding for the Police Department. That initial training was an 80 hour course to be certified as a Motorcycle Police Officer. Over the next 5 years I attended numerous advanced training courses to include precision riding, high speed riding and collision avoidance. I attended courses sponsored by the South Carolina Highway Patrol Motor instructors as well as The Institute of Police Technology and Management (IPTM) at University of North Florida in Jacksonville, FL. In the Mid 90's I again attended IPTM where I was certified as a police motorcycle instructor. This enabled me to be able to certify other officers on working police bikes to work the streets.

In 2002, and after working untold amounts of traffic fatalities. I recognized a need in the private sector for safe motorcycle rider training. The needless deaths on the highways of motorcycle riders in South Carolina was alarming. At that time I did not know much about the Motorcycle Safety Foundation (MSF) training program. I began researching different training programs and all roads seemed to lead back to MSF. After looking into the MSF curriculum I realized that they had a "tried and true" training method that WORKED. The MSF program was already set up to do exactly what I was proposing to do. "Save Lives through Education" It was then that I set out to become a Certified MSF Rider Coach to assist in educating the riding public in motorcycle safety. That is when I decided to help others to start "Riding S.M.A.R.T.