A Ride Forever course is a day (or half-day) of on-road motorcycle coaching, subsidised by ACC and delivered by approved instructors across New Zealand. Four levels (Motorbike Skills, Bronze, Silver and Gold) take you from your first rides in traffic through to advanced cornering and hazard work. And right now, every one of them is free.
Normally, a course costs $20 or $50. For courses completed between 1 September and 31 December 2026, that fee is waived, subject to availability. Here’s what each level covers, who it suits and when to book.
Key Takeaways
- What it is: ACC-funded on-road coaching in small groups, run by approved providers nationwide. It’s coaching, not a licence test.
- The levels: Motorbike Skills (4 hours), then Bronze, Silver and Gold (8 hours each). Scooter Skills covers scooter riders.
- Cost: $20 for Motorbike Skills and Bronze, $50 for Silver and Gold. Free for courses completed by 31/12/2026.
- Limits: up to two courses a year, with a maximum of one Gold.
- The payoff: trained riders crash 27% less often, and Gold unlocks a 25% discount on your ACC motorcycle levy.
What Is a Ride Forever Course?
Ride Forever is ACC’s motorcycle safety programme, funded through the levies riders pay when they license their bikes. The coaching arm puts you on your own bike on real roads, with a qualified instructor watching how you ride and correcting your riding as you go.
Each Ride Forever course starts with a classroom briefing, then heads out on the road in a small group. The aim is to fix habits before they cost you, and the programme is designed to support NZTA’s competency-based training and assessment (CBTA) licence pathway.
The results are measurable. ACC data shows riders who’ve completed at least one course have 27% fewer crashes, 45% lower claims costs, and are up to 50% less likely to lodge a motorcycle injury claim.
Ride Forever Levels Compared
| Course | Length | Usual fee | Best for | Core skills |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Motorbike Skills | 4 hours | $20 | New riders fresh from their BHST, mostly riding in town | Positioning, braking, cornering, traffic, U-turns |
| Bronze | 8 hours | $20 | Learner and new restricted riders; returners after a long break | Positioning, speed and gear selection, braking, smooth control |
| Silver | 8 hours | $50 | Restricted riders heading for their full; experienced riders new to the programme | Vision through corners, body position, hazard awareness |
| Gold | 8 hours | $50 | Full licence holders, ideally after Silver | Group riding, touring, pillion, advanced vision and control |
Motorbike Skills: Your First Step Into Traffic
Just passed your basic handling skills test (BHST) and uneasy about traffic? Motorbike Skills is a four-hour course for riders who do most of their riding around town at 50 km/h or less. It covers road positioning so you see and are seen, braking, cornering, dealing with traffic and clean, safe U-turns.
ACC Ride Forever Bronze: Your First Full Day
The ACC Ride Forever Bronze course is the most popular level and where most riders begin. It runs a full eight hours across urban streets and open roads, usually with time on a paved off-road area to practise specific skills.
Coaching focuses on road positioning, choosing the right speed and gear, braking and smooth control. Because Bronze aligns closely with the restricted assessment, Ride Forever’s advice is to book it just before you sit your CBTA restricted, so a trained assessor can look over your riding first. Our guide to CBTA training explains how that assessment works.
You need to be comfortable riding at 100 km/h on main highways on a bike that can maintain that speed. If you’re not there yet, do Motorbike Skills first. ACC Ride Forever Bronze also suits riders returning after years away who want the fundamentals checked before they buy.
Silver: Open Roads and Cornering Vision
Silver shifts the focus to open roads and corners. It revisits Bronze, then adds vision techniques (vanishing points, reference points, and visual flow through bends), plus using body weight for stability. You’ll also be introduced to Roadcraft principles for spotting hazards early.
This is the course to do before your full 6F licence, whether you take the practical test or the CBTA route. It’s also the recommended starting point for experienced or returning riders who’ve never done a Ride Forever course, even if they’ve held a full licence for decades.
Gold: Advanced Coaching and the ACC Rider Reward
Gold is for full licence holders, ideally after Silver. Expect more than 100 km on open highways and back roads, with coaching built around group riding, long-distance touring, pillion riding and advanced vision and control. Braking, slow-speed skills and hazard awareness get a refresher, too.
Gold is also the only Ride Forever course that earns the ACC Rider Reward. Complete it on or after 1 July 2025, and you’ll get 25% off the ACC levy on every motorcycle registered in your name, for licence periods starting on or after 1 July 2026. The discount runs for two years from your course date and applies automatically when you license, with no cap on the number of bikes.
There’s no formal assessment. You need to complete the full day and hold a New Zealand driver’s licence, then wait two business days before licensing so your completion data reaches NZTA. Plenty of riders repeat Gold each year as a refresher, and those keen to take those skills off-road can follow it with our adventure riding school.
Which Level Should You Start With?
Your licence and recent riding decide where you start:
- Just passed your BHST, riding mostly in town: Motorbike Skills.
- On a learner or new restricted licence, comfortable at 100 km/h: Bronze.
- Preparing for your full licence: Silver.
- Experienced or returning, new to the programme: Silver, then Gold a few months later.
- Full licence with Silver done: Gold, then repeat it annually.
When to Book Your Ride Forever Course
Timing shapes what you get out of the day:
- Before a CBTA assessment: Bronze ahead of your restricted, Silver ahead of your full.
- At the start of spring: around half of New Zealand riders put their bikes away over winter, and ACC sees crashes and claims rise when they return.
- After buying a new bike: coaching on the bike you ride every day carries straight over to your commute.
- Before 31/12/2026: the free offer ends then, and spring and summer weekends book out first.
With two courses allowed per year, a Bronze now and a Silver after a few months of practice is a realistic plan.
Choosing a Provider for Ride Forever Courses
Every approved provider teaches the same syllabus, but the day itself can differ. Before you book Ride Forever courses, check:
- Group size: smaller groups mean more individual feedback on the road.
- Instructor credentials: coaches who also run CBTA assessments know exactly what assessors look for.
- Bike and gear hire: handy if you’re between bikes. Learner and restricted riders must be on a LAMS-approved machine.
- Local knowledge: instructors who ride your roads every week pick routes that suit your level.
Ornsby runs every level from its base at Ruapuna Raceway, with instructors covering Christchurch, Rangiora and Wanaka. It’s the same team behind the BHST, CBTA and track-day motorcycle training Christchurch riders book year-round. LAMS-approved hire bikes, helmets, jackets, and gloves can be arranged at the time of booking. Bring long pants and sturdy footwear.
On the day, arrive early for the briefing, fill your tank and make sure your bike has a current WoF and rego. Learners must display an L plate.
Ready to book while it’s free? Ornsby Motorcycle Training runs Bronze, Silver and Gold days across Canterbury, Otago and Southland, in groups of no more than six riders. Check upcoming dates for our Ride Forever courses or call (03) 980 8933 to secure a spot before 31/12/2026.