Art City Elementary students got a twist on the usual bike safety assembly Tuesday when Springville motorcycle police officers visited the school.

Officers Jon Drumm and Ron Mitchell rode their morotcycles around a course on the blacktop in front of enthralled students and talked to them about bicycle safety. The students asked questions about how to ride a bike safely, but many were just excited to see a real-life motorcycle.

"I got to ride on a real motorcycle," one child exclaimed during the question and answer period.

Although young, most students seemed to understand the importance of bicycle safety, telling officers they know to stop when cars are coming. One boy even had a friend who was run over by a car while riding his bike.

The officers went over basic safety rules such as wearing a helmet and obeying traffic rules, and the children also learned how to use their hands to signal a turn. Drumm told students to check their tires, wheels, brakes and reflectors before riding and to make sure the bike is not too big for them.

"For us, a 900 pound bike is just about right," he said. "For you guys -- maybe something a little smaller."

Drumm told students to always stop and look both ways before crossing a street and to pay attention to where they are going.

"You go where you look," he said. "If you look at the ground, you fall down."

Mitchell told students it is also important to be aware of their clothing when riding a bike. Sometimes pants can get caught in the chains, or toes in sandals can get scraped up. Although some students claimed they were indeed 6 feet tall, Mitchell said they should not ride their bikes after dark because big, 6-foot-tall cars would have a hard time seeing them.

A few lucky students even rode through the course on their bicycles behind the officers while classmates cheered them on. With grins from ear to ear, the students rode in a line through the course, with one officer in front and in the back on motorcycles. The bike riders were confident with their skills after one round, asking officers if they could do some tricks the next time. Keeping in mind the bike safety theme, the officers declined.

"Well, can we stand up on our bikes at least?" an experienced bicyclist asked.

Cory Fisher, health and safety commissioner for the school PTA, said the students were excited to participate in the event. A raffle was held to choose the students who would ride their bikes, and one winner had put his name in several times. The bike safety day was part of the school's Green Ribbon Week, in which students are encouraged to ride their bikes or walk to school.

Springville police Lt. Dave Caron said this was the first time the department has taught bike safety using motorcycles, and he hopes it will help to catch kids' attention. Caron said he is always trying to come up with new ideas for the children to learn something and still have fun.

"You can bore kids to death if you're not careful," he said.