MSF classes...

[BackBone]

I just completed my second day of the three day course. It didn't occur to me all the useful things that could come out of those classes. Just being aware of the dangers, the manovers, and basic knowlege of motorcycles is beneficial to anyone who is wanting to ride or currently does. Something about hearing the instructors teach the class, having us (wife and I), run the course with the little 125-250 bikes they have to learn on, that doesn't really sink in till you are on the ride back home. There is a lot of information thrown at you at one time. I suppose you absorb as much as you can while listening, then as soon as you get away from it you think about the other things discussed and realize that is important stuff and store that into the 'ol memory banks for future use. This is one thing the government actually got "Right". I am very impressed with this class, and recommend anyone that hasn't had the class to take it. Even if you are the best rider in the world, there is something you can learn from it.

My wife is very new to riding, but is progressing well. I found her a 2005 Ninja EX250 last weekend from craigslist, (1400 bucks). She has done great for the little experience she has and I'm proud of her. With my coaching being limited since we've been married 13 years, and these classes, she has really got a handle on her bike. She's not ready for hectic traffic, but holds her own on our little ventures for 30-45 minutes each night around the neighborhood and side streets. It is very cool to have an understanding wife and want to share the joy in riding with me.

Tomorrow is our last day of the road course part of the training. The heat index is in the dangerous level today, as well as tomorrow. Lots of water bottles being consumed,

Please consider taking the classes if you havn't already, and possibly have a refresher course if it has been awhile since you went thru the course. It is the best decision we have made with both of us adding a motorcycle to our driveway. It is well worth the money.

--BackBone

 

[Soapartist]

Please consider taking the classes if you havn't already, and possibly have a refresher course if it has been awhile since you went thru the course. It is the best decision we have made with both of us adding a motorcycle to our driveway. It is well worth the money.

--BackBone

My husband and I took the course together.
He had ridden for years and I was just starting out.
Yes, loads of good stuff, and some of the slow manuvering practice we sometimes don't get enough of.
Even though I live in a place I can ride all year round except when it's below 36degrees. I now take the course every 2 yrs, just because i want to ... and, it keeps insurance premiums lower if you take it every 2 yrs.

 

[Mr Citrus]

The class is great! I went in with NO knowledge of riding, and it taught me the basics very quickly. Definitely worth the $265.

 

[kvc25]

The class is great! I went in with NO knowledge of riding, and it taught me the basics very quickly. Definitely worth the $265.

Same here. Only experience I had on two wheels before taking the MSF course was on my Trek bicycle. I also had never driven a manual transmission vehicle so clutch and manual shifting was completely foreign to me, but it didn't take long before I got the hang of it. MSF course, however, was free for me (I live in Philadelphia)

 

[Anthony]

The class will wear you out lol. But when done, you will be glad you did it. All those excercises over and over again really do make a difference. On your last day you will take a written test(no problem) and a rider evaluation. On mine if you put your leg down or fall you fail but that wont happen to you. I felt such a relief when it was all done with....

 

[redwing-2001]

The class will wear you out lol. But when done, you will be glad you did it. All those excercises over and over again really do make a difference. On your last day you will take a written test(no problem) and a rider evaluation. On mine if you put your leg down or fall you fail but that wont happen to you. I felt such a relief when it was all done with....

Glad you enjoyed the class. A small correction, though. This is read at the beginning of the skill evaluation: "throughout this and all subsequent evaluations, there are two things that will result in stopping your test with and unsuccessful score:
a. an intentional unsafe act
b. falling or dropping the motorcycle"

Putting a foot down in Skill Evaluation 1 will only result in getting dinged some points (3 or 5 depending on how many times).

In other words in the u-turn box, if it is a matter of putting your foot down to prevent falling, by all means, put your foot down so you don't fail.

Ride safely.

 

[Sage]

Putting a foot down in Skill Evaluation 1 will only result in getting dinged some points (3 or 5 depending on how many times).

When I took mine when I turned 18 if you put your foot down during the test, you failed. Idk, did it change some places and not others?

 

[iSpoolin]

Nice read! I'll be taking the class on August the 12-14!

 

[redwing-2001]

When I took mine when I turned 18 if you put your foot down during the test, you failed. Idk, did it change some places and not others?

Each state test could be different, however if they are using the standard MSF BRC curriculum and Skill Evals then putting a foot down is not an automatic fail.

 

[Sage]

Each state test could be different, however if they are using the standard MSF BRC curriculum and Skill Evals then putting a foot down is not an automatic fail.

Ah coolio, must have modified it to be accepted by our stricter than most state.

 

[SAFE-T]

If you've never really ridden a street bike before, a course that teaches you the basics is a great investment that will keep you from doing something stupid that will be expensive and perhaps injurious or worse to your person.

Overall, you are 14 times more likely to be killed riding a motorcycle than driving a car. Your individual risk will be higher or lower depending on your personal ability and judgement, but you need to accept that motorcycling is a dangerous activity that requires discipline and skill.

On the other hand, the previous CEO of the MSF apparently resigned at one point based on their frustration at not being able to make a long-term difference in accident rates for motorcycle riders. The problem being that after about 2 yrs. of riding, a motorcyclists chance of being in an accident actually goes back up, to the point where they are at the same risk as an untrained rider.

Longer term, if you want to get lasting results from training when you are starting from scratch you have to address the risk-taking behaviour that begins to increase once you start to feel like you know what you are doing after a couple of riding seasons. This means changing the way you ride by (A) actually riding more cautiously, (B) changing where you ride, or (C) actually getting higher level skills than can be taught in an entry-level course.

In 'A', you need to go slower than you think you are capable of, and in doing so reduce the risk of crashing through a combination of poor judgement, panic and/or eventual loss of control. I think this is the hardest to do in practice, but the most logically simple.

In 'B', you can do trackdays if you want to push the limits a bit, or even get your racing 'license' and go racing on the weekends. You will probably crash, so it is almost guaranteed to get expensive at some point, but at least you are doing it in an environment clear of the usual 'hard stop' type of objects that normally maim or kill motorcyclists on the open road. I have known people who ride really fast on the road, but are obscenely slow on the racetrack. Also people who have hurt themselves A LOT on the track, but after all that is part of the risk of trying to go really fast. Most people who get really fast on the track ride a lot slower than they used to be tempted to on the street, so for some it provides an outlet for their need for speed and gives them some perspective on going fast on the open road.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VruWHHEnZGw]‪Mick Doohan - No Place to Race‬‏ - YouTube[/ame]

In 'C', you need to find courses that will help you to work on your riding skills AND your observation skills. Like doing trackdays, this will cost some money that most people would never think of spending. I taught motorcycle courses for years, but never had the necessary time and $$$ to take a lot of extra courses, so stuck with 'A' as much as I could make myself. The MSF offers a range of programs but may not be available in all areas: Motorcycle Safety Foundation

Riding skills help you to avoid skill-based errors. Observation skills help you to work on what to look for in traffic, when and why. I want to address both.

Riding skills: It's more fun to learn riding skills, and most people stop there. Which is unfortunate, since most people still ride in traffic, and sometimes a lot. I more or less stopped commuting in traffic years ago, along with adopting 'A' as I mentioned, so I also never pursued the ability to go faster and therefore the need to get better than I already am. Mostly because I need to work and can't risk crashing in the pursuit of becoming a more skilled rider so I can go more faster safely in the future. If I am not going somewhere on a trip, I only ride in the city about once a month, and not during rush hour, and try to avoid heavy traffic areas. Also, I ride 'The Pace'

The Pace - Nick Ienatsch - Motorcyclist magazine

Observation skills: If you ride in traffic regularly, you need to recognize when and where your greatest threats occur, and how to deal with them. This is also difficult, as it takes persistence and constant reinforcement to build the proper habits to look in the right places at the right times, along with processing 'what if' scenarios. I would want to know how any course would provide reinforcement/practice for observation skills afterwards. I imagine you are on your own for the most part ~ serious individuals will continue to apply themselves, but it would be nice if there was a system that provided on-going support to build the proper disciplines here.

Thanks for reading