My MSF Course Experience

[SuddenRush]

So I took the course and got my license, BUT those 2 days were soooo stressful. I practiced which my bike a few times beforehand and I was super confident going into the course. I was good with stopping, the clutch, and I did some weaving. I get to the range and just sucked. I sucked the entire 2 days. I was super jerky with the throttle, especially in 1st. I couldn't seem to do any slow maneuvers. I was "that guy" (that girl) who dropped the bike. Somehow I passed. Now I do believe I learned some good info, but it also made me more afraid to ride than I was before. I guess that's not a bad thing in the sense that I shouldn't get to confident on my bike, but I've always had the " if your scared to drive get off the road " mindset. Anyways, I went for my first ride yesterday and all was well. I was terrified getting on my bike for the first time since the course, but there's just something about riding my bike that feels right. I don't know if the 6r is easier to ride than the little vstar or if it's the fact that I'm not attempting such challenging maneuvers, or maybe it's just all in my head. I'm just glad it's over and excited to start my FZ6R experience.

 

[LS6TT]

Just take your time, don't over think it. Spend a lot of time in a parking lot just getting use to it. Half of the stuff we did in the msf course I'll never do (who is going to do figure 8s within two parking spaces?).

You'll get the hang of it.

 

[Thestache]

Just take your time, don't over think it. Spend a lot of time in a parking lot just getting use to it. Half of the stuff we did in the msf course I'll never do (who is going to do figure 8s within two parking spaces?).

You'll get the hang of it.

Agree 100%, I got my license and did MSF last year, and although I thought I did pretty well, the figure 8's I sucked.

Kinda funny, at one point, the "quick stop" portion, the instructor is standing in at this line, I am 1st in line he says, "I am going to count to 3, you head toward the cones where Melissa is standing, and brake to a complete stop"
What he failed to understand, is when you count to 3, this old country boy thinks...it's racin time
1, 2, 3...I pop the clutch gun it, 1st, 2nd, 3rd...power brake....ALL THE WAY THRU THE AREA he negated to tell me I was supposed to stop in...we all had a good laugh about, "Hey ever met anyone who tried racing in the MSF course "

 

[m3tric]

I wouldn't worry too much about your MSF experience. I just took it last weekend and was definitely the 2nd most confident rider there (having zero previous bike experience) behind the guy who rode dirt bikes. It was really easy for me to get used to quickly shifting up through 2nd and 3rd gear, but I still sucked at the figure 8, putting my foot down. Like others said, I don't plan on doing that maneuver in a real situation.

 

[nismos14]

Dropping the bike is automatic fail in the MSF here!

 

[dart1963]

Dropping the bike is automatic fail in the MSF here!

Only during "the test" here... first day you can drop it all day, though after 2, the instructors may kindly ask you to leave until you get more confidence...

Practice, a lot, and don't over think it. It will come naturally eventually.

 

[bloodypulp]

Best rider in the group dropped it on a quick stop during the test instructors were cool , gave him a do over lol

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[RyanChristenson]

I took the class last spring. Never rode before. Lots of good basic stuff but I felt that a lot of the riding instruction was basically how to maneuver out of the parking lot. Once you hit the road and get about 18 mph it was a whole new ball game. Still would 100% recommend the course. My only wish was the beginner course offered a little more real world exercises going 35 mph. Not to toot my own horn but the instructors all said I was lying that I had never been on a bike before. We're shocked how quickly I picked it up. Didn't miss any points on the riding test.


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[zcypher]

i didn't have a terrible experience doing the course, but i do find my FZ6R waaay easier to ride than anything they had over there.

 

[Fizzer6R]

SuddenRush, try to get away from traffic and rack up some miles where you can take it easy and not worry. it takes time. do you know anyone w/a small dirtbike? practicing on something like that will carry over to the street and build your balance, reflexes, coordination... = confidence

 

[indian9990]

I didn't have that bad of an experience with mine. I know that if you dropped the bike during the test then that was an automatic fail. Nobody in my class dropped the bike though.

I do think the class should be changed a little bit to incorporate more real world situations. It's totally different riding in an empty parking lot @ 10 mph and riding in traffic @ 40 mph. The bike was also way different and more powerful.

I would still recommend it to everyone. Confidence and comfort comes over time with riding. I'm a lot more comfortable on my bike now but still need practice

 

[latony007]

i never took it, i learned to ride when i was about 12 on dirt bikes and borrowed or played with friends street bike through my youth, just never bought one. When i finally did i was not interested in spending days on here is how to shift from 1st to 2nd so i just took the CA DMV test which from what i hear is fairly tough, took me a few practices to make it around their tiny *** circle without putting your foot down but was pretty easy on a smaller bike, i dont see how anyone could pass on a big old concourse or something. Anyway i recommend finding some spots with the least amount of cars around and practacing there. i had a suzuki s40 for my test and it was light as hell and easy, vstars are even smaller so i am a little confused on the fz6r is easier to ride thing.

 

[dom02]

My experience was good. I didn't drop the bike but through out I definitely did a lot wrong. It took me a while to get the hang of shifting. I would end up slowing down a lot 'cause it took me to long to down shift. I would actually coast and slow down and then shift. I don't think I got used to downshifting well until I started practicing more on my own after the class.

I completely screwed up on the test. I was so nervous I didn't pay attention to the explanation of doing the long turn. I ended up stopping at the first line, which was really the line where you were supposed to start stopping. I didn't notice the second line further up. Got a ton of points for that lol...

The one person in my class that dropped her bike a couple times, was also the person who got the best score on the actual test lol.

 

[98Deathmage]

Just take your time, don't over think it. Spend a lot of time in a parking lot just getting use to it. Half of the stuff we did in the msf course I'll never do (who is going to do figure 8s within two parking spaces?).

You'll get the hang of it.

As far as i know, that proves you are able to perform slow speed maneuvers at low speeds. Its not about the figure 8.

I only fell during the "turn and emergency brake" practice. Sadly i fell off the bike and landed on my bike. My foot though got the bike. Ended up picking the bike up and rode again and aced the practice.

You need to just practice and set a goal of getting better at "insert skill here" maneuvering. If you fall, get back up and dont get scared of the bike.

Also would be a worthy investment to get some Frame Sliders. Either Shogun or T-Rex sliders. Links are below.

Shogun:
MOTO911.com
T-Rex:
09 on TRex Yamaha FZ6R Frame Sliders NO CUT