nervous.. (updated)

[calamari]

oh yeah, and about the gear: buy flashy colors with glow in the dark stuff... honest.

you want to be seen by car drivers once you are in the road.

[Alphamazing]

Yeah. You WANT to be seen. That way the driver can laugh at you as they run you over saying, "hahaha look at that stupid motorcyclist".

just kiddin'

[banner]

hey i feel like that a lot on a bike..


Its a feeling like...i'm going tooooo diee

alternating with

Wooohoooo

depends how far you slide on the snow covered road and where your trajectory is taking you

[Badger]

It's rather funny, because when I took the MSF, those tiny bikes seemed big. When I got the GS a month later, he seemed HUGE!!! A year later, they don't seem so big!    :mrgreen:

When I took the MSF, I thought the Nighthawk 250 felt a bit small.  When I went to look at/sit on the GS at the dealership, my first thought was, "Jeez...this thing is huuuuge!" :lol:  It seems to get smaller every time I ride it...pretty soon it's going to disappear.

[pandy]

Yeah. You WANT to be seen. That way the driver can laugh at you as they run you over saying, "hahaha look at that stupid motorcyclist". just kiddin'

:lol:  +1

I have a bright red bike, my gear is black and blue, and I wear a lovely fluorescent orange belt and fluorescent...uh....kinda lime-yellow.. vest for safety....   :lol:  

My bf bought me the orange and lime-yellow lovelies....He said it was for my safety , but I think he just likes to laugh at me....    

You definitely made me more visible on da' road! Wubz yew, sweetie!!!  :kiss:  :mrgreen:

[Kessen]

oh, the good MSF days... I remember now, it's all coming back.

you will have plenty of time for yourself... listening to your breathing inside your helmet, wondering about the hundreds of thousands of riders who did the same thing before you (those who took the msf course), feeling the wind trying to pull your head off your body while you go at amazing speeds on each run (12-18mph).
yes... those were the days when it took me forever to put my gloves on, and when the helmet seemed like a heavy burden to carry around, feeling a bit dumb with such a 'big head'.

I'll give you the first lesson free of charge: never brake in a turn

your welcome  

i have slight riding expierience,friends dad has a suzuki burgen 650,granted its not a sport bike, or really a motorcycle motorycle, but its a pretty fast freakin scooter,i know that feeling tho,listening to your breathing inside the helmet,constantly saying "smoothness is key,smoothness is key".

im buying my gs-f in about half a year, give or take a couple months, most likely give,after i get it, will it feel strange to ride having taken the MSF course so long before?or is it the kind of thing like riding a bike,never forgetting?

[Kessen]

It's rather funny, because when I took the MSF, those tiny bikes seemed big. When I got the GS a month later, he seemed HUGE!!! A year later, they don't seem so big!    :mrgreen:

When I took the MSF, I thought the Nighthawk 250 felt a bit small.  When I went to look at/sit on the GS at the dealership, my first thought was, "Jeez...this thing is huuuuge!" :lol:  It seems to get smaller every time I ride it...pretty soon it's going to disappear.

lol, pretty soon you wont need to park it, just put it into your pocket, and your good. :lol:  :lol:

[Badger]

im buying my gs-f in about half a year, give or take a couple months, most likely give,after i get it, will it feel strange to ride having taken the MSF course so long before?or is it the kind of thing like riding a bike,never forgetting?

Regardless, it's going to feel strange riding your own bike...whether you do it now or in 6 months.  Even if you got something right away, you're not going to want to just jump on and ride like your rear end is on fire...any new motorcycle is going to take some getting used to.  

The MSF range sessions aren't intended to make you an expert rider, but more to make sure you understand the basics, know what you need to practice, and are aware of the various dangerous situations that commonly sneak up on people (like braking in a turn).  Now or in 6 months, your process will probably be the same...get your bike, ride it cautiously, and spend a lot of time in empty parking lots or deserted office parks working on low speed turns, emergency stops, clutch control, etc.

That said...I thought the worst part of the MSF course was passing the test, getting my license, and not having a motorcycle to ride.  :x  I had fully intended on waiting until the spring to get a motorcycle, but got one at the tail end of the season because I didn't want to wait.  I'm glad I did.  YMMV.

[Badger]

When I went to look at/sit on the GS at the dealership, my first thought was, "Jeez...this thing is huuuuge!" :lol:  It seems to get smaller every time I ride it...pretty soon it's going to disappear.

lol, pretty soon you wont need to park it, just put it into your pocket, and your good. :lol:  :lol:

Maybe I can just stuff it in a shoebox for the winter? :lol:

[kidcoma]

Nervousness is natural but trust me, once you get into that class room full of other motorcycle enthusiasts, your nervousness will melt away and you'll be wondering why the class is over already. I was most worried about dropping the bike during the class. It's inevitable that at least one student does it during each session. Lucky me, I dropped it during my final so I ended up not passing. I had to retest during the next class. Where are you taking the class?

As far as gear goes, I agree you should get gear that stands out a little. Wearing all black or gray makes you harder to spot especially at night. If you can get a jacket with reflective patches, that would be the best. Gear with hints of red, orange, or yellow also add visibility. IMO I don't care whether your gear matches your bike, it's the dumb arses that wear shorts and t-shirts that I make fun of.

[RVertigo]

On the topic of gear color...  I went from a Bright Green jacket to a black and gray jacket.

The bright color made a difference during the day...  People were more likely to see me and less likely to drive to change lanes into me.  At night I've noticed no difference...  All they see is your headlight, taillight, and reflectors.   :dunno:

You can't rely on your gear to get you noticed.

[Kessen]

Where are you taking the class?

At College of the Canyons in Santa Clarita

speaking of gear..


anyone know how to make a drooling smiley?

[Alphamazing]

Eh. The only jacket made by Icon I've found to like is the Retro Daytona. I like all the colors except the black one, it just looks dumb.

[Kessen]

updated! (read first thread)

kthx

[pandy]

Well after three long and semi-challenging days, i am now fully licensed to ride a motorcycle!wooh!

Congrats!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!    

[GeeP]

Congrats on passing!  

[aaronstj]

The figure-8 box is haaaard.  And worse, few of us could get it (I crossed the line once) on these tiny little 125-cc bikes, and the intructor can nail it on a Goldwing.

[Kessen]

The figure-8 box is haaaard.  And worse, few of us could get it (I crossed the line once) on these tiny little 125-cc bikes, and the intructor can nail it on a Goldwing.

yeh man!my instructor did it hangin off a goldwing!showoff! was cool tho.i crossed the lines twice.

[RVertigo]

i dont understand why i couldnt nail it.

Turn your head MORE.  

I screwed it up every time I tried...  Except on the test.   :dunno: I found that if I turned my head more than I thought I needed to, then I'd actually be able to pull it off...

Hanging off helped A LOT too.

[Jake D]

I like a challenge.  So I decided to try it while looking directly at the front wheel.

That didn't work out so well.  I did practice my target fixation skilz by staring at both of the lines I crossed over.  Ultra nice!

The hot chick in my class with the low rise jeans nailed it like she'd done it a brazilian times.  I am humbled.