lol failed my motorcycle road test

[fred]

well i accelerated to the first line and grabbed the clutch. the second line is only like 10ft away and when i got there i swerved perfectly.

i think he just wanted to give me points because at the very beginning of the test he told the class NO BODY get a perfect score, and i pretty much should have lol.

Good job on passing, but you still have much to learn. Are you saying you coasted through a swerve? That would warrant a loss of points. If you have power on in a turn, you can turn much faster. Pulling the power right before or even during a swerve is about the worst thing you can do short of hitting the brakes. You really should go take the MSF...

[Paulcet]

well i accelerated to the first line and grabbed the clutch. the second line is only like 10ft away and when i got there i swerved perfectly.

i think he just wanted to give me points because at the very beginning of the test he told the class NO BODY get a perfect score, and i pretty much should have lol.

Good job on passing, but you still have much to learn. Are you saying you coasted through a swerve? That would warrant a loss of points. If you have power on in a turn, you can turn much faster. Pulling the power right before or even during a swerve is about the worst thing you can do short of hitting the brakes. You really should go take the MSF...

Nah, he already knows all that stuff.

[efushi]

Yeah and his posts keep proving so.   

[jserio]

i took a safety course in september 2005. it cost me a pretty penny. ($175 or so i think) took it in arkansas. guy by the name of James Hooper was the instructor. he was also the instructor for little rock pd motorcycle unit at the time. (he may still be, and still do the course, i'm not sure).  he also said he taught courses for MSF but could not teach us the same course as it was not at an MSF sanctioned event. he did however take us through the same course he taught to the pd. (except we had more distance between cones  ) anyways. it was an 8 hour class. it was great. James was a cool cat, same as his wife who assisted that day. i'd take his course again in a heartbeat. but i hadn't ridden since that day really until yesterday on a demo ride, and i could still hear his voice in my head, talking to me, reminding me things. great, great instructor.

[~*STEPH*~]

Congrats on passing your test!  However, I highly recommend that MSF course.  I live in PA (where it's free) and my boyfriend teaches it so I took it 2 years ago, learned A LOT, and got my license.  Now that I FINALLY have my first bike (2 yrs later), I feel more confident than someone that has never had any experience before.  I'm retaking the MSF course again this summer as a refresher course.  You can never have too much instruction on safety! 

[bucks1605]

I'm thinking about signing up for an MSF course, I've never taken one and I'm not sure which one I should sign up for. I've been riding for about four years and I passed my test with zero deductions. I consider myself a safe rider. I'm thinking either Basic Rider-2 or Experienced Rider. Does anybody have any advice?

[JStrube]

I got my CA motorcycle endorsement 20 years ago, but hadn't ridden in at least 18.  I bought my new bike, a TW200, then signed up fir the MSF basic course.  I learned a TON of stuff.  I even rode my own bike.  I am the type of person who strives to be the best in class, I passed the course, flying colors, some who were scary also passed, but I felt comfortable riding right away, I know those folks were still riding around the block with their feet hanging down.

I'm hoping to take the experienced rider course after a few more miles, I have about 2000 under my belt.

Before, someone mentioned why you don't coast on a swerve, we learned that, but didn't go over the dynamics of it.  I'm curious, why does it turn better under power, vs. coasting?

[~*STEPH*~]

Here's the site on MSF.  It varies on each state, and if you click on the "About MSF" link, you can get a set of test questions to review that are nearly identical to the actual written part of the test. 

http://www.msf-usa.org/


+1 for MSF.  I learned SO MUCH! Plus Keith Code's "Twist of the Wrist, Vol 1&2" are also great references as well.

[jdw03n]

I watched this poor gal drop a Rebel in my MSF class during the final exam... you could see it coming like a train wreck... doing the figure 8, too slow, planted inside foot, dropped clutch and went *thump* over onto the far side.  She couldn't pick the bike up off her ankle.  Felt bad for the poor gal....asked the instructor "does she get another chance" and he just looked at me.  The bad part was, the gal had this big ass HD at home ready to go...she'd been talking about it all day.

[~*STEPH*~]

Since my boyfriend is the instructor, I hear some pretty funny stories.  About 1-2 people in every class fail because of something stupid that they haven't done all week in class, but just get nervous during the riding portion of the test.  Though the most common story is all these harley dudes that ride in w/ a helmet (b/c you have to wear one if you have a permit), adn then as soon as they pass the test, strap their helmet to their bike and ride off without any eye protection.  there have even been a few older women that have taken the class on a 50-125cc scooter to get a discount on their insurance!!!  Overall, a SUPER worthwhile program that everyone should take!!!

[tripleb]

it's a good thing she fell over on the tiny rebel as opposed to a tricked out, expensive hog that could've crushed her and cost her a lot 'o' cash.