This is cool. I took the MSF course back in May and bought my GS two weeks later. I've put 3,000+ miles on it and learned a whole lot.
My older brother started expressing some interest in motorcycles just about 2 months ago. After countless hours of talking about the this and that of motorcycling with me, he took the MSF course and bought an '05 GS, which I believe he is still 'breaking in'. He is a Justinoob, a new member to this forum.
My dad just finished the MSF course last week. He hasn't bought a bike yet, but Justin and I will see to it that he buys a GS500. Perhaps he'll join the forum sometime soon.
(I have another older brother who took the course and started on an '89 ninja 750r - crazy, but at least he took the course first)
That makes four of the six members of my immediate family MSF course graduates. I just wanted to celebrate. :)
Good for you! And, kudos!
I took mine back in '92 while I was in the military, so it was mandatory if I was riding a bike on base (a black '90 GS500, coincidentally). I had already been riding for 6 years, and already had over 100,000 miles under my belt at that time, including a season of track racing and a day at Keith Code's California Superbike School. It was the best thing that ever happened to me, and definitley made me a better, safer street rider than I ever was when I was racing.
We practiced mounting, starting, stopping, stopping locking up the rear, maximum braking, countersteering, feeling for the friction zone while going around 2 cones 30' apart, in about 10' and smaller raidius' (to the left, like in u-turns), and then swerving.
My experiences: http://gstwins.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=20898
Took mine in 2000. It was really good, learnt a lot, but it was hard getting used to new stuff (for turning) which i had gotten used to before..but i had fun, i would do it again if need be.. it is sure fun.
Just make sure you take water,and drink fluids in the heat you can dehyrate and i had a little tumble because i wasnt thinking straight and i hit the rear brake into a turn and went flying off.
SO yeah.. basically MSF is fun. I want to take teh advanced but only after i get back to LA and start riding the gs a bit and then i will take it.
I took my course this in the summer of 05. I learned alot as well. I'd have to say that the most important thing I took away was the saying my rider coach loved:
"If you look down you will go down."
The most important lesson was look where you want to go. The second most important lesson was counter steering.
One that wasn't really emphasized in the course was staged braking or progressive braking, something I'm working on now.
O - Proud MSF graduate
PS: Are there more advanced rider courses around here designed for traffic and street riding? I know there is MSF advanced and track days and superbike school, but are there any ones that are specifically targeted at making you a better rider in traffic?
all the info is at http://www.msf-usa.org
there is an advanced course.. you ride your own bike.
I wish somebody made a book of MSF course with illustrations, as there is no MSF course here in Lithuania.
And it is hard to learn from own mistakes.
I find it hard to justify paying 150 dollars to take MSF course. I feel the years of dirtbiking sort of override it. I got a perfect on the road test anyway which according to the instructor (who is the MSF teacher) is admittedly harder.
Maybe the advanced course some day?
I also got a perfect score on my endorsement test. I wanted to take the course but all of the local classes was full :dunno:
I might go next spring and take it and trry to sell my bike to someone there, then I can move up :thumb: to a bigger bike or higher hp bike.
Bandit 400(http://images.traderonline.com/img/5/dealer/3983300/80551743_1.jpg)
Bandit 600s(http://www.suzukicycles.org/photos/suzuki-history/2000/2000_GSF600S_Bandit_450.jpg)
Quote from: VTNewbI find it hard to justify paying 150 dollars to take MSF course.
Mine was only $80
At my MSF course, they called me smiley b/c every time I would come around the bend when we were practicing shifting to second gear I would have a big cheesey grin on my face b/c I loved it...luckily it came naturally to me so I was very comfortable.
The two other girls (that were in my class of 12) and myself were asked were all asked by the instructor to come back and teach the MSF course b/c we were positive fun people.
I really loved it and it's the first thing I tell people to do when they show interest in learning to ride. :thumb:
QuoteI find it hard to justify paying 150 dollars to take MSF course.
In NC, the course is $100, and I saved that much on my first six-month insurance premium because I took the course. When my next premium comes due, that means I'll be $100 in the clear. Maybe I'll get those progressive springs...
I took MSF in April out in California. It was the best thing I could have done as far as becoming a rider. I had never so much as started a bike before it. After the first day of riding, my girlfriend and I were bouncing off the walls, couldn't wait for day two. We both passed and have logged a few thousand miles each since the course. There is no question it made us safer and better riders than we would have been otherwise. I never would have figured out the look where you want to go thing, or have felt as confident the first time I rode my first bike (Nighthawk 650) on the street. Much fun!
I think we will take the advanced course at some point as well. Anyone have recommendations on how much riding you should have done before taking it?
Taking my course in two weeks here in Cali..i cant wait.
Quote from: jbeaber
I think we will take the advanced course at some point as well. Anyone have recommendations on how much riding you should have done before taking it?
All but two of the exercises are the same as in the Basic Rider Course, and the two that are different are not all that much more advanced. It's more of a refresher than anything else. I'd say when you are comfortable, and feel the need for the refresher. Of course, another factor is what you ride. The U-Turn box is a bit more challenging on a Gold Wing, for example, than on a GS500, although I saw a guy handle it just fine on a GW when I took the ERC.
As far as I know, there is no school or program in this country that offers actual on road coaching/instruction. In England I have read that there is, and they have better accident statistics to show for it. I've thought about starting something like that myself, completely on my own, but I think I'll log some time as an instructor first.
The cost of my MSF course is more than my total insurance cost for the year 8)
Did mine in April of this year in Kansas. $175 here. Passed easily, the instructors could not believe I had not ridden in 15 years. I am considering taking it again next year with my wife just for support. Had a blast.
looks like I got jacked... Paid $250 for my coarse...it was money worth spending IMO tho...
I'd like to take the ERC sometime, just to see how well I fare on the GS. The little bikes we were running on (125cc cruisers) were easy to maneuver around. Low speeds were nothing with these things (peg scraping for me). I'm not sure how comfortable I am on the GS at low speeds.
Yes, indeed, Skeletor is my younger brother. :thumb:
Before I took the MSF BRC I was afraid of motorcycles. If someone offered me a ride on back.....actually.... I still wouldn't ride on the back of someone else's bike.
The course took me from absolute zero to being comfortable on a bike. This week, after about 170 city miles, I really started feeling confident.
Too bad all of us brothers and our dad live in different states. Otherwise, we'd form some kind of gs500 gang.
180 miles and still haven't dropped it!
I used the course to get my endorsement without owning a motorcycle. I knew that sometime I would buy one, and wanted to be able to ride if offered, or be able to test ride a bike if it arose. I didn't own a bike to take the riding portion of the DMV test in NC.
I am so glad I took the MSF course. I knew some of the things they went over but I was really able to expound upon areas like threshold braking, swerving and looking where I want to go. I was able to get my endorsement after completing the course, and a couple months later bought my first bike. a yamaha radian 600. FAST for a first bike.
It seems I brought a disease to my family. My dad had some interest in riding all through my childhood, and when I mentioned motorcycles while still living at home, my dad was somewhat open, and mom completely closed to the idea until I was "out on my own." A couple of years down the road I bought my Ducati Monster and started to look to sell the Radian, and my dad became interesting in the possibility of maybe buying it and learning to ride it. Well one thing led to another and him and my mom took the MSF course, and shared the Radian. Then they both upgraded my dad to a triumph speedmaster, and my mom to a Ducati Monster 620. Intersting enough now my mom is the motorcycle buff of the two and is always riding. When I bought my 998 while in Iraq it sat at home, and mom "took the liberty" of "keeping it up for me" until I got home. So my friends regularly spotted my 53 year old mom riding around my 998 around town, "keeping the battery charged." she says "its reall not that uncofortable after awhile" This being really ironic, because she is this sweet southern lady. She would tell me about how when she rode it guys at stoplights would say, Hey man! pull a wheelie! Which she DIDN'T! I just think back to where all this started from mom not wanting me on a bike, to her riding around an awesome recognized superbike. Now dad is looking to upgrade to a hayabusa, (he likes the way it looks and thinks its comfortable) My friends laughing out loud at the thought of my frugal peaceful dad on one of the most powerful OEM bikes on the planet. Things have definetely gotten weird. Now three of my friends are into riding thanks to me as well.
The only drawback to all of this is I will feel responsible if anything happens to shose who are close to me while they are riding. You can't help it. Most of you, though logical reasoning would convince otherwise, would feel the same way. So I spend alot of time praying everything will be ok, and since all of them followed in my footsteps and took the MSF course, I think it will be ok.
-Patrick
IIRC, the MSF course out here is somewhere around $300 or so. It saves me about $70 on my annual insurance premium...although it'd obviously be more savings if I got a bigger bike (I don't think I can use that fact to justify a gixxer, though). I also used the MSF opportunity to get my endorsement without a bike, and I'm glad I did--and wish I had done it much, much sooner (like 10 years ago).
I'm optimistically musing that my wife might take the course next year, and if she does I might take it again (for moral support). I'm also wondering if it's worthwhile to take the ERC (I haven't heard from anyone who's taken it to get an opinion), or if racing school would be a better path.
Another advantage of the MSF course is - even if you never want to buy a motorcycle - if, for example, you're being chased by the Yakuza - the poison fist of the pacific rim - and you have to hotwire a motorcycle to make your daring escape, you'll be able to do it safely.
And its a damn good thing they teach you how to hotwire a motorcycle during the MSF course!
-Patrick
That's not the "Motorcycle Safety Foundation - Basic Rider Course": they don't have the hotwire-a-bike unit. That's the "Mafia Slippery Finger - Boosting Rides Curriculum" - very different approach to the subject matter. ;)
And thanks, Scratch! :cheers: :) :lol: