MSF courses. Any eye openers?

[GilaMinumBeer]

I've seriously been considering taking a MSF riders course in my area. Mostly because I have also been reading David Hough and realize there are some techniques I have yet to be faced with in the real world despite many years of ownership and several years of actually being in the saddle.

But, deciding what level to take is an uncertainty for me and the expense of the basics course seems a tad spendthrift considering I know my machine and much of the basics. What I don't know, and never will unless I go, is if they offer anything I don't already know. I know the expense covers bike rental of a smaller machine.

So yeah, I've been seriosuly considering the advanced course. And wondering if in teh process I'll end up dropping "my" bike trying to do something I am not familiar with.

I've also poked around for local courses offered by DOT and OHP (Highway Patrol) but it appears I am too late in the season for those.

I'd like to hear from anyone who took the course "late" in their riding life. Which course was taken, and if there were any eye openers received as a result.

[justinmahn]

I don't think you're going to find any eye openers. I think you will get some practice doing things that you normally would never see. Kind of a "finally getting around to it" practice course.

[schooner44]

If you take the course and get ONE thing out of it, it's worth it. Also, here's a good statistic to help your decision...92% of riders who get in accidents have not taken a safety rider course. I can't understand why anyone wouldn't take the course.

[proto]

I just took one recently (in july) and even though I am a beginner rider (took it before I owned a bike) the course seems designed to instill 'good behavior' and 'good habits'. Yes, a lot of what they go over is common sense - however, what I found to be truly useful was the riding posture portion of it, and the basic safety drills such as swerving and quick stops.

I think most states teach two levels: a beginner class and an advanced class. I think the beginner class is setup to be beneficial for riders of all experience - however, if all classes are like mine you are more likely to be bored half the time. I'd take a look at the advanced class (I am planning on signing up for it in the spring) because everyone uses their own bikes and they will skip over the basics.

[Juanday73]

I decided to get into bikes last year and took the MSF route to getting my license. It definitely prepared me for a few scenarios I hadn't anticipated and the insurance discount is nice, too!

[SkullCrusher]

Take both. Knowledge is power. You are guaranteed to learn a lot.

[ZackDaniels]

I would say the basic rider course is good no matter how long you've been riding if you never had any significant mentoring. There's loads of things you might be doing 'wrong' that you'll take note, and actually get more out of than most the newbies taking the course just sweating on how to shift and over focusing on not falling down.

If you've been shown the ropes and have significant experience I would say jump straight to the advanced. It's been 7 years and a dozen or so bikes since I took the basic, and so I'm planning on taking the advanced this year as a general refresher. Though I'm flip flopping between the MSF Advanced and Total Control's Advanced Rider Clinic. Most people who have taken both say the ARC is the better class to take, based not only on techniques but the general motorcycle maintenance 101 and psychological portions that are unique to it vs any MSF offering.

It's $200 more than the Advanced is in Illinois... that's pretty much the only reason I'm on the fence.

[David Edwards]

i have not taken the course either and all my friends encourage me to take it? They have ridden for years and said they learned some things that they never thought about. This course is not mandatory but there to help you stay safe. I plan on taking it this spring. As for as the age thing. those i ride with are 30-72 years of age and they all reallly like the course. They think it would be a good idea for everyone to take it every riding season? Im going to take it for myself and if i learn one thing that might help keep me safe, THEN its all worth it. And your insurance should drop a little, but very little..... go ahead and take it, what can it hurt?? Good Luck and Merry Christmas!

[Sgoatley]

The first day of the basic course will probably bore you to tears. It's mainly getting to know the machine. You have to remember that this course is really set up for those who have never been on a bike. They have to teach where everything is and how to use it. Then it moves on to learning how to get the bike moving and learning to shift. The second day was the most valuable for me. You spend a lot of time on the course doing slow speed maneuvers and the set up scenarios to teach you how to swerve around obstacles, make emergency stops (also do this while in a curve) and you'll practice turning at speed (20mph) to get you used to counter steering. This is all basic stuff, but I don't know many people who actually set up a proper swerving scenario to practice. The idea is that you have to move between some cones at speed and then swerve around a line of cones set to the width of a large automobile without braking and then come to a quick stop. You only have a few feet to make the swerve the way they have it set up. It's kind of into dating for new folks, but a great exercise. Another drawback is that your on a small bike. When you get back to your bike you need to try and practice what you learned because it feels totally different. If you have a lot of saddle time and are a really competent rider I would suggest the advanced course.

Just my .02


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[DarkAero]

I took the course a few months ago. I agree that if you know bikes the classroom portion in the first day is a bit boring. The riding portion however was completely worth it. Where I went you could use your own bike or a school bike. I would try to find a course that let's yoy use yours. I didn't own a bike at the time and the 250 crotch rocket handled much differently than the 750 Aero I bought a month later.

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