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New Rider ForumsJust joining the motorcyclist hobbie? Looking to get some information about a first bike? Or have some newbie questions. Are you new to the website?
Posts: 30
Casino Cash: $904
Sportbike: Looking for one.
Riding without taking an MSF course?
Here is the deal because of work and school I will not have an weekend off for several months (sucks) so that means no MSF course. What I was wondering would it still be safe to say learn how to ride and just putt around town until I get a chance to take the course? When I get a chance (next two weeks) I plan on going down to the dealer and buying a 250R and really I do not want to wait until fall to start riding. I mean it would be ok to just putt around town after I get an idea of to control the bike right?
i would just look it up, in pa it is offered somtimes on weeknights too.
also to the "need an endorsement" comment... in pa you can get your m license without any riders safety course, i havent taken the msf yet (nor am i getting a bike until i'm done with it) but i already think they shouldnt even permit anyone to ride until the course is complete. just my .02
My Instructer for the MSF was great. As a good teacher he'd make the class fun.
But when he really wanted us to pay attention to a certian point or detail...
He'd say " OK guys this is a SURVIVAL skill... this something you will do... in order to stay ALIVE"
I would highly recomend you learn these various survival skills. Internet learning has it's limits.
Short story.
In my first weekend after MSF I was practicing on some hairpin turns. Not fast. 20-25 mph. Going up, was all good. Fun.
Let's go down.
Going down felt different. (cuz going down feels different)
I was thinking, look thru the turn, counter steer, proper speed yadayada.
At the sharpest point in the turn... I knew I was fucking it up.
The problem with knowing you are fucking up a turn... Is it can be a self full filling prophecy.
None the less my mind told me I was blowing it so I blew it a little more.
At this point in the hairpin turn all I could see was the gravel shoulder and guardrail. Oh, and the 50-75 foot drop off after that.
It's called target fixation and my eyes were fixed on the WRONG thing.
In that moment that seems to last forever, I told my eyes to look thru the turn.
My eyes said fuck you dumbass do you see the shit I'm looking at?
I told my eyes yes, I see it. I don't want to look at it. I want to look thru my turn.
My eyes wanted to argue with me at the wrong time and I had no time to argue.
So I did an emergency stop.
(In the class they will teach you EMERGENCY stops.)
I was in a good lean at the time. So... step one, stand the bike up.
Step two... apply enough pressure to the front brake to shift the bikes weight onto the front tire.
Step three... apply some pressure to the rear brake,(not enough to lock it up)
Step four... apply gradually increasing amount of pressure to the front brake until you stop.
Somewhere between step one and step four I down shifted the bike to first gear.
Because... when you come to a complete stop... you are ALWAYS in first gear.(also taught in the class)
Well after blowing my turn I'm glad did not blow my emergency stop.
The mordern sportbike can stop on a dime. If we do it right.
I should mention also... I did not get run over by a car when I did my emergency stop.
I knew there was no car behind me because I checked my mirrors before I established my entry speed.
Also a survival skill. Also taught in the class.
I am not experienced enough to be the teacher.
I am experienced enough to know the value ... of being taught.
ride safe.
__________________ FZ6, 06. Red.
Puig screen, dark smoke. Frame sliders. FAZR6 FE. Pilot Powers. 15/47 sprockets. Racetech 1.0 front springs. Airbox mod. Gutted Cat. PCIII. Clear Alternative LED brake light. 04 R1 Front flush LED turn signals. 06 FZ1 drag bars.
Motorcycles have existed since long before the MSF, and somehow people still learned to ride.
While I consider the MSF a generally good and worthwhile thing and encourage all new riders to take it, I don't think riding prior to it is an automatic ticket to an early grave.
Keep in mind; all the MSF really does is teach you how to handle a bike a low speed in a parking lot. You are still on your own when you hit the streets. You still have to absorb and implement the theory of riding and surviving on the street alone, with no instructor to tell you what to do.
---
I bought my first bike and rode it quite a bit before my MSF date came up. Put on close to 2000 miles before the class. My wife did the same thing - we got her bike and she rode a good bit before her MSF class too.
You're starting with an excellent choice for a first bike, so that's one thing in your favor right off the bat.
Here's what you do: Go to a bookstore or order online a copy of Proficient Motorcycling by David Hough and read it cover-to-cover. This book contains all the information the MSF will teach you, and then some. Also, study all the information on the MSF website.
Do you have a big driveway and/or easy access to a big parking lot that is commonly empty? You want to be able to practice some important drills (which you can find out about online) to get the basics of handling the bike down before hitting actual roads. Do you know another experienced, mature, responsible rider that could give you some tips as you start out?
Motorcycles have existed since long before the MSF, and somehow people still learned to ride.
While I consider the MSF a generally good and worthwhile thing and encourage all new riders to take it, I don't think riding prior to it is an automatic ticket to an early grave.
Keep in mind; all the MSF really does is teach you how to handle a bike a low speed in a parking lot. You are still on your own when you hit the streets. You still have to absorb and implement the theory of riding and surviving on the street alone, with no instructor to tell you what to do.
---
I bought my first bike and rode it quite a bit before my MSF date came up. Put on close to 2000 miles before the class. My wife did the same thing - we got her bike and she rode a good bit before her MSF class too.
You're starting with an excellent choice for a first bike, so that's one thing in your favor right off the bat.
Here's what you do: Go to a bookstore or order online a copy of Proficient Motorcycling by David Hough and read it cover-to-cover. This book contains all the information the MSF will teach you, and then some. Also, study all the information on the MSF website.
Do you have a big driveway and/or easy access to a big parking lot that is commonly empty? You want to be able to practice some important drills (which you can find out about online) to get the basics of handling the bike down before hitting actual roads. Do you know another experienced, mature, responsible rider that could give you some tips as you start out?
My Instructer for the MSF was great. As a good teacher he'd make the class fun.
But when he really wanted us to pay attention to a certian point or detail...
He'd say " OK guys this is a SURVIVAL skill... this something you will do... in order to stay ALIVE"
I would highly recomend you learn these various survival skills. Internet learning has it's limits.
Short story.
In my first weekend after MSF I was practicing on some hairpin turns. Not fast. 20-25 mph. Going up, was all good. Fun.
Let's go down.
Going down felt different. (cuz going down feels different)
I was thinking, look thru the turn, counter steer, proper speed yadayada.
At the sharpest point in the turn... I knew I was fucking it up.
The problem with knowing you are fucking up a turn... Is it can be a self full filling prophecy.
None the less my mind told me I was blowing it so I blew it a little more.
At this point in the hairpin turn all I could see was the gravel shoulder and guardrail. Oh, and the 50-75 foot drop off after that.
It's called target fixation and my eyes were fixed on the WRONG thing.
In that moment that seems to last forever, I told my eyes to look thru the turn.
My eyes said fuck you dumbass do you see the shit I'm looking at?
I told my eyes yes, I see it. I don't want to look at it. I want to look thru my turn.
My eyes wanted to argue with me at the wrong time and I had no time to argue.
So I did an emergency stop.
(In the class they will teach you EMERGENCY stops.)
I was in a good lean at the time. So... step one, stand the bike up.
Step two... apply enough pressure to the front brake to shift the bikes weight onto the front tire.
Step three... apply some pressure to the rear brake,(not enough to lock it up)
Step four... apply gradually increasing amount of pressure to the front brake until you stop.
Somewhere between step one and step four I down shifted the bike to first gear.
Because... when you come to a complete stop... you are ALWAYS in first gear.(also taught in the class)
Well after blowing my turn I'm glad did not blow my emergency stop.
The mordern sportbike can stop on a dime. If we do it right.
I should mention also... I did not get run over by a car when I did my emergency stop.
I knew there was no car behind me because I checked my mirrors before I established my entry speed.
Also a survival skill. Also taught in the class.
I am not experienced enough to be the teacher.
I am experienced enough to know the value ... of being taught.
ride safe.
Holy Crap! I wouldn't recommend coming to a dead stop while in the middle of a turn, but I guess that's better than crashing!
Motorcycles have existed since long before the MSF, and somehow people still learned to ride.
While I consider the MSF a generally good and worthwhile thing and encourage all new riders to take it, I don't think riding prior to it is an automatic ticket to an early grave.
Keep in mind; all the MSF really does is teach you how to handle a bike a low speed in a parking lot. You are still on your own when you hit the streets. You still have to absorb and implement the theory of riding and surviving on the street alone, with no instructor to tell you what to do.
You can learn almost anything without formal education. Yes people did learn to ride before MSF was created. However, the learning curve was much longer for the majority of people. The MSF course is like getting a learners permit for riding a motorcycle. They are hopefully going to teach you the absolute fundamentals correctly so that you can continue to build upon those and become a very good rider. If you haven't had anybody give you any formal education (or at least had experienced riders watch you), how do you know if you're doing something right or wrong? Just because something feels good doesn't mean it's right. And if something feels bad, it doesn't mean it's wrong.
The other thing that riding before taking MSF has the potential to do is for you to allow yourself to fall into some bad habits. This may happen without you even realizing it. Depending on the person, bad habits can be difficult to break to say the least.
You've made a fine choice of motorcycle. I'd suggest taking a weekend off from work and simply completing the course. You can't build a great house on a poor foundation. MSF is that foundation.
Riding without taking an MSF course?
FZ6, 06. Red.
