My take on the MSF course

I just got back(about 1 beer ago) from taking the MSF course in Red Bluff, Ca. Dang was it hot. The course was good for enforcing the basics. They did repetition and slow speed drills for more than half of the time. And even though I was only on a nighthawk 125, it was sorta fun.
I was the only one there in full gear, they only required jeans, boots, gloves, DOT helmet, and a long sleve shirt. I asked about ATGATT and the instructor said "what?" So I had to explain it to him and he said he was not familiar. I sited some sources and he said he would look into it.
There were squids in the parking lot. The instructor aasked them to leave, but they didn't, they just kept on squidding. I thought that ironic, this being the Safety Course and all. Anyway when I left, I fired up the VFR and let her rev next to the squids and made their stupid inlines sound childish.
Braking in turns. I have always been tought that you don't stand up the bike in a turn. They actually taught this. We drilled on it. We actually had to stand up the bike, brake hard and ride straight out of the turn. I braked inside the 'roadway' and was told to do it again so that I braked out of the road way. If I do this around my house I will either run into rocks or runn over a cliff. So I did what they asked and forgot it.
Anyway...I passed. They gave me my card and I was so happy I went for a 2 hour ride in the Sierra Nevadas. Nevermind that I had to ride 2 hours to get home. So, down goes the insurance, bye bye goes the permit, hello goes the license, and I AM LEGAL!!

 

Proper training is the vital thread to safe and enjoyable riding. You will never regret this training. I know I did not. The only time my bike has been down was when I was stopped and lost my balance. I have medical issues that made me let the bike drop, then pick it up with assistance. I have had near misses but can't help but believe that my training had a part in the collision avoidance.

Enjoy but be safe.

 

drew, im bummed, i wanted to go to that ? i was wondering what happened to you ? but hey you passed thats cool , hey is KC a instructor, maybe you should ask him about that he seams to know everything ? later bud

 

Completed mine this weekend as well.

The u-turn box was a challenge and a half on my little CB125. My bike's clutch was slipping really bad so I had to be on my toes.

The outstide, inside, outside was fun.

Never realized that you can ride past your site line at night if your over 60mph.

All in all a good course, albeit boring and hotter than hell standing in 100+ temps, with full gear on, for 5 hours. I ended up scoring 100% on both written and driving. I'm signed up for the intermediate class in late August and that's the one I'm looking forward to.

 

I took my class last year in April (so the weather wasn't too bad), I thought it was excellent. I also had a little trouble in the U-turn box, but that was it. The instruction and tips were very helpful, too bad it took me over a year to find and buy a bike. I would recommend this for any beginner.

 

the nighthawk I rode was slipping too. They took points off because it downshifted in the "s" turn. but i passed anyway so i didn't complain TOO MUCH. I got props for the VFR from the instructor.

 

Drewl:

Congrats on being a successful canidate!

I wanted to say two things as an MSF Coach.

1. My apologies you had a bike that had clutch problems. I don't know what they are doing in CA, but in Delaware I would NEVER have a bike like that on the range with a student on it. Granted our bikes are pretty beat too, but they usually have no major issues. A bike with those types of problems hinders a students learning.

2. In your critisims of some MSF exercizes you obviously see how "simplistic" the BRC is in theory and application. Although people from all experiance levels who take the BRC walk away with some new information, you are like many who really don't seem to be challenged. I would take this as a sign more training should be in your future.

I am glad to see Seattle is planning on taking the next level, but even then the ERC is somewhat simplistic too. You really need to keep going to get challenged.

People need to remember the BRC teaches the "Basics" of motorcycling. It's point is to lay a very primitive foundation on which to build up from, but people take the BRC and never take anything else? And the exercise were you come into the curve and straigten and brake. The point of that exercise is to plant the seed of separating hard braking when leaned over. So straighten the bike then apply maximum braking. That's the only point becasue what's that newbie going to do when they go through the sharp curve at 20mph and the dead cat is in their line? They'll hopefully straigten and brake and hopefully stop before they go off the road, or if they go off the road it will be at 5-8 mph.

Now is that the best soulution, hell no! But we do not have time to teach trail braking or line changes due to time and the Beginners mind. Most newbies in the class are freaked out as it is with all the info we throw at them, I think trail braking would cause a meltdown and multiple crashes.

One of the best and worst students I had was a guy who had not ridden in 20 years and was coming back. Well he was very proficient from the start and as we talked I found out he helped pay his way through college flat track riding. Well the Nighthawk 250 he was riding did things I never thought possible! During the swerving exercise he would approach me doing at least 20 mph and he would jerk that 250 over and his ass was about on the case covers sliding all over and doing the most spectacular swerves. But as great as it was I had to tell him to slow down becasue one he was scaring some students to death and two other students started to try and imitate him! And they didn't have the skills or knowledge to pull that off. At the end of class, he and I spoke and I asked him his honest opinion of the BRC. He said he had fun, it warmed him back up and he was glad he took it, but he was bored.

And I don't blame him. He understood that some of the "private" schools out there are what he needed.

OK my 2 cents! Sorry for the rant, but I just want to see you take something that truly challenges you.

BZ

 

Thanks for your input. I apreciate it. Overall I enjoyed the class. I just wanted to compare it with what I have learned from other sources. As I said it was good to reinforce the basics, and get a professional view of my skills so far.

 

Anytime!

Man, it chaps my butt to think people have to learn on bikes with slipping clutches. If you pay for a class, the equipmet provided should work.

BZ

 

My bikes slipping clutch actually made it somewhat of a challenge. I would have been bored to death had it not been faulty. Plus, after being so cocky it wouldn't have looked good to snivel and blame any of my faults on the bike:wink:

Looks like I'm going to have to wait at least two months to get into the intermediate class. I've decided to practice the course excersises on my own until I can get in. The lot where the class is held is just down the road from me.:ballchain:

 

I was actually glad to take the crappier bike so the real newbies could learn more.
And yes I did blame one mistake on the bike.

 

Please don't single out CA as all inclusive. I too am a RiderCoach here in CA and our bikes don't have slipping clutches either. Do problems arise, yes but once discovered that motorcycle is removed from the range untill repairs are done.

Now Drewl....just as BZ said the BRC is just that Basic and good job passing the course.

Sam

 

Sam:

My apologies for making it sound like I was blaming all of CA. I should have said: "What the hell is wrong with the two RiderCoaches that coached your class to have a bike like that on the range".

In good ol' DE we only have three sites so when a coach does something dumb the hammer comes down pretty quick.

Again, my apologies.

BZ

 

There are far too many problems trying to teach trail braking to beginners. For that matter, it's a problem with many experienced riders. The problem with teaching it to beginners is they would almost certainly lock the back tire in the turn & hi-side. Since the speeds are in the low teens, it really isn't necessary. When I teach BRC's I actually intentionally brake longer than I would in a normal emergency stop situation. If you think about it, how long would it take a VFR to stop from 15mph? Something like 18ft? In the ERC's I stop with much more of a sense of urgency, yet it's still not so abrupt that I scare the student.

Trail braking is a wonderful weapon to add to your arsenal if you know how to do it correctly. I know how to trail brake & do it quite frequently. You probably know how to do this as well but have never given any thought to it. Like anything else in life that requires motor skills, start slooooooooowly & practice, practice, practice. If you have access to a racing or some kind of high performance school, you can probably learn this skill there.

KC-10 FE out...
lane: :usa2:

 

No worries.....I completely understand. We have just a few more ranges in our state :wink: I completely agree that something is significantly wrong with not only the RC but also the Site owner to have ill functioning bikes on the range.