MSF Course...And such...

Hey...Just had to announce that I have successfully completed my MSF Course. Just today. Was a great class...and I feel that I have really learned alot. I understand now why some people say that the Ninja 250 is a good learning bike. That's what I used for the course and it is so light I almost felt like I could pick it up and carry it...(slight exageration...) But I can't wait until my paperwork comes in from the dmv...and I can take my VFR for a nice long run... She's almost ready to go. Just got to put the tank back on...and see how she idles. If it's still a little off...I will probably have to find somebody/somewhere to do a carb sync...(anyone know a good place/person near Buffalo New York?)

Sorry for rambling everyone...just too psyched to go to bed...and bummed about having to wait for possibly up to 8 weeks for the paperwork from the state...so that I can then go to the DMV and get my "M" endoresment. Has anybody else taken the MSF course in New York State? How long did it take your paperwork to come in the mail?

Thanks alot guys...

 

Good for you.....!!!! I teach the MSF here and the happiness from the students such as yours is the reason I do it.

 

I don' t see how some people are willing to ride around without MSF training. The more you know, eh?

Congrats on completing the course :smile:

 

That's easy...they are morons.

Actually, we have found out alot of people are embarrased they might not do well so they avoid it or are afraid they will crash??? The MSF Experianced Rider Course has a hard time filling up in DE becasue there is this big misconception that MSF teaches you how to crash your own bike . And I've heard this many times myself from supposed "experianced" riders (who have not taken the course).

Training is so much fun man...I love it. I'm so worked up for the upcoming track days that are planned and the cornering refresher class.

My goal is someday I'll be riding at the level of Taz, Two4One, and others on this site. The only way I'll acheive this goal is training and practice. I used to think I was a pretty fast rider. And for the street, maybe I am. But thinking your fast and smooth and being fast and smooth are two different things. I still remember watching the A group guys and gals coming down the straight stretch at the track and my buddy Jeff and I just looked at eash other like "HOLY $%#" What the hell did we get ourselves into. Most humbling experiance I've had so far. It showed me how little I know about riding...and I loved it. That means more learning! And I can say that Two4One has an A sticker on his 6th gen. NESBA doesn't just give that sticker to anybody. You earn it! And to have it on a VFR? That says alot about Two's riding abilities.

OK, you say to ol Bubba Zanetti "I don't want to ride on the track so I don't need training"

My response: "O really?, Did you read KC-10FE's post about how his recent training saved his ass? Was he on the track? No. Most accidents happen at speeds between 25-50 mph. Hardly race speeds and arn't these the speeds many of us ride at throught towns, cities and backroads?

Take a class, you won't regret it, then take another one!

Congrats Stormhorse and sorry for the thread jack!

Sorry folks I am passionate about this LOL!

BZ

 

Congratz. BTW, make sure your insurance company knows that you completed the course. It is likely they will lower your insurance rate. Also, Honda used to reimburse for the cost of the course (if one recently bought a new Honda) so if you want your $80 back, go out and buy an '08 VFR!

 

Signed up for mine in a few weeks. Cali waives the DMV riding test if the course is completed. Insurance drops. Honda Riders Club cuts you a check. You are a better rider. What are the drawbacks?

 

No doubt, MSF or any other motorcycle training is a great thing. It doesn't matter if you're riding to Wawa for a soda or ripping the back straight at Road Atlanta, training comes in handy.

With the MSF courses the way they are now, I 10000% guarantee you could learn something everytime. One thing most people don't consider about the MSF classes is that they are not only there to teach you the proper way to ride, they are also there to help you break old/bad habits.

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

 

LOL MSF wasn't around when I was in the first phase of riding, that and I got my first experience in the dirt, which slowly turned into street. Besides I learned it all via the school of hard knocks. Not saying I haven't done my fair share of trial and error in researching. Just never felt I could learn any more from that process they offer. If I was a new person wanting to get into this sport with having no back ground in it at all, then for all means, Yes, MSF is where to start.

 

i look forward to taking the advanced class when i find some time. i learned so much from the basic course that i GUARANTEE i would have never learned on my own.

Mike

 

I would like to take the class, but the only one I can find around here is $200. I figure with my dirt experience I can translate most of that into street, but I also have a father who's owned more than 20 motorcycles in his lifetime, and is quite qualified to teach me. I wouldn't mind taking it personally, I think it would be great, but $200 for 8 hours is very expensive!

 

Worth The $

I definitely think the class is worth the money...I took the MSF course through Ride With Pride here in New York...costs $275 through them...but was a total of 16 hours...8 class room and 8 on bikes. Maybe a little spendy...but for what I learned and developed there...I think very worth it. And I get the insurance discount...so it can help to pay for itself a little...lol. Not to mention that I am craving learning and developing skills now. I want to take some more classes maybe the advanced one next year...and I would love to try and get to a track day sometime...but we will see.

I still have trouble doing sharp u-turns...they said that is is more difficult on a sportbike...anybody know for sure? Can't wait to have some free time to play with my bike...she started up first try this morning....but I haven't had a chance to exercise her yet...sighs...probably not until Monday.

VFRShorty...you ride bikes and shoot? That's awesome...

 

Yes, the u-turn is definitely harder on a sport bike than a cruiser. The reason for this is two-fold.

1) Higher center of gravity. This means the bike is more likely to tip over at low speed.

2) No where near as much torque. As a general rule, sport bikes make less torque at twice the RPM as a big CC v twin. When all you need to do is feather the clutch & let 100lb/ft do it's job, doing the u turn is simple. One of the coaches on base can do the u turn in less than the small sized MSF box on a Victory V92.

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

 

Then spend the money on the MSF ERC or more advanced (for lack of a better term) training course.

200 bucks is alot and I know you just bought a new house, but I can tell you shorty when I took the BRC after 7 years of riding I learned alot. It wasn't that all the exercises were challenging, but I never swerved a bike or learned how to do a proper quick stop...most people never do because they've simply never been taught even though they have been riding for twenty years or more. Almost every class I've coached has a supposed "experienced" rider and they always come up to us coaches after class saying how much they have learned. And the BRC covers the most basic of basic riding principles.

I'm sure other MSF coaches that are members here can vouch for what I've said.

I just met fellow VFRWorld memebr Racer X (Eric, and he's a cool guy) at a Lee Parks Total Control riding class refesher and I was there all day watching people advance there skills. Some people, myself included, started out rusty but by the end we were all riding smoothly. We needed somebody their watching us to tell us what we were doing wrong. You can't tell you have bad habits.

Again, spend the money on some kind of training.

My 2 cents.

BZ

 

Oh, I am sure I would learn in the basic street class since most of my experience is from dirt. And even though my father is a very advanced rider, there are always things to learn from other people - no doubt about that. I will definitely take a course sometime, but it will have to wait. I checked out the intermediate and advanced courses, and they still about the same price. That's what happens when you have a monopoly in an area.

 

i just completed my ERC course today and it was pretty good. learned some bad habits i need to correct. here in ohio its only a 5 hour class and is run by the state so its only $25 to register. call my insurance and i going to save over twive that much in premiums.

 

Unfortunatley monopoly is somewhat correct.

For some odd reason the BRC is only 50 bucks in Delaware and the ERC is 35.

I wonder why there's such a price difference?

We have people come over from Maryland because its only 100 bucks for out of state residents.

BZ

 

Yikes... Here in NH 200 bucks gets you 3 days.... And it really is worth every penny...

 

$250 here in Cali. But I still think it is worth it. With the insurance discount and the rebate from Honda Riders club, it will pay for itself. Not to mention skills practice in a controlled environment.

 

I actually called my insurance company 3 days ago to update a certain aspect of my policy.

I took my MSF course 4 months ago and never sent in the copy of the completion card so they never applied the MSF discount. I asked if it was possible for me to still fax it in and have the discount applied to the rest of the policy at least, the rep said he went back to Feb and applied the discount. He then asked if I had an association membership at all, I told him I was planning on joining HRCA, but am not currently a member. The agent then said something like "Oh, because it's a Honda you get the association discount by default."

In essence, I got 2 discounts without providing a shred of proof. I asked him to be sure, "I don't need to send in proof for the MSF course? I remember when I opened the policy the rep was pretty adamant about the proof" to which he replied "It's different when opening a policy, then we need proof, but you've had a policy with us for a few months now so we're allowed to take your word for it and retroactively apply any related discounts."

The guy was making a lot of operator mistakes, he didn't enter my checking account info correctly, I had to repeat it a million times, he accidentally disconnected me from the phone and had to call me back, etc. However, I just kept calm and said "it's no big deal; not a problem; take your time; etc." He may have just decided to be nice because I was patient.

 

This is not directed to anyone on the board, just my observation.

One thing I find quite unusual is the value people will place on certain things. I quite often hear people are un-willing to take the MSF or any kind of safety related course since it costs $______. Yet, people have no problem paying $500 for a freaking Iphone or something like that. One of these two things can potentially save your life & the other is simply a telephone. Silly if you ask me.

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