Vancouver area MSF course?

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shadezilla
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Vancouver area MSF course?

#1 Unread post by shadezilla »

Hi there, I was wondering if anyone has had some good experiences with any of the ICBC approved riding schools around here that they'd like to share. Somehow I just don't put a lot of faith in "customer testimonials" plastered all over a company's website!

Also, did any of them give you any practice with hills? 'Cause living in New West, learning to deal with those killer hills is going to be very important when I get my bike :)

Thanks for your time :)

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#2 Unread post by blues2cruise »

I know a few people who went to the V-Twin school in Abbotsford who thought it was great.

BC Motorcycle School in Surrey. 604-328-8719. Owned by Chris Daigle.

BC Safety Council has a very good reputation.

I started off with Chris but then when I bought my bike I hired a private instructor to learn to really ride. I learned just the basics from the group lessons but when I had a few lessons with the private guy I learned so much more. He took me up lots of hills.
Rally Pro Riding School for one on one. 604-837-3884. It may be more expensive for private lessons but oh so worth it.
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shadezilla
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#3 Unread post by shadezilla »

Thanks blues2cruise, I think I'll check out the BC Safety Council then as Abbotsford is a little far to go without wheels and I tend to avoid going into Surrey on foot unless I really have to :P

The private lessons also sound like a good investment, although to be honest my main reasoning is so that I can get on a bike and get some restrictions off my license (it's probably something I will want to look into down the road though). Having a supervisor sounds sensible enough, but doesn't really work out very well when the only person you know with a class 6 is your dad who's out of the country most of the time. And a bit of a squid :oops:

But squidly doesn't seem so bad when you're 11 and your dad's bought a '46 Indian as his first bike and lets you kick start it! Definitely not someone to learn from though, I think I'll have much more fun riding after a decent course than going SPLAT on the road.

My man worries that he'll never see me anymore if I get a bike... seeing as it'll be a while before I'm legally allowed to carry a passenger, he's right :twisted: Until then, I've got a leather jacket, a cheap bicycle and a lot of dreams :wink:

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old-n-slow
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#4 Unread post by old-n-slow »

Hi shadezilla.

I'll be able to give you a first hand commentary on the BC safety council courses after mid April. I booked for the advanced rider course. I figure after 30 years of riding it's about time I learned something about it. :laughing:
GarryS ---- "We learn from experience that men never learn anything from experience."

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#5 Unread post by shadezilla »

lol sounds like a good idea to me. :laughing:

That would be really cool of you if you could write up a first-hand account, old-n-slow. If by some sort of miraculous stroke of luck I manage to both afford and book a course before then (doubt it, but hey, things happen sometimes!) I'll be sure to jot down a report too.

sigh... there's an old Yamaha that's been up on Craigslist forever. I just realized tonight that it's the same one I've been walking past and eyeing on my way down to the skytrain nearly every day for at least a year now. Ha, I even know it works because I've seen it running, and the engine sounds just beautiful... it's not the V-Star or Shadow A.C.E. I've been drooling over, but if you listen closely, you can almost hear it say that it would like to be my bike, and hint at the rides it would like to take...

Damn school, eating up all my money that we all know should be spent on bikes. :frusty:

There's something doubly infuriating about the "almost feasible" price-range, there's at least a certain degree of comfort-level when it comes to things you want that are far out of reach.

I see you're in Victoria -- I grew up there :) I just might have to head on over to the rock for the first time in a few years when I get my wheels. My little brother would be absolutely heartbroken if I bought a motorcycle and didn't bring it over to show him!

Muahaa my S.O. is beginning to drift from "you're going to get yourself killed!" to "maybe I should get a bike too..." A convert! :twisted:

Sorry I do tend to ramble a bit... anything with a text box and a 'submit' button inevitably ends up as something of a personal blog space.

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#6 Unread post by old-n-slow »

Heh Heh. When you’re young and education gets in the way of things you might like to do it’s easy to overlook some of the simple things. For instance, with some searching it is possible to find a veteran of many years that offers relatively low mileage and a reasonable price tag. For example, I am running an '81 Yamaha xs650 that I picked up 2 years back for the sum of $1350 with less then 27km on it. Today it has over thirty but it has not been my principle bike during that time (or it would have more kms, believe me)

There is another plus that comes with having the old-timer in that I can get a years insurance (as a collectors vehicle) for substantially less. (Costs less then 2 months insurance for my Harley). This is only true though if you have another registered vehicle in the stable and there are other restrictions such as it cannot be driven to work or school (I think)

So don’t strain your finances or break the bank to get a new bike. Buying new is really overrated. :? Buying used and using careful judgment during the selection process can be just as rewarding and leave you with more mullah to spend on the enjoyment of your purchase.

http://totalmotorcycle.com/BBS/album_sh ... ic_id=3442
GarryS ---- "We learn from experience that men never learn anything from experience."

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#7 Unread post by shadezilla »

Wow, sounds like you found yourself a good deal on that one! Beautiful bike, too. Coincidentally, the one I've got my eye on right now is also an xs650, not sure what year though. Kind of a blechy dull red, it could use a little polish and cosmetic TLC. Maybe no one will want it and it'll still be up for grabs for a while... it could just be my imagination, but cruisers and standards don't seem to sell very well around here. But if someone else scoops it up, there's always more bikes...

While I'd be lying if I said that I didn't have to wipe the drool off my chin after looking at some of the new bikes that are out there, my first one is going to be used (I think I prefer the term "road veteran" :) ) for a variety of reasons.

First is of course money... I'd rather be riding than saving up indefinitely!
Second reason: my first "hands on" motorcycle experience was the joy of kick-starting my dad's newly restored Indian. My second experience shortly thereafter was the horror of nearly DROPPING my dad's newly restored Indian. If my 'veteran' goes down, it's a battle scar and adds character! (Although I will be trying NOT to drop it.) If a brand new baby goes down and gets banged up, it's gonna be heartbreak.
And those 70's-80's bikes have a kind of rugged charm about them that sort of grows on you :)

This could be a good or a bad thing, only time will tell, but if and when I decide to move up to a bigger and or newer bike after riding my starter for a while, I'll be so tempted to tear it apart and go a little Dr. Frankenstein on it.

While I won't be able to take advantage of collector's insurance rates, it would be nice to have the option for, oh I don't know, say if I were to get another bike! :D Seeing as how I have a borderline convert on my hands, I just might be able to kill two birds with one stone by getting him on two wheels and knocking my insurance rates right down at the same time.

Hmmm... *schemes*

Thanks for sharing that, and I have to say once again, that's a beautiful machine you've got there :D

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#8 Unread post by old-n-slow »

I think I mentioned that I’d be better able to comment about the Safety Council courses about mid April. Here are some observations.

The course was this weekend. That included Friday evening and all day Saturday and Sunday. Friday night, simply theory covering basics and a refresher on legal do’s and don’ts. As could be expected there are always a few things that one doesn’t know, either having forgotten or because of regulation changes. That being the case I managed to pick up a few items there. I’d mention them but I can’t remember what they are. :laughing: :wink: :wink:

Saturday: weather just fine, not necessarily all that sunny but dry until late afternoon. We did various exercises on the oval at the local speedway (stock car track), beginning with simple maneuvers and moving up to more complex things such as object avoidance at speed, first on the straight then in a curve. Same for emergency braking, both with front brake and then rear brake and both brakes, the idea being to learn what the bike would do and how it responds to various scenarios. This was the good stuff in my opinion; something that one seldom practices but really needs to know.

Through out the day we did various high speed and slower speed maneuvers, very good for familiarization with response at various speeds. At one point we had our tires marked with chalk and that was an eye opener for me. I thought I was rather conservative with my leaning in the corners but not so it seems, as I managed to wear the chalk off of the entire running surface of the tire. Had I not seen it, I wouldn’t have believed it.

Sunday: This was the day for slow speed handling. I have to confess I didn’t see a lot of value in it when the day began but because it was rainy through the day I decided to participate in spite of the reservations I had. Glad I did. I learned much more then I expected I would. Now I can weave through a parking lot without looking like a dork by having to duck walk my way around (Not that I care in the least what the people around me think of me -- That’s the beauty of being old I think)

Actually there was much more to be gained from this day then I expected. We finished with an extremely tight slalom type course after doing some very dicey slow speed turns without using the feet or taking out the ever present traffic cones. Surprisingly the Harley’s performed much better during these maneuvers then you would expect, to the point of being better then the sports-bikes (who’d have thunk it?) In fact one instructor, a long time police motorcycle cop kept saying that the Harleys would find this easy --- Ya right…….. but we did find it easier then many of the other riders. That had to do with the slower rpm, high torque engine characteristics I think.

We were also warned (those of us with engine crash guards) to protect the guards with radiator hose because we could expect to go down a few times. I’m happy to say that didn’t happen to me but it did to a new BMW 1200 and a Yamaha v-star went down a couple of times as well.

Overall impression is that the course was worth the money and what I learned should make me a safer rider.

Highly recommended.
GarryS ---- "We learn from experience that men never learn anything from experience."

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#9 Unread post by Wheelie fever »

I took one of their courses a long time ago and I thought it was great.
I think the reason sport bikes find it harder to do the slow stuff is becasue we have a higher, narrower center of gravity.

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#10 Unread post by blues2cruise »

Hey, it's great to see another Vancouver rider here. :welcome:
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