I just fell down from that instrument of satan!!!

[safety-boy]

You're gonna drop a bike eventually - which is one of the good things about the MSF, you get to drop a bike you don't care about

Little circles take a good amount of skill on any bike. That's probably not a good place to start.

Maybe have your Dad take you out to a school parking lot on a weekend - tons more room. Just try to find one without too many obstacles (like those cement parking blocks). Some islands with trees can be good as things to steer around. That is how I learned to ride, initially. If you ride in big circles in a parking lot, make sure you occasioanlly go the other way! I got so used to a counter-clockwise circle, that when I finally turned around it was like starting all over again!

I say it is good to have some of the basics out of the way before the MSF - not worrying too much about which hand is the clutch/which hand is the break - things that will be natural in no time - you can concentrate on the better things they can teach you, like cornering and stoping. Also, if you are fairly comfortable on a bike before the course, you'll be in great shape after it.

--Dave

[peter_jam]

MSF is an acronym for Motorcycle Safety Foundation. BRC is an acronym for Basic Rider Course.

The MSF website in English is: http://www.msf-usa.org/

La positura neta en español es: http://www.msf-usa.org/index_new.cfm?pa ... 1F91CD379E

I don't know if the BRC is available in Mexico, but you have other options. You can download videos and handbooks from the MSF site. Perhaps you could apply for a visa and take the BRC while visiting family in the U. S.?

Thanks a lot, I'll check out the site right away, I didn't even think about checking on the internet.
I'd really like to take the BRC in the U.S., and as a matter of fact I do have family there, sadly since 9/11 it's increasingly difficult to get a visa, my family over there has their papers in order, and I've applied 2 times for visas over the past 4 years and both times they've been denied. The funny thing is that I used to have a visa a few years ago and I've been to the States 6 times before. I know this is way off topic, but if anyone has any idea on how to increase my chances in getting one, I'll be extremely thankful, after all, I miss my family

Anyway, thanks for your comments, I'll take all of them into account, and I'll keep you posted on what happens.
Thanks

[qwerty]

I think the only way to make acquiring a visa easier will to get that lying, two-faced George Bush out of office.

[jmillheiser]

Dropping a bike while learning is no big deal, most of us have done it while we were learning.

I started on a CX500 custom myself and had to pick it up a couple of times. Not a fun bike to try to pick up.

It is a good bike to learn on though, pretty easy to manuver at low speed, a decent amount of power but is very easy to control the power so no nasty suprises if you grab a little too much throttle. It wasn't the most comfortable on the highway but was just fine for riding around town.