Okay the course is over! I passed. Missed nothing on the written. Most people scored about 10-15 points on the riding evaluation. Nobody failed the class. Not to brag (okay, just a little) I scored the best with 3 points. Zero on the box. Zero on the swerve. Zero on the quick brake. And 3 points on the curve. The instructor said I "went in hot". On the last aspect of the curve he said I rolled off the throttle which is a deceleration. Oh well! I am not complaining. (By the way, I botched the box every time until the eval.)
I just can't express how great this course is! Everyone has read this and heard this numerous times! Even if I had failed, I would have walked away learning so much information.
How do you really drive this home to people? A friend of mine was going to take the course, but he got his bike a month earlier than the scheduled time. So he and a buddy taught himself. By the time the course came he withdrew to save the money. He said that most likely that the course couldn't teach him anything new since he had read Proficient Motorcycling (which I bought too and is a great book.) But nothing beats that one-on-one when a pro pulls you aside and says "You really got to turn that head sooner!" "You don't have good control in the friction zone- that is why you're putting that foot down in the box".
I too bought my bike 2 weeks ago. A Suzuki M50. But the dealer said he would hold it for me until I took the course. Yes it took some restraint to keep it there. And even now, I won't ride it home. I will trailer it. And I will go practice in some close parking lots as well on the range I took the course.
On one hand I wish the course became mandatory. But what the standards erode with time just to accommodate the increased student load? My instructors were phenomenal! So much so, that I said I would like to do what they are doing!
The good thing about the location I took the course: the markings are on the ground. We are allowed to use the course on Friday evenings (of course light permitting) and Sat/Sun afternoons when the outdoors of the course is over.
I hope everyone else had the great weekend I had! And I hope everyone takes the course!
MSF Starts Tonight
I passed! There was only one in the class that didn't. The written test was pretty easy a 98. The skills test I was not really pleased with, but I passed.
The box I knew was going to be ugly, I never got it during practice, not even close. The swerve was a 0, and the quick stop a 0. I thought the curve was going to be better than it was, points off for speed, (I thought I was good there, but couldn't really tell, the speedometer was broken) points off for looking down and deceleration.
Even though I passed, I am easing into this, and not planning a huge road trip anytime soon.
The box I knew was going to be ugly, I never got it during practice, not even close. The swerve was a 0, and the quick stop a 0. I thought the curve was going to be better than it was, points off for speed, (I thought I was good there, but couldn't really tell, the speedometer was broken) points off for looking down and deceleration.
Even though I passed, I am easing into this, and not planning a huge road trip anytime soon.
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lechicklet
- Rookie
- Posts: 3
- Joined: Mon Aug 25, 2008 4:08 pm
- Sex: Male
- Location: California
I finished my MSF class on Monday. I had only been a passenger on a motorcycle once... and I passed! The class is amazing, I would HIGHLY recommend it to anyone. In my area, they offer an ADVANCED MSF class, which I think would great for any riders with experience, or ones who "know it all." lol. I will probably take that next year or so.
Soooooooo....
I passed the written test with 100%
The course lessons I did really well on. I picked up everything pretty fast and could control my bike confidently. I'm comfortable with speed and stopping and turning. I did GREAT on the box during practice (to my surprise.)
Day 1: We were on the course from 12pm-5pm and temperatures were over 105 all day long! We had to stop after almost every exercise and take a water break. Covered from head to toe in gear was NOT learner-friendly that day. Frankly, I almost wanted to die... but was just having too much fun. ;P
Day 2: While temperatures were better (and we had a breeze!) I still managed to have an eventful day. About halfway through the day during one of the exercises I was riding on a straight track (thankgoodness) when I felt a sharp stinging pain on my stomach (just below my bra line.) I went to rub it and felt another piercing next to it. I realized a WASP must've gone up/down my shirt and was having a hissy fit on my tummy in the middle of my riding!!!
(<---- yes, I'm sure I made THAT FACE EXACTLY.) I calmly pulled over to the side and tried to get the little bugger out of my shirt. I must've looked so funny to the other riders as I had my back to them while I'm hitting my stomach and fanning my shirt! 
I got back in line and finished the exercise like nothing happened and when break time came around we put some peroxide on it and I finished my day. (Again, there was pain, but I was just having too much fun!) 
Unfortunately, during evaluation on the U-Turn box, I was using the clutch to control my speed and when I came out of the first U-Turn my toe tapped me into Neutral. I didn't realize what had happened until I lost so much speed I had to put my foot down. Rrrrg!!
O well. I passed, and I think I did rather well (considering the circumstances! lol) so I'm happy biker.
Soooooooo....
I passed the written test with 100%
The course lessons I did really well on. I picked up everything pretty fast and could control my bike confidently. I'm comfortable with speed and stopping and turning. I did GREAT on the box during practice (to my surprise.)
Day 1: We were on the course from 12pm-5pm and temperatures were over 105 all day long! We had to stop after almost every exercise and take a water break. Covered from head to toe in gear was NOT learner-friendly that day. Frankly, I almost wanted to die... but was just having too much fun. ;P
Day 2: While temperatures were better (and we had a breeze!) I still managed to have an eventful day. About halfway through the day during one of the exercises I was riding on a straight track (thankgoodness) when I felt a sharp stinging pain on my stomach (just below my bra line.) I went to rub it and felt another piercing next to it. I realized a WASP must've gone up/down my shirt and was having a hissy fit on my tummy in the middle of my riding!!!
(<---- yes, I'm sure I made THAT FACE EXACTLY.) I calmly pulled over to the side and tried to get the little bugger out of my shirt. I must've looked so funny to the other riders as I had my back to them while I'm hitting my stomach and fanning my shirt! I got back in line and finished the exercise like nothing happened and when break time came around we put some peroxide on it and I finished my day. (Again, there was pain, but I was just having too much fun!) Unfortunately, during evaluation on the U-Turn box, I was using the clutch to control my speed and when I came out of the first U-Turn my toe tapped me into Neutral. I didn't realize what had happened until I lost so much speed I had to put my foot down. Rrrrg!!
O well. I passed, and I think I did rather well (considering the circumstances! lol) so I'm happy biker.
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lechicklet
- Rookie
- Posts: 3
- Joined: Mon Aug 25, 2008 4:08 pm
- Sex: Male
- Location: California
