teaching myself.

[Dirtytoes]

the first day i got my bike.....2-3 weeks after i took MSF....i test-drove it (after paying for it )....anyway, i had ALOT of fun riding it for the 1st time and everything went very smoothly....then i had it delievered to my house that night (since i couldn't go on highways, no license)....

...anyway, took it out the next day for a spin and it was horrible...i couldn't get the "friction zone" right....in other words, i couldn't control the clutch....the bike kept jumping, dying...etc.....so that day i ended up going to a semi-empty ally and practicing with the clutch for about 1-2 hours....after a week or so i think i had it completely under control...

...but again, no "completely", since i've crashed her 2wice so far.

[Ninja Geoff]

I didn't take the MSF course for 2 months after i started riding. The biggest change i had to make was braking, but i still brake how i used to. Trail braking, etc in the dirt isn't as risky as it is on the street. Experiance is good, whether you start before or after the MSF doesn't matter too much.

[Sev]

Unless you teach yourself a bunch of bad habits, which need to be unlearned before you can be taught correctly.

[onlinesmurf]

It doesn't take a smart person to learn how to move a bike and to stop it. That all is cool when you are going 15mph in a parking lot in a straight line. Or even going 140mph in a straight line. The bike doesn't need you much to do those things.

If you can do a figure 8 in the width of a car after teaching yourself in one day, then you are ahead of the curve. Bottom line I don't care how many people boast how fast they 'learned' because this isn't a pissing contest. You can't by default learn how to handle the streets or how to do things instinctively from 1 day.

Anyone can handle things when everything is slow, when you start to get MIO or have to panic break lets see how you handle that.

My suggestion is stay off your bike on any roads with traffic until you take the MSF. Many people have learned on their own, but most of them have less skill than people with 10 times or more less experience.

Experience alone wont make you a better rider either, you need to be a student, and know that you will never know enough. I wouldn't listen to guys who started out on liter bikes and think they are comic characters.

Whatever you learn by yourself will increase the chance of it being a bad habit. We all were itching to get on when we first started. The times have changed though, and there is no reason to go out on a bike without taking the MSF course (or something similiar). Trust me you will be better than many 20 year vets.

Think of it this way, who will be a better basketball player? The guy you has been playing 5 years and now is a starter at Duke, or the guy who plays in his backyard (above the garage rim) for 30 years. Be responsible, so you can have many years of fun. (and crashing bikes isn't fun).

[J.R. Bob Dobbs]

I self-taught on a little 250 last summer, and didn't feel truely "comfortable" until I had ridden about 2000 miles. I live in a rural area and don't encounter much heavy traffic, and I haven't been a thrill-seeking youngster for a few decades.

My first 300 miles were entirely within my subdivision, and read Proficient Motorcycling cover-to-cover at least once a day for the first few months.

I'm now on a 750 and have ridden 8000mi in the last 8 months, and (hope I don't jinx myself) haven't yet dropped nor even had any close calls. I still go practice figure 8's and maximum effort braking in a large vacant lot, at least once a week.

My buddy who has similar riding experience and bike rides too fast (in my opinion) and complains of regular close calls, a few "traffic induced" lock-ups, and one drop. Yet he thinks he rides safely because he doesn't exceed the limits of the bike and blames his incidents on road conditions or traffic, though we ride in the exact same places (often together). It's all in your attitude and attention, IMO.

[biker_rach]

My suggestion is stay off your bike on any roads with traffic until you take the MSF.

geeesh! that's a little harsh. Laws are made for our protection (with risk assessment in mind). Even lawmakers don't tell us not to ride without the course. I would agree that the course reduces your risks but I'm not sure if its worth not riding (if it were I never would have rode! yikes).. I'm just trying to say that we can never completely eliminate risks, and the extent we go to for risk reduction has a cost. The cost is having to live a mundane agoraphobic life. Live a little

[onlinesmurf]

Actually I could have worded it better. Forgive me I often tie the MSF to the licensing process. I should have said please don't ride in traffic until you have at least obtained your license and/or have taken the MSF course.

Risk is accepted in every aspects of life. Unecessary risk (as in riding a motorcycle in traffic with no training) is not smart. Even soldiers don't take unecessary risk. They have at least basic training.

I't not saying be overly cautious, but we have enough headaches with high insurance and stereotypes already. I just want another friend on the road, doing the same thing I love doing, not reading about another accident. It can happen to any of us, but at least try to be prepared. The course is cheap and your life is unique, so why not be prepared?

[Dichotomous]

traffic really isnt that scary, and isnt most of the MSF course based on 15mph or less? and when does anyone go 15mph? I dont belive my traffic skills will get much better by taking the course, I ride defensively and basically as if Iwas still on my road bike, well without lane splitting and such. Then again if you are out in the woods or not around traffic much you wont nessisarily be used to traffic flow. My friend told me she drove through boston and almost ended up crying and crashing, I drove through there by accident with a cap on my truck (no sight behind, first day with the cap too) at rush hour and didnt have any problems, she comes from the country, I come from the area with most traffic in my state. Not saying I am a better driver or more skilled but its all about what you are used to. I have noticed that most of the motions and movements and requirements for controlling a motorcycle below 15mph dont seem to mean didly above 25mph, but I am still very new so maybe someday I'll figure out differently

[MikeyDude]

...isnt most of the MSF course based on 15mph or less? and when does anyone go 15mph? I dont belive my traffic skills will get much better by taking the course, ...

I have noticed that most of the motions and movements and requirements for controlling a motorcycle below 15mph dont seem to mean didly above 25mph ...

Except Panic Swerving and Panic Braking. MSF isn't about tooling down the road at 55. It's about developing skills needed for emergency situatuions. And as far as the slow speed maneuvers... what happens when you go to Wal-Mart on the bike and have to negotiate the crowded parking lot?

Control is control and speed has little to do with that. Granted it is easier to ride at a faster speed... but it's not any easier to react... MSF teaches how to react and react correctly. And it gives you plenty of time on a small bike to practice so you can develop muscle memory... probably the most important thing in motorcycling. Also... when do you get the oppertunity to have a very experienced and trained rider watch how you ride at 55 MPH and critique you?

These are statistics... take them for what you will...

More accidents happen to riders with less than 6 months of experience.
More accidents happen to riders without any formal training.
More accidents happen to riders that don't wear helmets.

(and interestingly)
Fewer accidents happen to riders wearing white or light colored helmets.

.02

[ZooTech]

If you can do a figure 8 in the width of a car after teaching yourself in one day, then you are ahead of the curve.

What if your bike is longer than the width of a car?