Total Motorcycle Community Forums

Ok, so I am about to take the MSF course for the 3rd time.

To give you the background I am only 4'9 and brand new to riding. I've never even been a passenger! The first time taking the course there were several short people - I ended up on a Kawasaki something or other - I could just barely put my toes down on both sides. I struggled both days of the course performing the exercises and laid the bike down 3 times because I couldn't get enough balance to feel comfortable when stopping. I ended up dropping the bike on the first exam portion - that silly U-turn part and that is an automatic failure.

Second time I got a Honda Rebel. Much lower and smaller than the bike I had before and I had been practicing on a friend's Honda Rebel so I felt pretty comfortable. I had no trouble with any of the exercises and never dropped the bike. The instructors offered very little negative feedback - saying things like "great job, nice turn, good posture, etc". So I thought I was doing well. I scored 21 points on the exam. The instructor was new and thought that was a passing score and gave me a course completion card and told me the DL389 would come in the mail in a few days.

Now 2 weeks later the course organizer tells me the instructor made a mistake and I have to get less than 20 points which requires me to take the course again. I'm pretty pissed off about it - since thinking that I had passed the course I went out and bought my bike and just been waiting on the DL389 for the DMV.

So, now what do I do? Should I take the course again or just take my chances with taking the riding test at the DMV?

Or should I take this as a sign that riding isn't for me?

Don't take it as a sign to stop riding. Your making progress which is all anyone could hope for. As far as gong the MSF route or the DMV route its all up to you.

What are your reasons for wanting to take the MSF again? Is it for the insurance, do you have to? If not I would go DMV since it costs less and you already spent money for the course two times. The rest is just practice. Keep at it.

When I took the course we definately had a guy or two who simply wasn't prepared to ride, but they came through. Not only that, but they were by far the most improved in the group when we finished the class! Take the class again, build some confidence, etc. And if you really don't think the instructors are doing a good job see where the nearest MSF course is and try it there!

Good luck!

Do the DMV test. Its probably cheaper then taking the MSF again, but try and find out what you lost points on the last time, and work on those areas.

MSF should be free to take again in that case.

You can retake the riding test with MSF. You don't have to pay again to do a re-test. You get 1 re-test with each course.

Look into that first.

If I turn out wrong, then proceed with these steps.
-Readjust the bike and make sure it fits you.
-Practice some of your weaknesses.
-Attain a DMV spec on what you'll be tested.
-Once you're comfortable during your practices, take the test with the DMV.

You can get a learner's permit from the DMV by taking a written test. You don't have to take a skills test. The only restrictions on the permit are: you can't ride at night, on the freeway, or carry a passenger.

Yeah, I have my permit from DMV - I've been riding all over on that alone. I've put 150 miles on my bike in the week or so that I've had it and spent countless hours in a parking lot practicing tight turns, swerves, and fast stops.

As for the MSF course - I used my one time retake for free voucher. I'll have to pay to take it again - but cost isn't really the issue. I just feel like I'm banging my head against the wall. I guess my problem is with the instructors - with only positive comments I'm not learning what I'm doing wrong and just taking the course over and over again isn't going to fix that.

I called the DMV this morning and arranged a riding skills test next week. I'll let you all know how it goes.

I think that since the Instructor made the mistake, you should call MSF and see if you can get them to retake the test again gratis. I'll bet if you were persistent you could get another free retake since they screwed up...

MontyCarlo wrote:I think that since the Instructor made the mistake, you should call MSF and see if you can get them to retake the test again gratis. I'll bet if you were persistent you could get another free retake since they screwed up...

+1 on that. I would be calling them up. It doesn't hurt to ask.