still stoked how I became MSF/CHP certified this past weekend and high fives to all 2006 graduates!!. I was reading the local paper yesterday and came across some sad news--some 19 year old on a 2006 Honda crossed the center line during a sharp turn and hit a Ford F-250 pick-up, then into a horse trailer the pick-up was towing---he was wearing a helmet but was...NOT LICENSED! 
No drugs or alcohol was suspected on either side. He died Saturday morning, the accident happened 8pm Friday nite. It makes me appreciate the MSF course even more so...sure there are no guarantees and accidents do happen, but you have to do your best to narrow the risks as much as possible. One night over a couple of beers in front of my computer I came into this forum and read how a lot of people were failing the MSF course. It made me very concerned. So I decided to be as prepared as possible and started researching the internet. I came across a dvd "Learn to Ride the Easy Way" found at www.ridelikeapro.com. I highly recommend it if you have no clue as to what motorcycling is like. Jerry Pallidino a bike cop instructor takes you from where the controls are to how to swerve to avoid a collision. Step by Step. Since I had already paid the $235 for the MSF course, an additional $20 wasn't going to be a big deal. So I purchased the dvd and a lot of what the MFS range is about is covered in the dvd. So a lot of the things that took place during the MFS course wasn't a shock. If you can spare the extra $20 bucks go for it. If you cant-- read as much as you can about such things as countersteering, counterbalancing, swerving and emergency braking etc.--it will come in handy in the heat of battle. If you have a bike (I have a mountain bike) go to some parking lot and practice some of these drills...sure its not the same as being on a motorcycle, but it does give you handling skills, such as leaning, making tight turns on two wheels etc. . My philosophy is try to get the most training you can get. Its a good investment in your safety. I've narrowed my choices of first bikes, they are the Ninja 650R, Ninja 500, Ninja 250, Suzuki SV650, Suzuki GS500F, Vulcan 500, Honda 599, Harley Davidson 883, Ducati Monster 620, and the BMW F650GS ...in no particular order. I've read some excellent reviews on some of these bikes so its a tough decision. I will probably narrow the list based on how comfortable I feel on the bike--some do feel better than others. Any suggestions are welcome if you have any of these bikes.
