View Full Version : Msf Tuesday


whiteboy
June 5th, 2011, 07:59 PM
Yep I'm excited as hell to get to it. Iv had my bike almost 2 months and all I have done realy is wash and wax her. So if any1 has any tips going into a msf for a new rider would be appreciated. And sry I'd there was a post already like this I'm just excited I finally get to ride.

kkim
June 5th, 2011, 09:43 PM
relax, pay attention, be on time.

kaiserz
June 5th, 2011, 09:51 PM
^ what Mr. kkim said.
Also, have fun (; Just to let you know before I had my MSF I've never operated a motorcycle before, but before the end of the day I was riding around and having fun, and don't hesitate to ask any questions, your instructors will be happy to answer any questions that you have, that's why they're there, and I'm pretty sure they're all cool guys/gals. (And they also feel that they're doing something good by educating you, and not having you added to some statistics.)

ally99
June 6th, 2011, 03:54 AM
+1 on Kelly's advice...Relax! Stay loose, expect mistakes, and learn from them. Have fun! :thumbup:

TXJ
June 6th, 2011, 05:49 AM
Just remember: It's not your bike. So ride the crap out of it!

The only hard part of the MSF is the box. Remember to turn your head, control the clutch.

Learn to progressively squeeze the break for the quick stop, it's easy once you get over the fear of locking the front.

Don't be afraid to LEAN! You can't turn a motorcycle unless you lean that bad boy! Important to learn for the final test.

When it comes to the final test, it's better to go outside of the box then put your foot down, so don't worry about going wide if you do. On my final test I scored 5/20 (points against you) because I went outside of the box once. Hard to uturn on a Eliminator 125 when you have 34" inseam and the handle bar is against your knees %90 of the time. :(

You will be fine, like everyone else said. RELAX! Learn from your instructors, learn from your mistakes and have fun!

Mizono
June 6th, 2011, 05:56 AM
As stated the box is the hardest. But the other i would say is check the weather. Most classes have water on the range but id bring some in case. Also in the box what helped me was right before you enter it my instructor had me shift to second. It made controlling the throttle easier. The bike didn't jump when i gave it throttle. After he gave me that tip the box wasn't nearly as hard. Have fun and make sure to encourage your classmates. My class was great in that we all clapped and congratulated each other after each section of the test and during the class.

Little_Ghost
June 6th, 2011, 06:23 AM
I learned to ride at the MSF class and I have never even driven a stick before. It seriously wasn't that hard. Don't let all these people's advice get you head trippin' over the class. The instructors will give you all the advice you need and you can always ask as many questions as you need to. The test was not very had to pass. I did the box perfectly 9 out of 10 times in practice, but I was so nervous for the test, I went way outside AND put my foot down. I also killed the bike when getting it going before the quick stopping portion, and was too slow in the corner... It was all fine. I still passed by a few points. So don't stress! It's seriously all good.

whiteboy
June 6th, 2011, 06:27 AM
Thx for all the advice, the only thing I don't like about this course is I use my own bike and the 2 month long wait

Vampyre
June 6th, 2011, 06:32 AM
I learned to ride at the MSF class and I have never even driven a stick before. It seriously wasn't that hard. Don't let all these people's advice get you head trippin' over the class. The instructors will give you all the advice you need and you can always ask as many questions as you need to. The test was not very had to pass. I did the box perfectly 9 out of 10 times in practice, but I was so nervous for the test, I went way outside AND put my foot down. I also killed the bike when getting it going before the quick stopping portion, and was too slow in the corner... It was all fine. I still passed by a few points. So don't stress! It's seriously all good.

The main thing for me was to not let the box get in my head and mess up the rest of test. I could not get the box right for the life of me. I messed it up every time during practice, but in the test I got it right. That got me so over elated that I proceeded to to mess up the 135 degree turn.

kaiserz
June 6th, 2011, 06:47 AM
why are you gonna use your own bike o.o???

btw I had my first crash at my msf course... I'm really glad it's not my bike... I used their beaten up ninja 250. If they offer their own bike, use theirs. Remember you wanna have fun and learn, and not worry that you might drop your bike.

Ohh and make sure you have proper gear on!

bonbon76
June 6th, 2011, 07:34 AM
The main thing for me was to not let the box get in my head and mess up the rest of test. I could not get the box right for the life of me. I messed it up every time during practice, but in the test I got it right. That got me so over elated that I proceeded to to mess up the 135 degree turn.
The DREADED box!!!! I hated that thing. It was the frist part of the test so you do need to just forget about it. I got 5 points for that thing for going outside on the second turn. 1st part I did perfect.

As everyone mentioned above, dont stress and stay relaxed!! Youll be fine!

Good Luck!

whiteboy
June 6th, 2011, 07:48 AM
The course I'm taking is offered and mandatory by the army. And the course is backed up 4 months if I was to use Thier bikes

Mizono
June 6th, 2011, 07:51 AM
The course I'm taking is offered and mandatory by the army. And the course is backed up 4 months if I was to use Thier bikes

That would explain it. Seriously though dont stress the box. Yeah its a PITA but even IF you flub it you can still pass. The way the class is set up you would almost ALMOST have to purposely mess up every station to fail. And if your that bad the instructor probably woulda asked you to leave earlier.


So have fun and let us know how it goes!!!

ricochet08
June 6th, 2011, 08:44 AM
The DREADED box!!!! I hated that thing. It was the frist part of the test so you do need to just forget about it. I got 5 points for that thing for going outside on the second turn. 1st part I did perfect.

As everyone mentioned above, dont stress and stay relaxed!! Youll be fine!

Good Luck!

omfgoodness that effin box! it was the only part of the test that made me nervous :P still got a perfect score :D

If you can/have time, try to do a helmet cam setup. if you are not comfortable having a camera in/on your helmet then ignore me. I might take the course again just to record everything I do. It's some awesome information to retain, and i've used those skills a LOT since i've taken it.

just my :2cents:

:)

blink
June 6th, 2011, 09:00 AM
Yes relax, but don't be on time! Be EARLY; at my course the instructors let us come 30 minutes early to ride around the lot and get extra practice which helped that much more!
But ask if you can do this since I don't know as to how many days and so forth your couse is.

And you are the same as me! I had my bike for 2 months during winter waiting for theweather so I could get MSF and licence! =p

TXJ
June 6th, 2011, 09:11 AM
On a side note, check out Captain Crash on youtube (http://www.youtube.com/user/CaptCrashIdaho).

He has a lot of useful information regarding the hard parts of the MSF riding portion, as well as real world stuff. :thumbup:

JeffM
June 6th, 2011, 10:05 AM
Keep your eyes up and look where you want to go not where you are.

+1 for Captian Crash.

maxwellca21
June 6th, 2011, 10:12 AM
Yep I'm excited as hell to get to it. Iv had my bike almost 2 months and all I have done realy is wash and wax her. So if any1 has any tips going into a msf for a new rider would be appreciated. And sry I'd there was a post already like this I'm just excited I finally get to ride.

wow 2 months and all you did was wash and wax? you got some self-discipline bro! :thumbup: i would have been all over that bike already.

whiteboy
June 6th, 2011, 10:25 AM
Normally I would be all over it but the bigan in a green uniform told me if I ride it he will take my rank and money for a month. But the time has finally come half day more work then 3 days of riding for work

money
June 6th, 2011, 11:37 AM
I took the MSF 2 weekends ago. As others have said, don't sweat the box. Some people picked it up easily and others (like myself) couldn't ever get it right. The two things you are not supposed to do is put your foot down or go outside the box - I did BOTH and still passed the class easily.

Relax, do what they say, don't be afraid to ask questions, and have fun! :thumbup:

Mizono
June 6th, 2011, 12:28 PM
On a side note about going early to practice. Dunno if yours will allow this but mine let me and my wife practice during the lunch break. we got back early and asked. just another idea

Xoulrath
June 6th, 2011, 05:06 PM
In addition to the great advice already given, I want to second what Jeff said: LOOK where you want to GO. If you look at the ground directly in front of the bike because you are worried about the bike falling, well, that's exactly the wrong thing to do and the bike will more than likely become unwieldy and you may drop it.

Head up, eyes forward.

Good luck and have fun! :)

Mr.E
June 9th, 2011, 01:17 AM
So... How'd it go? :peep:

whiteboy
June 9th, 2011, 03:31 AM
Today is the last day we practice on the range a little then test and then take a written test but so far so good iv learned what I need to work on

Little_Ghost
June 9th, 2011, 06:30 AM
Today is the last day we practice on the range a little then test and then take a written test but so far so good iv learned what I need to work on

Congrats on your progress so far and good luck! :)

whiteboy
June 9th, 2011, 01:55 PM
Thanks for all the advice every1 I passed. Just got to finish holding the permit till Saturday the I can get my license and practice some more

kkim
June 9th, 2011, 01:57 PM
congrats! :thumbup:

JeffM
June 9th, 2011, 02:00 PM
:clapping::cheers::clap2::crazybounce::dancecool::happy90::happy70::happy80:

Congratulations :goodjobsign:

Jeff

Now tell us all about it.

money
June 9th, 2011, 02:31 PM
:clapping::cheers::clap2::crazybounce::dancecool::happy90::happy70::happy80:

Congratulations :goodjobsign:

Jeff

Now tell us all about it.

:whathesaid:

whiteboy
June 9th, 2011, 03:19 PM
Like every1 said the box was hard but once I learned to pick my speed up more it helped alot everything else was prety easy I'd say Im Goin to practice swerving a little more along with slow u turns and such. The instructors seemed to be a little more leaning to the non beginner side so everything was fast paced but they did demonstrate well and give tips. Had 1 girl leave on her own cause she fell (on a bike a little and big for her I'd say) and decided her RAF wasn't inthe game and made a good decision to leave. Other than that we all passed and I learned alot

Mizono
June 10th, 2011, 08:27 AM
Congrats on the passing grade!!!!

kkim
June 10th, 2011, 10:40 AM
Yep I'm excited as hell to get to it. Iv had my bike almost 2 months and all I have done realy is wash and wax her. So if any1 has any tips going into a msf for a new rider would be appreciated. And sry I'd there was a post already like this I'm just excited I finally get to ride.

So, Justin, going back to your original post... what advice do you have, as someone who's just recently taken the MSF course, about what someone who's about to take the course should do to prepare for the session?

Prime
June 10th, 2011, 11:55 AM
^ For sure, I'd like to hear your thoughts as well. I registered but the closest available date is for the 1-3 of July.

whiteboy
June 11th, 2011, 08:53 AM
I'd say don't be afraid to pick up your speed specially in the box and over exaggerate turning your head through a turn it helps with turning a whole lot. Keep you head up off the ground and look at where u want to go. Have fun with the corners since those are easy for the bike and kick back and watch the people that never rode once in Thier life on busas try any cornering. Anything else y'all might want to know about? O and make sure ur tire presure is good befor u do anything

Little_Ghost
June 11th, 2011, 11:13 AM
Congrats! :)

kaiserz
June 15th, 2011, 11:19 AM
Nice bro! good to hear you passed!