To all those people who say you need to take the MSF, even if you've ridden before:

rmorse · May 21st, 2012, 04:56 AM

you're right.

I've ridden dirt for 19 years, so I wasn't expecting too much out of the MSF, but was still hoping I would learn SOMETHING new. Well, took it last week/this weekend, and loved it. The instructors were able to explain what I was already doing. I mean, I did things naturally, but didn't know WHY I did them. I just.....did them, because it felt right. So it was pretty cool to learn why I did what I did.

I also learned two important things that I need to work on before it kills me on the street: looking through turns and not releasing my rear brake. In the beginning of the class, I kept looking down at my front tire during turns, since you have to do that when you ride trails/dirt. Was able to scratch that habit a bit though, and my turns improved ten-fold. The other habit I need to break occurs when braking. I locked up my rear tire several times yesterday during panic stops, playing around, etc. Two of those times I immediately released and reapplied. That's a no-no, and that's going to hurt.

All-in-all, it was money well spent. A lot of fun, and I have a greater understanding of my own riding skills. Oh, and I passed the riding exam with a perfect score.

Out of the six of us who took the class, I was the only one who passed.

Scored a perfect on both written and riding though!!!!

Motofool · May 21st, 2012, 07:12 AM

Congratulations!!

You will be a fine street rider.

SharInATL · May 21st, 2012, 08:00 AM

Congrats on passing! What did the others in the class do to fail?

rmorse · May 21st, 2012, 11:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SharInATL

Congrats on passing! What did the others in the class do to fail?

Stupid stuff.

We started with six. On the first day on the range, one chick felt like she was going to pass out and had to lay down for a bit. She then was holding ice and crap to her neck, and wasn't feeling any better, so she left voluntarily. We then got a huge talking to at the end of range day 1 (with the exception of me

) and were told that we weren't exactly progressing fast enough.

Second day on the range, another chick got kicked out because she was still stalling the bike at every start. She just couldn't get the hang of releasing the clutch. So, by the time the exam rolled around, there was only 4 of us left.

During the exam, people were putting feet down left and right, and couldn't do u-turns in the box (they kept exiting the boundaries). Then, on the swerve test, one chick completely missed the first two cones. So, you go through the first two cones and then you swerve around the four cones. The one chick just went way right around it all, lol. Another dude went in and straight nailed the far right cone.

Other than that, I really don't remember the other big stuff that they did wrong. I know there was some trouble on the quick stop too, where one dude started stopping waaaaay too soon, and another went almost to the end before coming to a complete stop.

Old Lemon · May 21st, 2012, 04:56 PM

You look down you go down bra.

Well maybe we can ride sometime now that you can get your license

Stingray1000 · May 21st, 2012, 05:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rmorse

you're right.

I've ridden dirt for 19 years, so I wasn't expecting too much out of the MSF, but was still hoping I would learn SOMETHING new. Well, took it last week/this weekend, and loved it. The instructors were able to explain what I was already doing. I mean, I did things naturally, but didn't know WHY I did them. I just.....did them, because it felt right. So it was pretty cool to learn why I did what I did.

I also learned two important things that I need to work on before it kills me on the street: looking through turns and not releasing my rear brake. In the beginning of the class, I kept looking down at my front tire during turns, since you have to do that when you ride trails/dirt. Was able to scratch that habit a bit though, and my turns improved ten-fold. The other habit I need to break occurs when braking. I locked up my rear tire several times yesterday during panic stops, playing around, etc. Two of those times I immediately released and reapplied. That's a no-no, and that's going to hurt.

All-in-all, it was money well spent. A lot of fun, and I have a greater understanding of my own riding skills. Oh, and I passed the riding exam with a perfect score.

Out of the six of us who took the class, I was the only one who passed.

Scored a perfect on both written and riding though!!!!

lol Grats man!

Xoulrath · May 22nd, 2012, 06:54 AM

Glad you found it to be educational. I still haven't taken the BRC but I always recommend it to prospective riders. It was in the plans to take it with my wife two years ago but life happened and we never did. I just watched videos of BRC events and read this forum and one other and also bought Code's riding books. It worked well for me but I wouldn't recommend it to most people. I still plan to take the BRC one day because who knows what I might pick up that I may have missed on the videos.

The only reason one can't learn is because one's mind isn't open.

rmorse · May 22nd, 2012, 06:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Xoulrath

The only reason one can't learn is because one's mind isn't open.

Or ADD.

caspermayne · May 22nd, 2012, 11:02 AM

Welcome to the streets =) Congrats, you must always look towards the turn.

NDspd · May 23rd, 2012, 06:23 AM

Welcome to the club man, riding has been the best thing for me. Atleast you have been riding for quite some time, that helps a ton.

ally99 · May 24th, 2012, 04:35 PM

Congrats! I agree, MSF is well worth it, even for experienced riders!

May 21st, 2012, 04:56 AM	#1
rmorse ninjette.org guru Name: Bobby Location: Silver Spring, MD Join Date: Apr 2012 Motorcycle(s): 2008 Kawi Ninja 250R, 2013 Honda CRF450R, 2008 Honda CRF250R, 2001 Honda XR400 Posts: 301	To all those people who say you need to take the MSF, even if you've ridden before: you're right. I've ridden dirt for 19 years, so I wasn't expecting too much out of the MSF, but was still hoping I would learn SOMETHING new. Well, took it last week/this weekend, and loved it. The instructors were able to explain what I was already doing. I mean, I did things naturally, but didn't know WHY I did them. I just.....did them, because it felt right. So it was pretty cool to learn why I did what I did. I also learned two important things that I need to work on before it kills me on the street: looking through turns and not releasing my rear brake. In the beginning of the class, I kept looking down at my front tire during turns, since you have to do that when you ride trails/dirt. Was able to scratch that habit a bit though, and my turns improved ten-fold. The other habit I need to break occurs when braking. I locked up my rear tire several times yesterday during panic stops, playing around, etc. Two of those times I immediately released and reapplied. That's a no-no, and that's going to hurt. All-in-all, it was money well spent. A lot of fun, and I have a greater understanding of my own riding skills. Oh, and I passed the riding exam with a perfect score. Out of the six of us who took the class, I was the only one who passed. Scored a perfect on both written and riding though!!!!

May 21st, 2012, 07:12 AM	#2
Motofool Daily Ninjette rider Name: Hernan Location: Florida Join Date: Mar 2011 Motorcycle(s): 2007 Ninja 250 Posts: A lot. MOTY - 2016, MOTM - Dec '12, Jan '14, Jan '15, May '16	Congratulations!! You will be a fine street rider. __________________________________________________ *Motofool* *.................................Never ride faster than your guardian angel can fly* "Mankind is composed of two sorts of men — those who love and create, and those who hate and destroy. Love is the bond between men, the way to teach and the center of the world." - José Martí

May 22nd, 2012, 06:54 AM	#7
Xoulrath ninjette.org sage Name: T Location: U.S. Join Date: May 2010 Motorcycle(s): Current: '11 ZX-6R; Previous: '09 Ninjette; '08 ZX-6R (Ex-Wife '09 TU250X) Posts: 981	Glad you found it to be educational. I still haven't taken the BRC but I always recommend it to prospective riders. It was in the plans to take it with my wife two years ago but life happened and we never did. I just watched videos of BRC events and read this forum and one other and also bought Code's riding books. It worked well for me but I wouldn't recommend it to most people. I still plan to take the BRC one day because who knows what I might pick up that I may have missed on the videos. The only reason one can't learn is because one's mind isn't open. __________________________________________________ R.I.P EthioKnight (Alex)

May 22nd, 2012, 11:02 AM	#9
caspermayne ninjette.org member Name: Alexander Location: Israel Join Date: Feb 2012 Motorcycle(s): Kawasaki Ninja 250R FI 2009, Hyosung GT650R 2008 FI Posts: 27	Welcome to the streets =) Congrats, you must always look towards the turn. __________________________________________________ Ninjettes

May 24th, 2012, 04:35 PM	#11
ally99 Ninja chick Name: Allyson Location: Athens, GA Join Date: Jun 2009 Motorcycle(s): '13 Ninja 300 Posts: A lot. Blog Entries: 4 MOTM - Dec '13, Feb '15	Congrats! I agree, MSF is well worth it, even for experienced riders! __________________________________________________ Sometimes it's the journey that teaches you a lot about your destination. ~Drake Check out my Appalachian Trail journal, 2015! Postwhores are COOL! ~Allyson

May 21st, 2012, 08:00 AM	#3
SharInATL ninjette.org member Name: Shar Location: Atlanta Join Date: May 2012 Motorcycle(s): 2011 Black 250r (SOLD) Now - 2006 GSXR 750 Posts: 79	Congrats on passing! What did the others in the class do to fail?

May 21st, 2012, 04:56 PM	#5
Old Lemon Lays er down Name: Michael Location: Maryland Join Date: Apr 2012 Motorcycle(s): 2008 Lime green Ninja 250R Posts: A lot.	You look down you go down bra. Well maybe we can ride sometime now that you can get your license

May 23rd, 2012, 06:23 AM	#10
NDspd 1/4 English, 3/4 Kick Ass Name: Jeremy Location: Dayton, OH Join Date: Sep 2011 Motorcycle(s): 2002 Triumph Speed Triple 955i, '05 Suzuki SV650S(retired), '11 Ninja 250R(sold) Posts: A lot.	Welcome to the club man, riding has been the best thing for me. Atleast you have been riding for quite some time, that helps a ton.

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