Msf course

BrawvoAgain · August 10th, 2012, 03:37 PM

Myself and @cerberusrex25 are taking the MSF course on the 24th this month. Tips for us? Anything is greatly appreciated.

Maielstrom · August 10th, 2012, 04:09 PM

Definitely take the exercises seriously that they have you do. My group was pretty serious about it, but I've read online that people in other groups have sorta goofed around during the exercises. If you're going for your license, 4 of the exercises will be in the final "exam." If you've never ridden before, I can say just trust the bike. There's a part where you have to do a figure 8 inside a box. During the practice run, I went outside the box by a couple of feet. Reason being I was afraid of making a turn like that at a low speed. Then in the road test, I relaxed, trusted the bike, and went for it. Ended up going out of the box by just about an inch, didn't put my foot down, and did alright with it. The bikes they give you are great for starters, we had GZ250s, fun ones.
Another thing which I did, was search on youtube. Plenty of people review how the course went for them, some even go back to the place they did it and walk you through the course. This is great to get an idea of what to expect when you show up. A good few of them also give their tips and pointers on the course, this is where I found the whole "trust the bike" thing from.
If you've never ridden before, the course definitely moves at a really fantastic pace. It's only done in the course of 2 - 2.5 days, but it's not super fast paced. We had people in our course go from never riding to doing just fine, there was even a girl who switched from scooter to motorcycle halfway through the first day and she got the best score out of all of us on the final test. I went into the course with about 5 hours experience, much of that 5 hours learning just how to not stall shifting from neutral to first (was learning on an old Suzuki Tempter, so the bike was very picky with this gear change). Didn't get too much into turning or any of that, a lot was just learning the feel of the clutch and throttle. I had no problems at all in the course, and felt I picked everything up pretty well.

Most important thing I can tell you is to have fun with it! It's a learning environment, and everyone's really supportive and cool. You may have some older riders who just didn't have their licenses, some new riders, and some in the middle. If you're having trouble with an exercise, you can def ask one of the older riders during a break how you can approach it differently. I did that a few times and they were all more than happy to help out.

Enjoy, have fun, and def let us know how it goes!

Also, don't be late and make sure you have any gear with you that you aren't able to borrow/purchase from them. I've heard of some schools where lateness is really strict and they won't let you take the course if you're late, so just be sure to get there on time!

Alex · August 10th, 2012, 07:58 PM

/thread moved to riding skills

Madman44 · August 10th, 2012, 08:25 PM

Hey, I think you'll find the course to be a very enjoyable and informative experience. I took it on the 22nd of July with only a little riding experience and did pretty well. Unfortunately, not everyone in the class did well. One guy was sent home because he didn't have boots that covered his ankles:/ Another girl (who was wearing high heel boots, but was allowed to stay) ended up crashing into the side of a building and decided that bikes weren't for her.
My coaches were very patient and answered all the questions that I had (even what seemed like the dumb ones), so make sure you ask away.
Good luck and let us know how you do.

csmith12 · August 10th, 2012, 09:19 PM

Relax and have fun, the rest works out all on it's own.

Maielstrom · August 10th, 2012, 09:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Madman44

My coaches were very patient and answered all the questions that I had (even what seemed like the dumb ones), so make sure you ask away.
Good luck and let us know how you do.

That's something I didn't even think of, which is a great piece of advice! You've got pretty much pro riders helping to teach you to ride, so definitely pique their knowledge! There's no such thing as a dumb question, knowledge is knowledge, it's all valuable no matter what the subject.

Thinking back, I actually wish I had asked questions, cuz some things weren't covered which I ended up learning in practice (downshifting is a major thing I wish they had gone over more. Never having driven a manual anything, I'm now understanding downshifting after riding for about 3 months). Don't be afraid to ask questions either! It's a learning environment with (most likely) a good amount of new riders. Others will definitely appreciate your question as it may be something they didn't think of.

BrawvoAgain · August 11th, 2012, 07:31 AM

Thanks guys for all the great advice. I am really looking forward to riding, and will keep you all posted on how everything goes.

August 10th, 2012, 03:37 PM	#1
BrawvoAgain ninjette.org newbie Name: Tiffany Location: Centreville, Va Join Date: Aug 2012 Motorcycle(s): 04 Ninja 250R Posts: 9	Msf course Myself and @cerberusrex25 are taking the MSF course on the 24th this month. Tips for us? Anything is greatly appreciated.

August 10th, 2012, 07:58 PM	#3
Alex ninjette.org dude Name: 1 guess :-) Location: SF Bay Area Join Date: Jun 2008 Motorcycle(s): '13 Ninja 300 (white, the fastest color!), '13 R1200RT, '14 CRF250L, '12 TT-R125LE Posts: Too much. Blog Entries: 7	/thread moved to riding skills __________________________________________________ Montgomery Street Motorcycle Club / cal24.com / crf250l.org / ninjette.org ninjette.org Terms of Service Shopping for motorcycle parts or equipment? Come here first. The friendliest Ninja 250R/300/400 forum on the internet! (especially Unregistered)

August 10th, 2012, 09:19 PM	#5
csmith12 The Corner Whisperer Name: Chris (aka Reactor) Location: Northern KY Join Date: May 2011 Motorcycle(s): 2010 250 (track), 1992 250, 2006 R6 (street/track), 2008 R6 (track) Posts: Too much. MOTY 2015, MOTM - Nov '12, Nov '13	Relax and have fun, the rest works out all on it's own. __________________________________________________ Goal: Shake A Million Hands \| Look through the corners \| Track Day Prep \| Closest track? \| The Mid-Ohio School

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August 10th, 2012, 04:09 PM	#2
Maielstrom Ghost Rider Name: Eric Location: Westchester, NY Join Date: Jun 2012 Motorcycle(s): 2012 Ninja 250r Posts: 84	Definitely take the exercises seriously that they have you do. My group was pretty serious about it, but I've read online that people in other groups have sorta goofed around during the exercises. If you're going for your license, 4 of the exercises will be in the final "exam." If you've never ridden before, I can say just trust the bike. There's a part where you have to do a figure 8 inside a box. During the practice run, I went outside the box by a couple of feet. Reason being I was afraid of making a turn like that at a low speed. Then in the road test, I relaxed, trusted the bike, and went for it. Ended up going out of the box by just about an inch, didn't put my foot down, and did alright with it. The bikes they give you are great for starters, we had GZ250s, fun ones. Another thing which I did, was search on youtube. Plenty of people review how the course went for them, some even go back to the place they did it and walk you through the course. This is great to get an idea of what to expect when you show up. A good few of them also give their tips and pointers on the course, this is where I found the whole "trust the bike" thing from. If you've never ridden before, the course definitely moves at a really fantastic pace. It's only done in the course of 2 - 2.5 days, but it's not super fast paced. We had people in our course go from never riding to doing just fine, there was even a girl who switched from scooter to motorcycle halfway through the first day and she got the best score out of all of us on the final test. I went into the course with about 5 hours experience, much of that 5 hours learning just how to not stall shifting from neutral to first (was learning on an old Suzuki Tempter, so the bike was very picky with this gear change). Didn't get too much into turning or any of that, a lot was just learning the feel of the clutch and throttle. I had no problems at all in the course, and felt I picked everything up pretty well. Most important thing I can tell you is to have fun with it! It's a learning environment, and everyone's really supportive and cool. You may have some older riders who just didn't have their licenses, some new riders, and some in the middle. If you're having trouble with an exercise, you can def ask one of the older riders during a break how you can approach it differently. I did that a few times and they were all more than happy to help out. Enjoy, have fun, and def let us know how it goes! Also, don't be late and make sure you have any gear with you that you aren't able to borrow/purchase from them. I've heard of some schools where lateness is really strict and they won't let you take the course if you're late, so just be sure to get there on time!

August 10th, 2012, 08:25 PM	#4
Madman44 ninjette.org guru Name: Martin Location: California Join Date: Jun 2012 Motorcycle(s): 250r Posts: 291	Hey, I think you'll find the course to be a very enjoyable and informative experience. I took it on the 22nd of July with only a little riding experience and did pretty well. Unfortunately, not everyone in the class did well. One guy was sent home because he didn't have boots that covered his ankles:/ Another girl (who was wearing high heel boots, but was allowed to stay) ended up crashing into the side of a building and decided that bikes weren't for her. My coaches were very patient and answered all the questions that I had (even what seemed like the dumb ones), so make sure you ask away. Good luck and let us know how you do.

August 11th, 2012, 07:31 AM	#7
BrawvoAgain ninjette.org newbie Name: Tiffany Location: Centreville, Va Join Date: Aug 2012 Motorcycle(s): 04 Ninja 250R Posts: 9	Thanks guys for all the great advice. I am really looking forward to riding, and will keep you all posted on how everything goes.