MSF experienced rider course

[Kham]

Originally posted by evile
One of the instructors posed the question "do you think anyone ever died because they couldn't ride a figure 8?"

if nobody die then what's that have to do with safety? if you really want to be safe then don't ride.

[Ken C]

Tight u-turns are a way to master your bike. The MSF calls the u-turn box a "convenience technique", and is scored that way on the test (lower importance).

I find that it builds confidence in motorcycle control. It's a real sign of mastery when you feel confident to ride when others paddle-walk.

The most well-rounded riders as able to maneuver their motorcycle at sub 10mph speeds with your feet ON the pegs.

Real world application is wider than you think. It's not a far stretch to think of scenarios when a swiftly-executed tight turn can get you out of a tricky situation. And maneuvering in and out of tight parking spaces and gas stations without even thinking is a real plus.

[Ken C]

It was allowed/recommended for us in the u-turn box + weave, it was one of the other drills in the final test in which it was not allowed.

It was allowed on that same drill for the class, then "surpise" no clutch allowed for the final test. Just made it kind of annoying. I am not sure what you call the drill though. It was a slow/medium speed turn through 2 concentric curved lines in the pavement.

My bike is just really bad though... others I've rode are far easier to ride at those speeds. It is the major fault of the bike IMO.

I'm assuming you have a VFR by your screen name. If so, I know what the bike is capable of as I have a 99VFR that I do the ERC exercises with.

The exercise/evaluation you speak of can be done in second gear on the VFR without ever squeezing the clutch. As a matter of fact, if you're needing to slip the clutch, you'll be going too slow to meet the speed standard.

[Kham]

that's what im trying to figure out cause i haven't get in the tight situation where a tight u-turn makes all the different. maybe im doing it and don't even know it.

[TTD]

Originally posted by Kham
your feet are on the ground exiting and entering parking lot or gas station. you have to stop first and look both ways.

I didn't mean the very end where you stop... I meant more while you are maneuvering around getting into or out of your spot... or the pumps... or any number of other times during riding that you go slow.

Granted.. These are not life and death things. Yes... you can paddlewalk your bike around (but you look like a goof!)

And actually, it probably could get dangerous.

I watched a squid on a brand new GSXR take a right on red the other day. He had to "paddle walk" the thing almost until he was straight up and down in the new direction before he could comfortably pick up his feet.

[benVFR]

Originally posted by Ken C
I'm assuming you have a VFR by your screen name. If so, I know what the bike is capable of as I have a 99VFR that I do the ERC exercises with.

The exercise/evaluation you speak of can be done in second gear on the VFR without ever squeezing the clutch. As a matter of fact, if you're needing to slip the clutch, you'll be going too slow to meet the speed standard.

I have a 2004, I'm not sure if you've seen all the bitching about what Honda did to the FI on the latest bikes. I've rode a 2000 and it was nice and predictable.

Mine is fine now that I unplugged the O2 sensors and put a power commander in, but I hadn't done that at the time of the ERC and it was a real b*tch to control at slow speeds. If the power commander hadn't had such a dramatic effect I would have sold the bike by now. Basically there has been a ton of discussion about this and doing drills like in the ERC is the worst possible condition. Basically you'd be riding along and it would decide to turn on/off the O2 sensors and it would act as if you chopped the throttle. So at anything resembling a parking lot speed I would be covering the clutch to smooth out this effect. This is what I was doing in the class that got me in so much trouble with the instructor.

I had a 2002 as well and it did the same thing... You can say "Oh that is just your bike f*cking up", but they are all like that, and if more and more bikes act like that as the 2008 emissions rules come online it is going to be a major PITA for you guys at the MSF classes. And there are a lot of riders who have no idea it is a fault of the bike and won't know any better.

We have another rider who had a 2003 VFR who sold it over this issue.

[Ken C]

Interesting. Glad you got it sorted out. The 99 is twitchy, but nothing like what you describe.