Laying it down = practical??

[Ken C]

a practical avoidance technique??

[catch2otwo]

most of the responses mirror what your thoughts are. he should probably go take the msf course and buy a leather jacket.

[OreoGaborio]

DURRRRRR, don't cha know sliding metal & plastic has WAY more traction than rubber & brake pads.

Ken, PLEASE tell me you already wrote to the editor.

[catch2otwo]

DURRRRRR, don't cha know sliding metal & plastic has WAY more traction than rubber & brake pads.

Ken, PLEASE tell me you already wrote to the editor.

but you forgot to factor in the coefficient of friction due to skin and flesh!

[Uncle Snake]

but you forgot to factor in the coefficient of friction due to skin and flesh!

It lessons once it's wet..........

[RandyO]

the reporter is an experienced hardley davidson bar hopper don't ya know

[tonup]

Have been preaching the front brake and counter steer to my older "younger" harley riding brother for years now. I believe he not only has ocd for cleaning his pipes but is autistic for not hearing a word I've said on gear or riding. I'm no pro but wtf does it take to make someone WANT to be better at what they enjoy?

[butcher bergs]

Daddy Longstroke, checking in.


It reminds me of a thread from another forum.

In the end the joke was "I had to lay'er down to save my life!"

[Evil_Weasel]

WTF, "lay it down". is there a dumber thing to do. no thanks, i'll take my chances up-right behind the bars and in control thank you.

...besides i never had a crash i didn't think i could save anyway.

[butcher bergs]

Someone's gotta link this thread to the comments.

[Omahastylin16]

that guys extra dummy

[OreoGaborio]

Guys, we probably shouldn't forget it was REPORTER that said it was a practical method, not the rider himself... we don't know what exactly happened or why he went down... maybe he did it on purpose, maybe he didn't.

Just sayin'

[Tricky Mike]

Do realize that it was the REPORTER that said it was a practical method, not the rider himself... we don't know what exactly happened or why he went down... maybe he did it on purpose, maybe he didn't.

Just sayin'

I'm with Pete here...

besides i never had a crash i didn't think i could save anyway.

totally. I have gloves with rash on the knuckles (seriously).

[DuncanMoto]

MSF course should be a requirement from now on.

[Evil_Weasel]

+1 pete...the reporter is an ass...i don't have enough info to call the rider an ass.

[OreoGaborio]

MSF course should be a requirement from now on.

As much as I'd support that, we don't wanna end up like Rhode Island where TONS of riders ride around w/o even as much as a permit, never mind a license..... and the classrooms would be filled w/ people that didn't even want to be there.

[DuncanMoto]

This just proves that all media reporters are full of crap.

[Evil_Weasel]

This just proves that all media reporters are full of crap.

this is news?

[oVTo]

too true... can't legislate against stupidity.

however.. I did hear an interesting thought.... use the eval as the RMV test. Then if they don't pass (without training of course) they come back for the course. In the end, it might cause the same issues as rhodie though.

Replacing the existing official MA license test with the MSF test has been discussed. Given that this would require changing RMV policy, approval and implementation could occur as quickly as 2050 or so.

[NeverlosT]

wow. the reporter is a moron.

As far as the great state of RI goes, it isnt that people dont WANT to take the class to get their license, it is that there are like 2 classes offered all year and you need to know the pope to get in. Obviously thats an exaggeration, but what few classes there are are full by april.

I say, mandate the class, but make MORE of them!

[butcher bergs]

They didn't post my comment....

[Tricky Mike]

I think far too many riders see the MSF like I saw geometry in high school. I was actually pretty good at it, but couldn't see why I would ever need to use it. Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to compare my high-school geometry class to an MSF course, and I'm not trying to draw conclusions about this accident based on a story written by someone who clearly doesn't quite "get it." For all we know the SUV soccer mom dropped her iPhone and swerved into an ex flat-tracker with more skill than half of the people on this board, myself included.

What I am saying is that, overall, we need more people taking the MSF and we need more of the people who take the MSF to take the MSF more seriously.

One of the biggest impacts my MSF course had was when the instructors hauled a section of 4x4 lumber out and started talking about how to handle unexpected road hazards. I took the MSF in Yonkers... just North of The Bronx. Most of the students were pretty green and nobody but me and and an English bloke had any MX experience. It was obvious that most of the class wasn't stoked about hitting the 4x4 on the Honda Rebels. The instructors were top-notch, though. It was obvious they had their share of experience as they flawlessly demonstrated the gamut of MSF "stuff."

Well, a 4x4 is no big deal, right? Just a little bigger than a 2x4, right?

Brag to your MX buddies about cheating death when you ran over that 2x4 and let me know how it goes Nonetheless, the instructor who demonstrated the "lumber" part of our course almost binned it. Popped both feet off the pegs, came crashing down onto the seat, almost ran over his own foot, near tank-slapper, etc.

Obviously the instructors hadn't intended the demo to go the way it had, and I guarantee they laugh about it for very different reasons than I do... But I think it couldn't have sent a better message.

I think that the 4x4 was a reasonable demonstration of the type of "stuff" you may find in your way. I'm sure we've all seen it... like the 20' (best guess) aluminum step-ladder that almost got me on I95 in 2004... or the queen-size (again, best guess) box spring in almost the exact same spot a year earlier, etc...

For the greener guys in the course it initially seemed like it might not be such a big deal, until the (already proven) instructor almost crashed. Ultimately the MSF guys decided it wasn't the best idea, but the unintentional point couldn't have been clearer. I noticed that everyone in the class sat a little straighter and paid a little more attention afterwards. It was obvious that the value of the skills we were being shown had begun to sink in for the majority of riders in a way that wasn't evident before. After all, it's YOUR ASS in that seat.

My long-winded point is that it has seemed from my experience (mostly outside of NESR, thankfully) that the general consensus is that MSF is something you take in order to facilitate getting your license. It's rare that anyone thinks "I really have no idea what I'm doing... I bet I could learn a lot from this." I know I didn't.

It would be great to see more people taking the MSF... but it would be even better to see more people take the MSF more seriously.

[GixerJockey]

They didn't post my comment....

Well, did you do one of these things?

If you don't see your comment, perhaps...

* you called someone an idiot, a racist, a dope, a moron, etc. Please, no name-calling or profanity (or veiled profanity -- #$%^&*).
* you rambled, failed to stay on topic or exhibited troll-like behavior intended to hijack the discussion at hand.
* YOU SHOUTED YOUR COMMENT IN ALL CAPS. This is hard to read and annoys readers.
* you named a business or identified a business in a way good or bad. Contact the business directly with your customer service concerns or your praise – they’ll likely appreciate your feedback.
* you believe the newspaper's coverage is unfair. It would be better to write Jerry Steinley at jerry.steinley@rapidcityjournal.com or call him at 394-8427. This is a forum for community discussion, not for media criticism. We'd rather address your concerns directly.
* you included an e-mail address or phone number, pretended to be someone you aren't or offered a comment that makes no sense.
* you accused someone of a crime or assigned guilt or punishment to someone suspected of a crime.
* your comment is in really poor taste.

[butcher bergs]

Holy shit Mike. That's the most you've said...........ever.

BTW; They finally posted my comment!!



-Daddy Longstroke, out

[Tricky Mike]

I say stuff sometimes
Your wheels are done.