MSF Basic Rider Course

[Degsy]

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And the MSF BRC is not deigned to make
You a rider. It is designed to lessen the chances of killing yourself or others while you learn to ride.

[j4eric]

agree....just the insurance discount alone makes it worth it.

[jcrawford]

I would agree that the MSF BRC should be a requirement for any new rider. After taking my class and seeing how quickly the new riders progressed over the 2 days of instruction.

klp i am quite interested in knowing what you and the other instructor kept chuckling about as you watched us riders LOL

[Degsy]

i have 3 friends that took the MSF course and passed on their first try. 1st one dumped his brand new cruiser 3x the first day he took delivery....the other 2 to this day i will not ride with them as i think we scare each other off...lol....my point is....get more seat time...that is the best way to learn....experience points.

Note to self: don't go on street ride with Eric's friends.

[j4eric]

Note to self: don't go on street ride with Eric's friends.

tis okay, they are not NESERIAN lol...i think after they got their license they had a whopping 300 miles between them....and this was in 06...i guess
the motorcycle was not for them or vice versa ...to make it clear...MSF is a must in my book...but dont dwell on the score...get that seat time after MSF...

[Karaya One]

I would agree that the MSF BRC should be a requirement for any new rider.

And why would any instructor want to teach someone who doesn't want to be there? Probably won't make for a positive learning environment. In my 16 years, I've had a couple like that and they paid to be there.

" I'm only here because I have to be..."

And then you need enough sites and instructors to handle the mandatory onslaught of riders needing their license.

[jcrawford]

hitting almost 12k in my second season and i had down time due to theft and damaged bike, don't think I am doing all that bad for seat time. Though I am sure that will slowly decline over the years

[jcrawford]

And why would any instructor want to teach someone who doesn't want to be there?

Ah my bad I was not thinking from that aspect

[Degsy]

tis okay, they are not NESERIAN lol...i think after they got their license they had a whopping 300 miles between them....and this was in 06...i guess
the motorcycle was not for them or vice versa ...to make it clear...MSF is a must in my book...but dont dwell on the score...get that seat time after MSF...

dead right. I don't mind telling you guys that there are riders who pass who I am not happy about, but the score is the score. If I'm wary of a rider riding off into the sundet after passing, I explain to them that they need work and to PLEASE be careful and practice first in a parking lot. I haven't met one yet who disagreed with me.

I have had students complain that another student should not have passed and there isn't much I can say. The score is the score. I don't give any leniency in the test. We typically fail 1 or 2 riders per class.

[scottfromboston]

i have 3 friends that took the MSF course and passed on their first try. 1st one dumped his brand new cruiser 3x the first day he took delivery....the other 2 to this day i will not ride with them as i think we scare each other off...lol....my point is....get more seat time...that is the best way to learn....experience points.

You can't teach good judgement.

MSF gives you a "license to learn" IMO. I'm a believer.

[Degsy]

I think it should be mandatory also but I would not relish dealing with the attitude. I have heard horror stories from RI about both riders AND instructors.

I taught a whole bunch of free ERC classes for Sportbike riders back in 09 and there were some BAD attitudes on those classes. Once you show a guy with a 12" over chrome swingarm how to do the U turn box after he screws it up 10 times in a row, the attitude usually gets much better. I had guys who did not want to be there at the start come up to me at the end and tell me they leatrned a bunch and thanking me for my time.

The worst guy was this Chip guy in Seekonk though, reall asshole he was.

[ThisBitch]

klp i am quite interested in knowing what you and the other instructor kept chuckling about as you watched us riders LOL

Maybe they were discussing how one of these idiots was bound to go home and do a 2 page write up on a class that taught them the basics of motorcycle riding on an internet forum full of people who have been riding for years? I'd get a chuckle out of that.

[jcrawford]

I didn't write this up for YOU to read. If you are not an instructor and have ALL THAT experience why would you read it? I wrote it more as a review of the class that is held in Beverly for people who are new and join NESR.

I an however glad you wasted some of your time reading what I had to say

[nhbubba]

I would agree that the MSF BRC should be a requirement for any new rider.

Meh, I have a hard time with the word 'requirement' there.

[csmutty]

Meh, I have a hard time with the word 'requirement' there.

It is in CT. Has worked out great so far. I haven't had one student that was a problem because they did not want to be there.

[SCRLT01]

I took the MSF BRC through Training Wheels in Woburn. I started out not even knowing how to turn the bike on. My instructor wouldn't tell me my score on the road test - his words were "you passed, but by the skin of your teeth, you don't want to know the score". Granted, I did almost run him over on day 1 (on accident!). Getting out and going on rides with fellow NESRians have definitely made me a better rider (at least I hope so!), but I wouldn't even be riding without the MSF course!

[Degsy]

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I took the MSF BRC through Training Wheels in Woburn. I started out not even knowing how to turn the bike on. My instructor wouldn't tell me my score on the road test - his words were "you passed, but by the skin of your teeth, you don't want to know the score". Granted, I did almost run him over on day 1 (on accident!). Getting out and going on rides with fellow NESRians have definitely made me a better rider (at least I hope so!), but I wouldn't even be riding without the MSF course!

That may have been me. Did you almost take my head off in a wheelie coming out of the u turn box?

[SCRLT01]

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That may have been me. Did you almost take my head off in a wheelie coming out of the u turn box?

NOPE!! not I (now I don't quite feel so bad!!!). My instructor's name was Doc....since I was SO new to riding, my left wrist decided it would stop working (couldn't shift) so Doc waved me over, but I was so rattled, I forgot to brake - he had to grab the handlebars of the bike to stop me.

[Doc]

NOPE!! not I (now I don't quite feel so bad!!!). My instructor's name was Doc....since I was SO new to riding, my left wrist decided it would stop working (couldn't shift) so Doc waved me over, but I was so rattled, I forgot to brake - he had to grab the handlebars of the bike to stop me.

That was not me.

[Degsy]

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NOPE!! not I (now I don't quite feel so bad!!!). My instructor's name was Doc....since I was SO new to riding, my left wrist decided it would stop working (couldn't shift) so Doc waved me over, but I was so rattled, I forgot to brake - he had to grab the handlebars of the bike to stop me.

That was not me.

But the Doc who it was is a member here on NESR.

[Doc]

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But the Doc who it was is a member here on NESR.

Yep.

[SCRLT01]

That was not me.

Well, to whichever Doc it was, I'm very thankful to him

[noxin]

I took the BRC recently with Deb at Ironstone Ventures and even though I've been riding for years, she still found things for me to work on, granted, they were a bit more targeted than the rest of the riders, and it was more about fixing the bad habits I've developed, like Trail Braking, not using the rear brake on the quickstop, and locking up the rear brake on the quick stop. That UTurn box was the bane of my existance that weekend, mainly because I've never counter-weighted (it wasn't in the course when I originally took it) and it was a mindfuck for me

We had a couple of people that were having trouble getting used to the bike which cause our excises to bunch up a bit as people were focused on the exercise and not spacing properly.

For our test, we had one person fail (I think she got a 25), but it wasn't the person everyone expected to fail, it was the scooter rider who had trouble shifting (she claims it was her boots) and getting used to shifting. The rider who ALMOST dropped the bike on the quickstop passed and did pretty well.

You never can tell who is going to pass and who is going to fail.

And for anyone looking for more coaching, the MSF has their Street Rider Course, although, I don't know anyone up here that is offering it.

[Jaynnus]

Training wheels offers that course

[nhbubba]

Does anyone think prior experience with a manual transmission helps make the BRC easier? I hear a lot of people who drive automatic cages struggle with the BRC because of the clutch work and shifting, not so much because of bike balance or anything like that. Or is operating the clutch with the hand so utterly different that it barely matters?

My missus has made noises about possibly, maybe wanting to ride someday. I've told her we aren't even thinking about getting her a bike until she takes the BRC, but she can do that as soon as she likes, I'll even pay for it.

But I've also told her I think driving a manual for a week or two and getting back into the swing of using a clutch would help her prep for it. (She can drive a stick when she puts her mind to it, but she DD's and prefers an auto.)