TIPS for MSF Basic Rider Course - Page 7

 

I just passed this course.  Find a empty parking lot near you.  Practice
riding figure 8's in a 20' by 40' rectangle (roughly 4 car-size parking
spots?).  Burn several tankfuls of gas practicing this.  While you are
practicing, keep your head and eyes STRAIGHT (don't look down).  But while
you are keeping your head and eyes straight, you need to turn your head and
eyes as far as you can to look through the corners while you are taking the
extremely tight corners (but don't look DOWN).  Also DO NOT PUT YOUR FOOT
DOWN!!!  The key is to idle in first gear, use the ENTIRE box, squeeze the
clutch as you are entering the tight corners and smoothly let the clutch out
as you approach the apex of the tight corners.

There are other things you will be tested on in the MSF Basic Ridercourse,
but it wouldn't be a good idea to practice those BEFORE the Ridercourse,
unless you have a ridercoach instruct you FIRST.  The reason is, you will
develop bad habits that will HURT you during the course, and especially on
the skills exam.  EXAMPLE:
One of the skills you will be tested on is straight line quick stop.
Somebody else already posted here how to do it WRONG, and wants you to
practice it WRONG.  It would be best to see a ridercoach demonstrate this
one before you start practicing it.  But if you insist on practicing it
before the course (I really don't advise you to, but...), do it this way:
1)  Head and eyes STRAIGHT (don't EVER look down)
2)  Accelerate to 2nd gear, keep a steady speed of 15MPH in *2nd* gear.
3)  Do NOT anticipate the stop (don't have your fingers on the clutch or
front brake)
4)  As your front wheel passes a convenient landmark (maybe an old shoe or
two dropped on the pavement to act as a traffic cone?), you need to do four
things simultaneously:
A)    shift down to first gear
B)    smoothly squeeze the clutch
C)   smoothly but firmly squeeze the front brake (don't "grab" it)
D)  smoothly but firmly apply the rear brake
In other words, you will use both hands and both feet.  If you don't use
both hands AND BOTH FEET simultaneously,  you will lose points on this.
Lose enough points, and you fail the exam.  You will most likely lose points
on the figure 8, even if you practice.  So it would be in your best interest
to practice the straight line quick stop correctly.  (again I'd advise you
to wait for the course)

Another skill will be cornering.  They test this by having you roll on
throttle smoothly through a decreasing radius corner.  It's bit more
complicated than that though.  Forget about trying to practice this one
before the ridercourse.  For example, where are you going to find a
conveniently marked decreasing radius corner in the middle of an empty
parking lot?  :)  Even if you manage to create your own, there are several
other things you need to practice on cornering that you just won't be
practicing correctly unless you see it demonstrated first.  You have to slow
using BOTH brakes before entering the corner.  They also have you do
something called late apexing (though they don't call it that in the course
. . . they call it outside, inside, outside).  Don't worry about the
cornering though.  Once you have seen it done correctly, you can practice it
a few times and you won't have a problem with it.

If you have to practice anything before the course, do the figure 8's.
Again, you should burn several tankfuls of gas on this one alone.  If you
can do it without touching the lines or putting your fut down, then you're
doing better than our entire class did.  :)  I myself crossed the line by
about 6" and got points deducted for that.  But I came as close as anybody
to completing it.  -Dave

 

 Lisa,

There are two really great things about Pennsylvania's program.

1.  It's FREE!!!!

2.  If you pass, the instructors sign your permit and you are licensed on
the spot!

 Hey Lisa ,me and my girlfriend took the course last year ,I did it in
July over two weeks and she did hers in September over a single weekend
,and we both enjoyed doing it and what you learn there is valuable in
fact in my class a couple guys have been riding for years but they came
away saying that they learned a few things they never even thought of
before.
 The advice I can give you is listen to what the instructors are telling
you and if there is something you don't understand ask and keep asking
questions ,and make sure you take proper riding apparel for any type of
weather you may encounter here in PA(and they do ride the course in the
rain) and make sure you have on sunblock too even on overcast days, and
if you can get gatorade and if you can go sit in the shade , and if
there seems to be something not quite right with your bike your
practicing on tell the instructors immediately,and the last thing is
have a warm bath ready and nothing planned on the first night of being
on the course you will be exhausted and you will be sore, so just plan
on relaxing that night at home .
 Hope this helps and the plus to doing this is (here in PA anyway)when
you pass if you have a permit it is stamped and it is now a license ,you
get a discount on your insurance ,and you get to waive the 2 year
waiting period for wearing a helmet ,but I still recommend to keep
wearing it and take your own helmet with you since it will be more
comfortable for you .
good luck and most of all have fun and make some new friends