Author Topic: safety course a good thing!  (Read 3895 times)

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rideOn

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on: July 13, 2010, 02:02:46 pm
here in sc, a guy was killed in a motorcycle accident early last saturday morning. he had his own bike and was at the local tech school practicing for the safety class. he had a crash while practicing and died at the hospital.

i took the class a few years back and a few people said they had just bought new bikes and crashed them in their driveway or around their house.

if you are asked by, or have friends/contacts that have never ridden, but want to, please tell them to take the course, preferably before buying a bike. they will be provided a small bike to learn the controls and other basics. a lot of you probably already know. then they will have some basic knowledge and skills to make an informed decision when buying.
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r80rt

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Reply #1 on: July 13, 2010, 02:54:05 pm
I've been riding for 40 years and I'd take the class if I ever found one close enough, It's never too late to learn more.
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boggy

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Reply #2 on: July 13, 2010, 03:21:02 pm
I had been riding for over 15 years before I took the class.  My wife wanted her license so I agreed to take the course with her.  Figured maybe I'd learn a thing or two, but I really just wanted to get her into it.

Well, it rained for both days which was great.  I've stopped short, locked up my breaks, swerved at breakneck speed, and such throughout the years.  I've never ridden like that in the rain though.  It was really great... the bike did things I didn't think possible in those conditions.  Put a lot more confidence in my skills on a few days that I've had to get home under a rainy sky.

Those courses are great.  I was very impressed with how they instructed the new riders.  They do offer intermediate and advance classes as well.  The instructor mentioned people taking the intermediate class when they've changed or upgraded to a bike they were unfamiliar with.  Not a bad idea if you are going from say, a Bullet, to a BMW S1000RR.  I'M NOT... but lets say you were.
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rideOn

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Reply #3 on: July 13, 2010, 03:21:58 pm
I've been riding for 40 years and I'd take the class if I ever found one close enough, It's never too late to learn more.
if i can find the info from the course i did, i'll send it to you. i took it in west virginny and several people drove in from good distances and stayed in hotels. that state is talking about making the course mandatory to get the endorsement.

that's not a bad idea because you are right, an edgamacation is a good thing...can't have too much!

me and wifey are talking about taking an advanced class where we can take our own bikes and apparently they run you through more advanced routes.
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The Garbone

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Reply #4 on: July 13, 2010, 06:11:53 pm
Here in Florida a class is required to get your endorsement.   I would suggest it even if not.. I learned a lot of things from the class.  I might take the intermediate some day if I get the spare time.
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Reply #5 on: July 13, 2010, 06:14:43 pm
I rode scooters and motorcycles for 14 years before I took the course and believe me I learnt a lot, including, how to brake properly.


singhg5

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Reply #6 on: July 13, 2010, 06:22:56 pm
me and wifey are talking about taking an advanced class where we can take our own bikes and apparently they run you through more advanced routes.

Thanks for bringing up the topic of Safety Courses for Motorcyclists.  I took another one this April 2010 - An Experienced Rider Course in New Jersey.  There were riders with over 20 years of experience who came just to experience that learning which happens in a class room setting only.  Also to start into riding season from the inactivity of winter months.  Finally to re-establish the mind-body coordination, alertness, etc. required for riding.  Moreover, with age the body responses may be slower than last year or the year before !!! ( hard to admit but can't fight age or time  ;))  Some riders take that course once every year or once every 2 years.

So my take is, like so many of you guys, to learn, learn, practice and practice.  Age is pulling me in other direction - though  ;D

NJ has great program, that is approved by MSF and NJ State Motor Vehicle Commission.  Here is the link -    


http://www.rider-ed.com/
« Last Edit: July 14, 2010, 01:12:54 am by singhg5 »
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boggy

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Reply #7 on: July 14, 2010, 12:34:43 am
I should have mentioned, the course I took was through the MSF.

http://www.msf-usa.org/
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Rick Sperko

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Reply #8 on: July 14, 2010, 01:15:27 am
I took the basic rider course and liked it a lot. I then took the experienced rider course on my Bullet, it did great. My plan is to take some kind of class every other year. I am looking for dirt next. Eventually I would love to take a track class. I need to remain teachable.

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boggy

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Reply #9 on: July 14, 2010, 03:07:36 am
Hey Rick,
Can you sort of run through what you did in the experienced course and how it was on the Bullet?  How your brakes did, quick shifting, etc?  Really curious.

Thanks,
Boggy
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Chuck D

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Reply #10 on: July 14, 2010, 04:54:09 am
Hey Rick,
Can you sort of run through what you did in the experienced course and how it was on the Bullet?  How your brakes did, quick shifting, etc?  Really curious.

Thanks,
Boggy
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Rick Sperko

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Reply #11 on: July 14, 2010, 05:22:00 am
I am really confused, I cannot find my thread from when i returned from the class. At the time I was very impressed with how well the brakes and clutch held up. The bike was so nimble, I felt like it danced around the course. I was able do do figure 8s in a much smaller area than everyone else. It was fun seeing the basic rider class stop and watch the Bullet go by too. People were literally pointing. It was a lot of fun.

In the experienced rider course we didn't have to keep the clutch engaged, and I was able to pop it into neutral, unlike the basic rider course. My wife took the Bullet to her basic rider course, I cringed knowing it was there, but it worked well for her too.

-Rick
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rideOn

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Reply #12 on: July 14, 2010, 03:00:44 pm
the wife piddled around and let her course certificate expire, so she has to take the road test at the dmv. i really wish i had the bullet together for her to ride the courses, especially the figure 8!. the engine, gearbox and more are all in in cardboard boxes awaiting all those cool new bearings, rod, et. al.

she said she'll just use her bike, which my guess is she'll have difficulty in the fig 8. i told her if she has to put a foot down, just go ahead and put both feet down and walk it through the box. they only take points off for the first time the foot goes down. a couple of gals in my msf course did that on the instructor's advice.
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Reply #13 on: July 14, 2010, 04:40:11 pm
In 1966 the rider course consisted of the salesman pointing out the controls and turning me loose in the ally behind the store.

Over the last few years I've taken the advanced (in MN there is no intermediate) class with both the K100 and the ST1100. the course focused on handling the owners own bike. With the larger, heavier bikes some of the basics had been adjusted to make it possible to accomplish. For example the "Box" was larger. the rest of the class focused on low speed handling and control. With a Bullet, this class would be a breeze. With the ST...not so much.

The next level is performance riding. I don't mean a track day or raciing classes, but some of the principals of these applied to street riding. I don't remember the statistic, but a fair number of MC accidents are single vehicle incidents. the rider misses a turn or unexpectedly runs onto poor traction surfaces. The techniques used in perfromance rriding can give the rider an edge, an estra set of tools to deal with the unexpected. Here is a link to the course I found locally. I offer it as an example of what I am referring to. http://ridingcourse.com/ 
Dont be put off by the race bike in the picture. The course is taught by racers but the content is about street riding.
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Reply #14 on: July 14, 2010, 06:43:23 pm
my best training was a dirt bike.    Balance,   tree avoidance  skids & slides. When I turned 16 the Ohio motorcycle endorsement was a safety cone course, not much of a challenge for a balanced rider, but failure (even on Honda 90's) for the novice. What we need to educate are the 4 wheelers.
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Reply #15 on: July 15, 2010, 05:44:09 pm
What we need to educate are the 4 wheelers.
[/quote
+1
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Reply #16 on: July 17, 2010, 07:28:15 am
I took the course.  I'd been riding since the mid 50s [half a century] and thought I knew what I was doing.  I had the 'been there done that' attitude.  I LEARNED A LOT!  There were a lot of things I was doing wrong and, of course, a lot I didn't know or even thought was an issue.  By the end of the course I had to face up to the fact that, even with all those years with motorcycles, I was a poor rider.  I'm pushing 70 so my reaction time and motor skills are not all they might once have been.  I feel that taking the basic course has been a great benifit in making up for the years. 

My advice?  Don't let anyone you care about ride a bike without them first doing the training. 

By the way.  I think this is the first thread, that I've witnessed, where everyone agreed with the first post.  I wonder if everone would agree that even one beer can make a motorcyle a lot motre dangerous than it would if, instead, a car was being operated?   
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HRAB

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Reply #17 on: July 20, 2010, 11:28:14 pm
I took the course. [snip]  I LEARNED A LOT! 

My advice?  Don't let anyone you care about ride a bike without them first doing the training. 
[Snip]
  I wonder if everone would agree that even one beer can make a motorcyle a lot motre dangerous than it would if, instead, a car was being operated?   

Agreed!
Agreed!
and  Agreed!
My aren't we all an agreeable groop!

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Reply #18 on: July 21, 2010, 12:18:25 am
Yeah, I think the MSF riders course I took was invaluable.  I would also like to do an intermediate course and a sidecar course one of these days.

Eamon
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