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Day #3 of MSF - The Final Chapter
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This day started with us handing in our answer sheets to the test at
the end of day #2.
This day culminated with a 4 event course for the final riding test.
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So, er, what are these advanced skills they are teaching at the BRC? And
what basic skills should they teach instead?
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I wish they chould have had a mini-roadway with real stop signs,
passing lane with several of us acting as traffic, a fake island to
practice real u-turns, sample intersection, a real truck to avoid, but
from there are liability issues that they minimize by never having
students interact with each other or real objects in close proximity.
So, the skills they teach are how to handle your bike at low speeds (up
to 18mph) going through a variety of exercises that emphasize the basic
skills needed to ride a motorcycle: familiarity with the feel of your
bike, leaning/counter-leaning, counter-steering/steering, stopping,
starting, turning/turning around, obstacle avoidance strategies, curve
approaches, and lane changing, which was by far the weakest part of the
exercises and probably one of the most important skills needed, but
with only simulated lanes with no real traffic, I don't know what they
could have done better.
They did emphasize that this is only the first step for beginners and
that many may benefit from weeks of self-directed riding around empty
parking lots, neighborhood roads, and other lower intensity riding.
My gut feel is that half the folks there will go out and get their
license today since my state waives everything but the vision and
written tests if you successfully pass the MSF. And compared to the
driving skills test my state admins, the MSF was 1000% better and more
challenging, so I agree with their stance.
One young lady who dates a guy who has a Harley and regularly rides
2-up with him took the class to help her determine if she wanted her
own bike. I'll admit as did my son that she looked like a Harley
rider... 35-40yo, blonde hair braided down her back, the way she
carried herself, the black leather jacket, not unpleasant to look at.
She had never ridden a bike herself before this class and did
admirably, but after getting her MSF card, she said that if she bought
a bike, she'd spend the next 6 months in parking lots before venturing
out on the road. She's pretty smart in my book, though I think she'd
tire of parking lots in a day or two.
Having an obvious confidence problem, she told me on the way out that
she couldn't believe they passed her, yet she never downed the bike,
rarely if ever put her foot down, and recovered nicely from overly
aggressive use of the throttle during the panic breaking exercise of
the riding test.
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Well many of the skills they teach at the BRC are what some would consider
basic. The problem is, slow speed makes them more advanced level skills.
One example, the decreasing radius corner. We were expected to roll on
throttle through it (basic), but got yelled at if we broke 20MPH (now it's
more advanced). The pace they wanted us to go, we could have stayed almost
totally upright. But they wanted us to lean through the corner. At less
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And?
That's about like leaning the bike over at zero MPH without
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than 20MPH. That's about like leaning the bike over at zero MPH without
putting your foot down. :)
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That part remains unchanged. Same deal as you had.
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No it's not. A haf decent U-Turn done at less than 5mph will STILL see the
bike leaned over by a not inconsiderable amount.
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Another example, u-turns (figure 8). Obviously knowing how to do a u-turn
will help with cornering skills. (basic). Now do it at almost zero MPH in
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How does that work then? A U-Turn is an ultra slow manoeuvre, so how it
helps with cornering, is quite beyond me. You mopst CERTAINLY won't be
countersteering through a U-Turn, but you won't be NOT countersteering while
cornering. These are two totally different beasts.
Now do it at almost zero MPH in
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a very tight radius. Twice in a row, opposite directions. Not only does
this bounce the skill tested up to advanced level, but it moves the skill
tested into the realm of (this is so bizarre that you'll never see it in
everyday riding on a public road).
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Yup. One of our instructors did it in half the height of the box with a
Harley Fatboy. I missed it arriving at 6:45AM, but others who got there
earlier saw him do it. As he said, it's all a matter of technique and
dare I add experience, confidence in yourself and your bike.
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How would I change it? Well If you must test the figure-8, make the box
bigger. It wouldn't change the test significantly, but it would be MORE
APPLICABLE to everyday riding that way. Also don't be so picky about speed
through the decreasing radius corner. If a student can enter and exit
through the proper cones, choose the proper "line" through the curve, etc. .
. let the student choose an appropriate speed through the corner. This
would actually enhance safety of the course, assuming that the students are
maintaining proper spacing as they are supposed to anyway. Hot dogs who hit
the cones or (miss them completely) could still be "counselled out", if they
fail to follow suggestions from the coaches to improve their cornering.
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I almost got "counselled out" myself. It was that early perimeter turn
exercise soon after power-walking on day #1. The coach was shouting
"walk the end", but in my helmet over the buzz of a dozen bikes, I
heard, "walk it in".
So, around the perimeter turn, I rode with my feet up and to get back
into line, I "walk(ed) it in". Well, when he had had enough of me, he
came right up to me and said, "I won't tell you again - walk the end!".
Needless to say, I could have been mistaken for a centipede as much as
I power-walked that bike around the track for the rest of that
exercise.
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In short, speed it up a bit. Ironically, this would make it more of a basic
course. :) -Dave
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Everything today and yesterday led up to that course, including panic
stops, obstacle avoidance, curve riding, figure 8's in a marked box.
Sad to say that the lady who dropped her bike yesterday did so again
today in the figure 8 (dual u-turns). They "invited" her to leave. I
felt for her, but rather than put her foot down and regain control of
the bike, she just let it fall to the ground as she leapt out of the
way, so I guess the coaches made the right call.
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Would she have been strong enough to catch the bike if she had attempted to
do so?
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I don't think even I would want to lift/catch the bike, but if she had
just extended her foot to the ground... come to think of it, they
didn't cover that. They should have had us shift to the right and left
in place and see what it felt like to support the bike with one leg.
Then again, we did spend an exorbitant amount of time "power walking",
so maybe that should have sufficed.
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Welcome to the new "user friendly" MSF... They did away with all the
"unecessary" stuff figuring it would come naturally as you did the other,
"more important", stuff. In the words for a Senior RiderCoach (one who
Coaches the Coaches) "Let them figure it out for themselves. They'll get
it..."
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One of the instructors got stuck under the bike on the first day in the
field, so even he didn't have the strength to get from under it and he
rides a Goldwing.
There were 2 other ladies, one even slighter who did catch themselves
by putting their foot down once or twice.
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Hmmmmm . . . in our BRC, they did have us lean the bike left and right
(pretty far left and right) to get the feel for holding it with each leg.
That was before the power-walking. I think we had an exceptional class,
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I wish we had done that. It might have helped her.
Greg
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being that every single person passed the skills test, including four women
(out of 12 students). The only bike that hit the ground was a honda
something being ridden by a petite young lady. She wasn't even moving at
the time. She had stopped at the end of an excercise to receive further
instructions from the coach. She was totally stopped, both feet down,
listening to the coach, and the bike slowly leaned over to the left (with
her on it) and seemed to lay itself down in slow motion. She rolled away
from it. Then the coach helped her pick it up. Still not sure what
happened. But she wasn't asked to leave, she got right back on and circled
around to rejoin us... and she passed the skills test. In fact, I think she
had fewer points deducted than I did. :) -Dave
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Our AM team of 12 had built up some teamanship and I know nobody was
happy to see her go, but that's what happens.
The course we ran to get our MSF cards was continuous and consisted of:
1. panic stop from 12-18 mph (2nd gear)... you had to do it all right -
apply both brakes, downshift to fist, left foot down first. One guy ran
out of gas on this part; he's an experienced rider, too.
2. dual U-turns/figure 8 in a marked box
3. obstacle avoidance at 15mph (we had to veer right)
4. in/out/in curve riding, accelerate in a straightway, slow as you
approach another curve, take that curve and stop
All in all a decent course to help you learn or refresh on basics. I'll
look at the advanced in a year or so.
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Wait until you take the advanced course. They teach you how to do wheelies
and stoppies.
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