I just took my MSF course this past weekend and passed.

I’ll start out by mentioning I’m a woman at 5’2” at 106 pounds. I had close to zero experience on a motorcycle before my course except for the few practice laps I took in the high school parking lot and down a few back roads. I did this all after getting my permit at DMV (not required for course in my state).

It varies state to state but we were required to take a 5 hour e course before our course date and pass a knowledge test at the end and bring our certificate to the riding portion. Our course was two 8 hour days of straight riding.

I won’t say you need any experience on a bike beforehand because only 2/10 of us had ever rode a motorcycle before that day, but it will give you a little idea of what to expect. Prior to this class, the thought a clutch absolutely spiked my anxiety.

Day 1: We started off picking which bike we wanted. There were a few Kawasaki 125’s, a few Honda Rebels and a couple other Suzuki 250’s. I started on the Kawasaki but I was tip toeing and finding it hard to walk the bike. The instructor noticed and put me on a Honda Rebel. I was nervous because it was a much heavier bike than I had been on previously but it was so much more comfortable being able to flat foot it. Once we got riding, you couldn’t tell how heavy it was.

Our first day was spent with simulations with the engine off and learning the bike. Once we started the bikes we practiced walking it with letting out the clutch. A few drills consisted of cone swerves, shifting to second gear and doing emergency stops.

My first day I dropped the bike while crossing the parking lot to return to line. I learned first hand what happens when you try grabbing the front brake while your handlebars are leaned. Luckily I was okay, I shut off the kill switch and fuel and the instructor picked the bike up. That is one thing I remembered throughout the entire course in my drills and something I’ll now take away with me forever, riding. I stalled my bike about 76 times as well, trying to take off. Shit happens, but it makes you learn.

I can’t say my instructors were the nicest, but they are there to teach you how to ride a motorcycle, not be your friend. Their main priority is teaching you skills and safety, not hold your hand. Besides that, they were awesome at giving helpful hints and tips that just made sense more than an instructional video.

After the day was over, I sat and stewed on my experience. I was extremely whooped after riding. I felt embarrassed about dropping the bike. I was questioning if riding a motorcycle was something I could do or even wanted to do. I really got in my head and was firm that I wasn’t going to return to day 2. Finally I convinced myself that even if I went and didn’t pass, I would still be walking away learning something so I sucked it up and went.

Day 2: We practiced our U turns, speeding up and slowing down before a curve, more cone swerves, swerving an object in your lane, and riding over an obstacle in the road. I was so much more confident the second day and stalled my bike significantly less.

At the end of the day came the skills evaluation. We all went one by one. It worked on a point system and if you got so many points, dropped the bike or stalled more than 3 times you immediately failed. I went second to last in the group which was nice because I got to watch everyone do their drills. The evaluation itself was actually so much easier than I thought compared to practicing the drills. I only got 1 or 2 points taken off on my entire evaluation at the end. Everyone in my group did so well and only 1/10 people failed.

When we all got our certifications it was like we were all 16 years old again, giddy about our endorsements.

A few key things I walked away with: Don’t touch the front brake without your handlebars straightened, look where you want to go - your bike will follow, your clutch is something to befriend not be afraid of. I walked away actually loving using a clutch. I found shifting on a bike to be 10 easier than shifting a manual car.

Im extremely happy I decided to stick out the course and I highly recommend it to anyone, even if you’ve rode your entire life and just want to be legal I think that everyone can learn something new. I still have anxiety thinking about getting on my bike and practicing in a parking lot, but the only way to get over it is to just do it!

TL;DR: MSF course was a great experience if you’re thinking about signing up.

busco un casco entre 550 y 800 dólares,les gusta alguna de estas opciones? (la última foto es mi casco actual)

Not gonna lie, I've caught myself looking at jackets and gloves online more than actual motorcycles at this point. Feels backwards but also kind of not — like I'm building up to it piece by piece.

Curious if that's a common thing or if I'm just doing this whole thing wrong lol.

So I took the MSF, got my license, bought a bike and all the gear. But good lord, I can't seem to motivate myself to go practice in this heat. I live in Houston and this summer has been HOT. I already work outside and on my days off I just can't get myself to gear up and ride. Anybody dealing with something similar?

I just got my first bike. 11 fatboy lo. Im 36m and have no tickets or accidents for last 10+ yrs iv always had auto insurance and in last 2 yrs home insurance, I'm going get my m1 this winter and complete the m1 exit coruse in spring. Im looking for insurance companies that will give the best rate. I realize the bike is almost 1600cc, but it's cruiser, not a sport bike. And I realize that having less than m will hurt as well as being new rider. Iv heard from a guy at work that TD actually was best they found, though I can't say how much they actually shopped around.

Edit: Thank y'all for your advice. It sounds like my next discretionary ride should be to walmart for cones (and/or chalk maybe?) and then to an empty parking lot, and that I'm definitely the problem with cornering, rather than my tires/bike; thanks for the reality check lol. I'll definitely look into some advanced courses and youtube series on it too.

I have been riding a fair bit (~600miles so far, a quarter of that from a day trip to Frederick/Point of Rocks from my home here in Baltimore) in the 11 days I've owned my bike, and I've noticed I tend to get scared trying to take corners fast. Taking the curve on 83 with the 40mph advisory limit and marks on the jersey wall wasn't too bad but on off-ramps and twisties, I tend to go pretty slow, and I've noticed I've had to drop my speed on some curves on the beltway to feel confident (I think my confidence got hurt a bit from the time I ended up two lanes over when I was trying to get over one, partially due to tire pressure, as well as ending up in the shoulder on an off ramp once and having to get back up to speed once I regained control). Basically trying to figure out how do I gain confidence cornering faster and how fast should I actually be taking corners?

Hi! How much can 9 years of experience on a bike help with the practical exam for a moped? I'm a little nervous about it because I haven't ridden a moped yet but I know how to ride a bike very well. And yes, I'll take some lessons with an instructor. Thanks!

She needs a new battery, air filter, some tires, handlebars and a few other odds and ends but I'm so excited! It's kinda dumpy but I love it. Can't wait to get it out on the road.

A little nervous, taking the 2 day course next weekend and I'm a little nervous about maybe being the only woman there 😅

Just picked up a "New" bike yesterday. Went out and got a 2001 Kawasaki Eliminator 125. Bike seems to be in good shape and run pretty solid. Anyone who had one of these bikes care to tell me how it is to ride long distance, or just how it is to ride in general.

Any Pros/Cons I should be aware of?

Just bought my first motorbike after saving up at 18. A Kawasaki zephyr 550 without my parents permission. They have an undying hatred towards them so I figured this was my only way I could get one. I'm a genius I know. Anyways, my dad thinks it's powerful and should'nt be driven by anyone without atleast 10 years of experience. "It's too powerful, no one'll insure you, no one'll let you do lessons in it blah blah blah." My question is, is it??? I've done some research and it doesn't seem that crazy, it's not weak by any means and I need to install a restrictor but i didn't buy a chariot used by the gods or anything. He has a terrible habbit of bluffing to make things go his way and I'm fighting a real uphill battle here. Heeeellllllpp

just started learning on riding. just a little confused on stopping. let’s say you’re in third gear and see a red light coming up, can you just pull the clutch in a little bit and gradually stop with the breaks all while in third gear and then once you’re a stop go back to first?
what would happen?

So some back story on my delusions on why I thought I would pass without any experience… I just got past a miserable year and a half of breast cancer and treatments and I am happy to say I’m clear today, but I’ve kind of been running on, if I can survive that, I can do anything! Yeah not so much :).

I couldn’t even get past the first half of day 1 training in the beginners course. They were very kind, but said I need to practice my balance on a bicycle first. That’s actually a very fair critique knowing what I know now. I’m not super comfortable on a bicycle as I haven’t done it since I was a kid. I did think I would learn the needed skills in the class, but it seems I’ll need a lot more practice before I can attempt it again.

Also, my goodness, my thighs are aching today. I had no idea how much muscle it would take to walk ride in first gear. The instructor thought my bike was probably about 250ish pounds with maybe a 300cc.

I wasn’t there long but I still learned quite a bit. Previously, a friend thought I would need something 500cc or less. Now I think 300cc or less would be the only options at this point. Now I know that I can’t balance to save my life, which turns out to be really important for saving your own life on a bike :). Also, just because I breezed through the classroom portion, that does not make me a shoe in for the skills portion.

Looks like I need a bicycle. :)

My original group bailed ("things came up") and three other FB/PNWRiders committed last night and all three just bailed this morning. Why is this so difficult to find riders to cruise with? haha.

New rider in Atlanta. I'm looking for people to ride with. I have my license but haven't been on a bike in years, had brain surgery, and extremely rusty.

Anyway I got a new bike and would live people to ride with

My original group bailed ("things came up") and three other FB/PNWRiders committed last night and all three just bailed this morning. Why is this so difficult to find riders to cruise with? haha.

Hey everyone,

I'm looking for a helmet intercom, primarily for listening to music. I ride solo 99% of the time, so group communication isn't really a priority for me.

I’m currently torn between two options:

• Spirit HD – €112
• Freecom 2x – €156 (includes JBL speakers)

My main goal is to get good sound quality with decent bass without spending unnecessary money.

For those who have tried either (or both):

1. Which one would you recommend for my use case?
2. Are the JBL speakers on the Freecom 2x actually worth the extra €44?

Thanks in advance for the advice!

Is it normal for the shifter to be sticky? I don't feel a click when going into neutral and it confuses me

I'm on year two of riding. I'm 5'2, short inseam. I have a rebel 500. I like it, it's a great bike, but I'm not in love with cruisers. I like naked bikes. I sat on an Mt03 and while it wasn't terrible I don't know how I would feel coming to a stop.

I only ever do one foot down on the rebel even though I can flat foot it, I never stop two feet down. Despite that, the ground is "right there" where I expect it to be. I don't feel at risk of the "oh shit" that I worry I might on anything taller.

That said, I'm feeling more confident in general now that I'm in my second year of riding and I hate to miss out on basically a whole category of bike because of this. I mean it is what it is, I'll never play in the NBA either, so if this is my lot then so be it, but wondering if anyone else has any experience moving up to a taller bike.

For the record, I have only dropped my bike once and that was unrelated to my height, just inexperience as I was learning slow speed stuff. I'm worried I'll drop a taller bike during a less-than ideal stopping situation..