If you guys are anything like me, you would much rather avoid the pain-in-the-ass that is the DMV motorcycle test. After seeing what the test compromises of, and hearing all the horror stories, I decided I would much rather go take the Motorcycle Safety Foundation (MSF) course instead. So, I figure I would make a write up on my experience.
Day one is the classroom portion of the MSF course, and it is just as boring and dull as you would expect it to be. It is about four hours of watching videos and doing worksheets. At the end, you take a written exam that is incredibly easy (maybe for you Matt…-Ed).
For the most part, this portion of the MSF covers the area of common sense. It basically covers the same stuff as the DMV permit test. So if you have taken or are familiar with that, you will know most of this stuff already.
On Day two we actually got to ride. We started off by calling roll then walking out to the bikes and choosing one (I rode a Nighthawk). The format was usually two to three drills and then a short break of 10 minutes or so. Except on the second day, it poured rain, so we opted to skip several of the breaks to power through the class and get out of the rain.
It felt good to finally be able to sit on a bike. We started off at the most basic of points, identifying all the controls on the bike and how to use them. The first day really focuses on clutch control and starting and stopping. The first 3-4 exercises consisted of mostly getting off to a smooth start controlling your speed and stopping and just basically getting used to the controls of a motorcycle. They started us off with finding the “friction zone” and where the clutch starts to engage. You start off simply enough just letting the clutch out a little and walking the bike back and forth before moving onto traveling in a straight line.
About half way through the day is when we started to get into some real riding exercises. We started off with weaves through cones and then we got into cornering techniques and we ended the day with emergency stopping practice. There were about eight exercises total. For the most part, the first day consisted of getting acquainted with the motorcycle and its basic maneuvers.
Just my luck, on Day three, the sun decided to take a break and it poured rain. As if getting up at the crack of dawn wasn’t enough already, the MSF apparently felt they should start off the day with a bang and roll out the difficult stuff right off the bat. The first exercise of the day was the “box,” which is by far the hardest of the exercises you will do during the course (and it will return for a repeat performance in the test). The box consists of a small rectangle that you must ride into then perform two U-turns in (basically a figure eight). The key to passing this exercise is to turn your head and look through the turn. Throttle and clutch control are also key in successfully completing the box.
Another exercise was the emergency swerve around an imaginary truck (a box of cones). They had us speed up to about 15 miles an hour, shift into second and an instructor will either point to his left or right and you have to swerve in that direction. Occasionally they will throw a curve ball your way and put both hands out meaning they want you to stop as quickly as possible.
There were several cornering drills, one of which was a 130 degree turn that would be on the skills test later. They teach you to judge entry speed and to use an outside inside outside path through the turn and steady throttle throughout.
It’s pretty easy to figure out which exercises will be on the evaluation at the end of the day, and our instructors told us which ones we would be tested on later. As a final exercise, you go on several practice runs before actually going ahead with the test.
Now the test consists of four exercises broken up into three parts. The first part is the box and then as you exit the box you need to make an emergency swerve. The second is the emergency stop, and the third and final part is the 130 degree right turn.
There are certain things on the test that will fail you immediately (dropping the bike or performing what they consider an unsafe maneuver) or cost you major points (not doing an exercise correctly on a second try or taking too long to stop on the emergency stop). But for the most part everything else is considered a minor mistake and will only cost you one point. You can miss a total of 20 points without failing so you realize a few minor mistakes won’t kill you. The key is just avoiding the major ones.
The instructors will also go over exactly what they are looking for in each part of the test and what exactly will cost you points so you are clear on what needs to be done.
In the box, they look to see that you don’t cross out of the rectangle or put your feet down
for the swerve. They don’t want to see you use your brakes before swerving or see you going too fast (12-15 mph). In the emergency stop, they want to see you stop in the allowed amount of distance and use both brakes. They will make you retake this portion if you don’t go fast enough (12-15mph) or if they see you anticipating the stop. In the 130 degree turn, they want to see you brake before heading into the turn, using smooth throttle control throughout. This part is also timed so you need to go fast enough to complete it.
The test really isn’t that bad and everyone in my class passed no problem. There were no tip overs or falls over the two days and everyone did well the whole way through. It’s very satisfying getting called up and finding out you passed. A wave of excitement came over me and I high fived both of my instructors. They also gave me a small card that is good for discounts at some motorcycle shops and apparently can also get you a discount on your insurance. They also tell you to expect a slip in the mail soon that you take to the DMV to waive your riding portion of the test (it took about 5 days for mine to arrive).
The motorcycles they let you use are not exactly Ducatis, so aim for one of the few dual sports they have if you get the chance. Five hours of riding is a lot more tiring than you would think. The helmets they provide smell like Lysol (I was also a little under the weather at the time and sneezed in the helmet several times, disgusting), so opt to bring your own. 6:45 am classes and waking up early enough to get to them is not fun don’t be nervous you will realize afterwards that the test and the class in general isn’t hard or scary at all riding around for 5 hours while completely soaked also sucks for the record.
Overall, I would definitely say that the MSF was a good experience and it was definitely worthwhile. I can say without a doubt that I would recommend it to anyone over the DMV motorcycle test. Also, being a new rider with limited riding experience, this was a good introduction to the world of motorcycles. Now if you guys will excuse me, I am off to get my motorcycle license.
If you like this post then please consider subscribing to our full feed RSS or receive new posts by Email.
DandyID
MySpace
YouTube
Facebook Pages
