Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R Forum banner

How does this happen at a MSF course?

4.8K views 48 replies 26 participants last post by  MiniCog  
#1 ·
I took my friend up to San Antonio last year to take her MSF course. She had just bought a brand new R6 and while she knew the basics, I really wanted her to learn more than what I taught her. So, we packed our shit and headed north. I dropped her off and went on my way for a hill country ride. When I came back I found one of these poor guys parked on the side. Another rider decides to drop the course and go home. Turns out she gave it a lil too much gas, popped the clutch, and vertical she went.

Image
 
#4 ·
Naaa, it was another rider. However, my friend DID fall like 3 times. The day after I actually stayed at the course to watch. I saw plenty of people fall. Luckily it's all in a controlled enviroment with small displacement motors.
 
#43 ·
Thats good clarification. In NC, you can take the MSF to get a discount off insurance and to get out of taking the driving portion of the exam. Since you take a similar exam during the MSF. If you drop your bike during the MSF exam, you fail the exam meaning, no insurance discount (unless you take again), and you have to take the exam at DMV to get license.
 
#19 ·
I thought that most training classes were virtually accident and drop free. Wow was I wrong.

I'm in Ontario, Canada and I remember when taking my first training class at a local college there were no less than 5-6 drops during training. We used there bikes which were Virago 250's. There are no repercussions if you do so during the 2 days of training. You will fail automatically though if you put it down during the final testing to advance to the next stage of your licensing.

There was a bad incident with someone in my group. In the final testing he broke the big rule they constantly reminded you of ALL weekend which was 'never' death grip the front brake. In the very first part of the test this fellow got nervous, he was going too fast and to compensate just grabbed the front brakes. Of course the bike went sideways and up in the air and then straight down on him and his ankle which was broken. Needless to say that was the end of his day. Saw the instructor recently and he said this fellow was determined to head back this year to do the training again.

Glad he made a full recovery and wish him well.

Always stay aware as anything can happen anywhere. Cheers!
 
#21 ·
rode one like this in my class, but a few weeks before mine a student crashed into another infront of them breaking the leg if the front rider so i can see this happening. And in my class if you dropped your bike during the graded test then you failed, cause the first day and before the testing begain on the 2nd they were dropping like flies but wernt sent home packing, and some even passed...
 
#22 ·
I really liked my MSF course. I had never ridden a bike before and my nerves almost got the best of me. I was doing great the second day and when it came to the test on the third day, my nerves got the best of me, and I just barely passed, but I never dropped the bike. lol.

A few of the guys who took the course with me had ridden for years, but said the course made them a better rider. Another guy grabbed a handful of front brake in a curve and bit the concrete. They didn't fail him, but maybe it varies by state.

If I ever get some extra money, I'd like to take the advanced course.
 
#24 ·
I remember way back at my MSF class. This lady was taking the course to spite her husband because he said she couldnt do it. Well, she didnt because she dropped a bike in class(not the test). This other lady did well then parked her bike next to the others and didnt put the stand down properly and it fell into one bike and knocked a bunch over. Like dominos. LOL
 
#30 ·
My friend took the class with me back in the day. The instructors said if you drop the bike in the class or test your done. Well my friend dropped it twice. One instructor wanted him gone but the head instructor let him stay. He got his license and he bought a gsxr600 and did two unintentional stoppies. Both times the bike fell on him. After a few months I got him back on the bike and had him ride in the hilly grass in my small back yard. Three weeks later he was riding on the streets. Today he owns a S1KRR. He has been learning ever since. He tell his story sometimes to others. Kinda proud of him for sticking with it. We ride together all the time. He will get me on the straights but I will get him in the turns. We have fun just playing around on two wheels.
 
#31 ·
Where im at when you take the course ur allowed to drop the bike during the course but not during the final riding test. Cause i mean how else are u going to learn? But i couldnt definitely see in extreme cases instructors asking riders to leave the course and retake it at another time.
 
#32 ·
When I took the class, some jackass got kicked out for doing wheelies on his dirtbike, like 30 seconds after the instructors told us that anything reckless would get us the boot.
 
#35 ·
Yeah, he was just some cocky kid that grew up on dirt bikes and was only there to get his license so he could ride on the street (here, if you are under 21, you HAVE to take the class to get your license). He was gone in the 1st couple hours, and even before he started fucking around, he was arrogant and disrespectful, laughing at some of the less coordinated students .
 
#34 ·
This doesn't surprise me, the riders in my class were terrible. Even the instructors didn't seem to really know what they were doing other than what they were taught to teach us. During one of the drills, I was riding with 2 fingers on the clutch and 2 on the brake like I always do. The instructor stopped me and told me I should have all fingers wrapped around the grip when not using the brake or clutch, and to use all 4 fingers to pull in the clutch and brake. Wtf?
The MSF course didn't teach me anything I didn't already know, and was kind of a waste of time other than the reduced insurance rate. However, I wouldn't be against making all riders take and pass the course. I'd hate to see some of the riders from my class out on the street before they took the class.
 
#42 ·
The instructor stopped me and told me I should have all fingers wrapped around the grip when not using the brake or clutch, and to use all 4 fingers to pull in the clutch and brake. Wtf?
Had the exact same thing happen to me but was my first day riding a street bike and it felt completely natural that way. Even after the instructor advised us how SENSITIVE the Ninja brakes were he still wanted me to do this everytime no matter what :coocoo
 
#36 ·
I think the type of bikes they use has a LOT of how the students learn too. A friend of mine is an instructor and I stopped by to say hi to him during one of his classes one time. They were using the Buell Blast. During their lunch break, he told me to take one of them for a spin.........HOLY HELL, that think shook and rattled the crap out of my bones. I think a Rebel250 or GZ250 (standard style bikes) would have been MUCH easier for a new rider to learn on.
 
#37 ·
i like my class... I've learned so much there... everyone dropped there bike. but everyone also passed... except for a lady who could n.t go over 5 mph. i felt bad for her. lol. or instructor told us that as long a we don't drop the bike during the test, we'll be fine.
 
#38 ·
Yup here in PA you are okay if you drop it up until the testing portion. Nobody in my class dropped however one guy did have a heck of a time with clutch control and ran off the course a few times. He ended up failing for riding outside of the box, again poor clutch control bit him in the arse.
 
#45 ·
I haven't taken the MSF but I know plenty of people who have and I am familiar with their concepts. I don't know about the logic that is being conveyed here. I rode on my permit for 2 years or some such because I was too lazy to get my license until one day I got pulled over on the freeway. The cop actually complimented my ridng (in spite of the fact that I was speeding) and told me to go get my endorsement. Once I got to the DMV I failed to navigate some retarded circle maneuver that I will NEVER have to do in my lifetime of riding.

A week or so later I went and took it at one of the other DMV sites and they had me ride around the block.

My original point in responding to this, however, was to point out that the MSF course is (as others have said) a learning environment. If you are going to fail for dropping your bike then save the money. It should be expected that the bikes are going to get thrashed, dropped, etc. I don't know why its so hard to believe that someone panicked, dumped the clutch and trashed some fairings. Shit happens and I've seen some of the most unimaginable things in the most unexpected of circumstances.
 
#46 ·
Im going with JoT on that one. I agree. Thats why i think its okay to drop the bike when you are learning, but not during the final (actually graded) test portion. If your drop during the course but end up passing the graded riding test then have you not done what the course is and learned to ride?