Florida Motorcycle Safety Course

[patrick_777]

Originally Posted by Badbob

GZ125 is not a typo.

No he didn't mean GZ250.

[Badbob]

Originally Posted by JIBTEXHNKA

you mean GZ250?

No I meant GZ125. Same size. Looked the same except for the instrument cluster. speedometer, tachometer and a lighted indicator for each gear so you didn't have to guess what gear you were on. I could not find out where it came from. The dealer that claimed to supply all the bikes. didn't know. I got to ride this one after my clutch went out. in the Honda I was using.

[Badbob]

Originally Posted by LilNinja77

Exactly my point of concern......the riders I was referring to only passed by pure luck, it was quite obvious to myself (and several other classmates) that they were having a great deal of difficulty operating their motorcycles and were not what you would call "in control" of their machines. I don't say that as a way of looking down on them, I just say it in the pursuit of safe riding. A lot of people don't understand that just passing the BRC doesn't suddenly make you a skilled street-rider, they get the completion card and then just jump on the street without giving themselves any further training. Like you said, it's just about teaching the bare-bones basics, it takes time and miles to really learn the ins-and-outs of street-riding; and the only time you really stop learning is when you stop riding....either by choice or by death.

Being good friends with two ex-MSF instructors has really opened my eyes on how things have changed within the MSF over the years as more and more people have picked up motorcycing as a means of transportation. Like I said, with the classes filling up and having waiting-lists, what can you really expect......All I know is regardless of riding experience, it's a great idea to brush up on critical riding manuevers and techniques on a regular basis. I try to make it out to my local abandoned warehouse about every 2 or 3 weeks as a general rule. If the drivers are being especially dumb (like now, in the summer for instance), it can be a weekly trip. The warehouse is on the back-roads way to the grocery store, so it's just part of my routine. Spend a couple minutes just re-learning the limits of the tires and brakes, and then I'm on my way. Just my .02
Ride safe

I understand your concerns. The do fail people here. No one failed in my class. However on test day we picked up an additional student that was taking the test for the third time. She made it.

Ask your instructor friends if they have any restrictions on what they can tell the students in the classroom.

I don't think they spend near enough time on how to avoid getting yourself into a situation where an accident is likely.

If you haven't read these you might find them interesting.

Proficient Motorcycling: The Ultimate Guide to Riding Well
David L. Hough http://tinyurl.com/2bd228

More Proficient Motorcycling: Mastering the Ride
David L. Hough http://tinyurl.com/2ukmn5

[LilNinja77]

I love both those reads , my MSF buddies loaned them to me when I first started riding, along with A Twist of the Wrist (I forget the author).......IIRC one of them was on video.

Yes I agree about the need to teach more pro-active than re-active techniques, problem being that doing so would require a much longer course more than likely. And yes they are limited on what they can tell a student in the classroom. Many of the things taught are simple "yes and no" guidelines, intended to just steer the student in to a more safe riding habit. Take the "Don't use rear brake in a turn" rule for example. There are many times where it's fine to use rear brake in a turn, but because it's a bit more of an advanced technique that a complete newbie might crash trying to do, the instructors are themselves instructed to teach that it's a no-no. Truth is that very few aspects of riding are a simple black/white yes/no deal, it all depends on the specific situation you find yourself in. Of course you know this Badbob, I'm just narrating it.

BTW, people around here fail too, they just fail at life :tongue:
Ride safe

[JIBTEXHNKA]

and you all fail at getting my crappy jokes

[Badbob]

Originally Posted by LilNinja77

I love both those reads , my MSF buddies loaned them to me when I first started riding, along with A Twist of the Wrist (I forget the author).......IIRC one of them was on video.

I have Twist of the Wrist as well.this is also a good book.

[Tonckawa]

Well....I completed the course this past weekend. Finished first in the class believe or not. Only got 5 points for going to slow on the 135 degree turn (had to do it under 7 seconds and I did it in 7.2 seconds). What do they expect, it rained an hour before we started the test. Aced the written part of the test. Had two people wipe out on the fast braking and downshift to first gear test. Too much front brake and not enough rear brake and it was wet. They can re-take it again within 60 days, just not the same day. The only part I kind of struggled with was the two tight turns (figure 8) in the 20 foot box and don't put your feet down. I blamed it on unbalanced saddle bags, LOL.

They were mainly using Kawasaki Eliminators (125cc). There was one GZ250 (2007 model) and one big heavy dude had to use a Enduro 125 (street legal motorcross) and they let me use my own GZ250. My left hand was completely wore out after the first day cause of all the clutch practicing we had to do. I did like the way they taught the extreme newbies how to clutch or use the "friction zone". Helped them get started easier. Got boring for me.

[LilNinja77]

Good job I like hearing what bikes they use at different locations. When I took it, there were 12 bikes.......4 gz's, 4 eliminators, 2 nighthawks, and 2 suzuki enduro's............I was SOOOOO hoping they would have a Ninja 250 when I took it. Looking back, I can see why the Ninja's aren't common in the courses, they require quite a bit more finesse and would be a lot easier to drop for a newbie. Congrats!
Ride safe