MSF class wrapup.
Seriously: Everyone who drives should take this class. I have the greatest respect for the instructors, and for the course; you learn things you should already know, and you become instantly more aware of your surroundings.
First thing: Target vision. Everyone who knows how to shoot, knows that you can’t hit what you can’t see. The converse is true, the better you can see something, the more liklihood you’ll hit it; and riding has a parallel: You go where you’re looking. In your car you don’t spend time looking at the ground, and you can’t on a bike. If you look into a turn, your eyes will literally drag you through the turn, I swear to god. You don’t believe it, but it’s true- you go where you look. Your body knows better than you how and where you will go, and it will do what it needs to do to get that bike where it needs to go.
Second thing: A good helmet (if you’re going to wear one) is ESSENTIAL. An uncomfortable helmet sucks river water.
Third thing: Practice. What kept me from a perfect score was only being able to practice each exercise two or three times. You should do this shit a thousand times. And I’m going to.
Take the course. Even if you don’t intend to ride. It’s good knowledge, it’s a good course, and the incrased awareness will improve your driving skills 100%. Guarantreed.
Just remember, parking lots and streets are two entirely different animals.
Go play in the street now and find the good stuff.
If you find yourself drifting to the edge of the exit ramp or tight curve, keep looking where you want to go, NOT at the edge you want to avoid. Nature makes you look at what you want to avoid; overriding that and ignoring doom and looking where you want to be fights that instinct, but that’s the nature of the beast. Same with countersteering – that felt like the strangest thing the first time I did it, but once I did, the bike leaned into the turn just like I wanted it to.
p.s.: If you hate the Region highways now, I can only begin to imagine the posts you’ll come up with if you ever brave them, especially the Ryan/Bishop Ford, on a bike. You really need to coin a word stronger than fucktard. You will have the trucker who will tailgate you, even though you’re going the same speed as the car in front of you. And no one will see you when they change lanes. If I lived in a rural, hilly area, I’d still ride, but I quit riding because of the fellow idiots, not because of my riding or the bike.
p.p.s: Road debris on our highways are brutal. You’d think we were in some third world filth republic with the amount of crap you find on the traffic lanes, never mind the junk yard shoulders. Tailgate, and you won’t see the block of metal your front wheel will hammer. Drop back, and you’ll have time to avoid it. Trucks jettison caked mudballs, rocks, brake linings, and everything else under the sun, out at you. Never mind the body flinching pop of the truck tire blowout.
p.p.p.s: Oh yeah, I’m awaiting the blog post once the Og has ridden a rush hour on the bike.
Keep waiting, MTS. Never gonna happen. I may be crazy, but I’m not suicidal.
I found you via Freddie at Warts and All and I just read your posts on the motorcycle safety course. Good on you for getting all that done and the M certification on your license. You’re best off doing back country roads for a while until you are very comfortable on your scoot. Good luck and congrats.
I learned how to ride a bicycle on a packed-down trail the width of one boot through snow. You keep your eyes glued on the trail about 20 feet in front of you. It was spooky how well it worked. Let your eye drift down to the path just in front of you, and next thing you know, you’ve veered off the trail into the soft snow.
Og,
Reading through your archives while on sick leave. I ride a Gold Wing as a commute vehicle ~ 30 miles one way in Southwest OH. I LOVE IT!!! Please be safe and good luck with the bike restoration. If I may pile on to all the others who’ve offfered “advice”, it appears as though you have the winter break to contend with.
I got my hands on the exercises from the MSF folks and every spring as the thaw comes practice them hard before geting back on the road. I recommend this to all rides who contend with a long hiatus…….
Shiny side up!
Steve