[MR2ninja]

I am on the waiting list for over 3 groups of MSF sessions over the period of this month, so i'm preparing myself to be "on call", and am definitely going by mid-june...I knew I shoulda registered earlier heh...

anyways, i'm wondering if anyone has any suggestions for taking MSF, possibly any tips or special advice that may help me when I am doing the course.

For shoes, what should I do? I can borrow my friends timberlands, but i'm thinking for the jacket, gloves, shoes, and helmet, I should just go ahead and buy the gear now so I at least get used to it at MSF...However, I think MSF will provide the helmet. I guess the only problem is that I don't like the multicolored getups that scream "race me" (or nail me hah)... I prefer more discreet stuff that gives your "average joe" commuting look, as that is why I have the bike, to transport, and have a little fun here and there...but I am also concerned with safety.

short version: i'm basically wondering if you have any suggestions for me as far as the course goes, as well as gear.

thanks in advance...

 

[bigfish13515]

From my experience:

1) If you truly plan to get a bike after the course, get some appropriate gear ahead of time. This means good gloves and boots. Borrowing boots off the bat is ok for the training, but "timberlands" wont cut it out on the street. Gloves too, i wasted 25bucks on crap gloves becuase i needed something which was "leather." I wish i had put that 25 dollars towards a good pair of A* golves or something.

2) They should provide helmets for everyone to use but do research on helmets ahead of time when it comes time to buy one. In the sense of their raitings and approvals (DOT, SNELL, etc.)

3) Jacket, from my experience they said something that covers everything so sweatshirts were fine. Once again, ok for MSF bt not for street.

4) Pants, jeans or even khakis are fine for MSF (as in they only want something that covers everything) but not OK for the street.

Basically, if you have to go out and buy anyhting for this class, like gloved or shoes (like i did) just put that money towards proper equipment from the start!!!

Also, when it does come time to buy the bike and the gear, please ask yourself how much your life is worth when buying the stuff. If you want to ride around in sneakers, shirt and no gloves...more power to you when you end up like a pile of ground up meat. Just spend the extra money on quality gear that will save your life.

 

[MR2ninja]

Thanks bigfish that is good info. as I metnioned earlier, I do value my safety.

I agree with what you said about buying right the first time, I think I will be going out to get some good boots and gloves...so that leaves me back to the question of which ones fit my preferences of being "subtle"...

I actually had a question about boots, do most riding boots have a system that secure your jeans over the boot itself? I wonder this because say you were to take a spill, and wide up sliding on the ground surface, your jeans might be "pushed up" off from over your boots and expose your skin and shred it

lmao did that make sense at all?

 

[bigfish13515]

Yes, if you want to take it a step further because you are concerned about your shins or something, you can just get shin guards or even leather pants. Those are both ends of the specrum, but there is a lot you can do.

As far as keeping things sublte, i totally agree with you. I wanted a black helmet, black gloves and boots. I dont like the flashy stickers on them...black is plain and subtle.

As far as the boots go again, just go to a motorcycle shop and check out the gear and try it on. Then ask their opinion too and just see what you like and what fits you.

I am happy to see that you value your life enough to purchase gear, whether it is all at once or slowly when you can afford it, ha. Good luck.

 

[MR2ninja]

come on guys...I'm sure there are MANY more riders on these boards...

 

[VRA]

The only thing I needed was shoes or boots that cover you ankle, a helmet(which is provided) gloves, pants(no shorts!) and a long sleeve shirt. I had been riding for about a year before I took it. It was very very easy and often boring but it did help me reinforce a few good riding habits.

 

[A_spec]

As far as the course goes look into your turns, use your body and counter-steer (push left if you want to go left, vise versa) to turn, throttle control, and awareness. You may need glasses if its windy.
These are 250cc bikes so learn your ass off. That should be the most important.
If you can't hack it on a 250, chances are that you won't on a much bigger engine.

 

[Carolyn]

I would definately second the thought about gear from head to toe from the begining

Jeans: As far as knee guards, I have A* 4W denim jeans that have the knee armor already built in... Aside from the riding jeans out there - a lot of the leather and textile pants out there have the knee armor/hip armor already built in...

Boots: You need boots to have good ankle protection. I crashed a bunch in my A* Tech 6 dirt boots and now I won't ride the street at all without my SIDI road boots. I know people that ride with the ICON boots and they like them a lot. The ICON boots are comfy to walk around in which is always a plus!

Gloves: Lastly I can vouch for the A* GP Plus gloves - I have a pair and I love 'em because they didn't take any break in time and the leather is soft. My husband and my brother both have the GP Plus and they've crashed road racing in them - hands/knuckles came out A-OK

Jacket: My jacket is the A* dyno leather jacket for women and I like it a lot. The leather is thicker than the other jackets I've tried on and surprisingly it was soft like my gloves.

Helmet: I have the Arai Colin Edwards RX-7 Corsair. I can honestly tell you I didn't pay that much for the helmet just for the name. Compared to the other helmets, the Arai fit my head the best. When you go buy a helmet, aside from price - remember that fit is really important because you don't want it to move a whole lot when your going down the road.

I honestly didn't start riding outside my neighborhood until I got all my gear from head to toe. I know to some people that's really pathetic but believe me it made a world of difference in my confidence just having have gear ON while riding around in traffic. Call me weird and paranoid but I work at a hosptial and I've seen and heard of some nasty stuff that could've been avoided just by some decent gear.

Last year when I took the MSF course I just wore some high top tennis shoes (covering my ankle), jeans, my jacket, my helmet, and my gloves. When you are taking the MSF course don't hesitate to ask questions and for them to repeat the instructions if you need them to... Also when you get your bike, make sure it fits you (this is mostly for the girls though) - that way it'll be easier on you when you start doing the drills. I can tell you that the written test is VERY EASY and the only thing a lot of people had problems with in the road test was the figure 8 in the box (it's not as hard as they make it sound or look). It also helps if you are comfortable on 2 wheels i.e. bicycle experience is a good thing if you don't already have a bike to practice with around parking lots before hand.

Good luck and have fun

By the way - what bike do you have? or are you planning to get?
(Sorry for the long reply)

 

[MR2ninja]

thanks for your replies...carolyn yours was especially helpful!

I was looking around and the ICON super duty 2's seem like the boots I am going to get, i've heard they are very comfortable for walking, and the protection they offer are good for what I will need.


as for the bike, I am going to buy one of those new suzuki gsxr1000's. even though everyone I talk to who has several years of experience tells me to start on a 500, I don't think that it applies to me. because I used to ride my bicycle to school in 5th grade, so I know how to ride a motorcycle....

lmao, i'm kidding, but sadly that is something you read on the internet waaay too much. the last motorcycle i rode was this late 70s yamaha 80cc bike...it was great, until it got stolen lol. But I was only 11, so I'm going to go to MSF and see how the 250s or 125s feel there, and then I will choose between a ninja 250 or 500. The 250s go for really cheap and they are easy to find.