"Nonster" (noahnic)
06/19/2015 at 11:30 • Filed to: None
9
3|
"Nonster" (noahnic)
06/19/2015 at 11:30 • Filed to: None | 9
| 3 |
I have just entered...um...bikerdom? secret society of bikers? mobile organ donors anonymous? Hmm, those sound bad. Whatever, the point is I recently acquired my motorcycle endorsement and a motorcycle and I want to share my experiences. There have been many fantastic pieces written here in the land of Kinja (specifically in OppositeLock and Lanesplitter) about getting into riding motorcycles along with gear and bike guides. Those are written by experienced people who know what they’re talking about (shout out to Wes Siler and Peter Black). I am not one of those guys, I’m newbie to the world of motorcycling who just got my endorsement a month ago and my first bike less than a week ago. So in an effort to encourage more people to hop on two wheels I thought it could be useful to document the experiences of a beginner.
So the first question is why? Why did I decide to get a motorcycle license? Long story short, my roommate got his first bike and endorsement about 3 years ago and he has been constantly encouraging me to get a bike and I had just marathoned The Long Way Round on Netflix (which is a great show about Ewan McGregor and his buddy riding motorcycles from London to New York). It was just enough to spark my interest. My roommate told me to take the MSF course where they teach you to ride and they supply the bikes. It was only $50 for a three day class so there wasn’t much to lose so I went ahead and signed up.
Step 1: The Temp Permit
I’m pretty sure the process is similar in most states, but this was my experience here in Ohio. The first step was to acquire a temporary permit by taking a basic knowledge test. This allows you to ride a motorcycle during the daytime and not on highways. This is the primary prerequisite to taking the MSF class. So I dipped out of work early to go to the seventh level of hell BMV and wait about 45 minutes to be told that the exam station to take the test is next door and that they closed about 5 minutes ago so I’d have to come back tomorrow. Seeing as though my strategy of getting there before the 5 o’clock rush failed miserably I tried an ingenious new strategy. I called this bold new strategy the get there really freaking early before they open so I can be first in line and only have to wait 30 minutes strategy. Naturally my plan worked and I had made good use of my time waiting to thoroughly review the test material 5 minutes before the exam. The exam was pretty straight-forward and the only questions that weren’t common sense were specifics about penalties for getting a DUI or some other obscure statistics mentioned in the book. I passed the test and then got to go next door to wait in line for 45 minutes to pay 20 dollars to get the card made.
Step 2: The MSF Class
The Motorcycle Safety Foundation Basic Rider Course is a three day class for new riders. The key benefit is of course some real instruction on how to safely operate a motorcycle and a waiver of the required skills test to get your full motorcycle endorsement. Its a great way to learn how to ride and to determine whether or not you actually want to get a bike before making that leap. They usually supply the motorcycles and helmets so you really only need to show up in jeans, long sleeves, gloves, and some sturdy shoes/boots. They do ask that you at least be able to ride a bicycle which I think is a pretty reasonable prerequisite.
Day one was a classroom session on a Wednesday evening. I was quite curious about what kind of people would be attending the class. My current preconceived notions regarding motorcyclists were very disparate. In my mind most bikers were usually the middle-aged and older Harley riding variety, the mobile organ donors on a GSXR, or the super hoppy-beer drinking hipster on an old Honda CB cafe racer. I was told there was a nice middle ground of “normal” motorcyclists, but I was skeptical. My roommate appeared to be one of these normal riders that I’d heard about, but he’s an outlier in many other aspects of life so he didn’t count. Unsurprisingly, the class was by a vast majority white dudes in their 20’s and 30’s.
The instructors gave us a nice little intro and welcome and then said we’d be doing a cute little ice breaker exercise. At first I actually was a little excited because the one cute girl in the class had sat next to me, but naturally they said to turn around and talk to the person behind you. So I got to meet Gary. Gary may or may not be his real name, I honestly can’t remember, but he looked like a Gary so that’s what I’m going with for now. He looked like he was in his 40’s or 50’s, he just bought a Harley, and looked like he would be way happier if were in a dive bar with a cigarette and a Bud-heavy. Anyways, the class ended up being pretty engaging and informative. It really only covered the same type of material that was on the knowledge test for the temp permit, but they did a good job of keeping us from falling asleep.
Saturday came and it was time to actually do some riding. Unfortunately my MR2 decided Friday was a good day for one of its wheel bearings to self destruct. I would have fixed it myself but I had a 5k race Saturday morning which was a grudge match with a friend who I whooped in a half-marathon just a week before so I had to take it to the shop and borrow my roommate’s Saturn to get to the class.
There they are. The noble steeds that would be our partners in this quest. After an extensive safety briefing we got to pick our bikes. I looked past the scarred Honda Rebels and tired Yamaha TW200’s and I saw her. I didn’t know what it was, but judging from the Suzuki “S” on the tank, and the “TU250X” decal below the seat I think it could have been a Suzuki TU250X. All I knew was that it was perfect. After another safety discussion we finally got to actually mount the bikes and the class began.
We spent the day going through various exercises. It started with simply power walking the bikes, but by the end of the day we were doing hard stops and slaloms and even shifting into 2nd gear! The second day was more of the same, but the exercises got more complex. Start, accelerate, shift, evasive maneuver, brake, downshift, tight turn, then slalom, etc. By this point I really started to get the hang of it and I felt super comfortable on the little Suzuki. I kept taking the slaloms faster and faster, trying to lean the bike as hard as I dare. I was having soo much fun. I can’t remember the exact moment, but there was a point when it “clicked”. Suddenly, riding a motorcycle felt so natural, so right. Riding a 250cc bike through a parking lot at 15 mph should not have been this much fun but I was loving it! I remember thinking, “why didn’t anyone tell me that motorcycles were this awesome!?”.
There were some mishaps and tense moments such as when it started raining and I had to do a quick stop and locked up the front brake. I kept steady on the rear brake and let off the front to regain traction then gently reapplied the front brake. I had a little wiggle, but kept the shiny side up. The same can’t be said for my classmate who went after me and locked up the front and laid the bike down. Another student fell over during the tight figure-8 exercise, but those were the only times a bike was dropped.
The final part of the class is called the “Celebration of Skills” which is a sugar coated name for Final Exam. It is a series of exercises where you demonstrate all that you have learned. You get points off for going off line, missing stopping points, putting a foot down, or dropping the bike. Too many points and you don’t pass. Ultimately, everyone in my class passed. If I’m completely honest, there were a few people who I would not feel comfortable being on the road with. I don’t know if my instructors were just being lenient, but as long as you don’t drive dangerously you’ll probably pass.
At the end of the day you receive a little card saying you passed (btw it’s usually good for an insurance discount). All that’s left is to return to the BMV to get a new Driver’s license that has the Motorcycle Endorsement added to it. I’m sure a lot of people only get this far, but I had been bitten. I wanted to get a bike ASAP. The hunt for riding gear and a cheap motorcycle had begun!
If the response to this piece is good I’ll keep this going and dive into how I went about shopping for a bike and gear!
Party-vi
> Nonster
06/19/2015 at 11:41 |
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My fiancee just did this last weekend and was devastated she didn’t pass the skills test - she failed the right turn and swerve. She didn’t understand that during as swerve you don’t attempt to turn the bike, you’re just guiding the front wheel around the obstacle. Remember that this course is only as good as the instructors teaching it.
themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles
> Nonster
06/19/2015 at 11:43 |
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I skipped the permit and did the MSF course. I walked into the SoS and they just staped out a permit until I renew my license and I get the official endorsement. But I had very similar experiences with my MSF course. And now I get to replace the throttle grip turny thingy under the rubber grip because mine shattered yesterday.......I am jealous of your Buell......
JEM
> Nonster
06/19/2015 at 15:10 |
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Nice write-up!
This sounds very similar to the class I went through a few years back in Mass.