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The MSF Basic RiderCourse: Day one
It's 5 p.m. Friday, the end of the work week and the
first day of the Motorcycle Safety Foundation's Basic RiderCourse. The class starts with a get acquainted session, where we
discover that we are taking the course for many
different reasons, and have a wide range
of experience.
Some have absolutely no experience on a motorcycle, while others have been riding for decades. Some, like me, are trying to refine their skills, while others simply want to see what the thrill is all about.
Our two MSF-certified instructors, Terry Cook and Gary Sweet, both have day jobs at the American Motorcyclist Association. They bring with them not only two lifetimes worth of riding experience, but the collective wisdom from countless studies by the MSF.
"There's no such thing as too much education," Cook says. Even they admit to discovering something new every day.
The class goes into a discussion about what we ride, what we would like to ride, the different styles of bikes available and a little bit about how they work mechanically.
"It's good to know a little about what's moving you," Cook says. "At the very least, you'll have something to talk about to other motorcyclists."
While still in the classroom, we go over everything from how to get on the bike, to where the controls are. The instructors have us throw a leg over our chairs and turn them into "air-hogs" and "chair-asakis." With the thumb and forefinger of my right hand, I make an "L," effectively creating a clutch lever to practice with.
It's interesting how hard it is to think about shifting, without the benefit of a real motorcycle underneath you. I clutch and shift quite successfully at least a couple dozen times a day, but asked to do it without a physical bike underneath me... Let's just say my ol' air-cycle could probably use a new air-transmission.