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Discussion Starter · #1 ·
I'm just curious to what you actually learn at the class.
I just got my course confirmation to take my classes Nov. 2-3 and these class are 9 hours long each day so was wondering what they teach.


***No bike yet planning to buy a white ninja 300 in march figure just wait since can't ride in the winter
 

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It's real basic... You go over all of the bike's functions, then move to clutch control, moving, stopping, shifting, making simple turns, and panic braking (at low speeds)

It's good if you've never been on a motorcycle before, but you won't be going faster than 20mph in a parking lot, so you can only learn so much. You'll spend half of one day in a classroom, reading, watching videos, just like drivers ed. It may seem like things you could do on your own, but you probably never would. It's worth it.

-THE DON
 

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Discussion Starter · #5 ·
Sorry it stands for Basic Rider Course in the state of Illinois probably called something different else where. But if you take and pass the course you don't have to take the written or driving test at the DMV

Thanks for the input so just like driver ed
 

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Oh ya, I would take it for sure... well worth it.

Ya they do go over a lot of the basic stuff, but its the little things that you will take away that you wouldnt learn on your own.

The course I took in Toronto went over a lot of slow (like crawling) speed control tests. I would never have done that if I was on my own. Anyone can ride a bike once its moving... its the little things that make the difference, like slow speed parking lots. ;)

Stew
 

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I took it, was worth every penny! save a LITTLE on insurance.. and you learn a LOT. Bombard them with questions! most of them have years of experience you can learn from. You'll get basic riding instructions as it states in the name. but plenty for you to go around town. But if you never owned a bike before, for sure practice once you get your bike on a back road or something before taking it on busy intersections. goign fast is way different than in the functions the course takes you through. Its easy to get the hang of it once your moving.

One word for upper speed that they dont say in the course is learn how to downshift properly! =D if you get in the wrong gear..aka too low or too high... cornering can be VERY difficult and dangerous. Brakes are good, but coming out of the corner you may find it a bit difficult. Plus downshifting, you save your breaks =D

good luck man!
 

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Discussion Starter · #9 ·
I took it, was worth every penny! save a LITTLE on insurance.. and you learn a LOT. Bombard them with questions! most of them have years of experience you can learn from. You'll get basic riding instructions as it states in the name. but plenty for you to go around town. But if you never owned a bike before, for sure practice once you get your bike on a back road or something before taking it on busy intersections. goign fast is way different than in the functions the course takes you through. Its easy to get the hang of it once your moving.

One word for upper speed that they dont say in the course is learn how to downshift properly! =D if you get in the wrong gear..aka too low or too high... cornering can be VERY difficult and dangerous. Brakes are good, but coming out of the corner you may find it a bit difficult. Plus downshifting, you save your breaks =D

good luck man!
Yeah I know a perfect back road around my house to practice on. I can't wait till the class start cause I already have lots of questions March 2013 needs to hurry that's when I am purchasing my ninja 300
 

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I took this, but in my state (PA) it's called MSC (Motorcycle Safty Course)....First, I went for my license test with my own, first bike ('09 KLX250s) with only a few months of experience and not to mention being only 18 and few months old. I remember the instructor giving me three tries to do a Figure Eight on the test and I couldn't for the life of me figure out how anyone could do it and keep their balance and the bike upright, let alone keep their feet off the ground while doing it... Of course, I failed my exam and enrolled in the MSC and upon completion I was a much more skilled and careful rider, plus I earned my Class M License. Three Years later and I am still thankful for the skills I learned in the course which I will use every ride. But don't make the mistake into thinking this is just an "easy way" to get your License if you can't pass the normal exam. Out of the 21 People in my class, Believe it or not, though 18 passed the written exam, only 6 (including me) passed the skills (riding) test and got their license. The rest didn't pass and had to start again from the beginning. But if you apply yourself and really want it, it's totally doable for anyone, you just have to realize it's not some BS walk in the park, it's just like anything else, you need to practice and really want it to succeed. Overall I rate it a 9/10 for the instructors and materials, skills, etc. It was a great tool for which I'm thankful for plus it was FREE and I got a cool sticker at the end lol. i can proudly say today that I have not been in a single Motorcycle accident that was my fault since I started riding ( I was rear-ended by a d.u.i. driver but luckily was alright thanks to my helmet and gear p.s. after i saw the gash in my helmet i never had any doubts about wearing it every single ride no exceptions!), and I attribute this to the skills I learned in the MSC. It truly was an invaluble tool for me... This was PA by the way. If anyone would like more info feel free to PM me.
 

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being prepared before you hit the road is always important. how you do that is up to you. these courses are generally good help for beginners. I've never heard of people who don't learn from them.
 

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Wow, all this talk of free? Here in Ontario Canada, they have the graduated licensing scheme.

M1: written test - If you pass, you can ride, but not at night, or with passengers, or at high speeds. So it is useful to get a rough idea of the bike.

M2: Road test - If you pass, you can ride pretty much unrestricted with passengers, but still 0% alcohol content

M: Another road test with highway testing and high speed maneuvers - Unrestricted driving, similar to a full car license. Get in trouble for 0.05% alcohol blood content

I paid $500 taxes in for a basic motorcycle course that included the fees for M2 testing. In the end it was worth it and I learned a lot. One evening of in class learning followed by 2 full 8 hour days of riding. Even after that people still failed. I passed flawlessly. But clearly riding isn't for everyone
 
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