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Originally Posted by RACER X
how many times you crashed ?
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Maybe my lack of riding ability stems from my poor MSF instruction.
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Originally Posted by NeonspeedRT
I hate to inform you, but you are very, very mistaken. Part of the qualifications to be a MSF rider coach is that you must be an active motorcycle rider and currently own a motorcycle.
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"Buy a bike and ride it" is hardly what I would call a qualification. Every squid in the world bought a bike and rode it.
Quote:
Originally Posted by NeonspeedRT
Not to mention to be a rider coach, you must have completed the BRC MSF class and then have 60 to 120 hours of "range aiding".
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So we've got "buy a bike", "ride it", and now "show up".
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Originally Posted by NeonspeedRT
Once the range aiding is done there is an 8 day program to get certified to become a rider coach.
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"Buy a bike", "ride it", "show up", and finally "Come to class for a week". I guess the reason for the inadequacy is no secret. We desperately need real rider training in this country just like we need real driver training. The standards for everything are just so low it's a joke. We will continue to have streets full of squids and oblivious soccer moms until licensing becomes less about collecting money and more about properly educating.
I had the displeasure of riding later on with the group of instructors that taught my MSF, and even then I could see they were everything that embodies the stereotypical squid. They had absolutely no clue what to do on a motorcycle in any way, shape, or form. The "training" was just as bad.
As far as the material itself, there are quite a few points that I disagree with. I don't believe in the method of teaching something incorrectly to simplify it for a beginner, only to have to relearn it the correct way at a more advanced stage. A good example would be a statement to the effect of "never brake while turning" made in my MSF class. I realize this is aimed at street riding, and you'll rarely have to do this on the street, but wouldn't it be nice to at least know what trail braking is so when I go into a corner too hot one day I'll be equipped to handle it? Maybe this particular issue wasn't an MSF problem but an instructor problem, I don't know, but there were several things looking back that were very poorly taught in my class.
I would like to see civilians have to pass the IPTM course to get a license. That would weed out most of the people on the street right now, but at least the ones that are left would be able to handle a bike to some degree of competency. The MSF is a good idea that is poorly executed.