Getting your motorcycle license
Take the MSF course. No if’s and’s or but’s. Take it. It is the safest and easiest way to get your motorcycle license. One could argue that it is a little too easy. All it takes is 3 days of parking lot riding and a few short written tests and you have your full motorcycle license. You are now free to buy whatever bike you choose. Scary, huh? But I digress…
I have never ridden before, what will it teach me?
The MSF course will teach you the basics of riding as well as many safety tips along the way. Even the most experienced riders usually pick up a thing or two. Many riders say that they go back and take the MSF course as a refresher for their riding skills.
I took the MSF course not knowing anything at all about motorcycles. I had never ever touched a motorcycle before that class. After 3 days, I had my full motorcycle license. (Insert my argument for graduated licensing here.) I was legally able to now ride on the road with whatever bike I wanted to. But, I was only trained on how to ride around in a parking lot.
The MSF course will teach you everything you need to know to get you safely started with motorcycling, but it won’t teach you everything. The best thing about the MSF course is that the instructors will be there to break any bad habits that you may have. You will learn how to do things the RIGHT way so that you can practice doing things the proper later on.
The MSF course is too expensive. I don’t have time. My friend never took the course…
Many people make excuses on why they can’t take the course. Some say it’s too expensive I believe the current price in most states is about $275. If you can’t afford that, how will you be able to afford gear or a bike? If you already have a bike, how will you be able to afford new tires for it, or even gas it up? Not to mention, in some lucky states the course is completely FREE. In most cases, it will also give you a deduction on your insurance cost.
The course normally runs over the weekend, starting Friday evening, so it shouldn’t be too hard to fit around a person’s work schedule. You might have to sneak out a little early on Friday, but in most cases you probably won’t even have to do that.
If you know someone who got their license the old fashion way and never took the MSF course, congratulations. He/she just slightly bumped up the percentage of riders who have never taken a motorcycle safety course and are still around to talk about it.
Is the MSF course mandatory? Do I really HAVE to take it?
No. Absolutely not. Is it a good idea? Definitely. Some people hear stories of instructors who were harsh on new riders and get scared off. I would venture to guess that there are very few MSF instructors that will be anything less than helpful to you. In most cases where riders thought they were being harsh, they were only looking out for that riders safety as well as the others in the class.
You really DON’T need to take the MSF course. In fact, the MSF course is fairly new and didn’t exist when most of the older riders were getting their licenses. Statistics have shown that riders who DO take the course have a far less chance of getting into a serious accident though.
In short, take the class. There’s no reason not to.
