Kawasaki Vulcan Forum banner

MSF course

9K views 50 replies 17 participants last post by  revrider 
#1 ·
I'm so excited. I will be starting my MSF course next week and I can;t wait. The wife bought me a helmet for my birthday last week so now I am just going to buy some gloves and glasses and I am all set for class. Still looking at getting a Vulcan 900 custom but now I think I'm leaning towards the classic because I am 6'5 and will need to make some adjustments. Does anyone know a good price range? I have found a few in my area for for 2-3000 and some around 4-5000. I am trying to keep it under 5000 for my first bike. I think i am also leaning toward the 2009 model as well. Ill check back in after my class to let everyone know how it went.
 
#33 ·
Yes. It is easier there. I got my CDL in Florida in 2003, expired in 2013. In California rules are different. You have to bring your cert to DMV, and pass a test. Something like 46 questions if you are getting Class M in case this is one and only license you have. If you have Class C (car) and you took your test more than 5 years ago you have to do 18 questions on car and 36 on the bike. You have three attempts, spaced by something like a week. Questions are set up to fail you. A lot of people do fail their tests here. Still it is easier than in Europe. Compare to Europe we here in US hand out licenses to anyone who walks in to DMV and pays the fees. :)
 
#36 ·
heck to renew in FL.. it's just a eye test. good for another 8 yrs. Like redfish said, should have a tad more stringent testing. but the worst part is all the out of state/ foreigners, due to vacation, snow birds
 
#37 · (Edited)
Yeah licensing is funny. An elderly lady I know, who is 94, told me she was just thinking about how the last time anyone tested her on her knowledge of the road or driving proficiency was when she was 16. Or you know.... a little bit before WWII broke out...

Let that sit in for a second. Your Doctor takes continuing education and has to renew his license. So does your HAIR STYLIST. But someone who got their drivers license in 1937 has had to do nothing but look at road signs and pay a fee ever since, and has been legally able to operate a deadly piece of machinery. Granted, she has an impeccable record (never a ticket in her life. And she drove plenty! She worked in the city and lived out here all her life, commuted an hour her entire working life), and is sharp as a whip for her age. She actually no longer drives, stopped last year. She had trouble seeing a car at an intersection and decided she was done. Good for her!

Some states I know require driving tests after a certain age but I really think there should be at least a written test every few years. We take driving too lightly in this country and think just everyone ought to be allowed to do it and damn the consequences. Maybe even require a skills test after you get convicted of a traffic violation that shows you're incompetent to operate safely on public roads (DWI, Causing a MVA due to distracted driving, etc.)
 
#38 ·
I am shock that the BIG insurance companies haven't lobbied for it... I guess that don't really care, the more you have accidents/ tickets. the more they make.
 
#40 ·
I doubt that they care much. More drivers = more premiums. Same for the government, more drivers = more fees and tickets. In Finland it is a few years school before you get your full license. You get to power-slide your car on wet skidpad on the test. Fun place. That's why Fins are world best rally drivers :)
 
#41 ·
Great thread. Great information for newbie riders (like me)!

Bought my first bike, a 2008 Kawasaki Vulcan 900 Custom, and I was surprised to learn how easy it was to operate!

Not looking forward to the DMV test this week, though. Slalom through those damn cones on a cruiser? Can it be done?
 
#42 ·
Possible, with practice. But easier on lil bike. Your options are: ride your cruiser bike with permit, practice, practice practice, get used to it and take test. Option two. Take MSF and take the test there on lil bike. Than at DMV you will only need to take written test. (depending on the state). Option two is easier. I would recommend the MSF regardless. Good luck!
 
#44 ·
VA is the same way - take the MSF course and pass, and this counts as your road test. Only written test needed at DMV. MSF course is well worth the time and $ in addition to this though! I recommend it to everyone looking to start riding
 
#45 ·
Well I needed an motorcycle indorsment due to when I transferred my license from other state to TN. they didn't show the other states endorsement. TN. Law is if you take the MSF course you don't have to take written or road test.
So the local HarlyDavidson dealer sponsors the MSF and I sign up, for this weekend. I have been riding 45 years so the whole thing is kinda sticking my in my craw anyway, on fixed income an scraping up a hundred bucks, I joked around I was riding a Vulcan (bad move) she said show up at 7:45 am I repeat it she says yes 7:45 so Saturday mornin I pull into the dealership, nary a soul anywhere circle several times no motorcycles nothing! WTH! So I park thinkin surly someone will show up! Well shortly about ten motorcycles come from somewhere from behind the dealership all new Harley's ride by me sitting there and head off to points unknown it was then I realized the course had started at 7:00 and I was out of luck.
I don't know when I have been so angry! The woman who signed me up flat out lied to me! I don't understand why all riders taking the course would be there at right time an hidden inside the building and me in the dark, they best frame that hundred dollars because it will the last they see from me.
 
#46 ·
I took the MSF course last weekend at the Harley dealer about an hour away, It started at 0800m on Sat. Sun. so I imagine the instructors are the one that changed the time, I would verify that. Luckily I am a vet and got my course free . Yes taking it after riding about 45 yrs it kind of stuck in my gut to, so I was surprised at the couple of things I did learn.
 
#50 ·
I've been an MSF instructor for 23 years and working with thousands of students. Take the MSF course, it is a great way to start riding.

The BRC (Beginner Rider Course) is great for persons wanting to start riding on a solid background of basic riding skills. It is a minimal level of training to help new riders get the basic skills to survive the first year of your riding career. For riders who are returning to riding after many years of absence, it is a great base to restart from. Especially since the new BRC focuses a lot of street strategies beyond just the basics of how to operate the clutch or throttle, what gear to wear, etc. In many states, like Wisconsin, pass the class and you'll get a waiver form to present at the DMV so you dont have to arrange a DMV motorcycle road test. But be aware, VERY few states actually administer licensing, meaning most MSF programs do NOT submit the M-endorsement on your license. That normally only comes from the state DMV.

The BRC2, (formally the Experienced Rider Course) is a great, one day course that you do on your own bike, and its a great way to sharpen your skills, come back to riding. Many states now use the BRC2 as a skills waiver course that meets the requirements of the DMV for licensing like the BRC does for brand new riders.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top