Only say it if you mean it

[ddragon63]

my XS was my first bike... My Dad told me it was mine when I was 5!

I took the riders course here in WA state when I was 16. After Wrecking my 96 R6 and then my 99 R1 about 4 months apart, I took a break from bikes for about 9 years. When I got the XS up and running summer of 09 I had just picked up a Ducati from a buddy... So decided to RE-take the course as a refresher. it was a big help.

I find alot the the people I talk to that say "I've been riding my whole life" usually are referring to Dirt Bikes. I can tell you from a life time of experience on the dirt (first bike @ 6)... other than the controls are in the same place... dirt and road are 2 different animals!

[fredintoon]

Semantically you are correct, however, I would argue how much riding experience do you actually have if all your riding time has been on somebody else's bike? - - -

Hi Geo,
correct but perhaps misleading? Most race bikes are owned by the factory. Most street bikes are owned by a finance company.

[BA80]

............................

[crazy steve]

I tend to agree with Davinci, it's a good way to clean the gene pool. The only problem sometimes is if the number of 'Darwin Award' winners gets too high, somebody decides they need to 'do something' that just makes it harder on the rest of us...

[DAVINCI]

Ya know Fred, ya can't fix stupid

I meet guys like that often, they go around proving Darwin's theories. Eventually they'll all go the way of the Dodo bird while the rest of us watch and wonder.

[Joab]

+1 for the riders course. I smashed up my first bike twice before I took the course. I had no excuse not to take it, it is free to Military. Then I learned just what the hell counter steering is, and have been enjoying riding ever since! Sadly the Slider nickname never went away...

[DGXSER]

should NOT be taken seriously on anything other than Electrical matters.

Come on Brian...even that could be debatable....

[b.walker5]

Nah, just do what most people do. Jump on, fire it up, crank the throttle wide open and HANG ON. If your not dead in the first 15 minutes you'll be fine.....

Hmmmmm.. I think we need a "tounge in cheek" smiley.

Disclaimer. Take no notice of the old Kiwi in the corner. He's not suffering from insanity, He's thoroughly enjoying every minute of his teenager induced madness and should NOT be taken seriously on anything other than Electrical matters.

[ecoviper9]

i just bought my first bike and havent been riding for years and taking a riders course is on the top of my list after i get her running and gone thru.. im glad that you guys look out for us noobies..

[fredintoon]

- - - Just out of curiosity fred, have you taken a refresher course? Do they even have one for sidecars?

Hi Elevener,
no, I never have. After 55 years riding experience my bad habits are so ingrained I doubt a course could fix them. The closest sidecar course is somewhere in the western USA, more than 1,000 miles from here and although it's well worth the money it's appallingly expensive.
BTW, I bought both my sons the Saskatchewan Rider's course for their 16th birthdays. Their riding skills are far better than mine ever were.

[Elevener]

Well to each their own, we are adults. I wouldnt mind taking an advanced rider course if it didnt cost so much. Hell I was a certified motorcycle mechanic at 17, but never used it, wouldnt call myself one now for sure.

Just out of curiosity fred, have you taken a refresher course? Do they even have one for sidecars?

[Poprock]

MSF will save your life, especially if you have limited experience. If you've learned on your own or from a friend, you have a bad habit somewhere. That said, it's time for me to save up for Team Oregon's Advanced Rider course. I'd like to be one when I grow up.

[DGXSER]

$25 Really!

Guess we are very lucky. Of course, they register online for the spring and early summer course in March I think, and they fill up in about 15 minutes. Same thing for the later sessions in July. Only way I got in for mine was to show up and they had three openings where people were no shows. They gave the twenty people who walked in raffle tickets, luckily they pulled my number.

[natemoen]

Dang! $25 bucks! Here in Milwaukee they are somewhere around $300. I payed $130 for it when I took it in MN a few years back.

[tcoop]

If it was $25 I would take it every spring! Here the riding course is about $250 more than I can afford on a yearly basis but still recommended for beginner riders or someone who has not ridden in several years.