Taking a break during last year's Basic RiderCourse

The value of the Motorcycle Safety School’s MSF Basic Rider Course has been previously covered on this site by Paul, but having just completed it, I feel it bears repeating.  Great course, great instructors, great value.  I first became aware of the course through this website, and after reading up on it, learned that it not only offers a way to improve a rider’s skills, but also provides the road test resulting in a waiver, which eliminates the need to schedule a DMV road test.

I signed up for the two day course, although a two and half day course was available.  I wanted to get right down to it, so why not nail it in two days?  Well, if you are like me, the idea of getting up at 5:15am, is reason enough to choose the other option.  The classes are given in the South Bronx.  An easy subway ride on the 6 train delivers you to an open lot, which includes a riding range, and a construction trailer where the classroom lessons are given. Although I plan on riding a scooter, at this time, the course is only given on matching Suzuki 250cc motorcycles.

The first day started (early!) with the first classroom section, complete with DVD lessons, as well as a manual containing questions, which we worked in teams to complete.  That first day was very basic, but covered some important subjects nonetheless.  There were sections regarding proper clothing, basic motorcycle controls, proper body positioning, as well as how to position yourself in traffic.  All of these are important factors to riding, but the most potent subject for me was the concept of Risk.  Our instructor made very clear that as 2-wheel riders in this city (or anywhere, but especially in THIS city), we must be:

A) aware of the risk involved
B) accept the risk involved and,
C) manage the risk involved.

A sobering concept, if ever there was one.  You have decided to embark on a hobby, or a form of commuting transportation, which could result in bodily harm.  Cars offer that possibility of harm as well, but less so.  Cars offer a sense (perhaps falsely) of security and safety.  On a scooter or motorcycle, you are out there in the elements, with nothing but your wits and your gear to protect you.  A sobering concept indeed.

That first day concludes with on-the-range riding.  The entire class saddles up on the bikes, and runs through some drills, now with two instructors helping and evaluating us.  The skills are basic, but geared toward creating a sense of awareness and confidence.  Having been riding for my scooter for a couple months with my permit, and my ancient history of riding motorcycles, I felt some of the riding lessons were too basic.  But slowly, we all start to recognize the importance of the ‘safe ride.’  Little by little, our instructors guide us through the steps to control the bikes, and more importantly, to learn not to THINK about the steps we are taking, but to just instinctively DO them.  It seemed to me that I was transferring the knowledge from my brain to my gut, and learning to react without over-thinking, making me a more competent rider, for myself and those around me.  We conclude day one, feeling good about our rides, and excited to get back out there the next day, which will culminate in the road test.  At this point, I am feeling confident about my skills, and feel that after the final lessons, I will have no trouble with the test.

Bright and early again, I make it to the school with 45 minutes to spare.  I have become friendly with some of my classmates, and we discuss the previous day’s lessons, and what we think the test will include at the end of the day.  We are all visibly excited, but maybe just a tad nervous as well.  Back in the classroom, we delve deeper into awareness, defensive riding, and overall ‘street strategies.’  We wrap up with a 50 question written test, and I have no problem doing well, having thoroughly covered the material in the past two days.  After a break for lunch, we are back on the bikes, and more lessons, more practice, more drills.  My handling skills are being honed, with productive comments from the instructors, even after I complete what feels like perfect maneuvers.  I am starting to retain more concepts, without thinking too much.  I am feeling good about this test.

Throughout the drills, my biggest weakness had been slow maneuvers.  Doing figure-8 type patterns within a small box has proven difficult for me, and I am getting nervous about this section of the test.  At about 2pm I realize I have skipped eating the sandwich I bought earlier, and recognize that I am becoming spacey, and less focused than I am comfortable with.  Good lesson: make sure you are as healthy and strong as possible, before getting on a bike.  There is no need to push the limits of your body and mind, just as you would not ride your favorite scooter without proper fuel.  I eat quickly, and feel much better.  Time to get prepared for the test. The instructors let us know which portions will be graded for the waiver.  We are given the opportunity to practice these parts, just prior to the test beginning.  At this point I feel confident that I can pass each section, except the figure-8s.  And that’s exactly what I did.  After two full days of practice, lessons, testing and critique, I have passed the road test for the State of New York.  I am proud, but more so, very aware of the skills that riding on the streets of this city entail.

Overall, I am very pleased to have paid the money for this course.  Although I could have obtained a license cheaply through the DMV, I now appreciate the extra care the instructors take to ensure our safety.  I feel more confident about my basic skills, and the skills I will improve as I ride, with these lessons always in the back of my mind – and most importantly, in my gut.

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Taking a break during the Basic RiderCourse

Well folks, I finally made it to the MSS Basic Rider Course and I’m smiling from ear-to-ear.

The course started after work on Friday evening at 5.30pm which meant knocking off work a couple of hours early. The course has a strict lateness policy and I had no idea how long it would take to get there so I gave myself plenty of time to get up there.

Turns out, it’s a short ride from Manhattan, just one 6 train stop into the Bronx, and a short walk from there down to the “range” at the waterfront in the South Bronx.

Friday night was all classroom work held in a port-a-cabin on-site. I arrived early to watch other course riders out on bikes which got me excited about the weekend ahead.

In the classroom I met the group of 12 riders who were taking the course and we were all assigned work books as a structure for discussion and broke into small teams of 4 to tackle the questions, and then share with the class as a whole. The questions were then punctuated with video segments from the MSF’s Motorcycle Safety DVD. The course book was similarly structured to the NY State Motorcycle Manual.

Overall it was a very informative discussion, but you could tell that everyone, myself included, were itching to get out on the bikes.

We wrapped up around 9pm and were instructed to get a good night’s sleep and to eat well before the next morning when we’d be starting at 7.30am!

I spent the night at my Girlfriend’s place in the East Village rather than go all the way back to Sunset Park and have to come all the way back into the Bronx.

Saturday is when the fun started. Sure enough one student was turned away for being half-an-hour late and forfeited his money (so be warned).

We we’re out on the bikes in a light drizzle by 8.00am and spent the first hour or so pretty much going through what I had done on my private lesson. Walking through the bike’s features, mounting and dismounting, starting them up safely, pushing them by hand and power-walking them in low gear.

I snapped the picture above during a brief break but we were on the bikes solidly until around noon. By which time we’d covered a lot of ground. Moving through the gears, riding circuits and doing high-speed and low-speed cornering. You can see from the photo that the range has 12 identical 250cc bikes so there’s no argument over who rides what.

After a brief lunch everyone in the group was getting pretty chatty after a quiet Friday night in the classroom and you could tell everyone was happy to be finally riding.

A couple of the folks had driven bikes for years but without full licenses and had gotten fed up of evading the cops one last time. Several more still already owned bikes but couldn’t ride them, and others were in the consideration phase. One guy was also looking to ride a scooter, and is eyeballing a Yamaha Scooter at his local store in Queens. Ride safe Joe!

Saturday afternoon, and it was time to get back in the classroom to round out the second half of the work books and the DVD segments.

The day finally ended with the multiple choice DMV written test answering questions that had all been thoroughly covered in our work book sessions. We got our test results pretty much immediately and everyone passed. MSS has certainly structured the course so that provided you’re actually listening it’s hard to fail. One test down. Tomorrow it’s the actual DMV bike test.

We wrapped up around 4pm and I headed off to Brooklynbretta on my way home to Sunset Park.

Overall a great day, and I can’t imagine getting on a bike anywhere, much less New York City without the course. I can see now why the folks on the New York Scooter Club Forum say this is the way to do it.

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Their tips:

- Visit the downtown location on Greenwich Street for a reasonably painless wait.
- Arrive prepared with completed paperwork.
- Arrive early, as in 8.30am-door’s-opening-early.

Given I knew today was going to be a snow blizzard, what better day than to hit the downtown DMV? Surely no-one else would be there. I could be in-and-out.

Got down there super early, about a half hour before the doors opened, and no-one else I’m pleased to say was crazy enough to wait out there in the snow. A trip to the deli and a coffee later I return to find about 20 people in line for the doors. Man.

Anyway, all’s well that ends well. I was in and out in less than half-an-hour (yes, the prepared paperwork helps.)

I couldn’t get over how easy the written test was. Something like 30 questions, and 25 of them were about alcohol. Now, don’t get me wrong, I appreciate drilling into heads the importance of not drink-driving but what ever happened to stopping-distance questions?

Reading the online version of the Motorcycle Manual was a must though for those questions that did come up (Alcohol ones included.) Devouring Proficient Motorcycling was overkill for the test but I have no doubt it’ll help later on.

Once the test was completed, I was handed a paper permit on the spot. Apparently the plastic card version will take a couple of weeks in the mail. Surprised?

Finally, a big hello to the nice German lady I met who was also taking her test to accompany the used ET4 she’d just bought on CraigsList. Good luck to you wherever you are. Apparently she’s also signed up for the MSS course.

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At the top of the list by a clear margin is David L. Hough’s Proficient Motorcycling.

I picked it up from the Barnes and Noble on 5th Avenue in Midtown near work and have spent the last few days reading through.

Given it’s all theory to me at this point, having been a long time since I actually sat on a bike, I have to say it seems like a great book. Very thorough and very objective about riding a bike, particularly about the importance of safety.

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Their three day Basic Rider Course can be found and booked through their calendar system and they have a number of day configurations that allow you to take it at different points during the week.

I promptly signed up for the first available weekend course of 2009 starting on Friday March 27th. The cost of the course is $350, and they’re located in the south Bronx, but easily accessible from the 6 train.

To be eligible for the course you need a Drivers License, and a valid Motorcycle Permit (they last one year). I’ve got my driver’s license. I figure I have enough time between now and the end of March to get a permit from the DMV.

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Something like three years ago I had stumbled upon the New York City Scooter Club website, and they had then, as they do now, a great forum of local riders eager to share tips.

I was able to get a solid understanding of the process needed to get on two wheels here in NYC and it stuck with me. All I needed was to revisit the forums and and do a refresher course. In short:

1. Fill out a Motorcycle Permit form and take it to the DMV.

2. Take a short written test at the DMV.

3. Sign up for New York’s Motorcycle Safety School’s (MSS) three-day Basic Rider Course to obtain a test-waiver.

4. Take the test-waiver to the DMV and obtain your full Motorcycle License.

Now of course step 3, is optional. Theoretically you can just go ahead and take the DMV test, but pretty much everyone on the forums recommended MSS. Why?

- You don’t need your own bike.
- You don’t need a friend who can ride.
- You’ll do the equivalent of the DMV test in 3 days without waiting weeks for a test date.
- Do you really want to hit the streets of NYC on 2 wheels without some pointers?

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