Ducati Monster Forum

I suddenly find myself with free time now, but I couldn't get into a MSF course until mid/late June.  In the mean time I was considering reading the course book just so I'm not going in completely blind.  I am also planning to check out some of the books from the recommended reading thread. (http://ducatimonsterworldwide.org/index.php?topic=857.0 (http://ducatimonsterworldwide.org/index.php?topic=857.0)) I've got all the gear except for pants, but I'm working on that.  Here is my question to all of you: is there anything else I can do to prepare for riding for the first time?

I got my license in October.  Even with all the reading and everything else, you need to get on the bike and practice to get comfortable.  And if you are using their bike for your course, don't count on it being a snap to get on your own. Everyone is different and while the basics are the same....practice, practice, practice.  At least that's how it went for me.

I agree with dolci, practice is the key.

You've got your gear, have you looked into your starter bike yet?  Now is the most popular time to buy a used one, so it may take a little while to find one.  It would be good to have something ready to practice on as soon as you finish MSF.   

Also, some skills can transfer over from bicycling and from driving a stick shift, so practicing those would be useful in the interim.

Good luck!

great advice from dolci and msinc  wt:

i don't know how strong you are, but you could also workout your core so you won't fatigue as quickly once your ridin'

good luck on the msf :)

I would start reading to pass your state's motorcycling riding test, the written part of it.

Gook luck and welcome!  :wine

How far are you located from the class? Can you go to the upcoming classes and join in if there is a cancellation?? Lots of people do that here.

I found it helpful to ride my bicycle up some hilly road and practice counter steering on the downhill (actually, I still do that when I ride my bicycle).

mbalmer

Thanks for all the well wishes.  I can't wait to take the MSF and get to practicing.  mo:t:  I bet I come up with all sorts of entertaining questions for you all along the way.

I'm about 30 miles from where I'll be taking the course.  It's hard to get in touch with the people who host the course as it's through the local Tech college...and the voicemail box is full.  I'm going to stop in after work next week and see if there have been any cancellations.

I'm plan on starting out on a loaner bike from a friend.  It's an old nighthawk, and if that doesn't work out then I have another friend who has a Ninja that I can probably borrow as she never seems to ride anymore.

I'm glad knowing how to drive a manual transmission will help some, at least I have that going for me.  I think I will start studying for the written portion of the exam as well.  I want to head straight to the DMV when I pass the class.
 

i got in the msf because someone cancelled, it does happen  wt:

i had to wait a day to get my M... dmv is closed on monday :(

I had to wait a few days...in CA they mail the MSF paperwork to you. :P

sometimes.... it's better living in a small state  ;)

Your situation may be different, but when I first got my ninja, my bf put it on rear and front stands for me, and I practiced shifting in the garage. That way, once I got onto the street (er, parking lot actually) I had the basic idea down already. It really made things a lot easier for me to focus on the technique rather than worrying about shifting correctly.

If you know anyone who can do this for you, it gets both wheels off the ground so you can run the bike and practice shifting.

FWIW, I still haven't taken the MSF yet and have been riding about a year. I strongly recommend it, but it's not like you won't ever learn if you don't take it. Sometimes a knowledgeable and patient riding friend teaching you in a parking lot goes a long way...

But again, you should take it, regardless of whether you learn ahead of time.

practice practice practice practice practice 
i can't say it enough

take that test written test over and over.  there's one online and i
took it everyday for at least a month.  it makes taking the written
exam much simpler; i aced it (and i hate tests)

it's all about saddle time.  neenjah made a great suggestion if you
have access to front and rear stands.  having driven a stick helped
me a great deal.  do drills in the parking lot so you can practice the
fundamentals. your body starts to remember with repetition. then
when you're ready, hit the street, just riding around the block over
and over.  then maybe a short trip on a road with traffic lights.

traffic was the biggest challenge for me.  i just played keep-away
with all other vehicles on the road.  the more you practice, the
easier it gets. 

you're lucky your training is so early.  i was sweating it out on the
black-top in august.  that was nuts!

best wishes, much success,
  ~ empress ~

Kyna,

what state are you in?  in my state (MD) you can go as a standby....heck at our range you can often just walk in if you hit it right.  Practice is the key, nerves are much more a key - you have to keep them in check and be very calm when riding.  Anxiety often gets the best of many people on our range.

if you have any questions feel free to PM or email; I am a certified MSF instructor in MD and I might be able to answer some of your questions.

 [cheeky]

Get a copy of David Hough's Proficient Motorcycling book and read it. It covers much of the same material as the MSF course, and the explanations of how the techniques work are excellent and more detailed than the limited time in your MSF course will allow.

I'm afraid I don't know any good preparation for the riding part of the course though, other than making sure you bring plenty of snacks and drinks with you, and sunscreen, sunglasses and all that. Be patient with yourself and don't get flustered if you don't get it right at first. I already had a license and 5000 miles experience when I took it, and it was still fairly challenging for me.

I'm in WI - and I called the people who are conducting the MSF course I will be taking...they haven't had a cancellation in over 3 years.  My class starts on June 17th. 

Thanks for the offer, I may PM in a week or so when I've had some time to look over more of the material.

I'm a little nervous about the riding portion.  I am pretty confident about the written portion.  Studying I'm good at...but until I start the course I don't really feel like I can practice very much.  I've sat on the bike that I'll be practicing on for the rest of the summer, but the BF hasn't had time to show me anything in the last few weeks.

Kyna,

one of the best things you can do is just go and sit on that bike, shut your eyes, and identify the major controls such as the handlebars (seems dumb), brakes front and rear, clutch and gear shifter by touch.  If your bike has a fuel shut off valve, practice finding it without looking down.  You can also practice "dry" shifting - i.e. shifting while the bike is off and your are standing still.  You can do all this with one foot on the ground or both feet.  Also, practice FINE-C start up procedure and the TKV (thumb, key, valve) shut down procedure.  Start up the bike like you are going to ride and shut it down like you are stopping.  All of those things comprise the first 30 minutes of the class.  Being confident in where the major controls are and how to start and shut the bike off are big.  You have that down before you go and you'll be WAY ahead of many people. 

And don't worry - even though you won't be riding the same bike in class that you own (I assume) all the controls are in th same general areas, maybe minus the choke and the fuel supply valve (if you've got one).  Feel free to PM me at any time - i'll help out where I can.  I've been teaching for 5 years, starting on my 6th and have taught folks from 15 years and 9 months to 72 years old how to ride.  You can do it!!  [thumbsup]

I just had my first day on the bike for my MSF course.  I was on a V-Star 250.  It was great.  I really enjoyed riding and learning how to actually use the controls effectively.  I killed the bike at least twice, but I can proudly say I remained upright the whole 5 hours.  I'm going to spend every night this week practicing.  I found "swerving" to be one of the most difficult things, only topped by the Figure 8s.  I only had two clean runs on those two practices but I was so excited afterward.

Thanks for all the helpful hints people passed along.



This book is great btw.  I've found it really informative.  Thanks so much.  [beer]

Keep it up girl! I'm glad the first day went well. You're doing great!  [thumbsup]

Alright!!!  PM if you need more tips----i'm here to help with all my fingers and toes crossed!  [clap]

 [thumbsup]

Glad to hear it's going well! [thumbsup]

I was practicing today for my final MSF class on Saturday.  The boy's dad is letting me use his beater bike to practice on.  After only two trips down our driveway I dropped it.  It's been down a lot, so I wasn't nervous about scratching anything.  But I hated that I couldn't lift it back up on my own.  I stopped after that, I was too rattled to keep going.  It was so frustrating.  I know what I did wrong, so at least I'll learn from this.  I want to practice but I feel intimidated driving on our uneven driveway.  I'm scared to practice swerving here and of all the things we did in class that is the thing I most need to practice.

I'm just frustrated and needed to vent, plus a little embarrassed about dropping the bike.  :-[

Dropping the bike just means you've got that out of the way.

Don't worry about dropping it, happens all the time at class.  And since you did it at home, you don't have to worry about doing that in front of your classmates.  ;)

Get someone to ride it to a parking lot for you.  Practice all you want.  School parking lots are great this time of year because they are pretty much abandoned.  Don't give up!

Don't worry, happens to all of us.  Check out the comments in this thread.
http://ducatimonsterforum.org/index.php?topic=4978.0

I've been reading that thread.  It's nice to know I'm not the only one dropping bikes.  I'm glad I dropped it at home instead of in front of a bunch of people, but man it sucks not to be able to lift the bike.  I tried but had to wait for Ducatiloo to get there and help.

I can now say I've riden a standard and a cruiser.  I think I like the riding position of the standard better.  With the V-star my feet were out in front of me more, and I felt like it was harder to counter-weight when I wanted to.  I'd like to try a sport bike sometime soon, just to see how it feels.

Don't feel bad, I dropped mine this weekend.  [roll] I have been riding 3-4 years but I don't normally ride that much in the winter.  Every year I feel like I am relearning certain things and this weekends lesson was you don't need that much front brake.  [laugh] Hang in there, you are doing great.  You have prepared yourself a lot more than most people.  Just remember to have fun.

I passed!  I'm going to the DMV on Monday to take the written test and then I'll have my license.  I came home to a very cute ice cream cake with "Congratulations!" written across it and a motorcycle cruisin' across.

Excellent, congratulations Kyna!  We knew you could do it! [thumbsup] [beer] [moto]

A motorcycle license AND cake - DOUBLE score!

congratulations!

 [clap] [clap] [clap]

good luck on the written test!  [thumbsup]
didya save us some cake?  ;D

 [clap]

There is still about 3/4 a cake left in the freezer for anyone who stops by. ;)

That's what you think  [evil]