Diego passes the MSC and learns a very important lesson!

[LorDiego01]

WOOOOHOOOOO!!!! Drink one for me tonight!

I just got back from the last class of the Motorcycle Safety Course, and I brought back a stamped permit! I had no previous experience, and found the riding part to be quite a challenge. It was SO much fun to learn how to ride, and all the instructors and fellow classmates were beyond cool.

The classroom part was a breeze, I passed with a 98%; the ride though.. I came in second to last, with 19 points (if you earn 21 points you fail).

When I started the course, and I looked at the bikes for the first time, I noticed all the damage and thought.. "how can people be so dumb? crash at such low speeds!?" Turns out I got the answer to my question first hand. On one of the earlier exercises today, I was doing a turn at about 10-15mph, and all of the sudden and without warning, the damn bike decided to slide from under me and take a nap! The side cover got busted (they wouldn't let me keep it as a souvenir! GRRRR!), the shift lever got bent, the handle grip got a bit trashed, and the bike developed a strange "noise" afterwards. But fear not, me and my trusty metallic steed held on to the end and passed the course!

I was wearing my Joe Rocket 5.0 jacket, leather riding boots, my Fulmer helmet, and my nice leather gloves. The jacket saved my elbow and barely got a scratch, the boots look like they went through NAM, but its mostly cosmetic damage, my gloves got a a few minor scratches on the palm, and my brain bucket took a scratch on the visor. My big toe hurts a bit, and its now cooling in ice, but its nothing I haven'd felt before much worse, so I reckon 1 to 2 weeks till its back to 100%. I have a nice little road rash on my leg, and my favorite camo-pants got a nasty hole in them; but that was because I had my car keys in my pocket. LESSON LEARNED: RIDE WITH ALL THE DAMN GEAR, ALL THE DAMN TIME. I would never even ride a bicycle without a helmet now, if I hadn't had the gear, I may no longer have the brain capacity to write this post. So lesson learned.

All in all it was a fantastic time and learning experience, I plan on getting my own bike once I move out of this appartment in a month or two, and then do about 1,000 parking-lot miles. There is NO way I'd ride on the road between cars with my current level of experience.

And remember, always wear your helmet!

[c.sander]

congrats Diego now jump out of that ice and jump in the car and meet us in pottstown for dinner

[LorDiego01]

congrats Diego now jump out of that ice and jump in the car and meet us in pottstown for dinner

Oh dude! Stop teasing me! I'm stuck here working all weekend on some freelance work.. it'll be worth it. This will be the down payment on my bike!

[Kastaway]

WOOOOHOOOOO!!!! Drink one for me tonight!

I just got back from the last class of the Motorcycle Safety Course, and I brought back a stamped permit! I had no previous experience, and found the riding part to be quite a challenge. It was SO much fun to learn how to ride, and all the instructors and fellow classmates were beyond cool.

The classroom part was a breeze, I passed with a 98%; the ride though.. I came in second to last, with 19 points (if you earn 21 points you fail).

When I started the course, and I looked at the bikes for the first time, I noticed all the damage and thought.. "how can people be so dumb? crash at such low speeds!?" Turns out I got the answer to my question first hand. On one of the earlier exercises today, I was doing a turn at about 10-15mph, and all of the sudden and without warning, the damn bike decided to slide from under me and take a nap! The side cover got busted (they wouldn't let me keep it as a souvenir! GRRRR!), the shift lever got bent, the handle grip got a bit trashed, and the bike developed a strange "noise" afterwards. But fear not, me and my trusty metallic steed held on to the end and passed the course!

I was wearing my Joe Rocket 5.0 jacket, leather riding boots, my Fulmer helmet, and my nice leather gloves. The jacket saved my elbow and barely got a scratch, the boots look like they went through NAM, but its mostly cosmetic damage, my gloves got a a few minor scratches on the palm, and my brain bucket took a scratch on the visor. My big toe hurts a bit, and its now cooling in ice, but its nothing I haven'd felt before much worse, so I reckon 1 to 2 weeks till its back to 100%. I have a nice little road rash on my leg, and my favorite camo-pants got a nasty hole in them; but that was because I had my car keys in my pocket. LESSON LEARNED: RIDE WITH ALL THE DAMN GEAR, ALL THE DAMN TIME. I would never even ride a bicycle without a helmet now, if I hadn't had the gear, I may no longer have the brain capacity to write this post. So lesson learned.

All in all it was a fantastic time and learning experience, I plan on getting my own bike once I move out of this appartment in a month or two, and then do about 1,000 parking-lot miles. There is NO way I'd ride on the road between cars with my current level of experience.

And remember, always wear your helmet!

LMAO.......congrats LorDiego01

[lexington86]

All in all it was a fantastic time and learning experience, I plan on getting my own bike once I move out of this appartment in a month or two, and then do about 1,000 parking-lot miles. There is NO way I'd ride on the road between cars with my current level of experience.

I remember doing lots of parking lot laps before venturing out on the road even after I did the MSC. Even then, I only drove around the very lightly traveled neighborhood roads for about a week before going anywhere else on my bike.

Be safe!

[27hand]

Good job LD.

I can remember getting mine. We borrowed a friends Harley 250 (IIRC). I never drove one before. My buddy showed me how to shift. I ran the bike 20 miles on the interstate to the testing center and he drove his 60 vette. We switched after I got through the course.

That was my only experience. I must have done OK. I got the MC stamped on the license. I never did buy a bike after that though.

Ride safe. Watch out for the AH's that don't watch out for you. Scan way ahead of yourself. Drive like you're 58 till you get the hang of it.

27hand

[normanvin]

Congrats......

[er2006]

Congratulations, I am very happy foryou , a bike gives you a certain feeling that you can not experience in a different vehicle.

Ride , Ride, Ride and have a good time!

I always wanted to ride but now that I have the time I noticed that my balance is bad .



Ed

[Evolution]

Congrats on the stamped permit. Now be careful out there!

[TaePo]

Congrats. Be careful. Don't forget to practice waving to your fellow motorcyclists (after much practice riding)!

Wet roads = slippery due to oil/contaminants.
Wet painted lines = slippery (even if just dew)
Wet leaves = slippery.

Get a dirtbike to practice in the yard if you have a big enough yard or woods. Although road riding is quite different the basic skills needed are the same and can be learned without worrying about traffic etc.

Smoothness wins the day and keeping speeds reasonable does, too.

I am happy for you.