Which scenario breeds the better rider?

[FT BSTRD]

Originally Posted by Tmall

I think a better comparison would be if you paid for drivers ed, and they took you round and round a parking lot, would you feel that your money was well spent?

I know the msf up here is 440 for the weekend. Drivers ed isn't that much more expensive, and you gain a lot of knowledge from drivers ed. How hard would it be to make something comparable?

I think you are missing the point. Drivers ed has a very different intent than MSF.

MSF assumes you have people who already have their driver's license and understand the rules of the road. Driver's ed is mainly for people obtaining their driver's license for the first time. You MUST drive on the street for Driver's ed because the goal is to prepare you for release onto the road with zero practical experience.

As I'm sure you'll concede, operating a motorcycle is VERY different than operating a car. The MSF course is designed to teach those factors that are unique to motorcycles. How they work, best practices, unique mechanical attributes.

How would one practice panic stops in traffic?

How would one practice riding in the box on public streets?

Additionally, there is the issue of legality. You couldn't have 30 motorcycle riders riding someone else's motorcycles without a license on public streets.

For what can be done and what it offers, the MSF course is pretty damn good. It isn't the last word in rider education, but it's a really great start.

It's the first step in being a life long student of the art.

Or you could just borrow your buddy's bike, go down to the license place after you've ridden around in a parking lot by yourself and pass the test.

After you have your license, you don't really need to do any training.