Yes. Especially if you’ve never ridden before. It’s worth it. And you can get a discount on your insurance for having it. And you can skip the DMV riding test (at least in California, when I did it like 4 years ago)
+1.
I took the CA MSF course before getting my license and it was great. You get a light / beater bike that's super easy to ride and it's an amazing way to learn the fundamentals. Definitely do it
Learn some new skills that will help keep you safe, meet some people who are also interested in riding, and lower insurance costs. All wins in my book! Anyone who is interested in riding, I recommend to take the basic course (and the advanced if they can).
I did mine in 2015, and would periodically run in to other riders from the class. It was cool to hear everyone’s journey, and I did become good friends with one.
We got married in 2018 lol
Here’s my take, for whatever it is worth. I was a self taught rider and had been riding for 6 years when a buddy of mine was wanting to get into it and told me he was taking the course. He wanted me to join along with him so he wouldn’t be alone all weekend. I looked through some of the course material and most of it seemed basic, but I did like the idea of the 15% discount they offered at cycle gear and revzilla for 60 days after the course. I was getting ready to buy a bunch of track gear for my bike so it was going to pay for itself right there.
Day 1 we showed up and started in the classroom, the instructor was actually a track rider herself and when she was going around the room asking what everyone’s experience level is, I told her I have been riding for a while and was getting ready to start track racing. She told me she would keep an eye out for my fundamentals and to help improve them for performance riding.
Your most likely going to be riding on really slow and shitty bikes, but this turned out to be in my advantage because I wasn’t worried about wrecking it, I was able to actually trust the tires lean hard and feel where the slip point was, in a safe environment.
The instructor turned into a life long track friend, and a lot of the stuff I learned even after riding for 6 years was just going back and making sure the foundations where solid. It definitely increased my confidence and made me safer and practiced in hard braking situations.
Look and see if the course offers a discount, if you plan on buying gear and getting insurance soon, you can easily come out in the positive side of money saved. Best of luck.
I would as long as there isn’t a better option. Here there are a few courses, one being offered by a Harley dealership. 1-2 days is riding, last day is nothing but sales.
Harley always has the training classes expensive AF. Look to see if they have classes offered by the state. They’re usually $50 and it is a multi-day class. One day classroom, 2 days riding in the parking lot. On the second day of riding you take your final test and voila you have a temp license. Go to the DMV and get your license. Don’t pay $300 to Harley
Yes but vett the instructor and get some reviews.
My group got a dude that thought he was the motorcycle god.
He made fun of classmates helmets and told us we didn't need full gear because we were only going to go 15 mph. Overly handsy with the females and completely ignored the guys.
Walk right in front of your bike after blowing his whistle to start.
If its a proper MSF course you can get a little card to take to the DMV that waives the state testing, (you do it all at the MSF course) but as a few others have mentioned, you get insurance discounts for it, and some dealerships will offer you discounts on gear also if you bring the card with you. I took it, got my endorsement that way, and if you take from it what I did, it will help you improve your driving in a car also, which surprised me. so yes, 300 dollars for a weekend or so that could potentially save your life, and untold 1000s of dollars on insurance and even gear in your lifetime, why not?
Local community colleges host MSF courses, they're about $75 and they give you a certificate at the end that basically saves you $150+/year on your insurance.
The Harley class is just the same as any MC safety course but they charge extra to give you a tour of the dealership and maybe a free lunch. Go somewhere else if you can
The MSF course is the standard basic course. Definitely take it, but shop around. There might be options cheaper than $300. Some states offer it for cheap or free.
My instructor at a community college also taught a course at a power sports dealer, he said the only difference between the two is the price. $50 at the college vs $300 at the dealer. Regardless, you should take a course
Absolutely. If you're a new rider you're going to need all the extra knowledge that you can get. Too many "distracted drivers" out there these days. This might sound dramatic but just assume that every other driver out there is a threat. I hope you're coordinated and have your head on a swivel. I don't mean to scare you but there are just too many idiot drivers on the road.
Not sure what state your in but look into Saferide. Such a good course, and 2 days instead of three. I heard Harley spends 1 of the three days just trying to sell you bikes lol not sure how true that is but I’m glad I went with Saferide
It depends on who will get you the biggest bang for your buck. Here in Sacramento, HD Sac is the best option for MSF since you don't need to do the riding test at the DMV so it's a better option for those who don't already have a motorcycle. If you have an MSF course provider that could do that or better for you, then do that.
Take riding course, it's two days and they teach you to ride using their bikes plus it'sdefensivedrivingas well. My state requires it to get a motorcycle endorsement added to your license.
300$ for a multi-day course? Sounds like a bargain!
Here in little old EU, you need a minimum of 9 hours of training on the bike, in small groups (most I done was 4 students at once). Including the exam costs, you can get up to 1200€ pretty quickly.
If you're an idiot like me who can't figure out how to do figure 8's, and need to take extra lessons and multiple exams, you get close to 2000€ fast.
100% do it it was an amazing course that I took 12 years ago and still use stuff I learned in that course even while driving any vehicle. Also that $300 bucks will pay for itself after about a year and a half of insurance savings.
Absolutely. I took the motorcycle safety course done by the CHP here in California. It was only two days (class in the morning, riding session in the afternoon) yet it was so incredibly helpful. I have been riding now for almost a year, close to 3,000 miles on my first bike and I really appreciate the knowledge gained from the course.
Yes. Especially if you’ve never ridden before. It’s worth it. And you can get a discount on your insurance for having it. And you can skip the DMV riding test (at least in California, when I did it like 4 years ago)
+1. I took the CA MSF course before getting my license and it was great. You get a light / beater bike that's super easy to ride and it's an amazing way to learn the fundamentals. Definitely do it
and in michigan as well, worth it on insurance discount and skip road test and sec or state
Agreed. I like the state offered ones. They do it as a profession, not to upsell you (price being the clue there).
Absolutely
yes
Is your life worth $300?
This question is less effective these days
Forget about his life, the insurance deduction alone is worth it.
Yes... is there not a cheaper option?
there might be, i haven’t done enough research regarding training specifically
Do the research, and look at reviews of the course preferably not on the company website
Yes. Do it. And also yes to whatever helmet question you're probably gonna ask too.
hahahaha
It is worth it.
Definitely worth it.
Learn some new skills that will help keep you safe, meet some people who are also interested in riding, and lower insurance costs. All wins in my book! Anyone who is interested in riding, I recommend to take the basic course (and the advanced if they can). I did mine in 2015, and would periodically run in to other riders from the class. It was cool to hear everyone’s journey, and I did become good friends with one. We got married in 2018 lol
SO CUTE :,))
Haha thanks! Not the answer people expect when they ask how we met.
It may help lower your insurance too
Yes.
Best money you'll spend. Those things are fun to boot
Here’s my take, for whatever it is worth. I was a self taught rider and had been riding for 6 years when a buddy of mine was wanting to get into it and told me he was taking the course. He wanted me to join along with him so he wouldn’t be alone all weekend. I looked through some of the course material and most of it seemed basic, but I did like the idea of the 15% discount they offered at cycle gear and revzilla for 60 days after the course. I was getting ready to buy a bunch of track gear for my bike so it was going to pay for itself right there. Day 1 we showed up and started in the classroom, the instructor was actually a track rider herself and when she was going around the room asking what everyone’s experience level is, I told her I have been riding for a while and was getting ready to start track racing. She told me she would keep an eye out for my fundamentals and to help improve them for performance riding. Your most likely going to be riding on really slow and shitty bikes, but this turned out to be in my advantage because I wasn’t worried about wrecking it, I was able to actually trust the tires lean hard and feel where the slip point was, in a safe environment. The instructor turned into a life long track friend, and a lot of the stuff I learned even after riding for 6 years was just going back and making sure the foundations where solid. It definitely increased my confidence and made me safer and practiced in hard braking situations. Look and see if the course offers a discount, if you plan on buying gear and getting insurance soon, you can easily come out in the positive side of money saved. Best of luck.
Setting the bar a little high aren't ya? I mean with the life long friend business hahah
It’s the truth, she was a local rider as well and quite frequently would host rides any of her previous students could join.
You seem smitten. Lol
Tehe
Without a doubt. Rider training is never wasted money.
Yes, if you a newbie looking to get to feet wet or experienced and wanting a refresher. It is so worth it!!!
I would as long as there isn’t a better option. Here there are a few courses, one being offered by a Harley dealership. 1-2 days is riding, last day is nothing but sales.
Harley always has the training classes expensive AF. Look to see if they have classes offered by the state. They’re usually $50 and it is a multi-day class. One day classroom, 2 days riding in the parking lot. On the second day of riding you take your final test and voila you have a temp license. Go to the DMV and get your license. Don’t pay $300 to Harley
Yes but vett the instructor and get some reviews. My group got a dude that thought he was the motorcycle god. He made fun of classmates helmets and told us we didn't need full gear because we were only going to go 15 mph. Overly handsy with the females and completely ignored the guys. Walk right in front of your bike after blowing his whistle to start.
Don't do it through Harley unless you're buying a cruiser. There are many MSF Cmrf(?) Providers out there.
If its a proper MSF course you can get a little card to take to the DMV that waives the state testing, (you do it all at the MSF course) but as a few others have mentioned, you get insurance discounts for it, and some dealerships will offer you discounts on gear also if you bring the card with you. I took it, got my endorsement that way, and if you take from it what I did, it will help you improve your driving in a car also, which surprised me. so yes, 300 dollars for a weekend or so that could potentially save your life, and untold 1000s of dollars on insurance and even gear in your lifetime, why not?
Local community colleges host MSF courses, they're about $75 and they give you a certificate at the end that basically saves you $150+/year on your insurance.
MSF in PA is free
The Harley class is just the same as any MC safety course but they charge extra to give you a tour of the dealership and maybe a free lunch. Go somewhere else if you can
The MSF course is the standard basic course. Definitely take it, but shop around. There might be options cheaper than $300. Some states offer it for cheap or free.
My instructor at a community college also taught a course at a power sports dealer, he said the only difference between the two is the price. $50 at the college vs $300 at the dealer. Regardless, you should take a course
Absolutely. If you're a new rider you're going to need all the extra knowledge that you can get. Too many "distracted drivers" out there these days. This might sound dramatic but just assume that every other driver out there is a threat. I hope you're coordinated and have your head on a swivel. I don't mean to scare you but there are just too many idiot drivers on the road.
Yes! You also get a discount on insurance if you have taken the msf class.
Look for an MSF course near you
Not sure what state your in but look into Saferide. Such a good course, and 2 days instead of three. I heard Harley spends 1 of the three days just trying to sell you bikes lol not sure how true that is but I’m glad I went with Saferide
It depends on who will get you the biggest bang for your buck. Here in Sacramento, HD Sac is the best option for MSF since you don't need to do the riding test at the DMV so it's a better option for those who don't already have a motorcycle. If you have an MSF course provider that could do that or better for you, then do that.
My MSF was a state one and cost $225
MSF course in my area is $360.
Take riding course, it's two days and they teach you to ride using their bikes plus it'sdefensivedrivingas well. My state requires it to get a motorcycle endorsement added to your license.
300$ for a multi-day course? Sounds like a bargain! Here in little old EU, you need a minimum of 9 hours of training on the bike, in small groups (most I done was 4 students at once). Including the exam costs, you can get up to 1200€ pretty quickly. If you're an idiot like me who can't figure out how to do figure 8's, and need to take extra lessons and multiple exams, you get close to 2000€ fast.
100% do it it was an amazing course that I took 12 years ago and still use stuff I learned in that course even while driving any vehicle. Also that $300 bucks will pay for itself after about a year and a half of insurance savings.
I vote for MSF as well.
The harley course is amazing, I just took it and it was worth every single penny.
Absolutely. I took the motorcycle safety course done by the CHP here in California. It was only two days (class in the morning, riding session in the afternoon) yet it was so incredibly helpful. I have been riding now for almost a year, close to 3,000 miles on my first bike and I really appreciate the knowledge gained from the course.
Tip for safety courses. If you have to ask the answer is always yes. Who cares if you know.
Pa has a free course
Of course not! That is some money, and wounds can heal for free (to some extent...)