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Riders Edge Course

10K views 30 replies 23 participants last post by  G3Truks 
#1 ·
I'm thinking of signing up for the 5 day Harley Davidson Rider's Edge course. The tuition is $300. Has anyone been through the class? Was it worth the money?
 
#5 ·
I took the Rider's Edge course in 2005. I hadn't ridden in over 30 years and I felt the need to refresh my skills. The course is good and everyone in class (there were 13 of us) was able to get individual attention. (The local community colleges also offer the same course at a lesser rate.)

The class is well worth whatever you pay for it.
 
#6 ·
I'm not a huge supporter of Harley Davidson, but this is why I decided to take this class 3 years ago.

1. You get to use their equipment (bike). So if you put it down, no worry to replace the damaged parts. A few people in the class did just that.

2. I feel by taking any MSF course, you are developing your skills. By taking the class and not just taking the test, I believe you develop skills that most bikers do not have. I also believe by taking the class, you are a better rider than 80% of the people out there on the road. I told myself, If I could not pass the class and get my license in the first try, I don't deserve to be on a bike out on the road. We started with 12 people in the class, 6 dropped out, and only 5 passed the test. Don't be a statistic!

3. I made some good friends from the class. We ride all the time. In fact just came back from the "Dragon" a 1700 round trip ride. A ride of a life time. Wish it didn't rain on us the whole time we were there, but we did it.

What ever you decide...I would take some kind of safety course. The riders edge class is well worth the money!
 
#9 · (Edited)
I'm not a huge supporter of Harley Davidson, but this is why I decided to take this class 3 years ago.

1. You get to use their equipment (bike). So if you put it down, no worry to replace the damaged parts. A few people in the class did just that.

2. I feel by taking any MSF course, you are developing your skills. By taking the class and not just taking the test, I believe you develop skills that most bikers do not have. I also believe by taking the class, you are a better rider than 80% of the people out there on the road. I told myself, If I could not pass the class and get my license in the first try, I don't deserve to be on a bike out on the road. We started with 12 people in the class, 6 dropped out, and only 5 passed the test. Don't be a statistic!

3. I made some good friends from the class. We ride all the time. In fact just came back from the "Dragon" a 1700 round trip ride. A ride of a life time. Wish it didn't rain on us the whole time we were there, but we did it.
What ever you decide...I would take some kind of safety course. The riders edge class is well worth the money!
i agree with all but the 80% better rider than most on the highway, because according to federal statistics 92% of those involved in motorcycle accidents have been through a riders course. with that said, i took a course several years back with a friend because he wouldn't take the course unless someone would take it with him (i would not have taken it had it not been for him, not because i've had a MC license since age 15 (full license at 16), but because i took a highway sponsored class at 15 when i got my permit that was much hard than the MSF course and was much more stricter than they are now) and i was the only one that would take the course with him out of our group of friends. i will admit that after riding 2 wheeled vehicles since the age of 6, i learned that today's MSF course is much easier than the course i took 26 years ago, but either way, take the course regardless of who's offering it: tech school, honda, harley, etc...

Humm ... Guess Ill have to go against the grain here.

I don't think the beginner MSF course was all that good either time I took it. It may be good for those who haven't ridden at all or who want to start at the basics when returning but the beginner course in no way gets ya ready for riding.

I think the Ride like Pro dvd gets one ready for riding and gives alot better practical exercises then beginner MSF. ... I have in no way mastered them all .. but for those who are very serious the motor man gives a list of patterns to run. They all include instructions and measurements.

Once your done with his beginner course he tightens all the measurements. He also tells you how to protect your bike. The MSF "Box" is nothing compared to what this guys gives ya !! Another good example is : He tells you how to easily pick up a downed bike without hurting yourself. This is the kind of practical issues you will run into out there.

Your never traveling at a speed higher than 30 or 40.

and the price is ten percent of the MSF course.

The beginning MSF class room data / discussion is common knowledge.

In addition to the content, I think the course puts people who shouldnt be on the road, on the road. The last course I took was at a local community college (a fraction of Harleys cost). One of the instructors was going to school with my wife. One girls a$$ was on the street more that in the saddle. She was continually off the bike. So much so, that I made sure I got away from her if she was near by. But she passed.

After the class I asked Scott why he passed her. He said she made enough points and didnt drop the bike. The test is what five, maybe ten minutes long. He said, when he gives the test, he puts his NC State hat on. During that test, it doesnt matter what she did while he had his instructor hat on. He followed up by saying, "If I saw her on the road tomorrow, I get away from her as fast as I could."

Im not trying to bad mouth the beginner MSF. There is some value. But it isnt the best training method out there. I doubt that the advanced MSF would do much better. Ive heard its basically the same course on your own bike.
i agree, and know that you're not bad mouthing the MSF...it's just fact, there are much better classes and training if you look for them
 
#7 ·
Any rider safety course including the MSF course has the ability to save your life.
When a truck alligater surprises me in the road its no big deal.

I still hear my instructor yelling "turn your head all the back before you change lanes" and if I dont I feel guilty.
 
#8 ·
Humm ... Guess Ill have to go against the grain here.

I don't think the beginner MSF course was all that good either time I took it. It may be good for those who haven't ridden at all or who want to start at the basics when returning but the beginner course in no way gets ya ready for riding.

I think the Ride like Pro dvd gets one ready for riding and gives alot better practical exercises then beginner MSF. ... I have in no way mastered them all .. but for those who are very serious the motor man gives a list of patterns to run. They all include instructions and measurements.

Once your done with his beginner course he tightens all the measurements. He also tells you how to protect your bike. The MSF "Box" is nothing compared to what this guys gives ya !! Another good example is : He tells you how to easily pick up a downed bike without hurting yourself. This is the kind of practical issues you will run into out there.

Your never traveling at a speed higher than 30 or 40.

and the price is ten percent of the MSF course.

The beginning MSF class room data / discussion is common knowledge.

In addition to the content, I think the course puts people who shouldnt be on the road, on the road. The last course I took was at a local community college (a fraction of Harleys cost). One of the instructors was going to school with my wife. One girls a$$ was on the street more that in the saddle. She was continually off the bike. So much so, that I made sure I got away from her if she was near by. But she passed.

After the class I asked Scott why he passed her. He said she made enough points and didnt drop the bike. The test is what five, maybe ten minutes long. He said, when he gives the test, he puts his NC State hat on. During that test, it doesnt matter what she did while he had his instructor hat on. He followed up by saying, "If I saw her on the road tomorrow, I get away from her as fast as I could."

Im not trying to bad mouth the beginner MSF. There is some value. But it isnt the best training method out there. I doubt that the advanced MSF would do much better. Ive heard its basically the same course on your own bike.
 
#10 ·
in Ohio, the basic MSF course is $25 and the Harley course is $350......the difference is that the Harley course is longer and they try to get you to buy HD bikes and products.........no course is the absolute answer......the real answer is to constantly study and learn and go over all the tricks you learn and remember them as you ride.....I still count one, two when following another bike or cage........I still go to the local MSF course I helped set up and go over the course for practice.....one day soon, I might even become an instructor......the idea is to practice, practice, practice
 
#11 ·
Harley has in my view an excellent msf course that puts
you on their 500cc buells(watched my wife when she did not know)
take that course and they are more "one on one" contact with theit students.

I've taken a less expensive course on a 125cc suzuki and will
recomend riders edge over the other.

Msf course anywhere will SAVE YOUR LIFE!

Use what they teach and PRACTICE,PRACTICE,PRACTICE!!!!!!!!!

But remember,
After any course You are trained to ride in a empty parking lot.

Your experience will come with many more miles,
USING THE TOOLS THEY TEACH YOU.


Now get out there and RIDE!

and Ride Safe:choppersm
 
#12 ·
I took the Rider's Edge class. At Most places it's $300, but I found one that offered it for $195. They did give a full tour of the dealership, and offered $500 off a bike for taking the class but I didn't experience any high pressure to buy etc.

1. We had 3 hours class time both Thursday and Friday nights.
2. 8 hours range time on Saturday and Sunday
3. Yes you are on a range, but we really focused a wide range of techniques for handling the bike, safety.
4. I'm fairly new, and thought the class was well worth the money, but there were veteran riders 20 years or more that committed that they had learned a lot as well.
5. I have not seen the DVD set several people have mentioned on here, but I do think you do better to spend the money on the course, get out and practice starting, stopping and low speed manuevers around the neighborhood, or at low traffic times when very few people are on the road.
 
#13 ·
For what it's worth, here is my take on the classes. I took the MSF course about 6 years ago having no prior experience on dirt or street. While some of the classroom instruction is common sense, much of it is not. It may have just been that we had a really good instructor, but having never ridden a motorcycle or dirtbike, the classroom instruction pointed out a lot of things I had never really considered. Such as always having a means of escape from danger whether travelling on a highway or at a stoplight, using both brakes to stop safely in the shortest distance possible, etc. I also thought the riding portion of the class did a great job to introduce a new rider to countersteering, the technique to quickly swerve to avoid an obstacle versus a typical lean into a curve, and emergency braking. Slow speed manuevers were also covered, however in my class the instructor focused solely on looking (head and eyes) and counterweighting but never mentioned use of the clutch and rear brake to control the bike at slow speeds. This is where videos like "Ride Like A Pro" are invaluable for teaching these skills. 6 years later I still remember many things from the course that have helped keep me safe on the road, but I have always been very respectful of my machine...from my first bike (Harley Steet Bob) to my R6 I got a few years ago. I spent a good 4 weeks practicing on my first bike in parking lots and neighborhoods before going out to the streets, but I suppose there are many people who think they are ready once the "M" is stamped on their license regardless of how well they did in the course or what kind of first bike they get. Looking back, the MSF basic riders course is really too basic for anyone with reasonable skills who has been riding for a few years or more. I have heard great things about the experienced riders course and plan to take it in the near future.
 
#14 · (Edited)
I've never been a big fan of the MSF courses, I don't think a day in a classroom and a day and a half on a riding course has anyone road ready...I know they preach after the class to continue to practice, but let's use commom sense, Most people who take the course and pass it never look back...They get their ML and on the roads they go thinking they have a ML, they passed the course they know it all now...Most people here in Ga take the MSF course because it's easier than passing the actual test given at the Georgia State Patrol office...Another thing I don't like about the MSF classes are the fact that they are given on usually 250CC bikes....I think everyone should be tested on the bikes they plan to ride and control on the streets...There is a MSF course right by my house and I have watched it multiple times and I personally think it's a joke...I know I don't feel really good when I ride away thinking I am about to share the road with these people....Just an opinion...but it's mine!!!
 
#15 ·
I have to disagree with you.......I took the basic MSF course in May of 2006 with no riding experience at all. I felt that it was one of the best most organized class I have ever taken! I have taken hundreds of classes over the years for many things...college, med school, post grad training, sailing, wood working, etc. and firmly stand by my statement. like anything else, it is up to the student to learn and do it! so it is very important to practice. as far as the size of the bikes, they are not intimidating for the average student and easy to care for. each of us walks away from a class with whatever they can. I immediately bought my X and was instantly intimidated by it...so I went to a large parking lot and practiced for 1 1/2 hours before I went back to the road.......I still practice....I still do the things I learned in the class and am considering taking it again to review........I also have several DVD's which I review, Ride Like A Pro, etc. I believe I cannot learn enough........we all learn by repetition so I combine riding as much as I can and review of the basics to keep myself safe! I know without the MSF course, I would never have been here! :mosh:
 
#16 · (Edited)
When I was young I studied the Handbook and went to DPS and took my written and then driving test for my motorcycle. When kids came along i quit riding. 18 yrs later when kids are grown I bought my VTX 1800. I took the MSF course. We rode on 250cc rebels. The entire 2 days it poured down rain. That did not stop the course one bit. After 8 hours in pouring down rain we were truly miserable. I think the class was very informative as stated in earlier posts. I do NOT agree with an earlier comment about having to take the class in the bike we own. If I had tried to do the manuvers in the rain on my VTX1800n i probably would have been injured, discouraged and sad over scratching, denting my own bike. I never dropped the 250cc rebel, but i'm sure it's 600 lbs lighter. The only thing I do NOT agree with the MSF course is that after you take the written part of the test (first few hours of course) and the driving test the next day...that's it. You just go to DMV and pick up your license. I think their should have been a driving test from DMV also.
 
#18 ·
I have been riding bikes for 40 years and had never taken a riders class until some where around 2005-2006,where as I had to so I could re-new my bike insurance.Glad I did, I broke some bad habits and really enjoyed it, I recommend it to all the new bikers out there. In 2009 I took the advanced course where you ride your own bike, very educational, knocks 20% off your insurance... good course..
 
#20 ·
I just took the local MSF class in August at a career center near my home ($25) and honestly I think it was great. I plan on taking the advanced class and one day the instructors course. I had two instructors (1 instructor per 6 riders) and we all got the attention we needed. I actually like the fact they were on 250cc, even though it's a small bike it levels the playing field for everyone to learn and be safe. If everyone brought different size bikes, you may have people that aren't ready for the 750s or 1300cc/1800cc size bikes. Keeping the bikes equal also allows the instructors to control the class a bit more.

One of the great things about the class is not only do you get the attention you need (if you have good instructors), it only cost $25. For that cost if you find out you REALLY don't want to ride, or you just don't feel riding a bike is your thing, you're only out the cost of the permit (~$25 in Ohio) and the class $25.

As mentioned already practice, practice, practice. I'm lucky enough I live no more than 3/4 mile from the testing grounds so I go once a week to practice on the same course I tested. No matter what course you take, riding in a parking lot will never fully prepare you for the road and the hazards that come with it. Ride Safe!:cheers:
 
#22 ·
I have to agree with you Angel, but with a twist. This should be a 2 part course. First part on the 250cc or whatever they use, then no more than 6 months later on your own bike of your choosing. That way you get time to practice after taking it on the smaller bike and go back and apply it on yours. There are things you may not be able to do on a bigger bike that you can on the 250, in the space allowed, but, given enough extra space, it should still be able to be done on the bigger bike.
 
#30 ·
Point is, it's still not required. We all will have differing opinions on this like anything else. :mosh:
 
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