Preparing for the class

I downloaded a copy of my state’s motorcycle manual. I then read and studied it. I was halfway tempted to take the written test and get my permit as a prep work for the MSF class. This wouldn’t hurt, but also may not help all that much. What I heard about the state test sounds a bit different than the test I took.

I practiced putting on and off my helmet. I tried wearing it around for a little bit to get a feel for what it was like to wear it. It is better to try it on for twenty minutes before committing to wear it for a two full days in a row.  Get comfortable with it.

I aired up my bicycle tires and drove my bicycle. I tried low speed maneuvers. And I tried out high speed maneuvers, or at least as high speed as I can peddle. I tried out braking, going up hills, and anything else I can think of. I wanted to get a feel for the balance and the feel of two wheels. While the motorcycle is fairly different, I think this helped.  If you have more time before your class, this would be great to try do in the days leading up to the class.

My bicycle is rather basic, but I think a better prep would have been a complicated bicycle. One with lots of gear shifting options, and independent front and rear brakes. Basically, the more complicated the bicycle, the better to prepare you for learning to ride a bicycle.

I also watched many youtube videos on driving a motorcycle. There’s a wide assortment of quality in those videos. But most of them cover the basics, which I didn’t know at all.  On the whole, this was helpful to do.

One tip from one of the videos was to practice your hand movement of pulling in the clutch and opening/closing the throttle. I started doing that. It may feel silly to do, but it did help. The thing is you can read and memorize the controls. But you need the actions ingrained deeper into muscle memory and habit, so that there’s no thought required.