Off the Reservation
Off the Reservation
MSF's new course takes newbie riders out of the parking lot and into the real world
OF ALL THE CHALLENGES FACED BY NEW riders, the leap from the controlled riding range to the street is one of the toughest. But not so much anymore. The Motorcycle Safety Foundation has introduced the Street RiderCourse (SRC) to its training menu, which we sampled recently. After a brief chalk talk using the MSF’s online hazard-awareness module (available to students at any time after the initial training), instructor David Crouch led our small group onto the streets of Long Beach, California, with Mark Wing riding sweep. The MSF likes to keep these groups small, four students max.
Emphasizing road and traffic awareness, the course helps develop and gradually expand a new rider’s ability to recognize hazards and avoid common traps. All students wore radios with helmet speakers while Crouch provided commentary as we took those first baby steps into traffic, across a busy boulevard and into a quiet residential subdivision. “See that maintenance truck over there?” he would ask. “What do you think that means? What hazards are present?” Crouch provided frequent but not overwhelming pointers as we moved from the sleepy side streets to larger avenues and finally to a short stint on the notorious 405 freeway. Oh, my, the freeway? Yes, because our ride included samples of three routes that are part of two courses: SRC1 stays local and easy, SRC2 adds two more-challenging routes, including highways. The pace was newbie-perfect and the tone of the on-bike commentary was excellent, neither jargon-y nor condescending. Each partial-day SRC costs between $200 and $300 (depending upon location), which is money exceedingly wellspent for what could be a life-saving start to a moto education. For more information, go to www.msf-usa.org. —Marc Cook
