christoefur
Cookies Please
I'm going to take the msf course next week, It'll be my first time riding a mortocycle. I'm just wondering what would happen if you fail. Do you have to pay for the entire course again to take it for the second time?
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Failing MSF riding test
- Thread starter SNsMoto
- Start date
They let you retest for free if you do it within 6 months of failing, I believe.
squid vicious
nomnomnomnom
If you don't pass the riding evaluation contact the site manager, they will explain your options. Most sites do allow for a "do-over". Some people pick up the skills immediately, others just need more practice time than the alloted course time allows. hey, it happens, no worries.
edit: And review your score sheet! ask questions, they're there for you to learn!
christoefur
Cookies Please
Thanks Guys, I'll do my best! I cant wait for the class, I want to ride so badly 
Kawi_Girl326
New member
the only way to have failed the test was if he dropped the bike during testing... or he did something along the lines of a wheelie. putting your foot down during a u-turn would only deduct points.
C
corndog
Guest
If your two buddies were bs'in and laughing the whole time, they would be looking for reasons to fail them. They like you to have fun in class, but you are very much required to take it seriously. If all classes were like the one I took, I would respectfully say that your friends aren't ready for the road. Tell them to get a couple cheap dirt bikes, go play for 6 months, and try again.
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- Apr 17, 2002
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Speaking as a Ridercoach, we don't look for reasons to fail people. The either pass, or they don't. It really is that simple.
I'm sure the sun did more tricks with you than you realized.
I've personally only coached at 6 different MSF sites and have never even seen the Vallejo site, but IMO there is virtually no way you or any MSF BRC student spent 12 hours pushing your bike around on ANY Basic Rider range unless there was something seriously amiss. It's a maximum of 5 hours each day (Saturday and Sunday), and even at that rate it would be with a lot of 10 minute breaks every other exercise - 9 exercises the first day and 8 the second with the skills test at the end of the class (plus the time for going over the skills test with the students at the end of day 2, the time that was spend by the RiderCoaches discussing each of the the exercises and the demonstrations of each exercise, and roughly 4 to 5 minutes of debrief at the end of every exercise on the students experiences and what the students learned, etc., etc., etc.).
Maybe you arrived there in the wee hours of the morning and watched the RiderCoaches doing the setup work and also their shut-down work at the end of the day too (those are often close to a 12 hour days each day, but no students are allowed to assist in that area)??? I can pretty much assure you unless there was some extremely unusual happenings during those two days, it was a lot less than you think. "Good" RiderCoaches normally want to achieve maximum riding time for each class we coach, but obviously there are many variables that can affect that goal. Many of us also use a stop watch to keep pretty precisely on time with the guidelines the Motorcycle Safety Foundation has established for the total BRC experience (hopefully) for each and every student. 12 hours pushing the bike around by students isn't part of the BRC program.
DaleC
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Riding a motorcycle is like doing the "nasty" in that 90% of one's riding ability and enjoyment of the process is mental. 
Anxiety, stress, and fear can lead a person to being tired because their muscles are all tensed up and that in turn will cause a person to do poorly.
Anxiety, stress, and fear can lead a person to being tired because their muscles are all tensed up and that in turn will cause a person to do poorly.
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As for pushing around bikes for 12 hours, that wasn't the case for my class (which had 3 tiny women). We power walked in the first half of day one, but as people learned about the friction zone and practiced take offs, no one pushed a bike on day two.
As for the blazing sun, well, I took my class in San Mateo specifically for the weather. At one point, people wearing heavy jackets were zipping them up to stay warm.
I bet SNsNinja's friends were men, because only a guy would BS about why he failed a skills test. I know I was in competition with a work buddy about our scores, and it would be humiliating to fail.
A woman or a mature man would acknowledge his mistakes, learn from them, and be prepared to retake the test.
If you can't pass the MSF test, then you probably shouldn't be riding. I do not want to sound callous, but even dropping a bike on a u-turn is a bad sign for when you actually get on the road. While you won't be making many u-turns in a 12 foot painted box, there are lots of similiar maneuvers in the real world, except for the pedestrians, cars, trucks, debris, potholes, train tracks...
FoolishMortal
Gary J: Ride in Peace
Exactly. My job (and my personal goal) is to help the students "get it". If I see one who is not "getting it", I try to find another way to explain/coach the skill...and another, and another, and another, until it's obvious to me that the person should not be on a two-wheeled conveyance. Once it gets to the Skills Evaluation, it's all objective observation.
Again, you put things succinctly. I do work the Vallejo range (my third location) and students are absolutely not allowed to push bikes. Like every other BRC site, our job is to get the students riding, and we would counsel out someone who cannot (will not) pick up his/her feet.
Albal0ney
Hella Legit
I was asked to leave during my first MSF class at noon because the instructor felt that i wasn't in control of the bike. I came back a few weeks later and passed only missing 3 points. I didn't have any practice in between, but it did help me to take the riding portion class twice.
Stick with it, dont be discouraged or embarassed.
Stick with it, dont be discouraged or embarassed.
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Once the Evaluation (test) starts, discretion stops. The responsibility of passing or failing falls completely on the riders shoulders.
We have the ability to Counsel Out students that are a safety risk, or that are unable to meet the objectives (learning has stopped). That is about it.
ferrerski
wooskeh
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when i took it while back, i was surprised with all the people that actually did pass - i was sure 25% of the class was going to fail just from watching the final road test.
There are only two kinds of riders: The ones who dropped their bike and the ones who will. For some of us it happened earlier in the career and for some folks it may happen later, but I don't think that you should say that if one fails a test that person should not ride. In fact, several of my friends who passed with flying colors ended up kissing the pavement within next couple of weeks. Be safe, ride with your limits and enjoy
R1-Limited
New member
In My MSF class their was 2 people who should have never passed IMO. They did not drop the bike, but they could not do basic maneuvers such as U turn.
I have been on two wheels most of my 50 years, My son and I did the course at the same time just 2 years ago (me to be legal)
The bikes they use are not liter bikes, 600 or what the students actually have. In the case I am specifically stating these folks bought full dress Harleys for the Hollister Rally.
Seriously, riding a motorcycle is not about being cool, or looking cool, are thinking cool. It is a mind set many people do not have, they will never get the Motorcycle. And in todays society we have far to many POZERS
I have been on two wheels most of my 50 years, My son and I did the course at the same time just 2 years ago (me to be legal)
The bikes they use are not liter bikes, 600 or what the students actually have. In the case I am specifically stating these folks bought full dress Harleys for the Hollister Rally.
Seriously, riding a motorcycle is not about being cool, or looking cool, are thinking cool. It is a mind set many people do not have, they will never get the Motorcycle. And in todays society we have far to many POZERS
FizzrGeezr
New member
I just passed my MSF test at Mission College. I'm a returning rider after 30 years off. One of the reasons I took the course was to re-learn and undo bad habits.
I put my foot down on the Uturn....A known weak point for me, something I need to work on. And I got some good pointers. I also crossed the line in the U turn.
My other mistake was not using the front brake when slowing down for the curve test. An old bad habit.
I got 11 pts. (21 is failure)
I'd rather have done better but it was a fair evaluation of my current skills.
At least one person failed the test (another wouldn't own up, that's OK)
I would have been extremely uncomfortable if the one who failed had passed. He'd have been a serious hazard to himself and others on the street.
IMHO that rider needs to take the entire course again to improve his skills a LOT. Or decide motorcycling isn't for him (which is what I'd counsel).
At least in my case and for the one who failed, the test results were valid.
I put my foot down on the Uturn....A known weak point for me, something I need to work on. And I got some good pointers. I also crossed the line in the U turn.
My other mistake was not using the front brake when slowing down for the curve test. An old bad habit.
I got 11 pts. (21 is failure)
I'd rather have done better but it was a fair evaluation of my current skills.
At least one person failed the test (another wouldn't own up, that's OK)
I would have been extremely uncomfortable if the one who failed had passed. He'd have been a serious hazard to himself and others on the street.
IMHO that rider needs to take the entire course again to improve his skills a LOT. Or decide motorcycling isn't for him (which is what I'd counsel).
At least in my case and for the one who failed, the test results were valid.
FreeRyde
The Curmudgeon
Just got done with the MSF course this past weekend in Newark. As many stated 1/2 the class should have failed IMO. But everyone of them tired really really hard.
Myself on the other hand, Aced it... not to brag, course not.
It is really really a good thing to take... I learned a few things that I did not know prior to taking the training.
Something that really helped me for sure is my background in mountain biking. Knowing how to look through a turn before hand, and basic low speed turning skills helped for sure.
Myself on the other hand, Aced it
... not to brag, course not. It is really really a good thing to take... I learned a few things that I did not know prior to taking the training.
Something that really helped me for sure is my background in mountain biking. Knowing how to look through a turn before hand, and basic low speed turning skills helped for sure.
