^ oh, i'm not opposed to the course. i have never taken it and am sure i would benefit somehow. i just don't think its the right place to start for everyone. and then you get those who take it and
barely pass and get an M1 after 10 hours of "on bike" time.
my mother took it and went headlong into some bushes and crashed into a gate head first. it shook her up real bad, but she wasn't seriously injured. she simply needed more time and patience to get started riding. after that she would sit on her scoot but was too scared to move it forward. now she practices on her own and i help her out with that. once she has the fundamentals down she is going back to the course
i think its a great course to take to learn about safety and safe riding, and learn some of the in's and out's. but they call it a "beginners" course. if you're an absolute beginner i am not so sure, though? at least for everyone. its as someone posts in this next link...."training is not a substitute for practice." i found this article after my mother crashed taking the course, and looking into taking the course myself:
http://wmoon.wordpress.com/2009/02/25/i ... effective/
good for training, good for safety. i'm all for that. but is it not true riding a scooter is easy? simple, even? sure it is. in the "Who's Crashed" thread how many people have taken the course? plenty. two of the last three or four crashes posted there were MSF "grads." one dumped her scoot during a u-turn
i am not against the course at all. but most have learned how to ride
initially, and ride safely, without it. that is pretty much fact, i think. and if a person goes down on their bike, they go down. MSF trained or not
just my POV, for what it is or isn't worth
EDIT: i should say i am going to take the course, however. beginners or otherwise. i'll decide. because i am interested in riding. but not to learn how to ride. i already know how to do that