champion221elite
Super Member
Today I attended the MSF Experienced Rider Course at the Gaylord, MI. Regional Airport. There was supposed to be 12 riders attending the class, however only 6 of us actually showed.
The class began indoors for some general B.S, short meet and greet, and signing paperwork. The instructors seemed very down to Earth and each had over 20 years of riding experience. One guy has over 100,000 miles on his BMW while the other rides a FJR 1300 with nearly 60,000 miles on the odometer.
For the ERC, riders supply their own bikes and both instructors commented they've never seen such an assortment with so few bikes.
There was 1996 Honda VFR 750, A 1999 Triumph 900 cc Triple, a Honda Silverwing scooter, a 2006 Honda Shadow 750, a 2003 HD Heritage Classic and yours truly with a 2008 FZ6.
We began with the cone weave with cones set apart 30 feet, 20 feet, and an offset cone weave.
Next came low speed turns with an emphasis on looking where you want to go, rather than looking where you are.
We practiced doing "stop and go's", U turns, Figure 8's, emergency braking, swerving, braking while turning, and emergency stopping while going through a curve.
The final exercise was a large course that incorporated several curves with different radii. The instructors were looking for proper braking, line choice, head position, and application of throttle near the apex.
Overall, I'd say attending the ERC class was a very smart decision on my part. I have never taken the BRC class, so some of the ERC stuff was new to me. Most of the techniques taught by the ERC was stuff that I've already done. Despite my previous knowledge, the ERC was still worthwhile and it helped me keep my head up, and looking through the curve. The class took 5 hours of my afternoon and cost a mere $25, so it was certainly worth the time and effort.
The FZ6 handled the class perfectly, and drew plenty of comments and questions from the instructors and my classmates. The rider with the FJR1300 commented how quickly the FZ6 is able to do the quick swerve, and move side to side in the multiple curve exercise. I really felt sorry for the woman with the huge HD 1500 cc Heritage Classic. Her bike was a behemoth, and I could tell she was afraid to lean her bike anymore than a few degrees. I'm not sure why an elderly woman would want such a large bike, but it's her money and she can spend it as she sees fit. The VFR 750 rider was quite good, and the guy on the Triumph 900 cc Triple did a good job of throwing his bike into the turns.
I'll probably take this class every 2-3 years to keep myself sharp, and get back to basics.
The class began indoors for some general B.S, short meet and greet, and signing paperwork. The instructors seemed very down to Earth and each had over 20 years of riding experience. One guy has over 100,000 miles on his BMW while the other rides a FJR 1300 with nearly 60,000 miles on the odometer.
For the ERC, riders supply their own bikes and both instructors commented they've never seen such an assortment with so few bikes.
There was 1996 Honda VFR 750, A 1999 Triumph 900 cc Triple, a Honda Silverwing scooter, a 2006 Honda Shadow 750, a 2003 HD Heritage Classic and yours truly with a 2008 FZ6.
We began with the cone weave with cones set apart 30 feet, 20 feet, and an offset cone weave.
Next came low speed turns with an emphasis on looking where you want to go, rather than looking where you are.
We practiced doing "stop and go's", U turns, Figure 8's, emergency braking, swerving, braking while turning, and emergency stopping while going through a curve.
The final exercise was a large course that incorporated several curves with different radii. The instructors were looking for proper braking, line choice, head position, and application of throttle near the apex.
Overall, I'd say attending the ERC class was a very smart decision on my part. I have never taken the BRC class, so some of the ERC stuff was new to me. Most of the techniques taught by the ERC was stuff that I've already done. Despite my previous knowledge, the ERC was still worthwhile and it helped me keep my head up, and looking through the curve. The class took 5 hours of my afternoon and cost a mere $25, so it was certainly worth the time and effort.
The FZ6 handled the class perfectly, and drew plenty of comments and questions from the instructors and my classmates. The rider with the FJR1300 commented how quickly the FZ6 is able to do the quick swerve, and move side to side in the multiple curve exercise. I really felt sorry for the woman with the huge HD 1500 cc Heritage Classic. Her bike was a behemoth, and I could tell she was afraid to lean her bike anymore than a few degrees. I'm not sure why an elderly woman would want such a large bike, but it's her money and she can spend it as she sees fit. The VFR 750 rider was quite good, and the guy on the Triumph 900 cc Triple did a good job of throwing his bike into the turns.
I'll probably take this class every 2-3 years to keep myself sharp, and get back to basics.
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