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A motocross jersey works great for the MSF. A lot of them have perforations to stay cool and elbow padding.

The Sportster is my favorite HD (aside from Buell, now defunct), but Harleys have plenty of foreign parts, fyi. Not that the bike isn't good or anything, just don't be surprised when you take it apart for service and find "made in Taiwan" (or whatever) on some parts.

I took the MSF class in 2000. I had never been on a bike in my life. It was a great class. I need to take it again.

bnc wrote:A motocross jersey works great for the MSF. A lot of them have perforations to stay cool and elbow padding.

The Sportster is my favorite HD (aside from Buell, now defunct), but Harleys have plenty of foreign parts, fyi. Not that the bike isn't good or anything, just don't be surprised when you take it apart for service and find "made in Taiwan" (or whatever) on some parts.

But what makes it great is I can take pretty much any part off, and find a replacement aftermarket, or Harley-made and put it on myself, I feel pretty comfortable (I have the service manual) working on anything but the electrical system and the engine/carb (mostly because I just plain haven't read up on those). I wouldn't have the dealer or a shop put anything on my bike (unless I was on a trip of course) when I can just do it myself.

I ride an 2006 883 and while some may say they grew out of it, or it's not big enough, I can cruise at 80 all day (of course I don't, I stay at or right above the speed limit) and have enough power for pretty much anything (given I'm only 140 lb, so I can see heavier people having a harder time because the bike only weighs something like 600 lb or so, so every pound you add is significant) plus I've generally got an easier time handling and slow speed maneuvers than those big bikes (I love seeing big v-twins at stop lights, boy that can be awkward for them). But also if it ever does tip, I can pick it up myself, and when I did run out of gas I can push it myself if I don't have my cowboy boots on )

I think Harleys are mostly American made, they're really proud of that, I'll have to go through my bike and see if there's any foreign parts, I don't think I've run into many if any, though I haven't been looking, I could care less where a part is made as long as it performs properly and is as cheap as it can be (price-wise).

I love my sportster, and I don't really see me getting a bigger bike, I've sat on some, and they're just too big to be a bike for me, they feel like cars except I have to balance them, and if I need more power I can always pump my engine up to a 1200 or 1250 cc, plus there are tons of upgrades to be had.

gigag04 wrote:I'm pretty excited...some of my coworkers and I all signed up to take the Training Wheels rider's safety course. Then I'll be looking to buy a bike.

Why not just see if you can get in on the DPS motorcycle officer training?

Good news ... touring, is in your future !

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Mac

Good on you for taking the class before buying a bike. There is a lot of good info in there. I also recommend reading Proficient Motorcycling by David Hough.

I ended up going the dual sport route instead of street bike and have really enjoyed getting off the beaten path and seeing parts of Texas and the US that others rarely see. I do all my own maintenance and my bikes have been German and Austrian and I never had a problem tearing into them. Plus it is much cheaper. I'm not a Harley guy but this is one 1200 I could see myself swinging a leg over


Have fun in the class.

brewer90 wrote:Good on you for taking the class before buying a bike. There is a lot of good info in there. I also recommend reading Proficient Motorcycling by David Hough.

I ended up going the dual sport route instead of street bike and have really enjoyed getting off the beaten path and seeing parts of Texas and the US that others rarely see. I do all my own maintenance and my bikes have been German and Austrian and I never had a problem tearing into them. Plus it is much cheaper. I'm not a Harley guy but this is one 1200 I could see myself swinging a leg over


Have fun in the class.

That's what I love about the sportster, you can configure it any way you want, cruiser, sport bike, drag bike, mix of any of them

The MSF courses didn't exist when I first started riding... or at least not in my area. By the time they started, I already had a racing license. Racing massively improved my riding skills, and, it reinforced to me that the street is a scary place to be on a bike.

I don't own a bike anymore, but some day I will own one again. My TDL has the motorcycle endorsement on it, but I haven't ridden a bike since I came to Texas over 4 years ago - and it has been longer than that, actually. So when I do get around to buying another one, I'll pony up for the MSF course.

Day was done last night - it was all classroom...pretty basic but it was ok. This is where the clutch is...this is how it works. This is the shift pattern. These are front brakes etc.


Today we ride for the am and then more classroom and a written test at night. And then I work off duty at the local ER for 6 hours.

I'm getting VERY bike hungry.

It will seem boring at first but gets a little more interesting as the class goes along.

Hope you have better luck on the little bikes than I did. I can actually do the course better on my Ultra Classic than on the little 250 I had to use in the class.

After you get a little experience you might want to take the motor officer course as well.

Let me know when you are ready for a road trip.

Gotta know. Did you survive the heat and pass the class?