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from Plain Jim:
All of my tips are "off the bike"; that is, they aren't about riding, but rather about getting through the day. The first is, get some rest (I loaded up on caffeine, and didn't sleep well before the last day; it really affected my performance!). Bring the clothes they suggest, and have rain gear available, especially if there's any hint of precipitation in the forecast; some of our guys were wearing trash bags for rain gear, which was not an ideal solution when they were riding!
Our course went Friday evening, all day Saturday, and ended in the early afternoon on Sunday. Saturday was a long day, so it was good that I had brought the snacks and drinks I had; one of the guys in our class hadn't brought much, and was pretty shot by the end of the day (luckily, Saturday afternoon was a classroom session).
Finally, have all of your paperwork. Students have been turned away for missing or incorrect paperwork.
from JAEGERS3:
Get your Motorcycle drivers permit first. Practice smooth shifting (second gear is the farthest we were expected to do). They stress SMOOTH clutch/throttle action.
Practice light and fast braking (without skidding, or locking the rear brakes) using BOTH the front and rear breaks SIMULTANEOUSLY.
MSF has a study guide on their website, and that might be of some help.
Get used to driving your "practice" bike over about 20 MPH, that's the fastest that we were tested at.
Don't worry about the course. By the time you are on day 2.5, you should be more than ready for the practical test.
from RCCARLISLE:
I would almost tell you to wait until you take the course before riding. That would be my line as the MSF instructor, so you don't develop any bad or dangerous habits. But I also know how hard that advice would be to follow. So go find the "Idiots Guide to Motorcycles" and/or David Hough's "Proficient Motorcycling." Read those books. Also, new bikes come with a guide to set up parking lot exercises that are similar to ours. If you can get one of those, use it!
Advice for riding: practice swerving, braking, and cornering. These are the things that will save your life. Make sure you LOOK where you want to go in a corner, enter the corner SLOWLY enough to allow you to hold the throttle steady or speed up THRU THE WHOLE TURN. The bike will be much smoother if you look and hold that throttle steady.
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