I saw my local MSF was offering this years first Experienced Riders Course April 1, and i decided to go ahead and sign up for it. My hope is i might learn something valuable, break any bad habits i might have developed, and hopefully become a more skilled, safer rider by taking this course.

Was wondering if anyone here has taken this course? Was it worthwhile in your opinion? What was your experience like? Is it just a repeat of the skills taught in the Basic Riders Course, except on your own bike, or do they teach you some advanced skills?

I'm cross pollinating my response from BBO

Any training is worth it, and for the price/time it's hard to beat the BRCII/ERC. There's truely nothing advanced in the ERC, hence why the MSF renamed it to the BRCII. I find there are two factors to determine what you'll get out of the course.

1.) You!

This is the most important factor. A true student can learn anywhere and the framework of the BRCII (I like to rename) is setup to help reinforce basic control skills. It's a great litmus test to see where you are in your riding and point out areas that you need to improve. A great goal is to be coaching yourself by the end of the day. Everytime you stop tell the coach what you think you did well, and what you're going to improve on the next iteration. He'll probably throw in some extra points, but the "coach yourself" approach tends to net better results.

2.) The coach

Anyone should be able to read the cards, show a good demo and introduce you to each exercise. After that it can be hit or miss on how well the coach does. Some coaches are great communicators and some are amazingly intuitive to your needs. Getting that to mesh up every time is a "dog". Feel free to bring variable 1 (you) back into the equation to either tell them what you need or what you don't understand. A sign of a good coach is one that gives you short precise answers when needed while putting the onus of learning right back on your shoulders. You're looking for someone that seems to care more about you than what you think about them.

After that every program is different. One of our local programs just goes through the motions and treats everyone and every bike the same. Our program tries to get you involved, keep you moving and takes every rider/bike combination as unique. For instance, it's much easier to do the u-turn a little faster on a sportbike. Also, body posture and getting the weight off your arms on a sportbike is greatly different than a cruiser. Fearless people are fun to coach because they'll try anything you tell them (which is one reason I love to coach Marines), but coaxing someone with more fear to try a little more speed or a little sharper turn can be a challenge. In the end great coaching is all in the subtleties.

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My Blog

I think it's a great idea! I would do that kind of a course and probably should do once we settle down in a few months (we're moving).

Please let us know your opinion of the course once you've completed it!

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Andrea

I've taken it a few times as a reminder of what I may have fallen out of the habbit not doing over the winter.

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Goldwing 1500se '98
VN500 LTD '07 Sold

I usually take a MSF course every few years or so to polish up my skills. I actually think it's a good idea for any rider to take a safety course every 3-5 years. I know I usually learn something that I forgot or I'm able to correct some bad behaviors. I say it doesn't hurt to take those courses. It always better to be safe than sorry.

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Grant - Does anyone know a California motorcycle accident lawyer?