All the advice above is spot on. Ad Doc said the MSF course was the bet money I ever spent!

 

+1

It will also you qualify you for insurance discounts with some companies (not Progressive). In addition, successfully completing the MSF course will negate the requirement for you to take the riding test to get your M endorsement.

 

In some states (Pa being one of them) the course is free. Take a look at this and see if where the nearest course is to you. http://www.msf-usa.org/

 

I was in Billing's Montana last year for the National Rally. We were leaving the rally site heading back to the hotel around 4PM and there was a lot of traffic. One middle-aged woman was in front of my friend and I. She seemed to do ok for straight ahead riding, but we came to a light where 2 lanes of traffic veered off to the left. This lady drifted from the left lane over into the right lane as we went around the turn. There was a car in front of me and he had to slow down to give the lady room. She was oblivous to anything around her and did not appear to know she had cut off the car. About a mile further up we came to the interstate ramp and we are still behind her because of the dense traffic. She had a very hard time making the curve up the on ramp and she slowed to about 5 miles an hour. She was trying to steer by turning the handlebars and sitting straight up. What a mess. The hubby or male friend pulled off and waited for her as our group started to go on around her to merge on the interstate. I could not believe she had a motorcycle license. And surely she had her bike trailered there because I am sure she would have wrecked it trying to ride any distance. After all this long wind, what I'm saying is stay away from crowds till you get the basics down.
Tnicean

 

I second that. The Fatboy is a great motorcycle but I would not reccomend it as a first bike. Something in the 600 CC catagory would be alot more user friendly. Better yet, a dual purpose bike like a Suzuki DRZ400 or 650. Ride both dirt and street. Crashing on dirt is a hell of alot more forgiving than on pavement, and you learn alot about your control limits and how to maintain control at speed over loose surfaces. FUN TOO! Keep the fatboy parked until you complete a MSF beginner's course and get some practical experience on a lighter bike.

 

Well I thank you guys for all of the replies. I looked, and the closest MSF course isn't very close to me. I live in the sticks.. But I still think i'm going to try to make my way to one, and stay all night wherever it is that I go. That way, if I lay a bike over..it's theirs and not mine. Also, I wouldn't have to go take my license test either, and would just get them then..I like that idea pretty good too. I also forgot to mention that the bike has ape's on it, and i'm sure that doesn't help with the whole learning experience. Again, thanks for all of the replies.

 

You need a safety course before you ride again. No slight on you, everyone should take the course that owns a moto.

 

Umm......... stay away from Statefarm. The only discount I got for the course was a whooping $10 - luckily with the $10 I saved, I was able to buy 2 (count 'em - 2!)Caramel Machiatto's w/extra espresso shot......

 

Find a big empty parking lot and practice going slow,stopping and making left and right turns.
Do not even think about using your front brake while you are practicing . Keep a little pressure on your rear brake pedal so if you panic it will be easier to get stopped and you hopefully wont grab your front brake.
Always look at where you want the bike to go, not what you want to avoid.
Wait until you feel comfortable during practice before getting out in traffic.
Every biker had to learn the basics in the beginning. Most new riders don't wreck when they are just learning to ride. When they have a few months of experience under their belt and start to think they are better than they are, thats when the accidents start happening.
Good luck,
Tom

 

What I recommend to EVERY new rider, and everyone else here seems to have said. Get your butt onto a motorcycle safety course ASAP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You may be embarrassed right now, but better than being injured, or worse yet, 6 feet under, because you attempted to bring that bad boy out of the ditch in front of your house, and onto the local roads. I can't believe no one you know didn't recommend this to you at some point. People moan about the cost of these courses, but after spending how many thousands on your bike, what is another few hundred, particularly if it means you AND your bike will be a round for a long time to come!