Good luck!

 

You might also want to consider the California Superbike School. Held at Pocono Raceway and VIR. You can ride your Sporty or rent a Beemer 1000RR. I took my course when they used 600 Kawa's.

Harleys are are fun bikes to ride and easy to live with, but very limited in what they can do. If your trained and confident in riding far beyond a Harley's envelope you will be a much safer rider. Knowing a bikes safety zone of design capabilities will allow you to ride out the hairy situations. Just about all single vehicle accidents are caused by rider panic ie. riding over their head.

After riding a road course at twice the speed and lean angles of your Sportser you will be much more sure of yourself under any condition.

 

Agreed that everyone should take the MSF.... It will give you some thinking skills that will help save your life. After than I also highly recommend the following.

Buy and set on the back of your toilet "proficient motorcyclist" by Hough. It covers even more skills that you WILL NEED' as you continue your riding.

By far the one best thing that you can buy as a safety item is the Headlight modulator. The near accidents you described (except for your error) would not have happened with this simple add on attached. My wife and I both have one now and it has eliminated the people not seeing us. No more turning in front of us that was common in the early pre modulator days. (her is one of the manufacturers of same. Others are good as well. https://www.kisantech.com/index.php?cat_id=2

 

Vinny,

Thanks for that great write up. I am teaching my daughter to drive this year, and told her WE would take a MSF course together. I haven't taken one in a quarter century, and then it was to get out of a speeding ticket. It can't hurt the old man to take a refresher course, and I'm going to link to your post and have her read it.

 

I'm glad that my write up will be helpful to other people. Since I wrote that, I've found myself in other tight situations, notably on wet pavement and then riding in the snow. Then again, the MSF course came in handy.

 

Indeed! I'll be looking for the book Kumite suggested as well. We're never too old to stop learning!

 

I would also suggest a Ride Like a Pro course. Good stuff. Took one with my girlfriend, who is a new rider, what a difference it made in her confidence. She would always start off shaky when we rode, but after that class, it was like she was a person and a top notch rider. Amazing if you ask me.