The Motorcycle Safety Foundation celebrates 40 years

Rider training and education is what the Motorcycle Safety Foundation (MSF) is all about. This year, the MSF turns 40.

The MSF was founded in 1973 as the first large-scale training program for riders. The training program has developed over the years from simple learn-to-ride lessons into a full training system. The popular MSF program has trained around 6.5 million riders in the last 40 years and projects over 7 million by the end of 2013.

The continual evolution of the training program has kept it modern and serving the real-world needs of rider education. There has been a shift from instructor-based training to learner-based training over the years.

There are currently 2625 MSF training facilities in 14 countries today. Motorcycle manufacturers such as BMW, BRP, Harley-Davidson, Honda, Kawasaki, KTM, Piaggio, Suzuki, Triumph, Victory and Yamaha provide much of the funding for the not-for-profit organization.

“So much has been learned about safety and learning methods over the last four decades,” said Dr. Ray Ochs, MSF vice president of training systems and lead developer of the groundbreaking MSF Basic RiderCourse. “MSF looks at recent research and contemporary literature to ensure the best outcomes for riders. Program success results from being firmly rooted in substantive underpinnings, which include motorcycle-related research and experience, general and traffic-related safety principles, a focus on adult and accelerated learning principles, and motor skills development principles.”

[Motorcycle USA]