Two thoughts on this:
Many survey’s have shown that the majority of people consider themselves to be above average drivers, often in the 80%-90% of people range. Simply put, we all over-estimate our abilities as drivers. I consider myself an excellent driver. Yet I know that even still I make stupid mistakes from time to time…
Secondly, driving skill, even driving observation, simply do not translate to the biking world. The sensory inputs you get on a bike are much more intense on a bike, and the required reactions are so different, and what you do in emergency situations are so different (in a corner, a car can slam on the brakes, a bike cannot), that the only true overlap between the two is reading subtle traffic clues (ie knowing that car A is about to cut across your path without warning).
What I am saying is: To be a good rider requires time in the saddle, and frankly, it requires making mistakes in the saddle. Intellectually knowing how to handle a situation on a bike is only useful when you have the time to think things through. When it really matters, you won’t have that time. You have to have done those mistakes before and taught your body how to handle it. The MSF only starts you on this path by showing you how to correctly handle a bike, and giving you some of the intellectual knowledge of how to handle “real world” riding.
You have a choice, you can chose a bike that is forgiving, and will let you make those mistakes without much more than a small scare, or you can chose a bike that is faster, more stylish, and expects you to already know how to handle those situations. With a SV650 or a 650R, it probably won’t out-right bite you like a ZZR-600 or CBR-600. But it will not be as forgiving.
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