But aren't MSF courses just for total newbies?

Even a seasoned veteran will glean something from the course. It attempts to break bad habits and teach the proper set of skills necessary to safely interact with other traffic.

I took the course last weekend. There were 12 in the class, two which had never ridden before, me being one of them. We had an experienced rider dump it during the Maximum Braking exercise. Some of the experienced riders had tight cornering problems, too. I say if you want to sharpen your skills and become a more alert and aware rider, the course is the way to go. It's too bad all states don't require this or a similar course before issuing a motorcycle endorsement on their licenses.