There is a course at a nearby college that I will take soon, but its not MSF. A buddy took it and said he learned a lot. It's 2 1/2 days of class and riding. It seems a bit pricey at $300, but for 2 1/2 days, that might not be unreasonable.
I made the mistake of reading the reddit /r/motorcycle section. Those guys are always talking "all the gear all the time", with padded body armor, boots, gloves, padded jackets and pants, etc. I can't argue with a culture focused so much on safety, but is it overkill with all that gear? I'm quite ignorant of biking, but I've never known anyone to go that far with gear. Helmet, boots and a padded leather jacket is usually it. I don't want to be unsafe, but I dont want to be unnecessarily suited up either.