Those 2 on the Vespa in # 149 gave me a good laugh. She's riding sidesaddle and apparently the only things keeping her from falling off is her arms around the guy. The only question is whether she take him with her when she falls off. I hope she doesn't break her heels.
Well, I just took my Motorcycle Safety course this past weekend.
I've had my Vespa for a couple months now, but haven't been really riding it much as I'm waiting for my custom seat to be sent from Corbin (I'm vertically challenged).
Anyhow, took the safety course and what an eye-opening experience that was!
We were all on motorcycles, no scooters. Which was good - I wanted to learn gears and shifting and whatnot.
Well, I had an absolute blast. It was intensive (not to mention wet as it rained all weekend long), informative, and super fun. I passed and am still psyched...
The problem is... while I still really like my Vespa, I'm sitting here thinking about when I can go out and get a motorcycle. I really enjoyed everything about it. Also got to take out a racing bike for a spin, and while that's not my cup of tea, it was alot of fun.
Guess we'll have to get a bigger garage...!
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Michelle & family
(2 lively boys, 2 dogs & a hubby)
2005 25' International CCD
I think somebody should come up with a way to breed a very large shrimp. That way, you could ride him, then, after you camped at night, you could eat him.
Very interesting is that I just got my MSF card on Thursday. Mentally and physically it was a tough course...especially in the fact as the course site was not level and last weeks hurricane passed through the Midwest. Thursday we were out riding in the pouring rain.
My anxiety level was at a full time high since I had to deal with learning how to ride and shift a motorcycle when for the last 6 weeks I've ridden a scooter. Then add to the mix the fact that you have 17 riding lessons to deal with, each with their own stress level, comprehending the cones and directives given by your coaches, an almost bald front tire and riding in the pouring rain.....all in all I was happy to be able to get in the car for the drive home.
As a matter of fact the testing in some cases was almost anti-climatic other than the fact that two test items had time limits and if you fell, you failed. Technically the Missouri DMV motorcycle driving test is easy compared to this.
Bottom line I passed and now appreciate even more the simplicity of my Vespa. Hopefully I'm a smarter and more skilled rider. Nothing felt better than my ride Saturday where I just put my feet flat on the floor of the scooter and twisted the throttle. No gears, no clutch....Yes that's my type of ridding.
We ordered a scooter for Patty the week previous. It's a Genuine Buddy Pamplona. It should be in in a week or two.
Even though you prefer the scooter, I'm certain that you learned valuable skills and insights from the MSF course. I know that I did, even though I 'knew how to ride'. I recommend this course to ANYONE, and IIRC, most crash statistics cite lack of rider training as a primary cause.
So are you fully licensed now? I'm not sure how things work in Missouri. Different provinces here in Canada operate very differently - in New Brunswick if you pass the weekend-long MSC, you've got your M license. Here in Ontario, if you pass your MSC test, then you graduate from your M1 to your M2 which you hold for a minimum of 18 months (or 22 months if you didn't take the safety course), to a maximum of 5 years. Only after you've held the M2 for the specified length of time can you book your M test...
I don't know if I was high on my Wheaties this weekend, but I had so much fun during the course. So much so that I surprised myself entirely. The gears, emergency braking, countersteering, slow-speed maneuvers - the whole class content was fun. And I appreciated learrning in the rain as well - good to learn all these techniques in rotten conditions. It was all tiring, but fun. The testing at the end was nerve-wracking, as most testing can be of course. If you crashed you were automatically failed - there was one poor fellow who locked up his front brake during one part of the course and the bloody bike fell on top of him with everyone watching! I felt awful for him - all that work all weekend long only to end like that.
Anyhow, time to start working on DH to get himself a bike so I can borrow it - two different styles of riding that I can appreciate. And I like the Buddy that you've ordered - I should have gotten one of those for my shorter stature! Oh well - live and learn...
Be sure to post a picture of your new addition to your garage when it arrives.
Cheers!
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Michelle & family
(2 lively boys, 2 dogs & a hubby)
2005 25' International CCD
I think somebody should come up with a way to breed a very large shrimp. That way, you could ride him, then, after you camped at night, you could eat him.
Hi, I have been rideing/driveing motorized two wheelers since I was 15. [Illegally at that age] I have a California M-1 motorcycle license. I got it in 1968 when California required an actual motorcycle license. Before then you only had to have a car/learner's permit. People look at me funny when I tell them that I have to have an M-1 motorcycle license to drive my 150cc motor-scooter. When people ask me if I think they could drive a motorcycle, I ask them two things: (1.) Can you ride a bicycle? (2.) Can you drive a stick shift car/truck? If you can do both of these, you have a better chance of succeeding with a motorcycle.
Very nice looking bikes... I'd never considered them before - now it's time to plow through and research 'til the cows come home.
And as for driving a stick shift - apparently there were a few students in my MSF course who had never driven a standard, nor were they at all familiar with the mechanics of doing so. Most of them ended up getting the hang of it eventually, but one or two just couldn't smoothly grasp the concept.
I'm glad I learned how to drive a car with a standard transmission. Definitely comes in handy.
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Michelle & family
(2 lively boys, 2 dogs & a hubby)
2005 25' International CCD
I think somebody should come up with a way to breed a very large shrimp. That way, you could ride him, then, after you camped at night, you could eat him.
Yep. If you take the MSF course and pass, Missouri waves the requirement of taking their driver's test. You just show your MSF card and take the Missouri written test and you get your M endorsement on your license.
Actually the MSF work is more difficult than the Missouri motorcycle driving test. Our riding occurred as the remnants of hurricane Gustav passed over the state. It was difficult and the rain factor added another element of difficulty to the process. Yes it was fun but the stress factor was high. I went into the test phase with the mindset that finishing the course was goal. Whatever I had done on the test didn't matter to me because if I had failed, I could have easily passed the Missouri test. Passing was icing on the cake.
We had 12 enrolled for the class. 2 didn't show, which I assumed was due to the rain. 3 came 37 minutes late for the first class which led them to be dismissed by the coach. We lost our last person on Thursday during riding after she became so disoriented that she fell twice. She fell a few times on Wednesday and just couldn't get the concept of the clutch and the coaches recommended to her that she leave before she hurt herself or one of the six of us left.
While I have driven a manual transmission car, and back in the late 60's I used to rent Honda 50's, I really had break some habits picked up with the
Vespa (mainly using my feet for brakes and shifting, and remembering to clutch). While some scooter folks after taking the MSF course pick up a craving for the motor cycle world, I took the opposite approach. There is something very comforting about being able to ride without worrying about gears, foot brakes, clutches and shift bars. Just hop on, the left and right levers on the handle bar being the brakes and you twist the right grip for the throttle. Very simple, very easy. Something my tired old brain likes. Maybe 30 years ago.....but I've passed into a different phase of my life.
Jack
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Jack Canavera
STL Mo. AIR #56
'04 Classic 30' S.O.
'03 GMC Savana 2500
'08 Vespa GTS 250
Pop - that's a great pic of your rig with the scoot on the back. I can see that it was taken at the Camping World as we were staging for the Balloon Fest. That's my rig on the right!
It's a nice bike, isn't it? If it weren't for the Triumph Bonneville already occupying my garage, I'd be tempted to find myself one like my friends modified 850T.
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Cameron & the Labradors
Kai & Samm
North Vancouver, BC
Canada
Yep. If you take the MSF course and pass, Missouri waves the requirement of taking their driver's test. You just show your MSF card and take the Missouri written test and you get your M endorsement on your license.
A full congrats to you then! All done - that must feel great. I'm breathing a sigh of relief for now, but have to test in a couple years for my full M.
Quote:
Originally Posted by jcanavera
There is something very comforting about being able to ride without worrying about gears, foot brakes, clutches and shift bars. Just hop on, the left and right levers on the handle bar being the brakes and you twist the right grip for the throttle. Very simple, very easy. Something my tired old brain likes. Maybe 30 years ago.....but I've passed into a different phase of my life.
Jack
I understand completely - I feel the Vespa is fun to drive around (I'll post some pics when I get my #$% seat from Corbin - it's currently on its way from CA to NY so will take a little bit longer), but I think I caught the motorcycle bug as well. People take a motorcycle a bit more seriously on the road as well, which decreases my stress level.
Ah - no matter. It'll give me an excuse to go shopping for motorcycle gear and accessories to add to my scooter gear and accessories collection!
Cameron - I googled the Triumph Bonneville to see some images and am very impressed. Nice bike.
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Michelle & family
(2 lively boys, 2 dogs & a hubby)
2005 25' International CCD
I think somebody should come up with a way to breed a very large shrimp. That way, you could ride him, then, after you camped at night, you could eat him.
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Airstream and Vespa
Hi, I have been rideing/driveing motorized two wheelers since I was 15. [Illegally at that age] I have a California M-1 motorcycle license. I got it in 1968 when California required an actual motorcycle license. Before then you only had to have a car/learner's permit. People look at me funny when I tell them that I have to have an M-1 motorcycle license to drive my 150cc motor-scooter. When people ask me if I think they could drive a motorcycle, I ask them two things: (1.) Can you ride a bicycle? (2.) Can you drive a stick shift car/truck? If you can do both of these, you have a better chance of succeeding with a motorcycle.
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