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Post by coyotesweat on Nov 16, 2006 12:39:35 GMT -5
Howdy! Tonight I start my motorcycle safety course here in Austin, TX. I get to ride a scooter (not sure what brand from the pictures, or which of the two available scooters I'll get. The course is given by Motofun (Texas uses private schools, i picked Motofun because of scheduling and the fact that scooters are available.). Their website is www.motofun.comAlso, thought I'd post a link to the Texas Motorcycle Safety document, it's a good read for anyone new to cycling or scootering. www.txdps.state.tx.us/msb/dl-8.pdfI'll post what I find interesting or new in the course below. (Hope they'll let me wear the tall boots I got for my scooter. Classroom only tonight, so I'll wear them and ask. They don't recommend high heels (makes it hard to shift), but hopefully these will work for the scooter. (Have about 3/4 inch thick soles and a couple inch heel, but square and chunky, and lace-up over the ankles...sturdy and non-slip, but tall enough that I can now get my feet basically flat on the Agility 125 I want to purchase next week.) Have ridden about 4 years in the past on mopeds and motorcycles, but never taken the safety course itself before. Looking forward to it. Coyote |
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Post by coyotesweat on Nov 17, 2006 12:31:04 GMT -5
Had our first classroom meeting last night...went well. We have THREE scooter riders in our class of twelve...one of them opted to ride a motorcycle (used to ride one in 70s), but plans on buying a maxi-scooter. Didn't get a chance to find out which one. Then there's me, and a guy who owns a Aprilla 250, had it for a year and wants to finally get his motorcycle endorsement on his license. We also have one older experienced biker (his custom-built bike just won second in a competition..it's gorgeous, with lightning all over the tank and fenders), but wants to get his Texas license. Then there is a group of newbies who all work together and are thinking of getting motorcycles....some are not sure they want to ride and are using the class to fine out. We have two people who have never even driven a stick shift car and are concerned about all that shifting and clutch. And one woman who has a 1970 Triumph waiting for her, but her boyfriend won't let her drive it till she passes the safety course and gets her license. (She got tired of looking at the back of his head...I can sympathize.)
First class was basically course objectives, types of motorcycles, controls (obviously, different for the scooters), protective gear, etc. Saturday morning crack of dawn (literally) we get to start riding. Yee haw! I'm bringing both pairs of boots, and we'll see if my flat heeled ones let me touch ground on their scooter (not sure of model), if not, I switch to the tall ones.
Probably won't have time to post again until Sunday or Monday...(Work tonight til 1 or 2 am, then have to get up at 6 and be at the practice parking lot at 6:45 am, with coffee in hand), then repeat on Sunday. I'm gonna be bushed.
Katie
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Post by Admin on Nov 17, 2006 13:58:44 GMT -5
Don't forget to wear that t-shirt!
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Post by coyotesweat on Nov 17, 2006 14:40:49 GMT -5
I will...saving it for Saturday. (Class starts at 7 am outside, so not sure they'll see it until afternoon class inside...I don't want to freeze brr...chilly 40 degrees expected. Gotta buy another sweater or something to go under it.) If time permits, I'll get someone to snap a pic of me with my cellphone on the practice scoot. Guess you'll get another shapeless t-shirt pic...will do a more appealing one when we have another warm spell.
Katie
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Post by Admin on Nov 17, 2006 16:55:30 GMT -5
That's makin' me laugh. I have a bartender friend who is rather...um....err.....shapely. I was thinking of getting her to model the shirt for a picture but I'm not sure it's the Scootdawg style. Good lord, you should see the brochures that MRP puts out with bikini girls straddling scooters and such. Example:  |
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Post by Aaron on Nov 17, 2006 18:34:02 GMT -5
I have a bartender friend who is rather...um....err.....shapely. I was thinking of getting her to model the shirt for a picture but I'm not sure it's the Scootdawg style. I'm willing to sacrifice my morals...for the cause you know ;D Aaron |
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Post by strangerdejavu on Nov 17, 2006 18:37:44 GMT -5
I suddenly have the urge to buy something from MRP. Something expensive. Anything from MRP, I just gotta have it now!  |
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Post by ddillon on Nov 19, 2006 12:13:23 GMT -5
I'm willing to sacrifice my morals...for the cause you know ;D Aaron Me too ;D Is Joel Martin that lucky dude sitting in the all terrain type vehicle surrounding by the hot chicks in camo with paint ball guns? |
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Post by Admin on Nov 19, 2006 16:37:58 GMT -5
Yeah, I think that's him. He has a thing for the pretty ladies. I asked him how much those models cost for a photo shoot and he wouldn't tell me.
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Post by surfborg on Nov 19, 2006 21:54:47 GMT -5
Oh my. I'm really in the wrong business. BTW I wore my ScootDawg shirt while I went to visit my dad in prison today. Mistake. Lucky for me the officer at the gatehouse let me just turn the shirt inside out. I never even thought about the shirt being too naughty to get in the gate. I'm not gonna do that again. : )
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Post by Admin on Nov 20, 2006 3:00:10 GMT -5
You gotta be kidding me. I'm sorry. My bad. For the record...I didn't design it. I just allowed it. By the way, if you want to buy one www.scootdawg.com/page47 ....It's getting close to Christmas. |
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Post by coyotesweat on Nov 20, 2006 21:31:23 GMT -5
Howdy! I'm Baaacck... Course went great. They gave me a little yellow Geely 50cc scoot to ride (I think it was a GVRX or something). It was the only scoot they had that was short enough for me without the tall boots. Hard seat. Electric start was broken, so I had to put it on the center stand each and every time and kickstart it. Luckily, it kick started easily most of the time. (BTW, they had me turn the wheel to the left, step on the stand, and grab left hand under front of seat and right hand on rear rack, lift and move back at same time. Worked fine.) Since we had to turn engines off in between each and every exercise and each break (roughly 30 or so times each day), I now have some sore muscles! Here's the scoot:  Here are some of the useful things I learned, in no particular order: Scooters stop FAST compared to small motorcycles. To stop when riding a turn, first straighten the bike, then brake. NEVER brake while turning sharply or swerving. (One gal went down on her motorcycle on her first swerve, she grabbed the front brake and the bike went right down and so did she. Cracked her helmet, bruised, called ambulance but she was ok and actually finished the course and graduated, too.) I found the most stable position for me to ride was with my knees together on the floorboard. You can stand up (get your butt off the seat) when crossing an obstacle in the road such as a two-by-four, but spread your knees first. If you don't, you'll crack them against the dash. Ouch. Best results on the MSF course will be had if you get more than 3 hours of sleep beforehand. (Had to work...got to bed 2:30 or 3 am, had to be up at 6am for course.) But it is possible... I dubbed the Geely the "Rubber Ducky", since it resembles one rather closely. Here she is waiting to lead the quick stop exercise.  At any rate, I had a great time and learned a whole lot. Can wholeheartedly recommend the course. And, I PASSED! Got 100 percent on the written evaluation, and missed a few points on the riding test (went slightly outside the box on the extra-slow u turns...had done that correctly just beforehand in practice, but was getting really tired and lost my balance) resulting in 3 points. And l went into the turn slightly slowly, and lost a point there. But only 4 points, and as worn-out as I was, I was pleased. (We had a couple perfect scores from experienced riders, as well as some 9 and 11 point scores that also passed.) Oh, and on the timed quick stop (they calculated your speed and allowed stopping distance): Had 16 feet allowed stopping distance, (I came in fast), and stopped in a little under 9 feet! Much better than the little motorcycles (125cc)...most stopped a couple feet under distance, some at the allowed distance and two a couple feet beyond the allowed distance due to skidding either front or back tire. So, here I am on the Rubber Ducky...tired but happy. (Had to pose after we were done, since long sleeves are required on the bikes...)  Went down to DPS today and now have my very own motorcycle endorsement on my license. Hurray! Off to test ride my potential scoot tomorrow. (Hoping they will throw in a helmet for me...in spite of my dedicated attempts to make money this weekend, didn't make enough for a helmet. The weekend before Thanksgiving always is very slow...nobody wants to take carriage rides if it's chilly and no Xmas lights up yet. Hope y'all had fun over the weekend. Will do that cheesecake pic for you once I get my scoot and have a warm day handy. (Sexy, but still legal for the under 18 crowd, of course.) Katie |
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Post by Dennis D on Nov 20, 2006 21:44:10 GMT -5
Did they have the scooter riders do any alternative exercises or learning experience while the shifters were dealing with shifting? I'm just curious how they dealt with that in a course with both motorcycles and scoots.
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Post by coyotesweat on Nov 21, 2006 0:21:08 GMT -5
Nah, I sat there revving my little motor while they practiced using the clutch and shifting! (The Harley guy (taking course so he wouldn't have to wear a helmet) thought his little bike sounded like a lawnmower...we decided mine was more like a weed-whacker)).
The other scooter guy got bored and decided to switch to a motorcycle to get used to that (he'd ridden scooter for a year, but never a cycle). So it was just me...did the same exercises but without any of that pesky upshifting and downshifting. Scooters are lots easier to maneuver slowly and stop quickly...perfect for the heavy city riding I'll be doing. Hurrah.
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Post by surfborg on Nov 21, 2006 14:54:53 GMT -5
Woo Hoo! Congrats!!
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Post by neuro on Jul 13, 2008 22:18:51 GMT -5
The DMV motorcycle skills test in West Tennessee is pretty much a joke. You ride around the building and try not to crash into anything or lay your bike down. Not like some other states where the examiner really puts you through difficult maneuvers. I've been working on the various skills even though I know I would not be tested. I would have taken the safety course but all the classes in town are booked until mid August.
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Post by jb on Jul 13, 2008 22:34:44 GMT -5
coyotesweat, congrats on passing and getting your license. I just took that class last month, and while it physically kicked my butt, (95 degrees plus here in San Antonio) it was well worth it. I intended on buying a scooter but decided to do the class on the motorcycle just to see if I liked it or not. In the end I guess that was a good move because I bought a small motorcycle, due to the crazy prices and long wait times on scoots.
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