Motorcycle Skills Test

Several months ago I started the process of getting my motorcycle endorsement to my Utah driver license. The written test was a piece of cake, but everyone warned me about how hard the skills test would be. Luckily, they don’t let you take your skills test until several months after you take your written test. I think this is mostly due to the number of people waiting to take the skills test. Today was the day I was scheduled to take the skills test. ...

September 13, 2007 · 3 min · jtalbot

Alpine Loop

I took my scooter in for its first oil change a few weeks ago. The Scooter Lounge was having some sort of Scooter Rally where a large group of scooter enthusiasts all rode up American Fork Canyon together. They invited me to go, and bring Charmaine, but I wasn’t sure how well it would handle the canyon with both of us on it. I figured the scooter was made for two people, but probably two Taiwanese people. I had just ridden up and over Sun Crest and up Big Cottonwood Canyon the week before that. It slowed itself down to 35 on the road over Sun Crest… and that was by myself. So I declined. ...

August 27, 2007 · 2 min · jtalbot

Motorcycle wave

Riding a motorcycle is like joining a fraternity of some sort. If you haven’t ever ridden one on the roads, you may not have noticed. When motorcycles pass each other in opposite directions, they usually give each other what I’m calling the motorcycle wave… each rider drops his left hand to wave to the other below the handlebars. I realize that my scooter is far from being a motorcycle, but it doesn’t look like a typical scooter, either. I guess the larger wheels make it look somewhat like a motorcycle to motorcycle riders approaching from the front, because I get the motorcycle wave fairly often. It’s such a simple thing, but it adds a lot to the experience. I’m more and more convinced that I’m going to end up with a real motorcycle at some point.

August 3, 2007 · 1 min · jtalbot