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@billrush avatar
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Vespa Primavera 50 (sold), 2021 Vespa Sprint 150 (sold), 2022 Sei Giorni 300ie
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@billrush avatar
Vespa Primavera 50 (sold), 2021 Vespa Sprint 150 (sold), 2022 Sei Giorni 300ie
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UTC quote
In Florida, you can ride 50cc Vespas with a regular car license, but anything larger requires this class and listing on your drivers license. Since there is certainly a faster Vespa in my future, to class I go. Thursday night was 3.5 hours of classroom instruction and today and tomorrow 5 hours each of riding instruction.

The class has only 4 members and they don't have their first motorcycles yet since they can't legally ride. So the course supplies bikes for us. Motorcycles or scooters. I will arrive on my sweet Vespa. Not sure if I will be using my Vespa or their scooter. Mine if they allow it.

The class room section was worth it. Learned a lot. How about this. At 60 MPH you are traveling 88 feet per second. I could have figured that on my own, but it was an eye opener.


I'm sure the course riding in a large parking lot will be fun too.

By tomorrow I'll be done and ready for Vespa 2.

Cheers!
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@fritz_katzenjammer avatar
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Use their bikes. They'll likely be asking you to play in some tight turns through some cones and some sharp braking tests, if you get caught out on some simple move and drop it you might as well be thumping the school's paintwork. You have paid to use it.
@attila avatar
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Good advice...
@harbinger avatar
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Veni, Vidi, Posti
2023 Arancia Impulsivo Vespa GTS300 HPE , 2022 BMW R1250GSA 40th Anniversary, 2019 Ural Gear Up
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@harbinger avatar
2023 Arancia Impulsivo Vespa GTS300 HPE , 2022 BMW R1250GSA 40th Anniversary, 2019 Ural Gear Up
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Yep, do NOT use your own ride as stated. Better and cheaper to drop one of theirs. I doubt they will make you make really tight turns or get out of what is basically 2nd gear speed.

Surprised they offer scooters for the full M endorsement program. Here you have no choice but to use a shifty. BTW learning on a motorcycle with gears may not be a bad thing even if you feel you will never own a motorbike that requires manual shifting.
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You should use their gear for all the reasons stated, but I don't think you'll be allowed to take the course or the test on a 50cc vehicle that is not, technically, a "motorcycle" in the first place - in the eyes of the DMV.
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2020 GTS 300 HPE
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UTC quote
Congratulations and good luck! I too highly recommend (for your first course) to use their bikes. Just learning the clutch system is totally worth it. Although I did use my Vespa for the next course - I did use their motorcycles for the first course -- I just think learning to ride a real motorcycle is worth it. Great job registering and taking the course -- it's a huge first step that opens doors!
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Tethys - 2012 GTS 300
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I'm piling on with the advice to use their machines. But I'm going to beg to differ about shifty vs. automatic. If you've never ridden a shifty before, and you don't think you ever will, I think you should use one of their scooters.

The clutch and shifting technique takes a lot of learning and feel. It will grab your focus. If you just have 10 hours of seat time, why have that learning as well as what you really need to learn for the way you plan to ride. Save your focus for what you are going to use. If later you decide to get a shifty, then make sure you take the class again even though you'll already have your endorsement.

Spend your practice time on precision, not on shifting.
my two cents, likely worth $0.0002
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@billrush avatar
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UTC quote
The class went fine. Glad I didn't see most of these comments as I rode my own scoot.

The class was two guys who never shifted anything before and a woman on her first scooter ride and me, the older dude with 6 weeks riding. Only one bike went over and it wasn't mine. Warm (88f) and humid here. But always is in July.

Starting from a stop into a sharp turn was good to practice. Tomorrow we work on U turns.

Glad I'm doing this.

Tomorrow is the riding test.
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Congrats, we have the same requirements here in Michigan
I am trying to find a place to take mine but so far I can't find anything with an opening before early Sept! Can't ride a scooter too far into Sept or Oct at latest with Michigan weather too it looks like my Vespa will sit for a few weeks at minimum if I can't find something sooner....
Im not happy LOL but that is life!
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@johnymoore avatar
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If you pass this test on a scooter you can ride any size motorcycle straight after?
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@billrush avatar
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johnymoore wrote:
If you pass this test on a scooter you can ride any size motorcycle straight after?
I believe so, but I never would. Manual shifting would be a very big additional skill of course.
@johnymoore avatar
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UTC quote
Billrush wrote:
I believe so, but I never would. Manual shifting would be a very big additional skill of course.
It is so much easier there to get a licence! I know it is deliberately difficult to get a full licence here for a reason but I would have preferred to just rock up on a scooter and ride round a car park!
@harbinger avatar
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@harbinger avatar
2023 Arancia Impulsivo Vespa GTS300 HPE , 2022 BMW R1250GSA 40th Anniversary, 2019 Ural Gear Up
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UTC quote
johnymoore wrote:
It is so much easier there to get a licence! I know it is deliberately difficult to get a full licence here for a reason but I would have preferred to just rock up on a scooter and ride round a car park!
Totally aggree that it is way easier in NA to get an M endorsement. However it's a little harder now. When I got my M in the 80's I literally rode a P200e around the block.
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UTC quote
Passed the driving skills test this morning so I’m done. They give you a card saying you passed which you take to the license bureau and the license bureau makes you a new drivers license with the motorcycle rating on it. We did exercises from 7 am to about 10:30 and then the instructor tested each of us on 5 skills. All four of us passed. I was very fortunate to be in a small class. Lots of individual attention and things went quickly.

Then I drove myself home on my wonderful Primavera 50.

Day one was class room. Day two and three outside in parking lot driving.
Motorcycle endorsement class with instructor.
Motorcycle endorsement class with instructor.
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Gigi, '13 GTS 300ie Touring
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Congratulations!
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@garthhh avatar
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UTC quote
In the 80's I T boned a car on claiborne av in New Orleans on a GB500 honda, that was registered but not insured, so my license was pulled.

My mother took pity on me & bought me a Puch 50, which was apparently fine for me to take my skills test at dmv.

The test was ride the 20 foot circle, staying between the lines, drive towards the clerk & stop within a foot of him, without running him over
@syd avatar
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@syd avatar
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UTC quote
Congrats, Billrush! Did you ride your Vespa or their Motorcycle? In my class a guy dropped one of the class motorcycles. The instructors felt bad about not teaching the poor guy enough!
@attila avatar
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Veni, Vidi, Posti
In garage: Yamaha Tricity 155 Urban 2019 - MV Agusta 125 RS 1956
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@attila avatar
In garage: Yamaha Tricity 155 Urban 2019 - MV Agusta 125 RS 1956
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Posts: 8291
Location: Latina (Italy)
UTC quote
Billrush wrote:
I believe so, but I never would. Manual shifting would be a very big additional skill of course.
No, it's just a matter of practice ...
If you come to me I'll teach you how to drive my 1970 Massey Ferguson 155 and that has four shift levers and two clutch pedals; the skill is in the middle of the field when you have to change traction and speed simultaneously and turn by lifting the automatic spading machine without disconnecting the output from the hydraulic drive shaft. Equestrian circus stuff!
@fudmucker avatar
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2021 GTS 300 HPE +2013 GTS 294 Polini
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@fudmucker avatar
2021 GTS 300 HPE +2013 GTS 294 Polini
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UTC quote
In South Africa, the majority of cars have manual gearboxes, so we are used to changing gears and using a clutch. If you take your driver's test using an auto box (bike or car) your licence is endorsed "Automatic only". To get a full licence you must then take the whole process over again, including learner's test with road signs etc!

We don't have a 'motorcycle endorsement' situation - just a full process for every category of licence. If you got your car licence after a certain date, it prohibits you from towing a trailer. Before that date, there was no separation so the default is 'with trailer' up to 750kg GVM.
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