sidecar lessons/classes

[Motoblag]

Originally Posted by KrazyKonrad

Well I finally got off my phat lazy ass and went to the WA dept. of licensing today. Showed them my card from Vernon's class and got me a class 7 endorsement WA 7 is a 2 and 3 wheel endorsement. I already had the 2 wheel endorsement. To answer my own question from earlier OR does not do 3 wheel endorsements so all you need is 2 wheel endorsement. California considers a sidecar a car so you don't need anything more than your cage drivers license in California to be legal. You need Vernon's class to increase the odds of coming home to your loved ones every night. As I found out before the class a 1mph fender scratch on a Honda can cost more than the class

I'll save Vernon the effort of a disclaimer. Graduating his class is not a guarantee of a WA endorsement. But several of us have been treated well by the DOL staff we interacted with. The technical got ya that they can invoke is even though the graduation card is from the exclusive WA state approved vendor the class location is out of state. This minor detail is over looked by some staff but if they want to by OCD about the rules you're SOL

Good info to have! Hopefully I can be lazy and avoid taking the state sidecar test after I take Red's class in OR next season. My local DOL office has tons of notices up stating they accept Idaho's two-wheel training class as a BRC equivalent, so why not an OR program?

[RedMenace]

Com Ed tells me we had a cancellation yesterday, leaving exactly 2 openings in the last class for this season, coming up Sept 19-21. Give them a call if you are interested. I probably will schedule fewer classes in 2009

[tony the tiger]

I was in your neighborhood last weekend - was waiting to get the camera and post a nice picture of lunch on the Full Sail deck, but what the heck!

Camping at Ainsworth State park was nice. Not too close to the train tracks (drrags @ viento!) and no inconvenient "westbound access only" (Memaloose). Downside would be there's also no reservations, as Ainsworth is a "first come - first served" campground. BUT, there's an added bonus: The Columbia River Historic Highway (or some such) is a nice diversion from I-84 and the waterfalls are not to be missed!

Too bad about the cancellation... whatsup with that?!

OH! and you may be getting some "old friends" asking leading questions... I had fun tellin' stories at Maupin's Airhead rally!!

TT

[RedMenace]

Originally Posted by tony the tiger

I was in your neighborhood last weekend - was waiting to get the camera and post a nice picture of lunch on the Full Sail deck, but what the heck!

Too bad about the cancellation... whatsup with that?!

OH! and you may be getting some "old friends" asking leading questions... I had fun tellin' stories at Maupin's Airhead rally!!

TT

Sorry I missed you. We were in California over the weekend.

Cancellations are no big deal. Plans change, people need to cancel. I appreciate they called to cancel instead of leaving me hanging. I'd like to have a full class, but regardless, we will have fun!

I look forward to hearing from your friends. Give me a heads up next time you are down this way.


VW

[Motoblag]

RedMenace, when is the first class for next season going to be? April? May? I could use an estimate so I can plan my foray into hack-dom.

[RedMenace]

Originally Posted by Motoblag

RedMenace, when is the first class for next season going to be? April? May? I could use an estimate so I can plan my foray into hack-dom.

Probably will be May but I won't begin to set the schedule until December and the catalog for Community Education usually doesn't come out until March

[Motoblag]

Originally Posted by RedMenace

Probably will be May but I won't begin to set the schedule until December and the catalog for Community Education usually doesn't come out until March

Thanks. I'll sit tight until then.

[RockyMtnRoadRash]

I got SWMBO to agree to a trip up to Oregon at an unspecified future date to include a Hack Class. I warned her that she'd have to spent some time at the controls. She was all nervous until she realized she didn't have to be able to touch the ground to ride a hack (she's short)

[RedMenace]

That's one of the great things about sidecars. Not only do you not need to worry about holding the bike up at stops, but it allows folks with short inseams to ride a wide variety of bikes, many of which are too tall for them to ride comfortably as solo machines.

[RockyMtnRoadRash]

Originally Posted by RedMenace

That's one of the great things about sidecars. Not only do you not need to worry about holding the bike up at stops, but it allows folks with short inseams to ride a wide variety of bikes, many of which are too tall for them to ride comfortably as solo machines.

Add that to the fact that my honey's a budding geologist, and you've got a recipe for spousal approval for a 2wd Ural... once we have a house to park it at. 2wd and a tub with a trunk means we can go strange places and collect interesting rocks.

We're both pretty psyched at the idea of the class. All my riding buddies weenied out on me so it looks like you'll have a skibum couple in one of your classes next spring!

[RedMenace]

Originally Posted by RockyMtnRoadRash

Add that to the fact that my honey's a budding geologist, and you've got a recipe for spousal approval for a 2wd Ural... once we have a house to park it at. 2wd and a tub with a trunk means we can go strange places and collect interesting rocks.

Budget some extra time and get some regional books. The geology of the Columbia Gorge is unique and fascinating and the road cuts and the gorges expose it all to easy view. Mt.St.Helens is an easy day trip from town and we are on the slopes of Mt.Hood! You owe yourself a tour of the area after class!


http://adventuresidecar.com/cascade_..._forms_a_s.htm

http://adventuresidecar.com/MtStHele..._a_live_vo.htm


Riding the Volcano from Adventure Sidecar on Vimeo.

[tony the tiger]

Originally Posted by RockyMtnRoadRash

...can go strange places and collect interesting rocks.

I'd been having charging problems with my rig earlier this year - thought I'd got it licked and went camping here, along the Dosewallips river; where my friend and I scrounged a lot of river rocks. Transporting them back in the rig (she has an RV) my alternator pooped out, stranding me on the side of the road along Hood Canal. When the tow came, it was as requested - a flatbed truck. He dropped the backend of the bed to touch ground, and we had to push that rig up ~40 degree angle, where I stood and held the front brake whilst he brought it back up to flat... never did show him under the tonneau cover! (When pushing he'd asked if I was holding the brake or something... lol)
moral of the story? Make sure you get something like AAA RV Plus... ya' never know!

TT

[RedMenace]

We had a great crew for the last Adventure Sidecar class of the season! Thanks for coming!

[RedMenace]

[RedMenace]

Jay


Kirk


Richard


Kyle


Nettie


Andy


Warren


Jon