1st time scooter owner

[you you]

Is the dog a mastiff? I had a staffie cross that looked like that but I can't see the front of its face properly.

[tink]

She's not a pure anything, & I can't be sure but we ***strongly*** suspect that her mom had some mastiff in her, yes & that she does, too. Her dad was pure boxer, the mom was some sort of Johnson Pitbull mix/mutt... with what we suspect is mastiff because even though the mom weighed about 55 & dad weighed about 60, MY puppy... topped out at 81 pounds before I put her on a diet down to 75lbs. That's WAY Too big for what she should have been and unfortunately she's about all muscle when i don't spoil her... *sighs* she's very very well trained so she doesn't cause anyone or anything any harm on accident simply because of her size & excitable puppy attitude.

If it's not a no-no here's a bunch of pics of her: http://journal.awewag.com/search/label/Sasha you can see like now that she's full grown she literally stretches all the way across a love seat size sofa. & her face, etc. She JUST turned 2 years old this April so is just now full size. A lot of not all of those pics were while she was still growing up.

I did foster a mastiff/pit mix last fall and he was about 110lbs & made her look SMALL lol. So If she does have mastiff in her, it's not much. Man, but I'm suspicious. Looked into DNA tests for her but the comments/reviews on them made them seem fishy so never chose to do it.

All in all, i didn't stress over it too much & simply assume she's part, and if I ever ever find another dog w/the same combo I'm getting it in a heartbeat. Cannot recommend her mixed up mutt results high enough... best of every world.

[GeorgeSK]

Genetic testing: http://www.xkcd.com/1706/

[you you]

No, post away. A lot of us like dogs too.

She has pretty eyes, looks like she is wearing panda makeup.

Parents had a mastiff Great Dane cross. It had its own three seater settee...

[tink]

Genetic testing: http://www.xkcd.com/1706/

Thanks for the smiles!

No, post away. A lot of us like dogs too.

She has pretty eyes, looks like she is wearing panda makeup.

Parents had a mastiff Great Dane cross. It had its own three seater settee...

Holy cow that's a giant dog... I only saw 1 Great Dane in person and when he walked up to the fence for food it was more like a pony was coming towards me than a dog.

Um I just read that the Washington skills test is going from 25 questions to 40 questions on (of course) the day I am scheduled for (Monday). I couldn't tell if that's for motorcycle tests, too, or just regular licenses. http://www.columbian.com/news/2016/aug/ ... engthened/ on the news page, but the DMV page doesn't mention it: http://www.dol.wa.gov/driverslicense/mototesting.html

I'll have to update for any one going in like me in the future.

[kramnala58]

Um I just read that the Washington skills test is going from 25 questions to 40 questions ...

I did the NY one a couple of weeks ago. It was 20 questions. I got 16/20. They allow a total of 6 wrong, but only 2 motorcycle related ones wrong, and I think 2 sign ones wrong. The largest portion of questions were driving under the influence related. Once you pass your max wrong for the total or for each type of question, you automatically fail and the test (touch screen) locks you out. By about question 15 I was holding my breath each time I confirmed an answer as I had guessed at a couple. I have had a license for 40 years, but like they say, most people would fail the test if they don't read the material despite how long they may have been driving for.

I am looking for a motorcycle safety school to attend on my next trip back (April/May 2017?). In NY, if you attend the 2 day school and get a certificate, you submit that to the DMV and the road test is waived. You also get a break on a portion of your insurance, which isn't a big deal to me because I am only paying $180 per year for full coverage and it would just be a portion of it that the discount would be applied.

[Mel46]

Well I think you have everything under control so I won't add much. My wife is only 5' tall, so here is what we did. First of all I purchased tall boots for her, which you have done. Then I purchased a custom seat from Thailand which brought her an inch or so closer to the ground (but also took away some of the under seat storage, so I had to purchase a tail box). Then I purchased us a set of Takeaway Adjustable Lowering Shocks, which dropped the bike down another inch. We could have dropped it a little lower but the ride would have been too harsh, so we adjusted them up a little. With all of those together she was able to ride without worrying about not touching the ground. ...and then she fell off of the bike because her foot hit gravel, because she was too new to riding to watch where she would be putting her foot when she came to a stop on a corner. Remember, everything on the road eventually ends up on the outer edge close to the gutter. This includes what they put on roads in the winter that is still there in the summer, such as sand.
Oh, get some paint to touch up your bike with. You will need it if you are just learning. Everybody falls or drops their bike when learning. It is part of the learning process. Choose an empty, large parking lot to learn in. You will need to be able to do figure 8s at low speed eventually. Part of my test was slow speed control. That hasn't changed in my area....well, down South and in Texas...since I took my first test back in the 1960s. I retook the test in Georgia because the dummies forgot to transfer my motorcycle endorsement to my new Georgia drivers license, which I had on my Alabama license, my Hawaii license, my Louisiana license, and my Texas license. Practice. Then take the Motorcycle Safety Course.

[homie]

Get some paint to touch up your bike with. You will need it if you are just learning. Everybody falls or drops their bike when learning. It is part of the learning process.

What! You can have my paint because I didn't need it

[tink]

I've still got to learn how to do multiple quotes, sure didn't work on my phone lol, apologies for the delay due to my technical struggles.

"The largest portion of questions were driving under the influence related": that's what the big deal is here now with marijuana being legalized & so on, they really wanted to integrate dui / dwi type questions. Frustrates me to have to learn about stuff that doesn't even relate to me or my driving but just memorizing decimal numbers, but it's worth it to be able to ride.

I promise I'm reading the motorcycle booklet frontward & backward & making notes here & there & doing practice tests online & will cram this weekend, too. Not knowing for sure what to expect I want to have as many bases covered as possible. Besides if I don't pass the first time my boyfriend will never ever let me hear the end of it haha!

Hopefully they won't have anything other than alcohol questions in the test on Monday because I'm not seeing drug numbers in the booklet we picked up from DMV last week.

About those figure 8s: a local woman just told me that's what she failed when she took the driving test here. Then I read you mention the 8s also... so obviously I will spend a lot of time focusing on perfecting that thank you so much for mentioning it!

The dealership just called today to say my plates came in for the scooter so I'll call my current insurance company on Monday & ask how much it is for insurance & start that up, asap too. There was something the sales manager was saying about not needing to buy insurance because the Honda Financing has insurance included... I'm not sure about that & won't know until details come by postal mail. Maybe I should wait for Honda paperwork before I go to get insurance from a 3rd party.

Here in Washington State it's not required to have insurance for motorcycles - though I definitely plan on getting it anyway.

Touch up paint, thank you!!! I did mention to my boyfriend that after I stop falling over on a consistent basis we'll be able to see the most common places to get damaged & not put any special design paint there. Just in case it happens again since some fancy paint sections are near impossible to fix without a complete re-do. He wants me to have pink flames *shakes head in disbelief* and some other themed ideas going through his head. God knows what the scooter & I will end up looking like by the time he's done.

I do feel for her in the gravel situation. The only time I ever ever started to lose control in my car was at a "Y" intersection on an old country road. I knew that road like the back of my hand and then 1 day... after the housing developments started moving in... they put some gravel down. GRRR. I saw it in time to keep from going off the road but it did get under a front tire & catch me. On a side note: then they up & flattened out the most perfectly banked corner in the whole mess of back roads & made it almost perfectly flat. Now there's a Costco store on that road. Progress = phooey! But roads change & they put down sand & gravel here, too

By the way Mel46, I think it was YOUR post that I found on a google search that mentioned the boots, shocks & seat.. that gave me enough hope to finally go in to a motorcycle dealership & sit on some to see if any fit / were close enough for me to be able touch the ground. I CAN NOT THANK YOU ENOUGH!!! This is the most fun, even just thinking about it & working towards it... and I'm not even RIDING yet I had NO Idea my boyfriend would even consider getting something like this for me, I had NO idea I could actually get tall boots, lol, I didn't even know I was clueless about the possibility!!!
Thank goodness you married a short woman hahaha!!! Seriously thank goodness you post on the forum Thank your wife for me, too, if you wish. I'm so happy about the whole process. I'm so glad she has a husband who posts stuff about her experiences getting to ride while short. It can be so frustrating in life to be vertically challenged lol, oh so nice to discover ways around it. Thank you so very much After raising all the kids I surprisingly found out that I had no idea what *I* liked anymore, just what all the family members like as my likes got put on the back burner for a couple decades. WELL... I like scooters and because of your post now I have one! < seriously > Thanks

[tink]

Get some paint to touch up your bike with. You will need it if you are just learning. Everybody falls or drops their bike when learning. It is part of the learning process.

What! You can have my paint because I didn't need it

I'm actually thinking about stickers at first haha. Seriously a wrap will probably be my final choice - but not sure what the bf will choose.

I'm pretty sure your paint container isn't very full anymore... evaporation & all

[relic]

I find after 30 years of learning to ride a bike again using both front and rear brake leavers
at the same time in equal balance when coming to a full stop
helps my balance
one of those yin yang things

[tink]

I find after 30 years of learning to ride a bike again using both front and rear brake leavers
at the same time in equal balance when coming to a full stop
helps my balance
one of those yin yang things

Since you said that I will really work with breaking now more than backing up & not putting my feet down going forward. I got my helmet today, 3 days early, so I can practice going over 2 mph now in my driveway only until the permit test on Monday.

Thank you so much for the tip!

[tink]

Passed the test for the permit yesterday & bought the rest of the gear I wanted for learning how to handle the scooter today (some hip protection for when I land sideways & gloves so I can keep typing post-falling). Now on to practice for the actual riding test that's needed for the actual license endorsement... FUN!

Wanted to share I found "4 inch mini traffic style cones" at a dollar store here in town, but I'm sure Amazon.com sells them, too. I'm going to pick some up for practicing since the real state riding test uses cones & not allowed to run them over, etc. Pretty cheap practice at a dollar per cone Washington State likes to use cones for testing, they have a 5 part video series here if anyone's interested: http://youtu.be/gcwyoAhsa3o

I've been lurking on amazing other posts here on the forum & trying to absorb all the riding/safety tips my little head can fit in at once. Still over 90 degrees here still haven't got the shed ready for holding the scooter at night. Too hot for labor work!

[GeorgeSK]

Congrats on passing the test. It will be nice to actually start some road time on your new baby. Take it easy and you will be fine. Be especially careful as you come to a stop - that is the time when a scoot (or motorcycle or even bicycle) is the least stable. Get your feet ready to go to the pavement as you come to the stop. Enjoy your new ride.

[DailyRider]

George is right... It's harder for short folks to stop without dropping the bike.
Taller folks can just stick a leg out if they start to tip.

Make sure the handlebars are dead straight as you're stopping and try not to lean the bike much.

[homie]

Um... I wonder if tink is ok. Getting on with her mock up training course I hope, i hope. Kinda quiet, be nice if she checked in. Don't like it when new riders get quiet, makes me wonder what happen.

Chief say's "mind own business"

[tink]

Oh osrry for some reason my phone wasn't telling me about new email messages I have a lot of catching up to do. The scoot & me are fine I've been working on some graphic additions for it to make sure it's obvious which one is mine. I got it up to 20mph lol, but not over that just yet. Much going around in circles & turning using the signals trying for that muscle memory to turn the signal off right away... harder than it sounds so far. I am still skipping cones for the weave part of the practice test but since it started raining I've stopped riding until we get a sunny day again. No point falling over so soon

[relic]

Hey tink
took me awhile to figure out that you only had to press the turn signal button instead of returning it
to cancel the turn signal I'm OK now -took awhile
I know about the rain being a west coaster

[homie]

took me awhile to figure out that you only had to press the turn signal button instead of returning it to cancel

hehe... you don't think she was doing that do you? That's probably more common than we know.

[tink]

Yeah, I was doing that haha!!!

The one thing though that I can't figure out how to do is get it up on the stand without my boyfriend helping me. I'm just not strong enough to get it up there by myself... so not sure what will ever happen if I get a flat tire by myself.