I am amazed at the number of people who come up to me who want to talk about their motorcycle experiences now that I ride. I'm certainly ok with it, because the scooter is "on my mind" right now. I called around for a motorcycle training class, which has proved difficult to find a local class. The best I can do is a class in Modesto, CA, which is about 45 minutes away. The class is 3 days, 6 hours of classroom instruction, and then 10 hours of on-the-bike training. I'm looking forward to the class, but the soonest I could schedule is August 31st. Apparently with the high gas prices and great weather, everyone else is buying motorcycles and getting trained. The class will be great, because I can learn the "right" way to handle the bike, and won't have to take the driving demonstration part of the motorcycle license test. The registration person I spoke with says to make sure that I choose a CHP Certified class; otherwise it won't count for the insurance discount or license test. I can't use my own scooter for the class, though, as I still can't ride at night and couldn't get it to the class. The course is offered through the Modesto Junior College, so apparently they won't let me use my own bike anyways. The class will give me the opportunity to learn the controls of a real motorcycle--the scooter doesn't have a clutch so you just throttle and go. I rode my bike to work today. I couldn't fit my backpack with my laptop in the under-seat storage, so I wore it on my back. I strapped it around my waist as well, so the weight wouldn't shift while riding at 60mph. I rode fine with no incidents, but the ride was a little different with the weight behind me.
