curious and questions about getting my permit? (in Washington)

So Hi there, fully new to the site and I'm in Washington.

I was curious on what to do cause I want my permit but I can't find a place to I guess 'learn' Our state reads I just need to take the class and get a permit. If I was driving my car before 2013. This is what it is told~

WHAT TYPE OF LICENSE IS REQUIRED?
A 3-wheel motorcycle license is required to ride a Can-Am On-Road model which can be obtained by completing a 3-wheel written and skills test OR by completing an approved 3-wheel rider education course.



IS THE MOTORCYCLE RIDER EDUCATION MANDATORY?
Yes for anyone under the age of 18. No for anyone over the age of 18. However, Can-Am On-Road strongly recommends that every new rider completes its 3-wheel riding course in order to:

So I personally don't know what to do to get my permit. The place I call keeps telling me its closed. I assume they had a covid outbreak? Help on thoughts of what to do?

Is there a CanAm dealer near you? They may know where you can take the 3 wheel course. You could also check the CanAm website to see if they have any info about a class near you. Also check community colleges near you, here in Iowa, they offer rider classes that you can take to get your endorsements.
Also have you checked the DMV website to see if you can get info about getting a permit to ride, temporarily, until you can take the class.

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Originally Posted by Elithian

So Hi there, fully new to the site and I'm in Washington.

I was curious on what to do cause I want my permit but I can't find a place to I guess 'learn' Our state reads I just need to take the class and get a permit. If I was driving my car before 2013. This is what it is told~

WHAT TYPE OF LICENSE IS REQUIRED?
A 3-wheel motorcycle license is required to ride a Can-Am On-Road model which can be obtained by completing a 3-wheel written and skills test OR by completing an approved 3-wheel rider education course.



IS THE MOTORCYCLE RIDER EDUCATION MANDATORY?
Yes for anyone under the age of 18. No for anyone over the age of 18. However, Can-Am On-Road strongly recommends that every new rider completes its 3-wheel riding course in order to:

So I personally don't know what to do to get my permit. The place I call keeps telling me its closed. I assume they had a covid outbreak? Help on thoughts of what to do?

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I tried to take a course in NW Washington last summer, thinking we would by a GW trike and Spyder this winter in Arizona. However Covid-19 had things shutdown. On October 31st we picked up a 2018 RTL. I signed up and took the Can Am sponsored two day $99 course here in Arizona, thinking I would fly home with my course completion card and have the endorsement added to my Washington license. Well the course here does not meet Washington's requirements of "Sidecar/three wheel training" I could study up and take the Washington written and then the driving test at one of the schools. However the spyder is staying in Arizona for the summer. And I do not have a trike to ride up there and the school only provides trikes for their classes.

So, I will hopefully be able to take another $99 Can Am sponsored course. https://www.cascademotosafety.com/3-wheel-classes/ There seems to be classes in Everett and Kirkland right now, I did not look at other areas.

Where is Washington do you live. We stay in a RV membership park in Lake Stevens May-Sept. Chris

Make sure you check you state laws. The $99 course that Can Am offers is designed to help you understand the Spyder and how to ride it. It can help prepare you for a skills test but I have not seen where it replaces it. In Ohio for example the Can Am course does not replace the skills test or written test. You still have to take those. There are state sponsored riding courses you can take and pass that will replace the skills test but Can Am is not one of them.

The Can Am course just helps you master skills on the Spyder for us in Ohio anyway.

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Originally Posted by Elithian

So Hi there, fully new to the site and I'm in Washington.

I was curious on what to do cause I want my permit but I can't find a place to I guess 'learn' Our state reads I just need to take the class and get a permit. If I was driving my car before 2013. This is what it is told~

WHAT TYPE OF LICENSE IS REQUIRED?
A 3-wheel motorcycle license is required to ride a Can-Am On-Road model which can be obtained by completing a 3-wheel written and skills test OR by completing an approved 3-wheel rider education course.



IS THE MOTORCYCLE RIDER EDUCATION MANDATORY?
Yes for anyone under the age of 18. No for anyone over the age of 18. However, Can-Am On-Road strongly recommends that every new rider completes its 3-wheel riding course in order to:

So I personally don't know what to do to get my permit. The place I call keeps telling me its closed. I assume they had a covid outbreak? Help on thoughts of what to do?

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Learning to ride / drive a Spyder is waaaaaaaaaaaaaay easier than to learn to drive a car .... since can already do that, just drive the Spyder like you do your CAR .... If you have NEVER driven a Two wheel motorcycle, that's good - you won't have to UN-LEARN anything...... To be comfortable driving a any Spyder or Ryker you need to start slowly .... get a feel for the BRAKES first ... if the Spyder has the Semi-Auto trans. it will be similar to your car ... the Ryker is like your car .... test how much effort you need to APPLY the throttle. ... this way you don't take off like a Bat out of Hell ... some folks think the Three Wheel learning course is necessary .... I don't .... good luck .... Mike :thumbup:

In Missouri, the CanAm sponsored rider course will allow you to get a motorcycle endorsement without taking the riding test. You still have to
do the written test.

I also agree that if you can drive a car, you can ride a Spyder. The course may be nice, but it won't teach you much that you won't figure
out on your own in about an hour. At least that's the way the course was here. Needless to say I didn't think much of it.

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Originally Posted by BLUEKNIGHT911

Learning to ride / drive a Spyder is waaaaaaaaaaaaaay easier than to learn to drive a car .... since can already do that, just drive the Spyder like you do your CAR .... If you have NEVER driven a Two wheel motorcycle, that's good - you won't have to UN-LEARN anything...... To be comfortable driving a any Spyder or Ryker you need to start slowly .... get a feel for the BRAKES first ... if the Spyder has the Semi-Auto trans. it will be similar to your car ... the Ryker is like your car .... test how much effort you need to APPLY the throttle. ... this way you don't take off like a Bat out of Hell ... some folks think the Three Wheel learning course is necessary .... I don't .... good luck .... Mike :thumbup:

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I agree with the unlearning (after almost 2k miles I am still reaching for the clutch). My wife studied and took the written test here in Ohio so she could ride the Spyder. I told her when she passed the written part to now forgot almost everything you just learned because it does not apply to the Spyder. The bulk was about leaning, clutch, and breaking with the front and rear breaks. Also had a lot of questions about how to position in the lane and what track to follow. Nothing on that test other then visibility and basic laws had to do with a Spyder. The skills test at least is different for 2 vs 3 wheel here because they are so different.

But if you have a slingshot here (like in most states) no problem just use your regular car license.

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Originally Posted by Schreckftw

Make sure you check you state laws. The $99 course that Can Am offers is designed to help you understand the Spyder and how to ride it. It can help prepare you for a skills test but I have not seen where it replaces it. In Ohio for example the Can Am course does not replace the skills test or written test. You still have to take those. There are state sponsored riding courses you can take and pass that will replace the skills test but Can Am is not one of them.

The Can Am course just helps you master skills on the Spyder for us in Ohio anyway.

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In Washington and Arizona the Can Am school, if you pass the written and driving test, they send the results to the State and you walk into the DMV, show them your course card(have to wait a few days for it to get into their system) and they look you up and add the endorsement (for a fee). In Arizona at 4PM the second day, the instructor said I am now an agent of the AZ DMV and I can no longer coach you, as I am now scoring you for the DMV.

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Originally Posted by Elithian

So Hi there, fully new to the site and I'm in Washington.

I was curious on what to do cause I want my permit but I can't find a place to I guess 'learn' Our state reads I just need to take the class and get a permit. If I was driving my car before 2013. This is what it is told~

WHAT TYPE OF LICENSE IS REQUIRED?
A 3-wheel motorcycle license is required to ride a Can-Am On-Road model which can be obtained by completing a 3-wheel written and skills test OR by completing an approved 3-wheel rider education course.



IS THE MOTORCYCLE RIDER EDUCATION MANDATORY?
Yes for anyone under the age of 18. No for anyone over the age of 18. However, Can-Am On-Road strongly recommends that every new rider completes its 3-wheel riding course in order to:

So I personally don't know what to do to get my permit. The place I call keeps telling me its closed. I assume they had a covid outbreak? Help on thoughts of what to do?

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OP, where did you go?????

I live about an hour west of Spokane, WA. When I took my course it was through Westside Motorsports in Spokane. The course cost me $125.00 and lasted 8 hours a day for 2 days (Sat&Sun). At the conclusion of the course they administered both the skills test and written test. I was then given a certification card which I took to DOL and got my three wheeled endorsement. Where in Washington are you located?

In CA you can ride a Spyder with a regular car license. I still decided to get my M1 (motorcycle endorsement) and simply did a two day class, at the end of which you take a test (everybody eventually passed) and that covers the driving part of the test. I then went to the DMV and did the written, and now I have the M1.

This completely covers me on my Spyder and I don't have to worry about explaining to an out of state cop that my CA license covers me on three wheels, where a local license would not.

While there are many differences in riding, I don't think a weekend will build up any habits that you will need to break - three wheels is just so much easier than two.

On top of all of that, the M1 keeps my insurance lower (the insurance companies here do care).

I would make your life simple, do a two wheeled class (which should be much easier to find), and gain a bit experience on two wheels. I've found that understanding and experience very helpful in riding with my riding group as well.

And, you'll have some fun in the process.

If Ive never ridden a motorcycle or a Can Am trike I would definitely take the Can Am class so you can learn to ride with no traffic risks. It’s a safe controlled environment that will be a lot less stressful while you get used to everything. BONUS- you get to try multiple models with no sales pressure and you get a DOL waiver to get your license. Listen to “GKamer” ; he lives in Washington.

I found this in the WA Licensing Manual:
C3. Approved Three Wheel Curricula:
The following curricula is currently approved by WMSP for three-wheel training. At the conclusion of the
training course, a Student with a successful passing score will be issued a Course Completion Card:
a) Evergreen Safety Council (ESC) Basic Sidecar/Trike Course (S/TEP)
b) ESC Advanced S/TEP

As GKamer said in comment 10 The Course Completion Card is submitted to DOL to get your endorsement. For all information on getting your endorsement here's the lionk for the WA manual: https://www.dol.wa.gov/business/moto...msp-manual.pdf

Here's cities where the BRP 3 wheel course is offered. Go to BRP.com for more info.

Wonderful Advice from Greg (#10) and longisland (#13). Having gone through all Washington State's hoops, I can assure you that it's mostly about getting into your back pocket a little deeper. A Spyder Ryder since 2013, I believe it's one of the easiest three wheel vehicles available. "Flying" a side car in order to pass this requirement is nuts. I watched a couple of folks in my skills class dump the three wheeled side car and fail the test. That denied them their endorsement and they had to retake the class at some future date. So sad!
I personally have driven a wide variety of vehicles in my sixty plus years, and I have a two and three wheel endorsement on my drivers license. Upon renewal, the state dips BACK IN to my pocket if I choose to keep my motorcycle endorsements. ERRRRRGH!
Anyway, good luck with obtaining the required endorsement on your license, and maybe rethink living in this state. California doesn't require anything other than a driver's license to operated a three wheeled trike.

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Originally Posted by cpdblegl

"Flying" a side car in order to pass this requirement is nuts. I watched a couple of folks in my skills class dump the three wheeled side car and fail the test. That denied them their endorsement and they had to retake the class at some future date. So sad!.

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Thankfully I did not have to test on a side car, only on a Spyder. There was a young lady who had an HD trike. She stalled it out a few time during the course,.

They had told us that if you stalled out more then twice during the skill test you would have to retake the whole course over. Myself and a few others suggested to her she might want to do the skill test on a Spyder just to be sure she passed the course and she could fine tune her clutch/throttle coordination later.

She took the advice and passed the course

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Originally Posted by gkamer

Thankfully I did not have to test on a side car, only on a Spyder. There was a young lady who had an HD trike. She stalled it out a few time during the course,.

They had told us that if you stalled out more then twice during the skill test you would have to retake the whole course over. Myself and a few others suggested to her she might want to do the skill test on a Spyder just to be sure she passed the course and she could fine tune her clutch/throttle coordination later.

She took the advice and passed the course

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In the trike course I took here in Arizona in Nov there was a guy in his mid 60's 6'6" and 380 lbs that had never ridden a motorcycle. The first day at noon he had a dealer deliver a beautiful 2019 HD trike. He rode in that afternoon in the practice session and was killing the motor often on starts and having trouble shifting to second gear. The second afternoon during practice he decided to just start off in second gear.

At 4PM instructor announced that he was now an agent of the AZ DMV and would be scoring four test maneuvers for each of us and could no longer coach us. This guy did the salomon course, the braking test and the obstacle avoidance swerve. The four test was a decreasing radius corner. The guy kill the trike motor at his start and roll 20-30 feet into the test approach. Instead of looping back and starting over, he started out again and was suppose to get up to 22 mph and then brake before enter the corner to a speed that he could complete it without more braking.

Well he was going to fast at went through the cones on the high side of the corner and then was on and off the throttle repeatedly and headed to the concrete block wall(which had old tires stacked along it). He crashed into the wall at 20-25 MPH Trikes rear went way in the air and he was a few feet above the seat. He and the trike came back down on three wheels. Damage to the front fender and fairing was visible.

The instructor took us all inside and issued us are cards and was going to allow this guy to try again. So we do not know if he passed or not. There was another guy there that had his own HD trike and I told him he should stay and give this guy a ride home, as he had planned on riding it 15-20 miles across the East Valley home if he passed. He had no business being out on a city street with it!!!

This was one of the Can Am sponsored classes. I rode a brand new RTL Chrome with 5.2 miles on it when I got on it the first afternoon. I had bought our new to us 2018 RTL a week before and had been riding it around to RV Resort to become familiar with it. And did fine in the course. Last time i was on a bike was in the mid 80's when we had a 650SR Kawasaki.