I am paranoid about riding two wheel bikes!

[CJ/johnnyg]

I'm with you on just saying no to 2 wheels! MI has a 3 wheel endorsement (CY with a restriction) and I took the road test on my Spyder. I would have liked to take the Safety Course but like you I didn't want to do it on 2 wheels. No one offers a 3 wheel course near me. I rode illegally for several months last year and racked up several thousand miles until I finally had a chance to schedule the road test when my husband was home.

I wonder what FL would do if I moved there. Would they give me a CY endorsement or tell me sorry you have to test on 2 wheels. When I moved there in 1995 they gave my husband a CY endorsement because he had one from NC. I wish all states had uniform rules for licensing. I feel that testing is necessary for Spyder riding and I don't agree with CA letting you just get on one and ride it but it makes no sense to require you to know how to ride a 2 wheeler.

Have you written any letters to your state legislators?

Florida does have a three wheel endorsement. I believe if you move to Fl with a motorcycle endorsement from your state they will grandfather you in. In Fl if you have a MC license you can operate a three wheeler, if you don't have a MC license and want to ride a three wheeler you will have to take the courses.

[chickridin]

I'm with you on just saying no to 2 wheels! MI has a 3 wheel endorsement (CY with a restriction) and I took the road test on my Spyder. I would have liked to take the Safety Course but like you I didn't want to do it on 2 wheels. No one offers a 3 wheel course near me. I rode illegally for several months last year and racked up several thousand miles until I finally had a chance to schedule the road test when my husband was home.

I wonder what FL would do if I moved there. Would they give me a CY endorsement or tell me sorry you have to test on 2 wheels. When I moved there in 1995 they gave my husband a CY endorsement because he had one from NC. I wish all states had uniform rules for licensing. I feel that testing is necessary for Spyder riding and I don't agree with CA letting you just get on one and ride it but it makes no sense to require you to know how to ride a 2 wheeler.

Have you written any letters to your state legislators?

Never had ridin a motorcycle in my life, I took the MSF class a year before I even bought a 2 wheel motorcycle. Although I passed, two wheels just weren't for me. Before I took the class, I searched for info on some kind of 3 wheel restrictions for MI and found none. I didn't think to ask at the DMV, probably because I already took the class. Can I ask where you got your information about the 3 wheel restriction? Obviously not for me but, it'd be nice to know to pass on to propective Spyder buyers that I meet, I have been asked by people that I talk to about the Spyder. I've just searched the SOS web site again and found nothing. BTW....I'm in MI too.

[NavyChiefEd]

I have just finished my 2nd of 3 days of the ABATE motorcycle safety course. I have a 2011 Viper Red RTS SE5 Spyder and it is the first street bike I have owned. The instructors I have are super. They will not allow you to do anything dangerous. We have 22 beginners in or group with little to no experience. They gave me a Suzuki 250 to ride and it is a challenge but I am getting the hang of it. I have already passed the written test and still have some more riding exercises and then the road test. No one will make fun of you for being afraid but I think once you get started you will settle right in. I haven't been on a bike in 30 years and my Spyder is not even close to what I am riding there but I am glad I am taking the class. It was good to polish up on the basics again and if an old fat man can ride a two wheeler, you can too. Go get em.

[Shewhoprays]

I agree with Dan about the 2 wheels. I rode with my husband on his Harley and loved it but wanted to take the Riders Edge course for the "knowledge". Then I saw so many lady riders I thought I wanted one of my own. He bought me a 500cc Buell but I hadn't been on it much before the class. I had a crash in the class. Don't remember the actual crash(thank God, because the recovery has been painful enough-broken ribs, blown tendon in right hand, stitches in my mouth, bone contusions both legs from knees to ankles, bruises from head to toe) The dealership told me the "good news" was I could retake the class at no cost to me as long as I did it in the same calendar yr. After a few days, scared as Heck I got on mine and my husband helped me do the same things we did in class-minus the crash. Ha! I retook the class several months later and passed. I had a goal and forced myself to meet it because it was something I really wanted. I had seen a couple spyders while I was out and decided that would be my eventual ryde. A month later - I bought a 2010 RT Deluxe. I ended up selling my Buell to a gal I work with so she could learn to ride. The Riders Edge course is a great one and I'm sooooo glad I took it. I think it has made me a better driver-car as well. So many things to look for. Missouri will let you take a trike license on your spyder. My daughters are much happier with my on 3 wheels- they just couldn't "understand this motorcycle phase". So I promised to wear my helmet and leathers. Although now with the spyder I really don't wear my chaps unless I'm cold.

[dancogan]

I thought the Rider's Edge was a great class ... with one exception. I really don't think the Buell Blast is a great bike for many beginners. It's a bit big and heavy. So am I, so it didn't bother me, but I think a 250 cc bike would be a much better bike to use for that kind of class. Of course with Buell gone, I'm not sure what Harley will do in the future. The smallest bike in their lineup is now the Sportster with over 883 cc's, and not a lightweight for a beginner.

[DocRags]

Gold Wing Road Rider Association (GWRRA) http://fla.gwrra-regiona.org/index.html offer FREE riding courses. You would be able to take the Trike Riding course and that should get your license.

GWRRA is a family friendly group and I highly recommend the Trike course. I took it back in July and learned a lot. Click on the link above a find a chapter near you or contact the chapter educator about when the next Trike course will be.

Keep us posted on getting your license.

I talked with the President of the local Gold Wing Club. They don't offer any basic motorcycle safety courses, which is what Florida requires for a motorcycle endorsement (unless you grandfathered in). You can't take any of their classes unless you already have an endorsement. No one locally offers three wheel safety courses (yet, anyway). I don't think I'll get over my fear of crashing on a 2 wheel bike so I don't think I'll feel any safer trying the 2 wheel class again. It would just be a waste of another $200. You either feel comfortable on 2 wheels or you don't...and I most definitely never felt comfortable on one (even though I can ride a bicycle and had cars with manual transmissions for most of my driving years). I've seen plenty of patients over the years with injuries from bicycle accidents so 2 wheels (of any type) can be a problem for all sorts of folks, depending on the road conditions, weather, etc. (That brings up another unrelated topic...Florida requires helmets on bicycles but not​ motorcycles...crazy!)
I talked with a rider the other day that passed the written test at her local driver's license bureau and then got her 3-wheel motorcycle endorsement without any driving test, but that was in Alabama, not Florida.