The WSP gets notified of changes but the costumers don't, lovely. anyhow isn't there a Lic. change you can request if your a long time rider that eliminates all the testing?, if it was mentioned I guess i missed it, a C7 or something like that comes to mind, I remember reading something like that, can someone refresh my ageing memory, TIA
During the 6 months following the period of January 1st, 2004 any Class 3 endorsed motorcycle rider could get a three wheel endorsement that would extend to the expiration of their current license for no cost.
They took a new picture and issued you a new license with the 7-endorsement.
Before January 1st of 2004 there were only 3 motorctcle endorsements based on displacement size of the bikes engine. 1-for small bikes and scooters. 2- I believe was for bikes up to 800cc's and 3- was an unlimited endorsement.
Since then they have added another endorsement. Three wheel only, which allows one to drive a three wheeled trike, sidecar or auto. without having to have a valid solo motorcycle license. This was a good change for the handicapped hackers who could not pass a solo riding test.
The bottom line is: Washington has no income tax so they try to bleed every tax and fee payer any way they can to feed the uncontrolled thirst of the Ruling Class (Revenuers) in the State, County and City governments.
Lonnie
(Born again Ida Ho)
I hear the riding test is a real challenge...
You have to do a U-Turn, a Circle, and a Figure-8
without putting your foot down! :p
Lonnie wrote:
>>This was a good change for the handicapped hackers who could not pass a solo riding test.<<
In Pa and other states if a person takes a test on a sidecar or trike because they are handicapped they just get a liscense that says they must ride with three wheels. This is no different than some car lisenses saying 'automatic transmission only' etc.
The question abotu how many sidecar accidents there are compared to solo bikes etc? No answer because sidecars are not registered as such.
If the know it alls that think this legislation keep messing around don't be surprised if sidecars will end up having to be re registered after the sidecar is installed. The do gooders will of course say that this is a benfit when in reality it would just be another way to make a buck.
It could get to a point where not just anyone could install a sidecar and then one of our great freedoms of this sport would have been lost. Of course some may profit from this type of thing and so it goes.
So much of today's protectiong ourselves from oursleves is really motivated by a simple way to pad th epocket book of someone somewhere.
Lets return to the wild west!!
Beside's not touching down, you can't hit or knock down any pylons and you have to stop smoothly real close to the Examiner's boot without skidding or running over his foot.
( This happened to the gal that was ahead of me when I first took my WA riders test. The Trooper was hopping all around on one foot and she didn't get her endorsement.) My '73 Norton Combat Commando and I aced the test.
Hey Lonnie- Happy anniversary! Your last post on this thread was exactly four years from the date of your first post.
Sometimes, if you hit the cone dead center it'll stick to the undercarriage
and you can hope the instructor doesn't notice the missing cone 😉
Thanks for the heads up Tom,
Heck, I can't even remember what I had for breakfast this morning without a sticky note. lol
Lonnie
Here is the D.o.L. handbook for Trike / Sidecar
training in .PDF form.
http://www.dol.wa.gov/driverslicense/trikemanual.pdf
I might go take the written on Saturday.
I went and took the sidecar test... what a waste!
Most of the questions had very little to do with actual safety.
At least three of the test questions were like this one:
According to the Hurt report, what percentage of motorcycle accidents
occur on multi lane roads?
And then there was: If you are carrying an adult and a child passenger
on a sidecar rig, where should you place the passengers.
A) Adult on back of bike, child in sidecar
B) Adult and child in sidecar
C) Child on gas tank adult in sidecar
D) Child and adult on back of motorcycle.
(The Ural is only designed to cary one person in the sidecar).
A total waste of gasoline and two hours, and now I have to retake it
again after I read the manual again and highlight & memorize the useless
trivia which I didn't expect to see on the test!
Unfortunately, some of the material in the book is re-worded for
the test and is different enough to be considered new material.
Make sure you know this trivia... no matter how useless, it will
probably be on the test:
A study conducted by Dr. Harry Hurt of over 900
motorcycle accidents tell us a lot about potential accidents
and what skills were absent from these riders involved.
There are some items about when and where these accidents
happened that are worth noting:
• About 50% percent of these accidents happened
within five miles of home.
• Two-thirds of all multiple vehicle accidents involve
drivers taking the motorcyclist right-of-way.
• About 17% of the fatal motorcycle accidents occur at
alleys and driveways.
• Only about 10% of motorcycle accidents take place on
multi-lane highways. These accidents are most likely
to occur near exit or entry lanes.
You might be an unsafe rider without this knowledge!
I have yet to find the information about loading two passengers on a sidecar rig in the DOL provided online instruction manual
http://www.dol.wa.gov/driverslicense/trikemanual.pdf
(which is supposed to be the same as the ones they distribute in hard copy)
Did you flunk the test Mark?
If so, remember there is more than one test form used so just highlighting the ones you missed won't necessarily guarantee yuor passing the next one.
Dave Wendall and The Evergreen Safety Council were quite involved in preparing the three wheel endorsement test for the Washington State Department of Licensing.
I stayed out of that part of it. I was only interested in parity with the 2 wheel riders, a three wheel ONLY endorsement for those who needed it and a subsidy for sidecar training. We did get those three pluses.
Lonnie
Northwest Sidecar
I got all four of the trivia questions I listed, plus the one that
advises putting both passengers in the sidecar (I knew that the sidecar
should have the heavier load, but didn't think most are
designed for two people in the sidecar). When I complained at the DOL
I was told that the correct answer was in the study materials. It is not.
The only thing in the book related to loading passengers on a sidecar rig
says to put the heaviest person in the sidecar.
The rest of the questions are safety related, for the most part.
You might take another look at those "trivia" questions and se if there may be something they are trying to point out to you by including them on the test. It is a total waste of time if you don't learn anything from it....
VW
• About 50% percent of these accidents happened
within five miles of home.
TAKE LONGER RIDES
• Two-thirds of all multiple vehicle accidents involve
drivers taking the motorcyclist right-of-way.
MAY BE DIFFERENT A just LITTLE WITH A SIDECAR. THIS COULD BE (PROBABLY IS) MUCH DIFFERENT WITH MANY THINGS WHEN TRYING TO RELATE THE HURT REPORT INFO TO A SIDECAR OR EVEN A TRIKE. In addition to that the Hurt report was begun in 1976 and finished in 1981 with info on 3600+ motorcycle crashes gathered from a common geographical area. The word 'all' in the statement above may be 'all' as related to this report taken over twenty years ago based on motorcycles in a given area...but who knows about now or with trikes or sidecars?. To say it is 'all' related to sidecars or even motorcycles produced today has to be a stretch with the bikes and an unknown at best with sidecars and trikes.
Hey, what trikes did we see back on '76 anyhow? VWs? Servicars?
And when did choppers, which were highly represented in the report according to info on the net, really begin to think that running with a front brake could possibly be a good idea?
• About 17% of the fatal motorcycle accidents occur at
alleys and driveways.
YOU HAVE 83% CHANCE OF AVOIDING AN ACCIDENT AT AN ALLEY OR DRIVEWAY?
Does the odds go up or down at other places? Hmmmm
• Only about 10% of motorcycle accidents take place on
multi-lane highways. These accidents are most likely
to occur near exit or entry lanes.
STAY ON THE INTERSTATE ONCE YOU SURVIVE THE ENTRY ONTO IT. VERY IMPORTANT!! I still prefer the 90% zone for most riding.
