Yee ha! I took my motorcycle skills test on Sunday… and I passed, with flying colors! Yippee! I’m legal now!

This test–at least in Idaho–is not to be taken lightly.  You’ve gotta know your stuff if you expect to pass the first time out. I practiced quite a lot, and it definitely helped me. In fact, the tester said after I was done, “You’ve been practicing, haven’t you?”

The result for me was absolutely no points off during the test. I maneuvered through all of the cones, made flawless right and left sharp u-turns, swerved easily around the obstacle and screeched to a quick halt when asked to. I went into the test with confidence that I knew how to complete the required skills and I did it, despite a severe case of the nervous shakes early on!

My best advice to anyone who plans to take a skills test for their motorcycle endorsement… practice, practice, practice! This test is no joke, but you can and will pass it easily if you take the time and effort to prepare.

As for me, I can now scoot at leisure and at any time of the day or night that I want. I can even move up to a larger scooter or motorcycle if I want, though that seems unlikely at this point. I’m very happy with my Buddy 125cc.

I love the fall season, for many reasons… the brilliant colors everywhere you look… cool, crisp, sunny days, falling leaves… the smells of autumn. Sure it’s also my worst allergy season thanks to ragweed pollen and molds, but you can’t have perfection, right?

Now that I have a scooter, I love fall even more, because I can experience it in all its glory, not behind the glass and steel of an automobile.

So I try to get out, even for just a short distance, every day if I can. And yes, I’m still pushing the limits of my storage. Today I hit WalMart and brought home 3 half gallon cartons of Breyer’s ice cream, a half gallon of milk, box of flaxseed, 3 bags of frozen fruit, a bunch of bananas, 4 pears, 2 shirts and a pair of pants, plus a magazine.

OK, so I didn’t get that all in my underseat storage, but I got a lot of it there, and the rest in my tote bag hooked over the dashboard hook and sitting between my feet on the floorboards. Woo hoo!

Now, if I could just figure out a way to bring my little shih tzu along for the ride, life would truly be good… :)

I’m actively engaged in a game every time I take my scooter out for a spin. The game is… how much can I fit under the seat and between my feet?

You see, one of the things I love most about my scooter (after riding it) is that it’s really just SO functional. I mean I probably couldn’t do my monthly grocery shopping with it, but I can run all sorts of errands on it, including light shopping. The underseat storage is really roomy. The other day I fit a gallon jug of milk PLUS 2 large bags of Halloween candy, in addition to my wallet and legal documents, and a couple of other small items. No problem!

When I DO run out of room underneath, then I whip out my tote bag, fill it up and set it on my floorboards between my feet. There’s a hook I can secure the handles on so it doesn’t slide out while I’m turning, etc. And then, I can always put a daypack on my back too, as I did the other day when I went to the library with my laptop for a few hours of work.

I have considered buying a topcase to put on the back, but so far, I just haven’t needed it!

Meanwhile, scooting weather is fast evaporating (in the 20s last night… brrr!), so I’m trying to get some riding in every day. I dread the winter when I may have to garage my dear little scooter.

By the way, if you want to see what scooter I’m riding, check out this page on the Genuine Buddy Scooter…