Motorcycle training and licencing

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I did my MC license in Connecticut. Learners permit, followed by a dual cone slalom test. Weave your way to the end, then ride down the middle and stop rapidly. I had seen the test before and chose to bring my Honda 90. Others rode big bikes and failed. They then borrowed my bike and passed.



It was clearly set up to be exceedingly difficult for big bikes.
 
Originally Posted by blupupher
Originally Posted by alarmguy


If your over 18 with a valid drivers license you do not need a motorcycle safety course and no mention of a MSF.
If you are over 18 and do take the motorcycle Safety Course (not MSF course) they will waive the written test and road test.

Your quoting a privately run site, I am quoting Texas DPS and personal experience.
You need to take a state approved motorcycle safety course, and the only approved course I have seen is the MSF course (basic or intermediate certificates will allow an exemption to the road test).

If over 18 and you already have a motorcycle license from another state, then you do not need to take the course.


Ill take your word for it. :eek:) Since you seem to have gone through it, it just seems hard to believe in Texas, the land of the free and would be the only state that I know of.
Even the TEXAS OFFICIAL WEBSITE contradicts themselves, that is government for you. Again, love the state of Texas as I do my home state which still feels like the land of the free, maybe more so now. *L*

"Motorcycle Drive Test
The motorcycle drive test CANNOT be waived for any applicant under 18. All Individuals must take the motorcycle drive test unless the individuals are:

18 years of age or older, has completed a motorcycle safety course and holds a valid, unrestricted Texas Class A, B, or C license"

(One would think, the road test would not be waived if you did not do the safety course. I still think this is the case?)

....
To your credit I also see this, but I am thinking this maybe if the person does not have a drivers license?
Go figure, surprised Texas is so messed up! Geez, even CUJET who lives in CT doesnt have to to a safety course and thats the northeast ha ha. (cujet, I was born raised and lived most my life up there, nothing personal *L*)

"To obtain a Class M driver license, individuals must take a DPS-approved motorcycle safety course and bring the certificate of completion with them to the driver license office. If an individual has a valid motorcycle license from another state, DPS will waive the motorcycle safety course requirement." (maybe this is if the person does not have a regular drivers license?)


HERE IS THE SOURCE
 
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I was grandfathered in when the M endorsement was first required in N.C. All I had to do was pay the endorsement fee. My son was without a motorcycle for a few years and had to take a class and a copy of the course completion to the DMV. Looks like motorcycle drivers licensing requirements need standardization nationwide.
 
Many states now require the MSF course...RI, FL, and PA come to mind. Great little scam, too, since the states charge for it.
 
Not sure what it's like now but many years ago the riding test in Florida was fairly extensive. You couldn't get a motorcycle license everywhere, only the offices with a test course set up. I had to do a slow speed slalom around traffic cones, a u-turn in a painted box, and several other maneuvers. I had been riding for several years before I took the test but it was still challenging on a borrowed, unfamiliar motorcycle.
 
Originally Posted by Jarlaxle
Many states now require the MSF course...RI, FL, and PA come to mind. Great little scam, too, since the states charge for it.


Great little scam for motorcycle dealers also! I was interested in what everyone was charging, and the local Harley dealer wanted roughly $350 for the course at their site. I checked the local Community College and they offered the same course, and I found out later taught by the same instructors for the same pay, for $175. The Harley dealer is really raking it in. Most folks don't even know they can get the same course at the community college for substantially less. The Harley dealer's lot is loaded with folks taking the course almost every weekend. A minimum of 10 people every time I have gone by there. I went by the community college one weekend when they had the course going and they had a whopping 4 people in the class.
 
In Arkansas, you could ( 70's) operate a motorcycle on public roads at age 13. The written test was the same as the regular written test, and the only practical requirement that I recall is that a state police officer had to watch you ride up to the end of the road, turn around without putting your foot down, and make it back to the point of beginning without crashing.

Crash bars on the frame were required ( to protect your legs, but really didn't do anything safety wise imo ).

This got you the "M" endorsement on your license.

There may or may not have been a displacement limit, but I don't think so. Most kids started with a 90, 100, or a 125, if you were really flush.

Apparently the "M" stays on your license forever, unless you request that it be removed. AFAIK, I could go buy whatever I want and just ride it off, since I still have the endorsement ...
 
Originally Posted by weasley
Wow - it seems we have it pretty hard over here! But perhaps for good reasons. There is a feeling amongst some that the draconian licencing laws are designed to kill off motorcycles - it seems to be working.


Well, let's see how that works after Brexit, and Scotland and Ireland vote to leave (the UK). I'll bet all sorts of licensing gets changed
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Originally Posted by BrocLuno
Originally Posted by weasley
Wow - it seems we have it pretty hard over here! But perhaps for good reasons. There is a feeling amongst some that the draconian licencing laws are designed to kill off motorcycles - it seems to be working.


Well, let's see how that works after Brexit, and Scotland and Ireland vote to leave (the UK). I'll bet all sorts of licensing gets changed
laugh.gif



Ireland is already independent from the UK (since 1922). I suspect you meant Northern Ireland? I'm not even going to go there - it's a very emotive subject. Scotland? It'll be interesting to see how they will fund an independent Scotland.

Our current licencing laws were a result of the European Union Third Directive which aimed to harmonise licencing across Europe. It is unlikely we will deviate much, if at all, from the EU's laws regardless of the future union status.
 
Originally Posted by TiredTrucker
Originally Posted by Jarlaxle
Many states now require the MSF course...RI, FL, and PA come to mind. Great little scam, too, since the states charge for it.


Great little scam for motorcycle dealers also! I was interested in what everyone was charging, and the local Harley dealer wanted roughly $350 for the course at their site. I checked the local Community College and they offered the same course, and I found out later taught by the same instructors for the same pay, for $175. The Harley dealer is really raking it in. Most folks don't even know they can get the same course at the community college for substantially less. The Harley dealer's lot is loaded with folks taking the course almost every weekend. A minimum of 10 people every time I have gone by there. I went by the community college one weekend when they had the course going and they had a whopping 4 people in the class.


Opposite here: the state MSF course is usually filled up in a hurry (generally, October is sold out by mid-May). The dealers usually have more spots available.

Many HD dealers will apply the course fee to buying a bike.
 
Don't know what is involved today, but when I got my motorcycle license in New York back in the early '70s you had to take a special written test, get a learner's permit, practice with someone who already had the license for a set amount of time, and eventually take a road test on actual city streets. You were followed in a car with the test taker. You had to demonstrate various real-world skills like starting, stopping, turns, dealing with starting on a steep hill, etc. It was actually a fairly good test of basic motorcycle skills. I think I took the test on a 125cc Suzuki, which made things a lot easier. The hardest part was to use all the correct hand signals without screwing up the clutching, braking, etc. Had to use hand signals back then!
 
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In Maine I took the MSF course mainly because it was a convenient weekend and I didn't have to take time off from work to do it through the DMV.

They do their best to make it a 16 hour party, though of course the instructors were super serious when it came to avoiding becoming road pizza.

Liability insurance was $150 for the first year then $75 after.

State got rid of their permit-to-license program shortly thereafter and now one has to take the MSF.
 
Originally Posted by ragtoplvr
In Missouri you can rake a rider course and get an exemption.

Or you can take the state written test, weave thru some cones and then accelerate, shift, stop in a little box.

Rod



Same here I took a course through a local tech college. One day of class and 2 days of course riding thn they give you a certificate and a waiver. The certificate is for insurance, you get a discount and the waiver is for the dmv to get your license. But you have to take the written exam regardless for the temp license before getting the permanent
 
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In Ohio, I took the Motorcycle Ohio course and had the 4 hour classroom course and two 6 hour riding days. first day of riding was basically controls, basic maneuvering and stops and starts. 2nd day was more advanced maneuvers and the final exam. I didn't pass thre exam the first time but I was able to retake the test since my score was within a certain threshold for failing. I retook the test (in the rain
crazy2.gif
) and passed. I got the waiver card that allowed me to get an "M" stamped on my license. Not bad for only 50 bucks.
 
Originally Posted by gman2304
I was grandfathered in when the M endorsement was first required in N.C. All I had to do was pay the endorsement fee. My son was without a motorcycle for a few years and had to take a class and a copy of the course completion to the DMV. Looks like motorcycle drivers licensing requirements need standardization nationwide.


All i had to do was get a Motorcycle learners permit, and later do a parking lot skills test. Guess its changed here in NC.
 
In South Carolina you do not need a motorcycle license to ride a motorcycle. Your standard drivers license is just fine.
If you want to carry a passenger on your motorcycle, then you will need to take a DMV road test and get your motorcycle endorsement added to your license.
 
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