In NH, you can take a 2 1/2 day course, and if you pass both the written and practical riding tests, you get a card that allows you to get the motorcycle endorsement on your license.

Not everyone passes - I've taken the course twice (12 years apart - long story) and saw people in both courses fail. However, the tests aren't that hard; as a complete novice, who had never ridden a bike in her life, I passed both portions of the test easily.

However, they are careful to explain that we have proven that we can ride in a closed parking lot, without traffic, on a small bike (250 cc), under controlled circumstances. That does not neccessarily translate to going directly to the street.

Some people practice for weeks or months in a parking lot or side street before venturing out into the traffic. Others go right for the gusto right off the bat.

Oh yeah, the other way to get an endorsement, it to take the written and practical riding test at the DMV. That would usually be for experienced riders though.

 

I understand it's quite a chore to have the right to do anything in the UK. We would, hopefully, revolt against our government before we got to where you are.

However, in my state it requires a car license + a written test + the class + 30 days with a learner's permit.

 

Up till about 1968 in NY state no helmet and if you had a car driver license you where good to go.

I think the gov. made it harder to get licenses after that because the politicians under pressure from the uninformed public only saw bikes being used by MC gangs. Back in the late 60's and early 70's the number of motorcycles on the road lane splitting and patched bikers riding around in groups rapidly increased over night upset many already too uptight squares.

Any way now you walk into a DMV office without an appointment tell them you want to take the MC permit test. Depending on lines you can be out of there in 30 min or less.

With a permit you must have a licensed MC holder following you on the road for you to practice and learn riding skills.

The permit is good for one year. At anytime during that year you schedule your road test. Not counting the time as you wait your turn the road test takes about 10 minutes.

In a parking lot the tell you to make two right turns in the area marked off for six parking spaces, for three cars to part head to head, then you make two left turns, then you make two figure 8 turns in an area marked off for 6 cars to park head to head.

The examiners look to make sure that you keep your feet on the pegs while making the turns, because you are not allowed to let your feet touch the ground. They seem to ignore if you are a little sloppy and make your turns a little to wide.

Then they follow you in a car as you take the bike onto the road. You do about 1/2 of riding to show you can handle traffic and stay in your lane.

Now most states including NY offer the MSF program where you pass the corse you get a license without taking the state road test. Where over the course of three days you get classroom training and riding on 250 bikes along the lines of Honda Rebels. Where my son and I went they used 250 Suzukis. When I was young I never bothered with the road test.

Friday evening was videos and classroom instruction.
Sat morning was about 5-6 hours riding, then back to the classroom for about 2 hours and a written test that had to be passed.
Sun morning was about 5 hours riding. Then road test on the MSF course. About 1 hour.

You had to demonstrate that you mastered all the drills you were taught.

Three people failed that day. Two women in their early 60's both never road a bike, however one did ride bitch on her husbands bike. One never drove a car with a manual transmission. She couldn't grasp the concept of gas and clutch. Another woman in her 30's had a BF that rode and she had just bought herself a new sportster before taking the course.

I'd say the MSF is the way to go if you don't have a dad or family member that knows how to ride to teach you.

The MFS have you ride over a 2x4 so you know how to handle hitting road debris, swerve to the side at the last second as if a car or truck stopped short in front of you, apex turn, braking turn, pull up out of a turn and panic stop, etc....

One can pass the road test in NY state with knowing less then 25% of the riding skills that the MSF teaches you.

By the way my son missed no pionts and was the only one that day that got a perfect score of 100 on the road test.

 

I suspect there would be a lot fewer new rider accidents - most motorcycle accidents occur in the first 3 years regardless of the riders age - if the testing and training here was more complete and we had graduated lic. system like the UK does.

 

The PA learners permit is now valid for one year. You can renew it as long as you like and never actually take a test. If you decide to take the course http://www.pamsp.com/ , it is free. If you pass the test (almost everyone does) you get a full license.

My friends in Australia have explained their license requirements. They sound a lot like those for England.

 

I'm a Brit married to an American girl and live in California. The UK test is so complicated to the one out here.

Did the MSF course - very intense few days of learning and then riding and then because I passed that the State practical test was waived and all I had to do was answer 20 questions at the DMV and get 80% right. I was set and had my motorcycle license.

Good roads, good weather - great people and a great country - don't think I will be back riding in the UK any time soon.

 

In Oklahoma when I was a kid there were about 3 or 4 questions about motorcycles when you took you car drivers test. When I got my license at 16 I had a restriction that limited the cc's of what I could ride. I don't recall the limitation.

I moved out of the state and when I came back I got a CDL. They had gone to motorcycle testing but if you had a CDL all you had to say was give the motorcycle endorsement and they gave it to you.

I didn't have a bike for a few years and let my CDL expire. Then I renewed it, bought a bike a while later, got insurance, and rode about a 1 1/2 years before I realized they changed the law and I had to actually take a test now to add the endorsement.

 

every stated is different but I can see that most are about the same. I feel the driving test should be harder and just because you paid to take the course, you should still have to take the test or one just like it in the course. JMO

 

The Hurt Report (done 1981, is still the most complete study of motorcycle accidents done to date). Summary of findings from the Hurt Report........ [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...he_Hurt_Report ] A few things have changed since this study. There are now a lot more new older riders than there where in 1981 and a lot more people are starting out and riding large displacement bikes. They define large displacement as over 500cc in the report - not many people ride bikes under 500cc now. More recent studies looking at visibility show there is a 37% reduction in accidents with cars when the rider is wearing HiVis vs black jacket and helmet, also a German study looking at head injuries only showed 35% of head impacts causing injury (both fatal and non fatal) are to the face and chin in a motorcycle accident.

 

In nevada its that easy.